Master Class 3: Populism At the Periphery and Cultural Constituencies/ Counterstances
Master Class by Nebojša Milikić
Online, October 15 - December 1 2024, from 18:00 to 21:00
Online participation
The deadline for registration 30 September 2024
Master Class Description
The master class will discuss and explore the actuality of the European capitalist periphery's political-economic and cultural sphere, focusing on the modalities, manifestations, theorization and criticisms of various global and local "populist" phenomena. Thomas Frank, an American historian of culture and ideas, commenting on his book "The People, No: A Brief History of Anti-Populism", points to the targeted misuse of the term "populism", which is particularly characteristic of the era of the brutalization of political discourse. The term is often related to "cultural wars" that occur as compensation for the absence of radical ideological conflicts and thus as a smokescreen for some different horizons of the social imagination.
Through analyses of everyday usage and routinized understanding of the term, participants of the course will search for cultural-political responses both to the (pre)conditions of populist discourses as well as to hegemonic concepts in diagnosing and representing the phenomenon. The course's practical goal is translating and adapting the proposal of the Law on Culture at The Capitalist Periphery into as many peripheral languages as possible (including Eastern Euro-English).
Throughout three months, starting with five meetings organized from 15 – 19 October, followed by the weekly online meetings until December 1 2024, participants will discuss and develop theoretical and practical frameworks for active participation in political and cultural debates, hopefully contributing to their substantial framing and quality. Participants will have to read up to 30 pages of theoretical text per week and occasionally check selected past and present topic-related debates in social and legacy media.
Biography
Nebojša Milikić (1964) is a cultural worker and producer living and working in Belgrade, Serbia. Since 1990 engaged in political activism, organizational, artistic and curatorial practice in visual and relational arts, independent research, public debate and critical writing about cultural and political problems of transitional societies. Publishes in various activist and art portals (Masina, Novi Plamen, Blog B92), participates in collaborative projects, activist research and campaigns in the country and abroad. From 1999 onward, works in Cultural Center Rex in Belgrade, as the initiator and coordinator of various programs and projects. Member of the initiative No To Rehabilitation dedicated to struggle against unscientific historical revisions and negations. Recently edited a few publications in Serbia, Romania and Bosnia and Herzegovina about the political and cultural positioning of middle classes of the capitalist periphery.
Coordinating of the reading groups in the field of art history and theory (for example, “(Knowing) The Good, the Bad and Evil”) that analyze relations of culture, art and ideology in the works of classical literature. Involved in learning about economic capacities and qualities of Patching internationally. Coordinating the project PREPRIČ aimed at translating and retelling scholarly papers, debates, and conferences. Participates regularly in a number of online reading groups and seminars of Marxist Education Project (New York), Socialist History Society (London), and Seattle Analytical Philosophy Club.
Participation
15 participants will be selected to participate in this master class. To register and participate in the program's master classes, interested participants must send the following documents in English by email: 1. CV, 2. letter of motivation, 3. scholarship application, sent to the official email address application@stacion.org
The deadline for registration is September 30 2024.
The language of instruction is English.
The program offers scholarships covering tuition fees, travel and visa costs for six selected WB6 participants. Special conditions apply for alumni of the Summer School as School. Recommended Readings and the complete Master Class syllabus will be provided to registered participants.