77771 - GENDER AND SOCIAL MOVEMENTS IN SOUTH EAST EUROPE

Anno Accademico 2020/2021

  • Docente: Bojan Bilic
  • Crediti formativi: 4
  • SSD: M-STO/03
  • Lingua di insegnamento: Inglese
  • Modalità didattica: Convenzionale - Lezioni in presenza
  • Campus: Forli
  • Corso: Laurea Magistrale in Interdisciplinary research and studies on eastern europe (cod. 8049)

Conoscenze e abilità da conseguire

The students are expected to acquire a sense of relevance of the notions of sex and gender for wider social developments through weekly readings, film excerpts, class discussions and course assignments. By the end of the course, students are expected to develop a capacity to recognise and appreciate the often implicit gendered dimension of social phenomena, particularly those associated with the recent history of Southeast Europe, and to use the elementary gender studies terminology in a reflexive manner.

Contenuti

This module provides students with a basic understanding of the relevance of gender in the socialist and post-socialist South East Europe. Dr Bilić draws upon his own research on the history and politics of (women) anti-war and LGBT organising in the region to examine the multiple ways in which national belonging, state building/dissolution and citizenship are gendered. The course pays particular attention to the concepts of patriarchy and intersectionality, encouraging students to reflect upon the strong patriarchal backlash that took place in the region towards the beginning of the 1990s as well as upon the consequences that this has had for the nature of activist engagement. Throughout our meetings we will examine how gender served as the organising principle of anti-war initiatives and explore why women have been at the forefront of various transitional justice, memory and reconciliation endeavours. We will also engage with the three decade long developmental trajectory of the regional LGBT activist organising, fostering critical thinking about the tension between “global” and “local” LGBT activism. We will focus on the problems that arise from the “asynchrony” between the “Western” and the regional activist strategies trying to see how neo-colonialist discourse sometimes pervades both social theorising and general perceptions of the region.

The course also touches upon the most common qualitative methods for studying gender, thus helping students to develop critical reading, thinking, and writing skills and deepen their understanding of feminist political and cultural analysis.

Testi/Bibliografia

Topics

Introduction 1

In this session we will:

  • start getting to know each other.
  • take a look at the structure of the course and discuss course requirements.
  • discuss your questions and expectations related to the course.

Introduction 2

In this session we will:

  • agree on how to distribute presentation topics.
  • discuss the purpose and structure of AQCIs.
  • discuss the readings and engage with definitions of activism, social movements and (activist) politics and other concepts that we will use throughout the course.

Doing Gender-Related Research 1

First hour

Women and Feminist Activism in the Yugoslav Space

Discussion of the reading and your AQCIs:

Arguments, issues, questions

Second hour

Discussion with a former MIREES student

 

Doing Gender-Related Research 2

First hour

Discussion with a former MIREES student

 

Second hour

Putting concepts in motion:

Definitions, applications, potentials

 

Round Table

INTERSECTIONALITY

What Is Intersectionality and How We Approached It in Our Book?

Intersectionality and LGBT Activist Politics:

Multiple Others in Croatia and Serbia

QUEER ANTI-CAPITALISM

In this session we will explore the meanings of ‘queer’ which, once a pejorative term, was reclaimed by activists as an alternative to struggles based solely on sexual identities. We will zoom in on the ways in which neoliberal capitalism impacts on LGBT activist strategies in the wake of Yugoslav socialism.

OPEN LECTURE

Guest lecture by an activist

NEOCOLONIALISM

In this session we will explore how non-normative sexualities can be imposed as criteria of “proper citizenship” and a basis for exclusion and discrimination and at the implications of these processes for Eastern European and post-Yugoslav politics, more specifically.

PRESENTATIONS 1

HUMAN RIGHTS DISCOURSE AND NGO-ISATION OF ACTIVISM

In this session we will engage with the implications of the “human rights paradigm” for the way in which sexual identifications are articulated in the post-Yugoslav space. We will take a look at activism professionalisation and discuss issues related to this process.

PRESENTATIONS 2

CONCLUSION

Revisions & Reflections

How to Write in Academia?

In this session we will:

  • do a wrap-up of the course and address any remaining questions.
  • talk about what concepts/theories you found most useful/closest to your life/interests/political commitments.
  • discuss the most important techniques of academic writing and see how you can apply these to your final paper and your MA thesis.
  • There will be an evaluation of the course.

Metodi didattici

Introductory lectures, seminar (moderated group discussions with guest lecturers), selected documentary film footage, individual student presentations of selected readings.

Modalità di verifica e valutazione dell'apprendimento

AQCIs - 20%

Presentation - 30%

Final paper - 50%

Orario di ricevimento

Consulta il sito web di Bojan Bilic