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Engaged Citizenship: performance, ethnography, and activism (2026/2027: Semester 1 – Fall)
Cursusdoel
After completing this course students are able to:
- Demonstrate broad knowledge on engaged citizenship, social movements, and activism.
- Synthesize concepts from diverse disciplinary backgrounds (anthropology, decoloniality, citizenship studies, and performance studies) and apply them in classroom discussions and in academic writing.
- Apply theories on activism for the staging of two micro-actions which will be participatory, performative, or both.
- Practice positionality and listening to other perspectives in classroom conversations and in writing, as well as being mindful of the ethical aspects of collaborating with each other and with societal partners
| Description of assignment | Weight | Assesses which learning goals |
| 1) Attendance and in-class participation | 10% | 4 |
| 2) Homework and preparation for class | 10% | 1, 2, 3 & 4 |
| 2) Micro-action 1 | 25% | 3 & 4 |
| 3) Micro-action 2 | 25% | 3 & 4 |
| 5) Term paper | 30% | 1, 2, 3 & 4 |
Vakinhoudelijk
"The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any." — Alice Walker
Engaged citizenship requires active participation in shaping society. It suggests that being a responsible member of a community isn't just about enjoying rights but also about taking action to uphold justice, equality, and democracy. Activism is a fundamental aspect of democratic citizen participation. But what does it mean to be an activist? How can individuals and communities drive meaningful social and political change? And how do fieldwork research, art and performance shape and give meaning to social movements?
This course explores the intersections of engaged citizenship, activism, performance end research. The course (content, syllabus, teaching methods) is co-designed by the three teachers of the teaching team, and several classes will be co-taught.
Throughout the course we will develop a theoretical understanding of the overlaps and differences between Western concepts of citizenship (based on the notions of the ‘nation-state’ and ‘territoriality’) and non-Western conceptions of citizenship (e.g. planetary citizenship, indigenous and decolonial conceptions). We will also discuss different forms, goals, strategies, and repertoires of activism (e.g. rallies, sit-ins, community activism) and learn about activist practices by discussing concrete examples. These case studies will be grounded in a theoretical framework that draws from anthropology, politics, citizenship, and decolonial studies.
Furthermore, we will develop our theoretical apparatus for thinking through the nexus of activism, research, and creative practice by approaching the topics of political change, solidarity, revolution, and social movements ethnographically. Ethnography is an embodied, relational, and embedded research method. It is therefore inherently collaborative and particularly well placed to broaden our understanding of what we mean by political thought and action. What roles can researchers take on in support of public causes? What ethical questions arise in doing participant observation with social movements? Must the aims and analysis of the ethnographer and of the activist align? How have anthropologists employed multi-modal methods to study revolution and militantism, and what specific challenges have these methods posed? Students will develop a pilot engaged ethnographic project as their first micro-action.
Finally, we will study embodied forms of activism (e.g. protests, occupations, interventions, rallies) that use artistic means to make their point. We will focus on how basic performance practices (e.g. using costume, character, voice, gestures, sensory awareness, attention strategies) and the immediacy of lived bodily sensations, perceptions and behaviours can be employed for both organizing and enacting embodied activism in public space. In this part, students will continue to apply theories and to probe relevant concepts through creative and experiential learning: they will make their second micro-action using embodied performance practices.
This course may be of special interest to students pursuing Performance Studies, Anthropology, and/or Political Science.
Engaged citizenship requires active participation in shaping society. It suggests that being a responsible member of a community isn't just about enjoying rights but also about taking action to uphold justice, equality, and democracy. Activism is a fundamental aspect of democratic citizen participation. But what does it mean to be an activist? How can individuals and communities drive meaningful social and political change? And how do fieldwork research, art and performance shape and give meaning to social movements?
This course explores the intersections of engaged citizenship, activism, performance end research. The course (content, syllabus, teaching methods) is co-designed by the three teachers of the teaching team, and several classes will be co-taught.
Throughout the course we will develop a theoretical understanding of the overlaps and differences between Western concepts of citizenship (based on the notions of the ‘nation-state’ and ‘territoriality’) and non-Western conceptions of citizenship (e.g. planetary citizenship, indigenous and decolonial conceptions). We will also discuss different forms, goals, strategies, and repertoires of activism (e.g. rallies, sit-ins, community activism) and learn about activist practices by discussing concrete examples. These case studies will be grounded in a theoretical framework that draws from anthropology, politics, citizenship, and decolonial studies.
