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Table of Contents
DVST 6901: Civil society and wellbeing
Semester 1, 2024
This class is a seminar on the topic of citizenship, and particularly the ways in which groups of people use politics to advance the goal of social change. It differs substantially from its description in the Handbook. It will not directly address questions of wellbeing, health, or happiness, and will not be limited to examining social movements or nongovernmental organizations. The question of citizenship and civil society has historically been debated in the context of political theories of democracy, that is, normative theories of what kind of politics should a society have in order to be just. Many of the liberal theories of democratic citizenship have become especially influential, especially among institutions engaged in development, empowerment, and social reform. Yet at the same time they seem to be rapidly losing credibility and legitimacy, and many argue that we now are moving into a postdemocratic era. Why did liberalism fail? Is it worth saving? Is there a better way for people to hold the state accountable? In this class we draw upon empirical research into how different groups of people around the world have entered into politics to critique and reexamine these dominant liberal conceptions of the citizen and democracy.
Coordinator: Ryan Schram
Last updated: January 17, 2024
Assignments
- First essay: Human emancipation in “actually existing democracies” (due Apr. 13 at 11:59 p.m., worth 30%, length 1500)
- Second essay (due May 25 at 11:59 p.m., worth 40%, length 2000)
- Weekly writing assignments (due weekly, worth 20%, length 150 ea.)
- Contributions to an online knowledge base (due weekly, worth 10%, length 700)
Weekly plan of topics and readings
| Week | Date | Topic | Main reading | Other reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | February 21 | What comes after liberation? | Tuck and Yang (2012) | Curley et al. (2022); Garba and Sorentino (2020) |
| 2 | February 28 | What does emancipation mean? | Marx ([1843] 1978) | |
| 3 | March 06 | The cultural roots of Western liberal politics | Habermas ([1962] 1992); Fraser (1992); Ryan (1992) | Peiss (1991); Warner (2002) |
| 4 | March 13 | Subaltern counterpublics | Yeh (2012); Leonardo (2012) | Bonilla and Rosa (2015) |
| 5 | March 20 | Counterpublic discourse and political knowledge | See this page or the Canvas wiki agenda page | |
| 6 | March 27 | Colonial subjects and national citizens | Ekeh (1975); Mamdani (2001) | Cohn (1987) |
| B | April 03 | Mandatory school closure in recognition of Judeo-Christian festivals | ||
| 7 | April 10 | The others of citizenship | Chatterjee (1998); Chatterjee (2004) | Chatterjee (2012); Chatterjee (2011) |
| 8 | April 17 | Getting connected | Rooney (2021); Speer (2016) | Lemanski (2020); Vidmar et al. (2023) |
| 9 | April 24 | Getting settled | Cattelino (2006); Speer (2017) | Goldberg-Hiller (2019) |
| 10 | May 01 | About them, but not without them | Francis et al. (2023); Salinger et al. (2024) | |
| 11 | May 08 | Due for repair | Luke and Heynen (2020); Scott (2021) | Beyers (2013); Draus et al. (2019); Gilbert and Williams (2020); Small and Minner (2024) |
| 12 | May 15 |