CODE | SCR5218 | ||||||||||||
TITLE | Conflict, Representation and Cultural Politics | ||||||||||||
UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | ||||||||||||
MQF LEVEL | 7 | ||||||||||||
ECTS CREDITS | 3 | ||||||||||||
DEPARTMENT | Centre for the Study and Practice of Conflict Resolution | ||||||||||||
DESCRIPTION | This study-unit will approach matters related to conflict and its resolution in relation to culture. Perceptions of culture as being part of the political toolbox for addressing conflict and attempting resolution will be problematised through an assessment of the cultural contribution to conflict. This perspective will be in turn challenged through an assessment of culture as providing some of the means with which to address social dynamics, and contribute to them, in ways that are creative, positive, open, ethically sensitive to the environment and larger ecology, and actively participative in the resolution process. Therefore, an acknowledgment of culture as part of the problem will be balanced with a perception and critical analysis of culture as part of the solution. The study-unit will approach the problematic of culture and conflict in three steps: i. It will address culture as being part of the problem on the one hand, and balancing that with an assessment of culture as being a driver for solutions on the other, ii. It will take note of culture as factor contributing to conflict and challenge that perception through a counter-narrative, namely that of culture as a field of human action to address and resolve conflict, and iii. It will analyse culture when it is perceived and propagandised as being at the root of conflict (e.g. in the context of religion or civilisational clashes), and contrast that with looking at culture as way of addressing conflict because culture is part of society including its conflictual state, and therefore being able to offer a way through and out of it (e.g. with reference to situations like the Palestinian context, the Irish conflict and festivals in post-war Europe including through initiatives developed by the European Union and driven by cities across Europe like the European Capital of Culture programme). Study-unit Aims: This study-unit aims to: - develop a methodology with which to approach the representation of conflict and cultural politics. - build a historical, political and cultural context within which to situate issues of conflict and how they inter-relate with cultural actions. - relate local dynamics to regional and international ones. - problematise the relationship between culture and conflict, challenging perceptions of culture as being simply and always 'positive', and noting how culture does contribute and lies at the root of various types of conflict. - look at culture in the way it is referred to as being part of social problems and conflictual situations. - assess culture when it is acknowledged and approached in ways that may allow it to contribute to finding solutions and be part of methods designed to address conflict creatively. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - describe contexts related to conflict and culture. - identify the role of culture in contributing to conflict, as well as to its resolution. - acknowledge differences in conflictual contexts through the lens of culture. - assess different approaches to conflict resolution through cultural approaches. - apply different methodologies on the basis of different contexts / frameworks. - make cases for the pursuit of conflict resolution through cultural means. - address conflictual matters on cultural bases invoking dynamics related to clashes in ethical, ethnological, religious and cultural conventions and norms. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - critically assess academic texts addressing culture and conflict. - critically assess more practice-based texts from the field representing the experiences of practitioners. - relate the two types of texts. - analyse concepts and methodologies developed during the study-unit and explain concepts and assessments they have made. - work together in discussing reflections. - work together to present outcomes. - compare situations and conflicts at local, regional and international levels. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: Arndt, Richard T. , 2005. The First Resort of Kings: American Cultural Diplomacy in the Twentieth Century, Washington D.C.: Potomac Books. Benedikter, Roland & Ziveri, Davide, 2013. The global imaginary, new media and sociopolitical innovation in the periphery: the practical case of an Internet-based empowerment project in Palestine and Israel, Continuum, 28:4, 439-453, DOI: 10.1080/10304312.2013.772113. (online) Bilgin, Pinar, 2014. Dialogue of Civilisations: A Critical Security Studies Perspective, Perceptions; Balgat, 19:1, 9-24. (online) Huntington, Samuel P., 1996. The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order, London: Simon & Schuster. Supplementary Readings: UNESCO, 2015. Re|Shaping Cultural Policies: A Decade Promoting the Diversity of Cultural Expressions for Development, http://en.unesco.org/creativity/globalreport-2015. (online) Voices of Culture, Structured Dialogue between the European Commission and the Cultural Sector, 2018. Social Inclusion: Partnering with Other Sectors, Brainstorming Report http://www.voicesofculture.eu/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/FINAL-Brai nstorming-report-SD7-Social-inclusion.pdf. (online) Xuereb, Karsten, 2012. The Impact of European Influence on Cultural Relations in the South Mediterranean, unpublished doctoral thesis, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, https://www.tdx.cat/handle/10803/97209. (online) |
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STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture and Seminar | ||||||||||||
METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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LECTURER/S | Valentina Cassar Karsten Xuereb (Co-ord.) |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |