| Beschreibung |
In this course, we will explore the urban as a space of the political. Along this exploration, we will be guided by the concept of the “carnival” — a force oriented toward change and challenging the status quo through the temporary “suspension of all hierarchical rank, privileges, norms, and prohibitions” (Bakhtin, 1984). Throughout the course, we will trace the history of the carnival as an integral part of urban life, from the Middle Ages to the present, and examine which of its features manifest today in various dimensions of urban publicness, including urban mobilizations and protests, festivals and mega-events, public art, community activities, and other forms of urban visibility. We will pay attention to emotions and affects associated with public space and investigate how power operates in urban space — how it is transmitted through the material and spatial organization of the city, and how urban dwellers can resist it and create alternative orders by establishing their own ways of living in and governing the city. In addition to discussing readings and working on individual essays or collective projects, the course includes learning a methodological approach to studying urban processes through participation — organizing a carnival and reflecting on one’s own experience of performing and transforming urban space. |
