Film and audio-visual Media in the Context of political Movements and Activism
Taught by Thomas John, Doctoral Researcher, Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology (FU Berlin) & Associate Lecturer, Dept. of Social and Cultural Anthropology (University of Münster)
https://www.uni-muenster.de/Ethnologie/en/personal/lehrbeauftragte/thomasjohn.html
In this course we work at the intersection between the Anthropology of Media and Audio-Visual Anthropology. We look at media with an analytical media anthropological perspective, but beyond that, students also produce their own short film, podcast or website. The media work students produce is the main examination (Modulabschlussprüfung) and it is accompanied by a short written reflection paper to be handed it with the film (or other medium). Students may work individually or in small teams. After the seminar we will organize a public screening/presentation of the works.
Audio-Visual Media are an important tool for political movements. From indigenous communities, environmental activists, to big political parties or globally well-known political figures – media productions matter and are appropriated to gain voice and visibility. Media can affect people. Instead of dealing with the Twitter representation of well-known political figures, in this course we will rather have a closer look at subaltern political media activism from the global south but also beyond, such as from political activist networks in Germany.
However, next to discussing media activism from a media anthropologist's perspective, the main objective of this course is to produce media: This may be as a short documentary film, a podcast or a web-Vlog that may feature video, podcast, photography and text. Our institute has a few equipments and an editing room. An introduction to the equipments will be taught in a workshop. Students can also produce with their own cameras or even mobile phones. Nevertheless, we try to achieve a decent technical quality that allows films to be screened publicly.
Students are expected to produce a short film (or web-blog etc) and to research hand in hand about media activism, however, students may also cross the ”boundary” between activism and academy. Your films, podcasts or websites may be forms of an engaged public anthropology and students can consider their work as media activist productions, if they wish.
To provide an example: You do not have to consider yourself an activist and you may research and produce a film ABOUT the social media of an LGBT+ activist community, Instagram ”Influencer” for LGBT+ rights, or about an environmentalist network such as Fridays for Future, BUT you may also be yourself an LGBT+ or environmental activist to produce a film/podcast/Vlog from within the community as a student anthropologist & activist.
In a short reflection paper students will discuss after they completed their films and research, how they ethically negotiated their role as student researchers in the context of activism. How does our subjectivity and our political socialization, in short, our ”situatedness” (Donna Haraway) influence our knowledge production and representation?
We will read and discuss literature from audio-visual anthropology but also from the anthropology of media, in particular on media activism.
Please come to class with a potential research and project idea. If possible please bring some video, audio, or photo material you recorded at some first exploratory fieldwork before the first session.
- Lehrende/r: Thomas John