TCDS Announces the 2012 Democracy & Diversity Institute in Johannesburg
The Transregional Center for Democratic Studies of The New School for Social Research in New York is pleased to announce the eleventh Democracy & Diversity Graduate Summer Institute organized by TCDS and the University of Johannesburg (UJ), to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa from January 5-21, 2012.
TCDS will again welcome up to forty junior scholars from the US, sub-Saharan Africa, and other regions of the world for this intensive three week program of study in society, culture and politics.
Building on the achievements of our Cape Town Institute (1997-2009), our new location in Johannesburg will offer a semester’s worth of graduate study centered on the theme The World in Crisis: A Critical Reading. The program is designed to facilitate intellectual, experiential, and practical insights into our increasingly globalized world, all while fostering new relationships between scholars usually separated by geographical circumstances.
Known as an intimate international forum for lively and rigorous debate on critical issues of democratic life, the institute brings an interdisciplinary, comparative, and highly interactive approach to the social, political, and cultural changes facing today’s world. Core faculty from the New School for Social Research will co-teach seminars with distinguished South African scholars and will be joined by numerous guest speakers. Upon completion of the institute, New School participants receive full course credits and non-New School participants receive certificates of completion.
Johannesburg, the intellectual, economic and cultural center of South Africa and the gateway to the rest of Africa, provides the perfect setting for the eleventh Democracy & Diversity Institute. Drawing on Johannesburg’s cultural and political significance, and TCDS’s network of collaborators, the eleventh Democracy & Diversity Institute promises a strong and innovative program on the state of our global society that reflects our ongoing commitment to critical inquiry and dialogue.
Courses offered at the eleventh South Africa Democracy & Diversity Institute:
New Democracies, Old Questions,
Laurence Piper (University of Western Cape Town, Political Studies) & Lawrence Hamilton (UJ, Politics)
Democracy is now the avowed commitment of most regimes in the contemporary world, from false monarchies (Sweden) to real tyrannies (North Korea). Rather than settling arguments, however, that great political shift opens the way for new arguments about what it does and should mean for a polity to be reasonably democratic. We start with a brief assessment of competing definitions of democracy. Then we look at the relevant modern history ‘ the re-emergence of the notion of ‘democracy’ in the late 18th Century, 19th Century developments, and contemporary arguments and examples, with special reference to post-apartheid South Africa. Throughout we will pay attention to two enduring sets of questions. One concerns the relations among democratic virtues (e.g., participation, deliberation, equal voting). The other is about relations between democracy and power (e.g., representation, political judgment, empowerment). In other words, we will demonstrate why it is important to be both realistic and utopian regarding democracy.
“Shifting Power in the Global Economy: Rethinking Development Strategies”
Teresa Ghilarducci (NSSR, Economics) & Richard McGahey (The New School for Public Engagement, Public Policy and Economics) & Stephen Gelb (UJ, Economics and Econometrics)
This course examines the implications for developing economies, especially in Africa, of the emergence of China and India as major economic forces and the shift in the global economic power towards them, which has accelerated since the onset of the global economic crisis in 2008. The first part of the course will examine the factors behind the high growth rates in China since the 1980s and India since the 1990s, and assess the effects on global markets for goods, services, finance and labour, on global economic governance and on Africa’s trade and investment relations. The second part of the course will examine alternative development strategies which may be enabled by the emergence of China and India, but whose prospects are affected by the global crisis. These strategies include the promotion of natural resource exports, the expansion of inward foreign direct investment and foreign aid, participation in global value chains, increased use of regional trade agreements and governance reforms.
Romancing Violence: Theories and Practices of Political Violence,
Elzbieta Matynia (NSSR, Sociology and Liberal Studies) & Shireen Hassim (University of the Witwatersrand , Political Studies)
Far from receding with the rise of liberal democracies worldwide, violence appears to be enjoying a spectacular rebound — from the wave of revolutions in North Africa and the Middle East to dramatic acts of individual terror in Norway. In this course we explore classical theoretical propositions concerning the role of violence in bringing about social and political change — from Marx, through Weber, Lenin, Gramsci, Arendt, and Benjamin, to more recent thinkers like Foucault, Derrida, Zizek, and Michnik. We will look at different types of political violence and their specific instances, and revisit Arendt’s well-known distinction between the justifiability and the legitimacy of violence. Conscious of the traditional forms of political violence -‘ wars, revolutions, and armed struggle movements — we will pay attention to the forms and consequences of structural violence, but also examine the forms of cultural and symbolic violence, such as language that routinely serves to legitimize violence. Mindful of Foucault’s work on the body as the key subject of power we will explore the continuities between social regulation of bodies and intimate relationships, and expressions of violence in the public sphere. We will look at the body as the quintessential marker of boundaries, from those of nation-states and communities, to the range of violent political acts that escape the public gaze. While our approach will be primarily historical and comparative, we will also use phenomenological perspectives to explore ideas and practices generated in different parts of the world.
