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74378-01 - Seminar: Danger and Security: Ethnographies of Humanitarianism in the New Global Order (3 CP)
| Semester | spring semester 2025 |
| Course frequency | Irregular |
| Lecturers | Serena Dankwa (serena.dankwa@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | This course examines the entangled relationships between discourses of danger, security, and humanitarianism in the contemporary global order, where the borders between humanitarian aid, development work and state-building are increasingly blurred. In particular it focuses on the gendered and racialized dynamics of humanitarian feminist interventions in the field of combatting “gender-based violence.” The course is informed by a growing body of anthropological research on securitization as a new governance model in which security is articulated through human and women’s rights. Among others, this model invites national publics and civil society actors to police individual perpetrators, while “rescuing” victims of intimate gender violence. We will explore how ethnographies illuminate the lived experiences and the moral complexities of intervening against gender violence and human trafficking in particular. Given the unexpected alliances between (carceral) feminists and far-right parties targeting migrant and illegalized sex workers, it will also attend to the challenges faced by feminist NGOs who seek to resist becoming the prolonged arm of state securitization. Through case studies, theoretical readings, and ethnographic accounts, students will critically assess how danger is constructed and how security is practiced in contexts such as safe houses, women’s shelters, and refugee camps with a special focus on postcolonial Europe. |
| Learning objectives | By the end of the course, students will: 1. Analyze key anthropological theories on securitization and feminist humanitarianism. 2. Critically engage with ethnographic case studies in the field of gender-based violence. 3. Examine the intersections of governance, policing, and lived experiences of victim aid. 4. Develop analytical skills to assess the complexities of feminist interventions in contemporary global politics and to explore constructions danger and security. |
| Bibliography | TBD Possible Readings: Inderpal Grewal, Lila Abu-Lughod, Rema Hammami, Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian, Faten Khazaei, Didier Fassin, Paul Amar, Lisa Malkki, Diya Bose, Miriam Ticktin, Martina Tazzioli, Nicola Mai, Jennifer Musto, Saida Hodzic. |
| Comments | The number of participants is limited to 25 students. The places are assigned according to date of enrollment, subject of study (subjects listed under "modules") and possibly a letter of motivation. |
| Admission requirements | No previous knowledge of security discourses are required, but previous knowledge in gender and postcolonial studies is highly advantageous. The course requires a willingness to read deeply and independently, to be moved by the readings and to engage with the activist traditions in which they may be set. The seminar is aimed at advanced BA students (from 4th semester onwards) and MA students with good English language skills and the readiness to read a lot! |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14-täglich | Wednesday | 10.15-14.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
Dates
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday 19.02.2025 | 10.15-14.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Wednesday 05.03.2025 | 10.15-14.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Wednesday 19.03.2025 | 10.15-14.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Wednesday 02.04.2025 | 10.15-14.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Wednesday 23.04.2025 | 10.15-14.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Wednesday 14.05.2025 | 10.15-14.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Wednesday 28.05.2025 | 10.15-14.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Modules |
Modul: Ethnographien (Bachelor's degree subject: Anthropology) Modul: Theory and General Anthropology (Master's degree subject: Anthropology) Modul: Wissenschaftliche Vertiefung in der Ethnologie: Ethnographien (Bachelor's degree subject: Anthropology) Module: Conflicts and Peacebuilding (Master's degree program: Changing Societies: Migration – Conflicts – Resources) Module: Fields: Environment and Development (Master's degree program: African Studies) Module: Fields: Public Health and Social Life (Master's degree program: African Studies) Module: The Urban across Disciplines (Master's degree program: Critical Urbanisms) Specialization Module Global Europe: Work, Migration and Society (Master's Studies: European Global Studies) Specialization Module Global Europe: Peace and Conflict Studies (Master's Studies: European Global Studies) Specialization Module Global Europe: Statehood, Development and Globalization (Master's Studies: European Global Studies) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | as often as necessary |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Fachbereich Ethnologie |