This seminar examines a number of key social and political issues from the mid 1960’s to the present through the lens of justice movements and protest art. We will organize ourselves by looking at historical and contemporary case studies of justice movements and the response of art practices and/or art movements, including visual art, theater, music and documentary film.
Some integral questions that we will pose are: what are the different protest gestures embodied by artists and how can we understand artists creating work now in relation to a history of movement work, and in relation to a history of theorizing alternative politics and culture-making practices?
We will be attentive to how historical concerns and injustices persist, reemerge or evolve over time and affect the contemporary moment. In this respect, our work will also be concerned with historical legacy and rooting our contemporary moment to the complexities of the past.
As we explore the history of movement work, we will pay particular attention to the intersection of movements and coalitions across liberation movements. Our study will be supported by the theorists, critics and activists that create the narrative foundation with which we understand the nuances of the issues and strategies for change.
This guide contains links to required and supplemental course readings as well as information about various artists and mediums to help you work toward your final creative project.
NOTE FOR WEEK 3: This week's content is found on the following pages:
Learn how you can track and organize your sources as well as generate citations over on our Zotero LibGuide.