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| Semester | fall semester 2022 |
| Course frequency | Irregular |
| Lecturers | Claske Dijkema (claske.dijkema@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | After the killing of George Floyd, structures and representations of white supremacy, including symbols, maps, and memorials became targets worldwide to contest racism nowadays. The tribute to white males who played a role in slavery and colonialism through statues and place names became objects of contestation in Switzerland. Contested monuments therefore serve as starting points for analysing power relations in cities. This course approaches the city as a palimpsest: multiply inscribed and imperfectly erased, imbued with traces and residues, laden with memory. The course adopts an intersectional approach to power dynamics, looking at the intersections between class, race and gender and how patriarchy, capitalism and white supremacy silence the voices oppressed by and whose memory is systematically erased. The concept of (de)coloniality is particularly useful for understanding these intersections and to understand the perpetuation of structural violence. The course further draws on subaltern studies: what are the ways subalterns speak in the city and how can subaltern histories be retrieved or recovered? We will look for “people’s monuments”, those that contest current power relations and heterotopic spaces that give a glimpse of what a different world could look like. While discussions about Swiss urban space are the starting point for the course, they will be complemented with an account of urban space in other European cities. The course will be co-taught with issue-based organizers and civil society groups working on the topics of racialized exclusion, decolonization, gentrification, and urban space within Switzerland. |
| Learning objectives | - Developing research and archival skills. - Applying a critical analysis to the narratives of city tours. - Design and development of creative and practical interventions in the local Swiss context. - Formulating recommendations about how to address contested monuments. |
| Comments | This seminar prioritizes Critical Urbanisms students and is mostly aimed at second year CU Master students. Please contact the lecturer for further information. Field trips take place Friday 14.10 (St. Gallen: departure 12.43 from Basel SBB); Saturday 22.10 (Neuchâtel: departure 10.03 Basel SBB); Saturday 02.12 (Bern: to be confirmed). |
| Admission requirements | Mostly for second year students. Critical Urbanisms MA students will be prioritized on timely registration. Maximal capacity:30 |
| Course application | Anmelden: belegen; Abmelden: nicht erforderlich |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Friday | 14.15-16.00 | Rosshofgasse (Schnitz), Seminarraum S 02 |
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Friday 30.09.2022 | 14.15-16.00 | Rosshofgasse (Schnitz), Seminarraum S 02 |
| Friday 07.10.2022 | 14.15-16.00 | Rosshofgasse (Schnitz), Seminarraum S 02 |
| Friday 14.10.2022 | 14.15-16.00 | - Siehe Bemerkung, Field trip - St. Gallen: departure 12.43 from Basel SBB |
| Friday 21.10.2022 | 14.15-16.00 | --, -- |
| Saturday 22.10.2022 | 14.15-16.00 | - Siehe Bemerkung, -- |
| Friday 28.10.2022 | 14.15-16.00 | Rosshofgasse (Schnitz), Seminarraum S 02 |
| Friday 04.11.2022 | 14.15-16.00 | --, -- |
| Friday 11.11.2022 | 14.15-16.00 | Rosshofgasse (Schnitz), Seminarraum S 02 |
| Friday 18.11.2022 | 14.15-16.00 | Rosshofgasse (Schnitz), Seminarraum S 02 |
| Friday 25.11.2022 | 14.15-16.00 | Dies Academicus |
| Friday 02.12.2022 | 14.15-16.00 | Rosshofgasse (Schnitz), Seminarraum S 02 |
| Friday 09.12.2022 | 14.15-16.00 | Rosshofgasse (Schnitz), Seminarraum S 02 |
| Friday 16.12.2022 | 14.15-16.00 | Rosshofgasse (Schnitz), Seminarraum S 02 |
| Friday 23.12.2022 | 14.15-16.00 | --, -- |
| Modules |
Modul: Erweiterung Gesellschaftswissenschaften M.A. (Master's degree subject: Political Science) Modul: Europäisierung und Globalisierung (Master's Studies: European Global Studies) Modul: Fields: Media and Imagination (Master's degree program: African Studies) Modul: Kulturtechnische Dimensionen (Master's degree program: Cultural Techniques) Module: Conflicts and Peacebuilding (Master's degree program: Changing Societies: Migration – Conflicts – Resources) Module: The Urban across Disciplines (Master's degree program: Critical Urbanisms) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | Pass/Fail |
| 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 Urban Studies |