RESA: Research School for Swedish Anthropology
Ph.D. course open to: All Ph.D. students in Social Anthropology or related disciplines
Course title: Political morality/moral politics
Dates: 3-7 November 2014
Location: Lund
Course coordinator/Teaching: Steven Sampson and Avd. for Socialantropologi, LU
ECTS: 5p, evt. 7,5p
Contact: steven.sampson@soc.lu.se
The exercise of power is always grounded in some moral foundation. Moral projects are always political: they compel or push people to do something. The struggle for resources and control, what we call ‘politics’, is always about translating moral values into life. Power, politics and morality are inseparable. Many anthropologists discover this truism only too late in their research. We want to start early. The purpose of this Ph.D. course is to combine the anthropological study of power and politics with the study of morality: to build a political-moral anthropology. We will try to formulate a cultural study of power.
To this end, we will read a variety of texts dealing with politically-based moral projects, and morally founded politics. Some of the texts will be older anthropological works on politics and power, while others will come from the newer work on ‘moral anthropology’. Some of the issues to be discussed are: the ‘political field’ in anthropology, the anthropological study of political systems in Africa and elsewhere, bureaucracy and administration, corruption and anticorruption, policy and policy anthropology, value-based political movements, NGOography and moral entrepreneurs, and studies in moral anthropology (Zigon, Heintz, Fassin, articles from t.x. recent Anthropological Theory). During the course, students will also have the chance to present their own fieldwork or projects from a politics as morality/morality as politics perspective.
Requirements: active participation and presentation of texts, gives 5 ECTS. Optional paper submitted after the course, additional 2,5 ECTS, total 7,5 ECTS.
Organization: course start Monday 3 Nov. kl 13.00, finish Friday 7 Nov. kl 12. Main teacher and coordinator is Steven Sampson, Socialantropologi, Lund. Other teachers are staff from Lund with guest lecturers. Texts will be made available or provided. Some texts will have to be purchased. Students will be responsible for their own housing and expenses, but we can assist you. Contact Steven.Sampson@soc.lu.se if you are interested. Further information and bibliography will be sent later. All doktorander welcome.
