Anecdote about power and subject: Airport and husband and wife. Wife in JFK playing tic tac toe in Delta terminal
It is not enough to saythese are anti-authority struggles. We must try to define more precisely what they have in common. Michel Foucault p. 11
Terms
· objectification
· Banal facts
· rationality
· subject
· transversal struggles (vs universal) p. 11
· power effects
· “immediate” struggles (close to them, nearby, proximal and effect on individuals; immediate enemy vs. chief enemy at elevators in 23 bldg). Immediate in that they want relief in the now not at a future date (no long now here; liberations, revolutions, ends of class struggles, etc.). These are anarchistic struggles
· anarchistic
opposition to power of men over women
…of whites over blacks
…of parents over children
…of first world over third or second world
…of teachers over students
…of psychiatry over mentally ill
…of medicine over patients or the population
…of administration over the ways people live
…of literate over the non-literate (vs. illiterate)
…of wives over husbands
…of <Can you add any?>
..of powerful over the oppressed and not free or liberated in a democracy
CONTEXT: This illustration appeared on the cover of the first issue of Goldman's anarchist magazine, Mother Earth. The magazine published writings on anarchism, news of national and international anarchist and labor activities, and poetry and drama criticism.
Excerpts from "Anarchism: What It Really Stands For"
(Anarchism and Other Essays, 1910) by Emma Goldman
"I shall begin with a definition.... Anarchism: The philosophy of a new social order based on liberty unrestricted by man-made law; the theory that all forms of government rest on violence, and are therefore wrong and harmful, as well as unnecessary."
"Anarchism, then, really stands for the liberation of the human mind from the dominion of religion; the liberation of the human body from the dominion of property: liberation from the shackles and restraint of government. Anarchism stands for a social order based on the free grouping of individuals for the purpose of producing real social wealth; an order that will guarantee to every human being free access to the earth and full enjoyment of the necessities of life, according to individual desires, tastes, and inclinations."
"Anarchism... is the great, surging, living truth that is reconstructing the world, and that will usher in the Dawn."
http://ucblibrary3.berkeley.edu/goldman/Curricula/FreeExpression/definition.html
Cut to the good part at 4:12" in when Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Chris Hedges begins discussing how POWER is being arrested from the people in our democracy. He talks about the power of civil disobedience and what happened in the Occupy movement. Rosa Parks 50 years ago refused to sit in the back of the bus and it took 5 years before real change was evident nationally. That was her political speech act. It's your job to do some background work on who Hedges is, how influential he is and what he has been up to lately relative to the Obama adminsitration. I am curious what you each know about Occupy and what you know about the points Hedges makes? How have you enacted your civil liberties to speak about political issues that matter to you in public (whether oral or written or artistic)? How have you to date enacted the power of your voice or influence. Give us an example no matter how small in the comment section. This is optional but it's essential that we begin to share with one another as a group. 75 minutes in class is not enough.An upcoming task that each of you will be responsible for is creating your own PERSONAL LEARNING NETWORK (PLN) to develop your voice in an area that matters to you. That area may be related to your final political speech act but if you have no idea yet what area that might be, just start looking into an area that matters (i.e., fashion, literature, politics, health, finance, saving money, domestic abuse, etc.) Here are two great resources for learning how to create a PLN. Be sure to Google the term on Wikipedia and get an overview of what a Personal Learning Network is:
SPECIAL REQUEST: I am looking for a blog facilitator or two from the course to post once a week on things related to our discussion and to coordinate this with me each week. This is perfect for someone who is not a technophobe but you do not need to KNOW IT ALL to do it. This is great for a self-starter
I saw the first talk below by Brian live at the Times Center and was moved by his courage. He was only 23 when he did what he did in NOLA (New Orleans). In this five minute speech act, he tells a great story.
The second video is longer and was earlier, a greener version of his story but with more vivid, less scripted details of his journey. I'd invite you to take 30 mins to watch this in order of the 5 min video, then the 20 min and ask yourself to notice the differences.
We might think he's a hero. And he might be. But he didn't do it alone and there are some issues about the privilege he has as a white male that we should talk about. It doesn't diminish his accomplishment. If we are going to study the political sociology of power and of courage, identity politics matter.
Comment below of what you think. At least watch the 5 min video. This is not a required assignment but is definitely worth your time inside our intentions.
I met Brian after his talk and thanked his dad for inspiring such a great citizen.
What inspires you? What speaks to what's political and/or courageous to you? Find at least one video and post on your choice: The Facebook wall for POL/SOC3062 or here on the Course Weebly blog as a comment for this post (click the comments link above on the top right corner of each post). Choose one or other to post. PLEASE ADD A COMMENT OF WHAT IS POLITICAL TO YOU AND WHY ABOUT YOUR CHOICE. DON'T ASSUME WE GET IT. (50-200 words). Be sure to follow your fellow students' posts. LIKE THEM. Watch and respond to at least 8-10 other people's posts in whatever way that works. Let them know you watched. Look and see who hasn't gotten any viewers and give 'em some love!! Here's the song by Pink I presented last class that got me. See below. What inspires you? What speaks to what's political and/or courageous to you? Find at least one video and post here or on the Weebly blog as a comment. One or the other will do. PLEASE ADD A COMMENT OF WHAT IS POLITICAL TO YOU AND WHY ABOUT YOUR CHOICE. DON'T ASSUME WE GET IT. (50-200 words). Be sure to follow your fellow students' posts. LIKE THEM. Watch and respond to at least 8-10 other people's posts in whatever way that works. Let them know you watched. Look and see who hasn't gotten any viewers and give 'em some love!! Here's the song by Pink I presented last class that got me. See below.
History is crucial to democracy, historian Howard Zinn pointed out to Bill Moyers: "I think the more people learn about the past I think the more that they will understand that it is possible for people to change the world." During the course, we will examine primary source documents and speeches by people who helped shape history with their public presentations of their self in public speech acts (incl. song, art, dance or other). The idea came before I found Howard Zinn's The People Speak DVD. But it was as if it was sent to me as a source we could use. WATCH THIS! Check out the 2009 piece on Howard Zinn on Bill Moyers Journal here. Here is the intro to the segment. Make sure you WATCH the piece with Howard Zinn for context on who he was and what he stood for. December 11, 2009
Howard Zinn died at the age of 87 on January 27, 2010
"They're willing to let people think about mild reforms and little changes, and incremental changes, but they don't want people to think that we could actually transform this country."
Howard Zinn has long been known as the historian of the American everyman and woman. His groundbreaking work, THE PEOPLE'S HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES, turned history on its head — concentrating on the power of the people to effect change, not just the deeds of great men and those in political power.
Now selections from his collection of voices from the American past are performed by actors, poets and writers in a new documentary directed by Matt Damon which is airing on The History Channel. Find out more about some of those voices below, and delve further into American history through the JOURNAL's coverage of American history on-air and online.
“People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use.” ― Søren Kierkegaard
ROSA PARKS once said: "As long as there is unemployment, war, crime and all things that go to the infliction of man's inhumanity to man, regardless - there is much to be done, and people need to work together."
There can be no daily democracy without daily citizenship. RALPH NADER
Welcome Great Ones!
The image in the header of our blog for POL/SOC 3062 The Political Sociology of Courage is of the unknown "Tank Man" in Beijing, China who summoned the courage to face dozens of tanks in the face of the Tiananmen Square Massacre of students in 1989. 2013 marks the 24th anniversary of the event in June. To appreciate the awe-someness of his act under a Communist regime, click here to see the larger view of this scene. Why is it so hard to imagine doing something so courageous (or was it reckless)? Even in our democracy, touted as the greatest in the world, these kinds of acts and even small acts of courage seem rare. What then is courage? How do we learn to be courageous? Can we teach ourselves or it is a purely social act, a public act? This course will examine power and the text we will use Readings in Contemporary Political Sociology ed. by Kate Nash will be our literary guide, but the real grit of the course will come from you. You and I will examine how power works sociologically in our own lives. How you and I as individuals can galvanize power in community or in social ecologies where and when issues matter. This is about creating a sustainable and ethical community and civilization of power where inequalities, differences and money matter. That said, it is the power of your voice in all the possible ramifications of that that matter most in any political structure or ecology. On day one of our course we begin with one-minute talks from the class. Then we will watch the documentary The People Speak by historian and author of the People's History of the United States Professor Howard Zinn. Watch the trailer below and test out the comment section below after watching. You will be asked to blog or comment here once a week for preparation in our dialogues. The major theme for the course is COURAGE and the sub-themes will examine sociological theories of stigma introduced by sociologist Robert Merton; we will examine what constitutes a "speech act" under our free speech; and how Erving Goffman's work on the Presentation of the Self plays a big role in how and why we may resist being courageous. Where would you love to be courageous in the classroom? What about in your life? Why teach a political sociology course as a practical exercise and examination of courage? That's for you to answer this term. I have my own reasons and it's too soon to share. All you really should know is that I am committed to empowering emerging adults to own their own greatness and this is another one of my experiments in that. Welcome to the experience! -- Prof. G
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