Current Courses

Summer Term 2012

Decolonizing Art (1): Strange Encounters

The term ‚research’ is inextricably linked to European imperialism and colonialism. The word itself, ‚research’, is probably one of the dirtiest words in the indigenous world’s vocabulary. (Linda Tuhiwai Smith)

How is it possible to pursue research in the art field against the background of (post)colonialism? Should we conceive our research projects and their publication as a “translation” with all its hurdles? Or, if we follow Sara Ahmed’s critique that the “stranger” does not come into being as an absence of knowledge, but that s_he is produced exactly as a category within knowledge, should we dismiss research and the production of knowledge altogether? Instead, Elizabeth Povinelli discusses her work with a woman from a native community as the establishment of a “queer sociality,” as a connection that is built on the basis of painful hierarchies and misunderstandings. Taking these considerations as a starting point, the idea of the seminar is to look for and discuss theoretical and artistic strategies of decolonization. We will take a close look at specific artworks and processes in the field of ‘artistic research,’ as well as at the research/art practices of the participants of the seminar.

Literature:

Sara Ahmed, Strange Encounters – Embodied Others in Post-Coloniality, Routledge: London, New York 2000. Particularly Chapter 3: Knowing Strangers, p. 55-74

Elizabeth A. Povinelli, The Empire of Love – Toward a Theory of Intimacy, Genealogy and Carnality, Duke University Press: Durham and London, 2006

Elizabeth A. Povinelli, The part that has no part: Enjoyment, Law and Loss, in GLQ 17:2-3, Duke University Press: Durham and London, 2011 p. 288-308

Linda Tuhiwai Smith, Decolonizing – Research and Indigenous Peoples, ZED Books,;London and New York, 1999

Shawn Michelle Smith, Photography on the Color Line, W.E.B. Du Bois, Race, And Visual Culture, Duke University Press: Durham and London, 2004

Number of participants: 15

english

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PhD in Practice Communal Tutorial/Research Forum

The PhD in Practice participants will meet with the team to discuss individual projects, as well as topics and texts, related to the year’s theme. Moreover, issues concerning the program, such as upcoming events and activities, will be considered.