bricolage
28th July 2010, 10:09
I wasn't sure which forum to put this in so if someone has somewhere better to move it can they do so, thank you.
http://www.geog.leeds.ac.uk/study/masters/courses/maasc
Leeds University offers a MA course entitled ‘Activism and Social Change’, this year heavily involving John Holloway, author of Change the World Without Taking Power.
It is an interesting development in academia, an attempt to bridge the gap between critical theory and practical action but is also extremely problematic. Aside from the obvious issues regarding activism (*) is this nothing more than straight out recuperation, the co-option of radical praxis into state integrated educational institutions? Does it not in turn create a sub-section of post-graduates who feel they have a ‘right’ to lead movements, who think their knowledge gained in such a course puts them in a better position than the average person to do so? Those that run the course seek to answer this by stating;
“Finally, the ethics of the course, through the ways it is delivered and structured, are to promote values of mutual learning, collaboration, and solidarity and certainly not elitism, specialisation or domination. The course fosters a culture of professionalism rather than professionalisation - that is, we encourage students to be committed to their studies and to attain high levels of skills, knowledges and competencies for activism and social change, without seeing themselves as professionals separated form the groups they are working with. We are keen to encourage students to become reflexive, self-aware and compassionate citizens who are aware of, and act upon, their own privileges both as recipients of higher education and western lifestyles, and the inequalities that structure our societies and institutions, especially those of the university.”
But I remain unconvinced.
This isn’t meant to be a discussion of the politics of the course (while it speaks of an alternative to capitalism this is largely imbedded in the ideals of alter-globalisation, something which many people here may have strong issues with) rather whether such a relationship between academia and political action is (or can it ever be?) beneficial? In the epoch of capitalism, when its relations occupy every inch of social space is any such relationship with accepted institutions and paradigms ever anything other than co-option?
* For a good summary of this read the Do or Die article Give Up Activism - http://www.eco-action.org/dod/no9/activism.htm
http://www.geog.leeds.ac.uk/study/masters/courses/maasc
Leeds University offers a MA course entitled ‘Activism and Social Change’, this year heavily involving John Holloway, author of Change the World Without Taking Power.
It is an interesting development in academia, an attempt to bridge the gap between critical theory and practical action but is also extremely problematic. Aside from the obvious issues regarding activism (*) is this nothing more than straight out recuperation, the co-option of radical praxis into state integrated educational institutions? Does it not in turn create a sub-section of post-graduates who feel they have a ‘right’ to lead movements, who think their knowledge gained in such a course puts them in a better position than the average person to do so? Those that run the course seek to answer this by stating;
“Finally, the ethics of the course, through the ways it is delivered and structured, are to promote values of mutual learning, collaboration, and solidarity and certainly not elitism, specialisation or domination. The course fosters a culture of professionalism rather than professionalisation - that is, we encourage students to be committed to their studies and to attain high levels of skills, knowledges and competencies for activism and social change, without seeing themselves as professionals separated form the groups they are working with. We are keen to encourage students to become reflexive, self-aware and compassionate citizens who are aware of, and act upon, their own privileges both as recipients of higher education and western lifestyles, and the inequalities that structure our societies and institutions, especially those of the university.”
But I remain unconvinced.
This isn’t meant to be a discussion of the politics of the course (while it speaks of an alternative to capitalism this is largely imbedded in the ideals of alter-globalisation, something which many people here may have strong issues with) rather whether such a relationship between academia and political action is (or can it ever be?) beneficial? In the epoch of capitalism, when its relations occupy every inch of social space is any such relationship with accepted institutions and paradigms ever anything other than co-option?
* For a good summary of this read the Do or Die article Give Up Activism - http://www.eco-action.org/dod/no9/activism.htm