Recognition, Inclusion and Relationality - Feminists Theorize Democracy

• Friday 10.9. at 12-14 (U40, sali 8)
• Friday 17.9. 12-15 (U40, sali 24)
• Friday 24.9.-15.10. 12-15 (U40, sali 8)
• Friday 22.10. 12-15 (U 40, sali 24)

Prior registration for the course in WebOodi.

• N.B. Number of students limited (max 20) due to the workshop nature of the course!

Prerequisites

Basic and intermediate studies.

Compensations

Course compensates two books from the literature in P430:

• Verloo Mieke (ed.): Multiple Meanings of Gender Equality. A Critical Frame Analysis of Gender Policies in Europe
• Lister Ruth: Citizenship: Feminist Perspectives

The remaining credits of the study unit are to be completed by in the form of a book exam within six months, at the latest, after the date of the course completion.

Target group/Course level

MA level course where priority in registration is given to students in MDP Democracy and Global Transformations and majors in Political Science.

Objectives

The aim of the course is to give an overview of recent debates going on in the field of feminist political theory related to democracy, and to give the students tools to read texts by contemporary feminist thinkers. Special attention will be given to the relation between theory and practical politics. The themes highlighted, recognition, inclusion and relationality, will be discussed in a wider context of political theory.

Content

During the course recent feminist approaches to democratic theory and practices will be discussed. Besides lectures, we will read together texts by Iris Marion Young, Nancy Fraser, Judith Butler, Chantal Mouffe, Adriana Cavarero and Maria Pia Lara focusing especially on themes related to recognition, political and economical inclusion and different relations between subjects taking part in the democratic debate. Through the concept of recognition, dualist relations, implying the aspect of radical difference and otherness, are discussed. Dualist relations may take place between groups or classes of people when there exists for example a precarious workforce, an example of which is the growing low-paid foreign work force in Western countries. Dualist political and economical relations are discussed especially through the theories of Nancy Fraser, Judith Butler and Chantal Mouffe.

During the last two decades the theoretical discussion related to democracy has been dominated by a paradigm where discussion and norms related to public deliberation are highlighted. In the mean time different practices have been developed in many Western countries in order to improve the possibilities for citizens to get their voice heard. What has gained less attention in these discussions is what or who it is that should be heard, and by whom and how. Feminist theorists such as Iris Young, Adriana Cavarero and Maria Pia Lara, have focused on these themes in their writings. During the course the relation between the one who speaks and those who listen in public debate will be addressed. In this context the role of language compared to embodied notions of materiality in democratic theory will also be examined.

Completion

Students are required to read texts to be discussed during the sessions and to write a short essay in the end of the course.

Grading

The course work will be graded on a scale from 0 to 5. The grading criteria will be specified in the course.

Course evaluation and development

During the last session, students will have an opportunity to give feedback on the course to the lecturer and to fill in an anonymous evaluation form. During the course feedback the feedback can be given anonymously.

When giving feedback, please evaluate the contribution of the teacher, your own contribution, the contributions of other students and the possible contribution of the Department office to the success of the course.