Race & Modernity in Africa: Constellations of Identity and Place,
Jacob Dlamini (Yale University, History) & Melissa Steyn (University of the Witwatersrand, Sociology)
This class will explore some aspects of identity and its interconnection with place within the context of modern South Africa. The course consists of two sections. The first six classes, taught by Melissa Steyn, focus more broadly on the construction of the modern racial order and examine aspects of the racialised identities that have evolved in the country. In particular, discussions will focus on contextualising theorisations of whiteness and blackness.
The second section, taught by Jacob Dlamini, will examine the complex ways in which Johannesburg is both a site and product of modernity. Taking a historical and philosophical approach, the section will use Johannesburg as a lens through which to reflect on Africa´s place in the world and on the struggles over/about modernity that have taken place in Johannesburg, the largest urban centre in the country. It will consider the economic, political and social identities that have come to define Johannesburg as we know it.
Extracurricular Activities
The seminars and lectures at the Johannesburg Institute will be complemented by study tours in and around the city that will highlight the history of apartheid and resistance, the transition to democracy, the challenges facing democratic South Africa, and the problems of urbanized Africa. Sites and institutions to be visited include the Apartheid Museum, Constitution Hill, Freedom Square, the Hector Pietersen Museum and other sites in Soweto, the Johannesburg inner city, Yeoville and Sophiatown, and informal settlements such as Orange Farm.
Additionally, a series of evening lectures will complement the curriculum and confront the significant issues of the day in a specifically South African context. Past speaker have included: Van Zyl Slabbert (former MP and co-founder of IDASA), Zackie Achmat (Director, Treatment Action Campaign), Amina Mama (Director, African Gender Institute), and Zoe Wicomb (Author).
Accommodation
Participants will be housed in modest, single rooms with shared bathrooms in the UJ Sophiatown student residence, named for the emblematic African neighborhood in Johannesburg. The dormitory is located in the heart of Melville, just steps from the Auckland Park Kingsway Campus and in close proximity to the University of the Witwatersrand.
Eligibility
All applicants except for Eugene Lang College Candidates:
Applicants should have completed their undergraduate studies by the time of the Institute and should be either enrolled in a graduate or postgraduate degree program or working as junior university teachers or researchers. Preference will be given to those applicants who can demonstrate active involvement in civil society and civic life.
Candidates from Eugene Lang College:
In order to be admitted into the program, applicants must be enrolled at Eugene Lang College as juniors or seniors. ELC students in the Social and Historical Inquiry and Cultural Studies & Media concentrations are especially encouraged to apply. Preference will be given to those applicants who can demonstrate active involvement in civil society and civic life.
Program Costs
Participants from The New School:
Tuition: Tuition costs for courses taken for credit at the 2012 January Institute in Johannesburg are based on the spring 2012 NSSR tuition rates for graduate students, and are part of spring 2012 tuition for Lang students. New School financial aid is applicable. Please contact the Office of Financial Aid for more information.
Program Fee: In addition to the cost of tuition, there is a program fee of $2000 which will cover participants’ room and partial board (breakfast and lunch) for the duration of the Institute, as well as the cultural program of lectures, tours, opening and closing receptions, etc. Travel costs are not included.
Scholarships: Scholarships to cover all or part of the $2000 program fee are available to successful and qualified NSSR applicants.
Participants from non-New School universities and Non-Profit Organizations in the US and Europe:
Program Fee: The program fee of the 2012 January Institute for non-New School students is $2000, covering tuition (non-credit), room and partial board (breakfast and lunch), and the cultural program of lectures, tours, opening and closing receptions, etc. Travel costs are not included. We encourage all applicants to look for funding sources from their home institutions and local organizations.
Participants from Africa: The cost of attendance for all qualified applicants from sub-Saharan Africa is covered by the Institute’s organizers.
How to Apply
Qualified candidates should either be affiliated with a university, as junior faculty members or as advanced graduate students, or be actively engaged with a relevant NGO. Preference will be given to those young scholars who, while pursuing their academic goals, can demonstrate a commitment to the strengthening of civil society and an active interest in building bridges among universities, NGOs, and the communities in which they live.
