The experimental summer school course explores the history and contemporary forms of feminist struggles in Russia and the Nordic countries. The course brings together scholars, artists and activists of different generations to share experiences, memories and interpretations of feminist politics in different historical, social and cultural contexts.
The experimental summer school examines the narratives of feminism and the ways in which these narratives are shaped, preserved and passed on to the next generation through the voices of the storytellers and the media they use. It interrogates the intersections of personal embodied experiences and structural relationships of power by combining academic and artistic methods.
The point of departure of the course is that while questions related to feminism and politics of gender and sexuality are differently structured in different societies, much is also shared. The course thus seeks to go beyond methodological nationalism and think through feminism and its conditions, manifestations and forms in a transnational and cross-cultural context.
Learning outcomes
After the course, students are able to
*Recognize the diverse historical, cultural and political trajectories and forms of feminist politics
*Discuss politics of gender, race, class and sexuality in a transnational and cross-cultural contexts
*Unpack the ways in which political struggles are shaped by and shape relationships of power
*Reflect on the limits of established and conventionalized ways of knowledge production within academia
*Understand the role of art as a method to explore social reality
*Gain practical and creative skills to produce diverse forms of knowledge (e.g. shooting and editing videos or making collages)
Methods
Contact teaching, group discussions, art-making workshops
Content
The experimental summer school course consists of pre-readings, lectures, group discussions and joint practical art-making workshops. The students learn to make short videos and to edit them. The students do not have to have previous experience of making videos or practicing art.
Target audience
Students with at least two years of completed Bachelor’s studies in the social sciences or humanities.
Estimated student workload
Before the course: a set of pre-readings and a reflective learning diary (app. 2000 words)
Active attendance at the course sessions and practical art-making
A finalized artwork (video) and a reflection paper (1-2 pages)
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