Violent Environments in a Planetary Age

Course goals

At the end of the course the students are able:
 

1. To critically evaluate and compare various conceptual approaches presented in ethnographic texts and materials. 
2. To analyse debates and to apply them to empirical case-studies in a research paper and a group presentation.
3. To analyse and compare various conceptual approaches in a presentation and to moderate a group discussion on these topics.
4. To develop one’s own independent, critical, and scientifically sound position in this field.

Content

This course introduces students to anthropological studies of violent environments. We will explore the everyday experiences and material effects of the violent reconfigurations of life on the planet. Starting with a planetary perspective that counters anthropocentric assumptions and dominant relations of power, this course will examine themes such as the violence of extractivism, geographies and temporalities of slow violence, war ecologies and ecocidal violence, and how unfolding climate crisis intersects with the reverberating effects of colonialism, capitalism, empire. Explicitly, the course will pay attention to the power as well as the limits of ethnographic research and representations of these issues.

Course design
The course entails 6 weekly sessions (3 or 4 hours long). These sessions are introduced by a lecture, followed by seminar-style discussions. 5 sessions involve a presentation by groups of students who provide a case study and lead a group discussion.

Commitment:
Utrecht University has an official course commitment policy. This policy consists of:

• 80% attendance in seminars (only a maximum of 20% absence is accepted, irrespective of the reasons).
• Handing in papers and assignments on time; and
• Obligatory participation in seminars.

There exists no collective possibility to resubmit rewritten papers. Only students who have complied with all commitment policy requirements will be given one additional chance to submit a rewritten paper within three weeks after the course ended. Resubmission is not a right of students but a privilege given by the course coordinator on a case-to-case basis, and therefore require his permission.