Applications are available on the TCDS Web site at http://newschool.edu/tcds. Please note that applications must include a CV or resume and application essay. Non-New School applicants also must include TOEFL or other evidence of substantial English language skills and one letter of recommendation. Recommendation letters must be sent from the e-mail address belonging to its author or as an attachment to the application letter if scanned.
1. Candidates from the New School for Social Research, other New School Divisions (except for Eugene Lang College), and Consortium Universities in New York:
Application forms are available on the TCDS website at http://newschool.edu/tcds. You may also contact the Office of Admissions, New School for Social Research, 65 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10003; tel.: (212) 229-5710 ext. 3006, (800) 523-5411 (from outside New York City); fax: (212) 989-7102; or email socialresearchadmit@newschool.edu. For further information, contact TCDS at (212) 229-5580 ext. 3136, or email tcds@newschool.edu.
Please send your applications by email to TCDS@newschool.edu with the subject heading Joburg12, or by mail to Scott Ritner, TCDS, 80 Fifth Avenue, Room 516, New York, NY 10003 or Fax to (212) 229-5894. For further information, call (212) 229-5580 ext. 3136, or email TCDS@newschool.edu. Deadline for applications is Friday, October 21.
2. Candidates from Eugene Lang College, the New School for Liberal Arts:
To receive an application form and for further information, contact Kimberly Foote, Academic Advisor/Study Abroad Coordinator, at 64 West 11th Street, Rm. 108, tel. (212) 229-5100 ext. 2260, email footek@newschool.edu.
Please complete this application in full and submit it to Kimberly Foote via e-mail: FooteK@newschool.edu; via mail or in person: Kim Foote, Junior Class & Study Abroad Advisor, Eugene Lang College, 64 W. 11th St., Rm. 108, New York, NY 10011; or via fax: 212.979.6561, marked with Joburg12 Application, .
3. All Non-New School Applicants from the US & Europe:
The following information is required for the processing of applications:
- Completed Application Form
- Reliable/preferred mailing address, telephone/fax numbers, e-mail address
- Educational background, degrees received, and current institutional affiliation
- Transcripts from universities attended
- TOEFL or other evidence of substantial English language skills is required if coming from a non-English speaking country.
- Applicants affiliated with an NGO or a civic organization should include a brief description of the nature of the work undertaken by their organization
- One letter of recommendation sent from the e-mail address belonging to its author or as an attachment to the application letter if scanned.
- A 500 word essay in English on a key current issue and your views on possible policy measures which government and/or social organizations, and/or international action could pursue to address the problem.
Please send your applications by email to TCDS@newschool.edu with the subject heading Joburg12, or by mail to Scott Ritner, TCDS, 80 Fifth Avenue, Room 516, New York, NY 10003 or Fax to (212) 229-5894. For further information, call (212) 229-5580 ext. 3136, Fax (212) 229-5894 or email TCDS@newschool.edu. Deadline for applications is Friday, October 21.
4. All Applicants from Africa:
The following information is required for the processing of applications:
- Completed Application Form
- Reliable/preferred mailing address, telephone/fax numbers, e-mail address
- Educational background, degrees received, and current institutional affiliation
- Transcripts from universities attended
- TOEFL or other evidence of substantial English language skills is required if coming from a non-English speaking country.
- Applicants affiliated with an NGO or a civic organization should include a brief description of the nature of the work undertaken by their organization
- One letter of recommendation sent from the e-mail address belonging to its author or as an attachment to the application letter if scanned.
- A 500 word essay in English on a key current issue or problem facing your country, and your views on possible policy measures which government and/or social organizations, and/or international action could pursue to address the problem.
Please send your applications by email to both TCDS@newschool.edu and ssekoto@uj.ac.za with the subject heading D&DJHB12, or by courier to Simon Sekoto Postgraduate Centre: Training and Development Research and Innovation Division, University of Johannesburg, Auckland Park Kingsway Campus, Library, 1st Floor. For further information, call +27(0) 11 559 2143. Deadline for applications is Friday, October 28.
APPLICATION DEADLINES – Please read carefully!
The deadline for New School & non-African applicants is October 28, 2011.
The deadline for all applicants from Africa is November 9, 2011.
For further information, contact TCDS by phone at 212 229-5580 ext. 3137, by email tcds@newschool.edu, or see our website at www.newschool.edu/tcds.
