Universität Wien

240075 VO+UE VM1 / VM4 - Researching ‘Development’: Post- and Decolonial Perspectives (2018W)

Continuous assessment of course work

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 25 participants
Language: German

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

No course held on October 22nd, 2018 and January 7th, 2019. Instead, two sessions are held on October 29th, 2018 and January 14th, 2019.

In case you have specific needs regarding accessibility, please communicate them asap, before the first session, to the lecturer and the department office!

Monday 08.10. 15:00 - 17:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 1 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-03
Monday 15.10. 15:00 - 17:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 1 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-03
Monday 29.10. 15:00 - 19:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 1 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-03
Monday 05.11. 15:00 - 17:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 1 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-03
Monday 12.11. 15:00 - 17:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 1 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-03
Monday 19.11. 15:00 - 17:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 1 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-03
Monday 26.11. 15:00 - 17:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 1 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-03
Monday 03.12. 15:00 - 17:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 1 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-03
Monday 10.12. 15:00 - 17:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 1 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-03
Monday 14.01. 15:00 - 19:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 1 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-03
Monday 21.01. 15:00 - 17:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 1 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-03
Monday 28.01. 15:00 - 17:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 1 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-03

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

An understanding of development research as research on inequalities also implies an analysis of the institutional and geopolitical conditions of knowledge production on ‘development’. In this course, we engage with the power relations, which shape realities of students, researchers and ‘researched’. In this regard, intersectional power relations – in terms of gender, class or racialised relations – are important as well as global power relations between a global North and a global South. Theoretically, the course deals with feminist, post- and decolonial debates on decolonising knowledge production, which, in the last years, have shaped debates in social and cultural studies as well as in activist domains.

The course starts with an introduction to the topic on the basis of short lectures from the side of the course leader as well as on the basis of specialised texts. At the core of the discussion lies a reflection on the positionalities of ‘researchers’ and ‘researched’ in a context of intersectional power relations. In order to do so, we discuss introductory texts to the paradigms of ‘postcolonial theory’ and ‘decolonial theory’. Further, a focus is put on approaches which deal with the relation between power and knowledge, such as Quijano's (2007) 'coloniality of power', as well as with approaches with propose counter-epistemologies such as Smith’s (1999) ‘researching back’.
The second part of the course focuses on concrete case studies of collectives, initiatives, research projects or individual research practices, which engage with questions of decolonising research. Examples are the network of activist and academic actors Decoloniality Europe or examples of the book „Transnational Feminist Research Praxis“ (Swarr Lock /Nagar 2008).

Teaching goals:
By means of discussions of theoretical texts of post- and decolonial approaches as well as of concrete research practices, students shall be inspired to critically engage with academic knowledge production. In this regard, we shall also reflect on our own positionalities in the academic setting. Especially the case studies shall open a space for reflecting on the question how power-sensitive research on ‘development’ can be made possible.

Methods:
We engage with post- and decolonial approaches towards knowledge production on the basis of introductions from the course leader as well as text-based discussions. Apart from text-based discussions, we will also draw on audio-visual material such as films or podcasts in order to engage with a broader range of methods of knowledge production and dissemination. In form of group or individual presentations – depending on the amount of students – students get to know concrete examples of decolonising research practices. The evaluation is based on regular homeworks regarding the specialised literature, a (group) presentation and a final short written assessment.

Assessment and permitted materials

a) Attendance and active participation: 20& (maximum absence of 3)
b) Submission of written reports of questions on theoretical literature (1-2 pages): 25%
c) Individual or group presentations of an example of decolonising research practices: 25%
d) Written assignment in form of a reflection essay (5 Seiten): 30%

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

All requirements listed above must be fulfilled in order to positively complete the course. Assessment system see above.

Examination topics

The final reflection (5 pages) shall discuss main insights of post- and decolonial knowledge production on the basis of the discussed theoretical texts and case studies. Different approaches can be discussed together or a focus can be put on a specific approach or case study.

Reading list

The literature discussed in the course as well as further literature is provided on moodle.

Preliminary literature:
Castro Varela, Marío do Mar/Dhawan, Nikita (2005): Postkoloniale Theorie. Eine kritische Einführung. Bielfeld: Transkript Verlag.
Grosfoguel, Ramón (2007): The epistemic decolonial turn: beyond politico-conomy paradigm. Cultural Studies, Vol. 21, Nr. 2-3, 2007: 211-223.

Mato, Daniel (2000): Studying with the Subaltern, not only about the Subaltern Social Groups, or, at Least, Studying the Hegemonic Articulations of Power. In: Nepantla: Views from South, Vol. 1, Nr. 3, Duke University Press, 479-503.

Meckesheimer, Anika (2013): Decolonisation of Social Research Practice in Latin America. What can we learn for German Social Science? In: Transcience, Vol. 4, Nr. 2, 2013: 79-98.
Santos, Boaventura de Sousa (2016) [2014]: Epistemologies of the South. Justice against Epistemicide. London/New York: Routledge.

Swarr, Amanda L./Nagar, Richa (2010): Critical Transnational Feminist Praxis, State University of New York (SUNY) Press.

Tuhiwei, Smith L. T. (1999): Decolonizing methodologies: research and indigeneous peoples. London and New York: Zed Books.

Visweswaran, Kamala (2008) [1994]: Fictions of Feminist Ethnography. Minneapolis/London: University of Minnesota Press.

Zawala, Miguel (2013): What do we mean by decolonizing research strategies? Lessons from decolonizing, Indigeneous research projects in New Zealand and Latin America. In: Decolonization: Indigeneity, Education & Society, Vol. 2, Nr. 1, 2013: 55-71.

Ziai, Aram et al. (i.E.): Beyond the Master’s Tools: Post- and Decolonial approaches to research methodology and methods in the social sciences. Konferenzband.

Association in the course directory

VM1 / VM4

Last modified: Mo 07.09.2020 15:39