|
- You are able to explain, analyse and discuss various aspects of grassroots initiatives, the state and development, and ensuing debates.
- You develop your own critical viewpoints on contemporary dilemmas regarding grassroots dynamics, in relation to concrete events, cases and situations, both in development cooperation and in ‘post-welfare’ societies.
- You are able to analyse and explain the similarities and differences between the different domains discussed in the course.
- You are able to communicate your well-argued understanding of contemporary dilemmas grassroots initiatives, development and the state, both orally and in writing.
|
|
People have always – individually or collectively – tried to make the world a better place. Many organize themselves in grassroots initiatives that aim for some kind of development. Occasionally, such grassroots initiatives are ‘enforced’ from above. For instance, as part of neoliberal policies where people are supposed to take over tasks that formerly belonged to the responsibility of the state or as part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that call upon all layers of society to contribute. Grassroots initiatives and their challenges prompt a large number of questions about how they take shape and how they relate to the state and the private sector. For example, who takes the lead and who remains excluded? How do power-holders, such as governments, corporations, and (development) NGOs, encourage and/or respond to these initiatives? This thematic specialisation course offers a perfect starting point for studying the large diversity of grassroots initiatives for change and development in the global North and South.
In this course you become familiar with debates and dilemmas regarding grassroots initiatives and institutional responses in the global North and South. First, the course problematises the concepts of development and change. What is development? What is change? How do inequality and uneven power relations affect, impede or give rise to development and change? Do we want to contribute to it? And if so, how can we do this? We critically assess possible frameworks for instigating development and change, both on an individual and a collective level, such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the notion of active citizenship.
To this background, we will zoom in on two domains:
- The increasing role of citizens in development cooperation and the responses by institutional actors. We start from the idea that development cooperation is no longer the prerogative of traditional actors but that citizens (individually and collectively) play a central role. Citizen actions then may range from sharing content on Instagram to sustainable consumerism and from volunteering in the Global South to setting up grassroots initiatives such as a civil society organisation (CSO).
- Grassroots initiatives, institutional responses and changing welfare states in Europe. In a context of state withdrawal from many areas of social service provision and increasing citizen participation and responsibilisation, we look at (voluntary) projects such as food banks, neighbourhood watches, refugee reception networks, and multi-actor governance arrangements that include such projects, advisers, or local care networks. We discuss the shifting state-citizen relationship and its consequences and analyse the tensions between policy and practice and between notions such as active citizenship and activism.
We will discuss, in both domains, the relationships between grassroots initiatives, the state and residents in a context of neoliberal governance. What arenas emerge around specific projects and what interests play a role? What about the role of citizens as change agents? Analysing these arenas and understanding them within the literature from Anthropology and Development Studies, we will examine questions of representation, legitimacy, professionalisation, informality, inclusion and exclusion, and accountability. During the course, we will discuss similarities and differences between the two domains. Although our focus is on these two domains, you are encouraged to discuss examples from other domains (e.g., the field of your planned thesis research) and relate these to the cases and literature used in the course.
|
 |
| | | |
This course is open to Master students from other programs, pending approval by the course coordinator. Please email the course coordinator for more information (martijn.koster@ru.nl).
|
|
|
|
| This course is open to Master students from other programs, pending approval by the course coordinator. Please email the course coordinator for more information. |
| | Verplicht materiaalLiteratuur| A list of the literature will be made available one week before the first lecture. |
|
|
WerkvormenHoorcollege
OpmerkingExact information on this course will be provided in the course manual, one week before the course starts. |
|
ToetsenPaper| Weging | | 1 |
| Toetsvorm | | Paper |
| Gelegenheden | | Blok PER1, Blok PER2 |
| Participation| Weging | | 0 |
| Toetsvorm | | Deelname |
| Gelegenheden | | Blok PER1 |
| Presentations| Weging | | 0 |
| Toetsvorm | | Presentatie |
| Gelegenheden | | Blok PER1, Blok PER2 |
|
|
| |