Time to Act: Cultural Interventions and Artivism

Full course description

This course provides students with the skills to self-reflexively put their critical understanding of art and literary interventions into practice. To that end, the course is focused on a group project in collaboration with societal partners. Structured in the format of a portfolio, this project mobilizes research, analysis, and communication to (co-)design, (co-)facilitate, and/or comment on a cultural intervention regarding an issue of social justice. This can be in the format of a creative workshop, a podcast, a video, an exhibition, a handbook, a toolkit, a reading group, a social media campaign, et cetera. To prepare for the project, students will explore concepts and case studies that address how literary and artistic practices activate new socio-political imaginaries, and how they transform contemporary modes of struggle for social justice. Students will elaborate on concepts such as artivism (art activism), emotion work, counterpublics, postcritique, queer and decolonial performance, prefiguration, and radical care, among others. Case studies change from year to year, depending on topical issues. Examples range from the adaptation of science-fiction theory in anti-racist organizing, to participatory arts in residential dementia care, from environmental artivism to the anti-colonial appropriation of urban monuments, from anti-capitalist interventions to punk-feminist craftivism, et cetera. Drawing on these studies and on their liaison with societal partners, students will – in the second half of this course – finalize their group projects, and critically reflect on this process via an individually written commentary. The course prepares students for their future work and public engagement in the social and creative sectors, organizing and campaigning, as well as public outreach, journalism, and critique.