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Semester | spring semester 2019 |
Course frequency | Once only |
Lecturers | Amal Abdrabo |
Content | The Arab Spring period, starting late 2010, resembled the Renaissance of street activities especially in Tunisia and Egypt. Taking Egypt as an example, the 25th of January 2011 was the peak of freedom of expression Egyptians have ever reached. Everyone was able to say what is on their minds, be it face-to-face or through social media platforms. However, this did not last for long. Today, Egyptians tend to express their views through forms of media that no longer correspond to the canonical definition of social movements. They are now using uncanny ways of expressing their opinion, i.e. graffiti and public writings on the back of cars and inside shrines. In this light, can we consider these practices as non-social movements? In the absence of more direct political confrontation, in terms of collective action and street protest, can we define participants of these new practices as social actors? Can public messages in the form of graffiti be considered as a form of non-social movements? What can we say about the changing face of the political reality within the Arab Spring countries from a comparative perspective? Based on Asef Bayat’s concept of the Social Non-movement, the workshop discusses the everyday life practices of ordinary people in the endeavor of expressing their opinion. Moreover, it explores the ‘politics of presence’ imposed by ordinary people and practiced within the public sphere after the Arab Spring from a North African perspective. The objective is to explore the Art of Presence of ordinary people, through which power is produced and reproduced within the society. WORKSHOP THEMES Theme I: The Arab Spring in North Africa 2010-2012 - Reality and the “Past” (Tunisia and Egypt). Theme II: Liminal Spaces of Participation (Theoretical Foundations). Theme III: Public Writings: Back to Reality – the “Present”. PROVISIONAL PROGRAMME 9.00-9.30: Welcome and introduction 9:30- 11:00: Collective discussion on the readings. 11:00- 11:30: Coffee break 11:30- 12:45: Participants’ presentations 12:45- 13:45: Lunch Break 13:45- 15:00: Final discussion and feedback |
Bibliography | A list of light readings for the workshop will be circulated amongst accepted participants beforehand. The following texts provide an introduction to the theme of the workshop: Bayat, Asef. 2000. "From ‘Dangerous Classes’ to ‘Quiet Rebels’: Politics of the Urban Subaltern in the Global South”. In: International Sociology, September 2000, Vol. 15(3). Pp. 533–557. Bayat, Asef. 2013. "The Arab Spring and its Surprises". International Institute of Social Studies. In: Development and Change Vol. 44, Issue: 3. Pp. 587–601. Bayat, Asef. 2017. "Revolutions of Wrong Times". In: Revolution without Revolutionaries: Making Sense of the Arab Spring. Stanford University Press. Pp. 1-27. LeVine, Mark. 2015. "When Art Is the Weapon: Culture and Resistance Confronting Violence in the Post-Uprisings Arab World". In: Religions 2015, 6, 1277–1313; doi:10.3390/rel6041277. www.mdpi.com/journal/religions Schielke, Samuli. 2012. “Surfaces of Longing: Cosmopolitan Aspiration and Frustration in Egypt”. The American Anthropological Association & Zentrum Moderner Orient (Berlin, Germany). In: City & Society, Vol. 24, Issue 1, pp. 29–37. Turner, Victor. 1969. "Liminality and Communitas". In: The Ritual Process: Structure and Anti-Structure". Chicago: Aldine Publishing, 1969. Pp. 359-374. |
Admission requirements | This workshop is designed for PhD candidates and advanced MA students. Each participant will prepare a short presentation (max. 10 mins) linking their own research project to the general theme and/or subthemes of the workshop, A statement of motivation is required for the registration. |
Course application | For registration please provide an expression of interest (250-500 words) to amal.abdrabo@unibas.ch explaining your motivation for joining the workshop and stating the expected benefits. The memo should include the title of your own research project and situate it under one of the workshop themes. The deadline for submission is Monday, 15th April 2019. |
Language of instruction | English |
Use of digital media | No specific media used |
Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
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No dates available. Please contact the lecturer.
Modules |
African Studies: Recommendations (PhD subject: African Studies) |
Assessment format | continuous assessment |
Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
Scale | Pass / Fail |
Repeated registration | no repetition |
Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
Offered by | Zentrum für Afrikastudien |