Universität Wien

240040 SE BM7 FbSE Political Anthropology (2025S)

Prüfungsimmanente Lehrveranstaltung

Participation at first session is obligatory!

The lecturer can invite students to a grade-relevant discussion about partial achievements. Partial achievements that are obtained by fraud or plagiarized result in the non-evaluation of the course (entry 'X' in certificate). The plagiarism software 'Turnitin' will be used.
The use of AI tools (e.g. ChatGPT) for the attainment of partial achievements is only allowed if explicitly requested by the course instructor.
Di 06.05. 08:00-11:15 Hörsaal C, NIG 4. Stock

An/Abmeldung

Hinweis: Ihr Anmeldezeitpunkt innerhalb der Frist hat keine Auswirkungen auf die Platzvergabe (kein "first come, first served").

Details

max. 25 Teilnehmer*innen
Sprache: Englisch

Lehrende

Termine (iCal) - nächster Termin ist mit N markiert

  • Dienstag 01.04. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal C, NIG 4. Stock
  • Donnerstag 08.05. 08:00 - 11:15 Hörsaal C, NIG 4. Stock
  • Dienstag 13.05. 08:00 - 11:15 Hörsaal C, NIG 4. Stock
  • Donnerstag 15.05. 08:00 - 11:15 Hörsaal C, NIG 4. Stock
  • Dienstag 20.05. 08:00 - 11:15 Seminarraum A, NIG 4. Stock
  • Donnerstag 22.05. 08:00 - 11:15 Hörsaal C, NIG 4. Stock

Information

Ziele, Inhalte und Methode der Lehrveranstaltung

This seminar explores some of the key concepts in political anthropology—such as power, the state, globalization, digitization, citizenship, and activism—through a range of ethnographic and theoretical readings. By examining both the practices and representations of politics, which is a fundamental division in the sub-discipline, the course asks how political life is produced, contested, and transformed across institutional, every day, and digital domains.
The course responds to contemporary global shifts: from the erosion of democratic norms and the intensification of militarization to the rise of algorithmic governance and digital forms of activism. How do technologies mediate power? How are citizenship and statehood being reconfigured in the wake of globalization and deterritorialization? What new forms of inequality and resistance are emerging under global capitalism? And how can anthropological tools—especially ethnography and critical theory—help us make sense of the political today?
Through critical readings and engaged discussion, students will examine the interplay between power and practice, and between institutional authority and everyday life.

By the end of the course, students will be able to:
• Identify and critically discuss key concepts in political anthropology.
• Analyze the relationship between politics and everyday life through ethnographic cases.
• Compare different theoretical approaches to power, the state, and governance.
• Evaluate the political implications of digital technologies and algorithmic systems.
• Formulate and express anthropologically grounded arguments about contemporary political issues.

Art der Leistungskontrolle und erlaubte Hilfsmittel

Course requirements:
Complete the assigned readings for each session (1-2 articles).
Submit a short response paper (500 words) for each session, critically engaging with key arguments.
Make one in-class presentation
Participate actively in class discussions
Submit a final essay
In addition to the required readings, we will also look at relevant films and videos.

Mindestanforderungen und Beurteilungsmaßstab

Response papers (around 500 words): 30%
Participation: 50% (20% in-class participation, 30% in-class presentation)
Final Essay: 20% (around 2000 words)

91-100 points: 1 (excellent)
81-90 points: 2 (good)
71-80 points: 3 (satisfactory)
61-70 points: 4 (sufficient)

To complete the course, students need to obtain at least 61 points.

Prüfungsstoff

Students will be assessed on their participation in discussions, class presentations, response papers and final essay.

These components will be assessed on their understanding of the main arguments of the texts, critical engagement with the readings, analytical skills, creativity and ability to articulate anthropological perspectives on policy issues.

Literatur

A finalised reading list, including relevant films, will be provided on the first day of class.

Excerpts from:

Coleman, Gabriella. Coding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. 2012
Banerjee, Mukulika. Why India Votes? New Delhi: Routledge, 2014.
Barassi, Veronica. ‘Algorithmic Violence in Everyday Life and the Role of Media Anthropology’. In The Routledge Companion to Media Anthropology, 1st ed., 1:481–91. Routledge. 2023.
Coleman, Gabriella. "From Busting Cults to Breeding Cults: Anonymous h/Acktivism vs. the (a)Nonymous Far Right and QAnon." HAU: Journal of Ethnographic Theory 13, no. 2 : 248–63. 2023
Crewe, Emma. The Anthropology of Parliaments: Entanglements in Democratic Politics. London: Routledge, 2021.
Foucault, Michel. Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison. 2. Vintage Books ed. New York, NY: Vintage Books. 1995.


Zuordnung im Vorlesungsverzeichnis

Letzte Änderung: So 30.03.2025 00:02