2024/2025
Philosophy of New Social Movements
Type:
Mago-Lego
Delivered by:
School of Philosophy and Cultural Studies
Open to:
students of one campus
Instructors:
Alexei Gloukhov
Language:
English
ECTS credits:
6
Contact hours:
56
Course Syllabus
Abstract
The course focuses on the social dynamics and the philosophical meaning of the phenomena of social movements and political conflicts. The logical framework includes key concepts, methods and ideas of both contemporary normative and continental philosophy. The rise of a social movement is interpreted as emergence of a logical anomaly, of a ‘private’ language, breaking apart the normative order and making violence inevitable. The end of a social movement is explained as gradual normalization of the logical anomaly. In order to make sense of a social movement one has to pose and answer two series of questions: 1) What is good for ‘us’ (as the members of the movement)? 2) Can we make our good compatible with what is good for the ‘other’ (= not ‘us’)?
Learning Objectives
- Students will learn the philosophical methods of interpreting the phenomena of social movements.
- Development of the independent moral and political judgement, as well as engagement with visual and textual sources will be emphasized.
Expected Learning Outcomes
- To develop logical skills allowing to discuss and to resolve political issues.
- To master the key ideas, concepts and methods of the contemporary political philosophy of social movements.
- To use the introduced concepts and methods to present a solution in a written essay.
Course Contents
- Course framework. Historical Case 1: Communist movement.
- Historical Case 2: Communist movement (cont.) Anarchism.
- Historical Case 3: Fascism. National-Socialism.
- Historical Case 4: Independence and anti-colonial movements.
- Historical Case 5: Student movements.
- Historical Case 6: Feminism.
- Case study: Migration. New nationalism.
- Case study: Capitalism, Neoliberalism, Accelerationism.
- Case study: New emerging movements. Course conclusion.
Bibliography
Recommended Core Bibliography
- Arendt, H. (1973). The Origins of Totalitarianism. [Place of publication not identified]: Mariner Books. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1871784
- Beauvoir, S. de, Malovany-Chevallier, S., & Borde, C. (2011). The Second Sex (Vol. 1st ed). New York: Vintage. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=745281
- Benjamin, W., Salzani, C., Moran, B., & Agamben, G. (2015). Towards the Critique of Violence : Walter Benjamin and Giorgio Agamben. London: Bloomsbury Academic. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1003341
- Butler, J. (2007). Gender Trouble : Feminism and the Subversion of Identity. New York: Routledge. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=881409
- Cutrofello, A. (2005). Continental Philosophy : A Contemporary Introduction. New York: Routledge. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=106052
- Gandhi, & Parel, A. (1997). Gandhi: “Hind Swaraj” and Other Writings. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=616955
- Georges Sorel. (2012). Reflections on Violence. [N.p.]: Dover Publications. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1155886
- Karl Marx, & Friedrich Engels. (2019). The Communist Manifesto. [N.p.]: Vintage. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=2156462
- Lord, B., & Mullarkey, J. (2009). The Continuum Companion to Continental Philosophy. London: Continuum. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=344310
- Plato. (2016). Republic (Vol. Enriched Classic). [N.p.]: Simon & Schuster. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1992908
- Schmitt, C. (2005). Political Theology : Four Chapters on the Concept of Sovereignty (Vol. University of Chicago Press ed). Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=335369
- Schmitt, C. (2007). The Concept of the Political : Expanded Edition (Vol. Expanded ed). Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=332203
- State and revolution. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.440BBB15
Recommended Additional Bibliography
- Ivan Turgenev. (2013). Fathers and Sons. New York: Sheba Blake Publishing. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1023910