Furthermore, we will develop our theoretical apparatus for thinking through the nexus of activism, research, and creative practice by approaching the topics of political change, solidarity, revolution, and social movements ethnographically. Ethnography is an embodied, relational, and embedded research method. It is therefore inherently collaborative and particularly well placed to broaden our understanding of what we mean by political thought and action. What roles can researchers take on in support of public causes? What ethical questions arise in doing participant observation with social movements? Must the aims and analysis of the ethnographer and of the activist align? How have anthropologists employed multi-modal methods to study revolution and militantism, and what specific challenges have these methods posed? Students will develop a pilot engaged ethnographic project as their first micro-action.
Finally, we will study embodied forms of activism (e.g. protests, occupations, interventions, rallies) that use artistic means to make their point. We will focus on how basic performance practices (e.g. using costume, character, voice, gestures, sensory awareness, attention strategies) and the immediacy of lived bodily sensations, perceptions and behaviours can be employed for both organizing and enacting embodied activism in public space. In this part, students will continue to apply theories and to probe relevant concepts through creative and experiential learning: they will make their second micro-action using embodied performance practices.
This course may be of special interest to students pursuing Performance Studies, Anthropology, and/or Political Science.
Format
The instructors will teach from the perspective of inclusive and decolonial pedagogies. This includes cooperative teaching, collaborative, dialogic learning, active student participation, and combining formal academic knowledge with practical competencies.
Furthermore, we will focus on the ethical aspects of participatory research and interventions, as well as on developing critical awareness over one's own dynamic positionality in relationship to research methods, public space and embodied action. Teaching methods include interactive lectures, class discussions, and close analysis of texts. At the end of the semester, students will produce an academic research paper expanding on the pilot ethnographic project.
Students will also learn how to sketch, plan, and enact “micro-actions” that probe concepts pertaining to engaged citizenship. These exercises will be framed within decolonial ethics, to create interventions that are oriented towards an equitable, and inclusive society, planetary citizenship, and earth justice.
Furthermore, we will focus on the ethical aspects of participatory research and interventions, as well as on developing critical awareness over one's own dynamic positionality in relationship to research methods, public space and embodied action. Teaching methods include interactive lectures, class discussions, and close analysis of texts. At the end of the semester, students will produce an academic research paper expanding on the pilot ethnographic project.
Students will also learn how to sketch, plan, and enact “micro-actions” that probe concepts pertaining to engaged citizenship. These exercises will be framed within decolonial ethics, to create interventions that are oriented towards an equitable, and inclusive society, planetary citizenship, and earth justice.
Werkvormen
UCU INT 2 course
Toetsing
Attendance and in-class participation
Verplicht | Weging 10% | ECTS 0,75
Homework and preparation for class
Verplicht | Weging 10% | ECTS 0,75
Micro-action 1
Verplicht | Weging 25% | ECTS 1,88
Micro-action 2
Verplicht | Weging 25% | ECTS 1,88
Term paper
Verplicht | Weging 30% | ECTS 2,25
*midterm FEEDBACK*
Niet verplicht
Ingangseisen en voorkennis
Ingangseisen
Er moet voldaan zijn aan minimaal één van de cursussen:
- [UCHUMMES11] Introduction to Media & Cultural Studies
- [UCHUMPES11] Introduction to Performance
- [UCSSCANT11] Introduction to Social and Cultural Anthropology
Of je moet minimaal 60 punten van het bachelor programma hebben behaald
Voorkennis
Er is geen informatie over benodigde voorkennis bekend.
Voertalen
- Engels
Competenties
-
Interdisciplinariteit
-
Kritisch lezen
-
Leren In Community’s
-
Luisteren
-
Community based learning / community based research
-
Samenwerken
Cursusmomenten
Gerelateerde studies
Tentamens
Er is geen tentamenrooster beschikbaar voor deze cursus
Verplicht materiaal
-
BOEKTBA
-
DIVERSESelection of articles or book chapters either available through the UU library or Open Source
Aanbevolen materiaal
Er is geen informatie over de aanbevolen literatuur bekend
Opmerkingen
Counts toward HUM or SSC major.
Coördinator
| dr. T. Bruni | T.Bruni@uu.nl |
Docenten
| dr. T. Bruni | T.Bruni@uu.nl |
| dr. K. Georgelou | k.georgelou@uu.nl |
| dr. V. Zagaria | v.zagaria@uu.nl |
Inschrijving
Let op: deze cursus is niet toegankelijk voor studenten van andere faculteiten, bijvakkers mogen zich dus niet inschrijven.
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