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Social Justice: On Empowerment, Resistance and Social Activism 

How can change come about? What are the ways to fight opression, provoke political, social and economic justice, and enable participation and empowerment? This course enages with important theories of resistance, the meaning of empowerment and social justice and their relevance for peace activism and research on conflict. Students are able to name and explain important global examples and apply the relevance of these experiences to future situations. Case studies will reach from the Civil Rights Movement to decolonisation and liberation; from resistance to the Vietnam War, to social activism such as Hainburg or Zwentendorf or street activism in Argentina or Nicaragua; Conversations about Black Lives Matter, #MeToo and Climate Activism; we also discuss controversial resistance movements such as IRA or ETA, (peaceful) revolutions and everyday small-scall resistance to social injustice, and include theoretical considerations such as Fanon, Goldstein, Arendt, Foucault etc; Students will thus be able to contribute to an ethical and moral as well as a socio-political, cultural and legal discussion on resistance practices, legitimacy of civil activism, non-violent and armed resistance as well as empowerment in order to discuss these in an academically competent manner from a post/decolonial, gender-based, anti-racist and critical perspective. 

Students understand the most important theories of resistance, empowerment and social activism and their relevance for peace and conflict work and research. They are able to name and explain important global examples and apply the relevance of the approaches to future situations. They will be able to contribute to an ethical and moral as well as a social, political and legal discussion on resistance practices, philosophical backgrounds to civil activism and non-violent and armed resistance and empowerment and discuss these in a scientifically competent manner from a post/decolonial, gender-based, anti-racist and critical-ecological perspective.

- Lectures by the lecturer

- Voluntary: Presentations by female students on a selection of topics

- Analysis of literature and other materials as part of the lecture

Exam at the End of the Semester

Lectures will be held in english