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74002-01 - Practical course: The Roots of Social Change? Grassroots Movements in Political Transitions (3 CP)
| Semester | fall semester 2024 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers |
Lasse Kos (lasse.kos@unibas.ch, Assessor)
Beat Ospelt (beat.ospelt@unibas.ch) |
| Content | Climate crisis, wars and migration, social upheaval and political polarization are presenting our societies with major challenges. The longing for democracy, sustainability, peace and justice is leading people to get active and work on realizing an alternatively organized society. Such groups fight for, develop and test alternatives, while confronting established societal structures with the outlines of another world. Grassroots movements are diverse and multifaceted, but they are united by a claim to change the world "from below". In this seminar, we get to the bottom of these movements. We develop a critical understanding of grassroots movements and how their actions can be understood from a sociological and political-theoretical perspective as political practices. Equipped with this theoretical and analytical knowledge, we take a closer look at case studies of grassroots movements, examine their practices, and ambivalent roles in political transitions. Our focus will be on two specific grassroots movements: ecovillages and squatting projects, while looking at their different aspects, tactics and contexts. |
| Learning objectives | By the end of this course, students should be able to • understand, critically assess, and compare different grassroots movements, their practices, forms of politics, and roles in processes of social transformation from a sociologically and political-theoretically informed perspective. • articulate a considered opinion on the nature, potentials, and limits of exodus and pre-figurative politics. • present comments and questions to launch a productive group discussion, as well as to take an observant role during class and summarize and reflect on the plenum discussions. |
| Bibliography | Preliminary bibliography: Asara, V, & Giorgos K. 2023. The Prefigurative Politics of Social Movements and Their Processual Production of Space: The Case of the Indignados Movement. Graeber, D. 2013. The Democracy Project. New York. Hardt, M. & Negri, A. 2003. Empire. Cambridge. Lorey, I. 2008. Attempt to Think the Plebeian: Exodus and Constituting as Critique. transversal: The Art of Critique. Monticelli, L. 2022. The Future Is Now: An Introduction to Prefigurative Politics. Bristol. Mouffe, C. 2009. The Importance of Engaging the State. In What Is Radical Politics Today? Müller, K. 2023. Climate Camps and Environmental Movements: Impacting the Coal Industry and Practicing “System Change”. Rancière, J. 1999. Disagreement: Politics and Philosophy. Minneapolis. Seyfang, G, & Smit, A. 2007. Grassroots Innovations for Sustainable Development: Towards a New Research and Policy Agenda. Tarrow, S. 2022. Power in Movement: Social Movements and Contentious Politics. Cambridge. Varco, M. 2024. Volk Utopia: Racial Futures and Ecological Politics on the German Far-Right. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Tuesday | 10.15-12.00 | Deutsches Seminar, Seminarraum 4 |
Dates
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday 17.09.2024 | 10.15-12.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 115 |
| Tuesday 24.09.2024 | 10.15-12.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 120 |
| Tuesday 01.10.2024 | 10.15-12.00 | Deutsches Seminar, Seminarraum 4 |
| Tuesday 08.10.2024 | 10.15-12.00 | Deutsches Seminar, Seminarraum 4 |
| Tuesday 15.10.2024 | 10.15-12.00 | Deutsches Seminar, Seminarraum 4 |
| Tuesday 22.10.2024 | 10.15-12.00 | Deutsches Seminar, Seminarraum 4 |
| Tuesday 29.10.2024 | 10.15-12.00 | Deutsches Seminar, Seminarraum 4 |
| Tuesday 05.11.2024 | 10.15-12.00 | Deutsches Seminar, Seminarraum 4 |
| Tuesday 12.11.2024 | 10.15-12.00 | Deutsches Seminar, Seminarraum 4 |
| Tuesday 19.11.2024 | 10.15-12.00 | Deutsches Seminar, Seminarraum 4 |
| Tuesday 26.11.2024 | 10.15-12.00 | Deutsches Seminar, Seminarraum 4 |
| Tuesday 03.12.2024 | 10.15-12.00 | Deutsches Seminar, Seminarraum 4 |
| Tuesday 10.12.2024 | 10.15-12.00 | Deutsches Seminar, Seminarraum 4 |
| Tuesday 17.12.2024 | 10.15-12.00 | Deutsches Seminar, Seminarraum 4 |
| Modules |
Modul: Institutionen, Verbände, Religionsgemeinschaften (Master's Studies: Religion - Economics - Politics) Modul: Politik, Entwicklung und soziale Ungleichheit (Bachelor's degree subject: Sociology) Modul: Ungleichheit, Konflikt, Kultur (Master's degree subject: Sociology) 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 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 Soziologie |