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| Semester | fall semester 2023 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | Johannes Schubert (jon.schubert@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | Violence and memory politics are central dimensions of urban social, political, and economic life, and best examined in their situated, dynamic interplay rather than as isolated epiphenomena. This course looks at different nodes in which politics, violence, and memory interplay to produce and contest specific social formations. Violence and processes of social remembering and memorialisation are central components of political action, specifically regarding the relation between states and citizens, both in situations of the seeming normality of democracy and rule of law (elections, policing), as well as in apparent states of exception (revolution, repression, state violence). Through this, the course addresses the foundational question of the relationship between coercion and consent. It reveals how shifting in and out of categories such as legal/illegal, normal/exceptional, and state/non-state are fundamental, if situational, ordering principles by which people make sense of and act upon the world. We will also critically examine the postulated connections between violent conflict, development, and the ‘failure’ or ‘success’ of state- and nation-building processes and, through this, equip ourselves with the reflexive and methodological tools to confront these discourses critically. |
| Learning objectives | Drawing from a broad range of readings, this course explores different empirical contexts to introduce students to key ideas on violence and memory politics. Students will learn to identify, understand, compare and contrast various conceptual approaches, and apply these to different case studies. Students should come out with a firm knowledge of the interrelations between urban development, state-building, violence, and memory. |
| Admission requirements | The number of participants is limited to 25 people. The places are assigned according to date of enrollment and subject of study. Priority will be given to the subjects listed under "modules". |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Tuesday | 14.15-16.00 | Alte Universität, Seminarraum -201 |
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday 19.09.2023 | 14.15-16.00 | Alte Universität, Seminarraum -201 |
| Tuesday 26.09.2023 | 14.15-16.00 | Alte Universität, Seminarraum -201 |
| Tuesday 03.10.2023 | 14.15-16.00 | Alte Universität, Seminarraum -201 |
| Tuesday 10.10.2023 | 14.15-16.00 | Alte Universität, Seminarraum -201 |
| Tuesday 17.10.2023 | 14.15-16.00 | Alte Universität, Seminarraum -201 |
| Tuesday 24.10.2023 | 14.15-16.00 | Alte Universität, Seminarraum -201 |
| Tuesday 31.10.2023 | 14.15-16.00 | Alte Universität, Seminarraum -201 |
| Tuesday 07.11.2023 | 14.15-16.00 | Alte Universität, Seminarraum -201 |
| Tuesday 14.11.2023 | 14.15-16.00 | Alte Universität, Seminarraum -201 |
| Tuesday 21.11.2023 | 14.15-16.00 | Alte Universität, Seminarraum -201 |
| Tuesday 28.11.2023 | 14.15-16.00 | Alte Universität, Seminarraum -201 |
| Tuesday 05.12.2023 | 14.15-16.00 | Alte Universität, Seminarraum -201 |
| Tuesday 12.12.2023 | 14.15-16.00 | Alte Universität, Seminarraum -201 |
| Tuesday 19.12.2023 | 14.15-16.00 | Alte Universität, Seminarraum -201 |
| Modules |
Modul: Sachthemen der Ethnologie (Bachelor's degree subject: Anthropology) Modul: Theory and General Anthropology (Master's degree subject: Anthropology) Modul: Wissenschaftliche Vertiefung in der Ethnologie: Sachthemen (Bachelor's degree subject: Anthropology) Module: Conflicts and Peacebuilding (Master's degree program: Changing Societies: Migration – Conflicts – Resources) Module: The Urban across Disciplines (Master's degree program: Critical Urbanisms) Vertiefungsmodul Global Europe: Arbeit, Migration und Gesellschaft (Master's Studies: European Global Studies) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | The course will be run as weekly, two-hour meetings. Each session includes a brief introduction by the instructor, and then extensive group discussions based on readings and reading notes prepared by the students. All but the first session will also include student presentations on selected topics/case studies. This is a discussion seminar, and your learning success depends on commitment and involvement of all participants. This only works if you arrive well-prepared, and actively participate in the discussions and listen to your peers. Discussions and ‘thinking out loud’ are a large part of the course and learning in it. Seminars are intended as safe spaces to experiment with debating literature and building our own techniques and confidence in critical reading, discourse, and review and writing skills. In addition, the class incorporates peer feedback and peer review as an important tool to help you with becoming better writers, readers and collaborators. The reading list includes core readings per session that all students are expected to read and prepare for discussion — these are normally two journal articles or book chapters, though in some sessions we will rely on shorter, alternative forms of conveying analytical insights to academic and non-academic audiences (online resources, shorter posts, etc.). In addition, students will lead the discussion based on the session’s core readings. Topics/sessions will be allocated in the first meeting. Finally, the syllabus also includes additional/background readings for those wishing to explore a certain topic in greater depth (for their essay, for example).We’ll use a shared pad as collective whiteboard/scrapboard to keep track of our discussions. |
| 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 | Fachbereich Ethnologie |