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Democratic Resistances in the Times of Rightwing Mobilization: From Deliberation to Protest

Center for Anthropological, Political and Social Theory (CAPS) 

This PhD course addresses students interested in theories of democracy, political participation and resistance studies drawing on an interdisciplinary field of methods in sociology, anthropology, and political science. Our starting point is activists’ search for effective models of cooperation and collective action allowing people from different backgrounds to dialogue and take democratic decisions together in a shifting political environment of backlash, surveillance and repression. This gives rise to a number of important questions: How and to what extend do the current radical movements succeed to multiply and connect to build coalitions to support minorities, migrants and refugees combining identity and resistance in everyday politics? What political, cultural, and epistemic translating practices do heterogeneous coalitions use to work together, and to what degree do they become "spaces of radical openness" in response to the binary and antagonistic discourses of neo-right populism? Under what conditions do activists succeed to express public dissent as well as organize deliberation and collective action involving allied political parties and institutions? Keynote lecturers and the reading materials in this course will explore the relationship between theories and practices of deliberation, prefigurative democracy, and non-violent resistance focusing on case studies including the refugee solidarity movements in Europe and the anti-Trump protests as well as the Arab Spring, Occupy and Indignados movements.

During day one, the course will introduce the participants to cutting edge research from both sides of the Atlantic. During the paper-workshop of day two, participants will be engaged in discussion on their own research with professors Jane Mansbridge, Harvard University, and Professor Jeffrey Juris, North Eastern University.

We invite PhD students, postdocs and researchers interested to apply for participation in the PhD course.

With: Professor Jane Mansbridge, Harvard University, and Professor Jeffrey Juris, North Eastern University.

Date: May 18-19, 2017

Deadline for signing up: March 30 The number of places for participants is limited. PhD students get 5 ECTS if you give a paper (over 10 pages) and 2 ECTS without paper.

Register with Lene Lisbet El Mongy (lm@samf.ku.dk).

PhD course: Advanced Social Movements Studies

Copenhagen Graduate School of Social Sciences

The study of social movements and contentious politics are more relevant than ever. Movements have in recent decades mobilized in relation to issues of climate and environment, globalization, gender and sexuality and the economic and financial policies. These mobilizations have vigorously been challenging powerholders. Lately, the large influx of refugees from the Middle East has spurred the mobilization of both pro- and anti-refugee movements across Europe. In the US, waves of protest against discriminatory practices against people of color dominates the agenda together with rising tensions over the immigration issue. In the wake of the financial crisis, also within established politics the role of movements have been growing as protest movements have organized as independent parties or as factions in established parties and have gained significant popular backing with Syriza seizing power in Greece as the climax so far.

This give rise to a number of important questions: What are the historical background against which these movements organize? What long and short term developments of conflicts, divisions and institutional alterations give rise to current movements and waves of protest? What can we expect with regard to their impact? What will make them succeed or fail? What new repertoires and strategies do they employ?
During day one, the course will introduce the participants to cutting edge research from both sides of the Atlantic. During the paper-workshop of day two, participants will be engaged in discussion on their own research with professor Douglas McAdam, Stanford University.

Instructors: Professor Douglas McAdam, Department of Sociology, Stanford University, CA, USA & Associate Professor Nicole Doerr, Department of Sociology, University of Copenhagen & Senior researcher Flemming Mikkelsen, Department of Sociology, University of Copenhagen

Date: 20 September - 21 September 2016

PhD course: Contemporary Sociological Theory

Copenhagen Graduate School of Social Sciences

The course focuses on sociological theory after 1989. It will discuss what is considered to be central theoretical developments and problems. The course aims both at orienting participants in different theoretical areas and traditions, and make possible in-depth studies of particular fields. The course aims at enriching participants ability to relate the development of sociological theory to relevant social, cultural and political contexts. The course will be based on mandatory readings as well as on readings chosen by the participants according to their interest and in accordance with teachers.

Instructors: Mikael Carleheden, Bengt Larsson, Helen Peterson, Kerstin Jacobsson, Petri Ylikoski, Bjørn Schiermer, Mitchell Dean

Date: 10 October - 2 December 2016

PhD seminar: Reason and Affect in the Anthropocene

Centre for Anthropological, Political, and Social Theory (CAPS), Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Copenhagen

This two-day PhD seminar interrogates the intersection of two issues important to contemporary debates about political culture, public discourse, and social activism.

Date: May 17 – 18, 2016

Instructors: Professor William Connolly, Johns Hopkins University and Professor Jane Bennett, Johns Hopkins University