This brown bag session will explore work in progress on the role of civil disobedience—the act of breaking the law when protesting—in contemporary democracies. The climate, pro-Palestine, and feminist movements, among others, have expressed growing frustration by leveraging a range of public and institutional spaces they perceive to have moral authority—such as campuses and museums—to amplify their messages.
The session will focus on a particular case study of unlawful protest, namely those taking place in museums. Over the past decade, large European museums have increasingly become stages for subversive performances that articulate diverse aesthetic and political claims. These performances, often situated at the intersection of radical political and artistic expression, challenge established norms of conduct within museum spaces, initially designated for passive cultural collecting, aesthetic consumption and contemplation.
What role, if any, do these performances have in democratic health, at a time of fraught political and social relations? How is the tension between legality and legitimacy negotiated across such spaces, but also contexts and time? And, are traditional theoretical frames adequate to understand this tension?
It will be the opportunity to discuss work in progress and to explore an interdisciplinary framing of a key feature of our democratic landscape.
Speakers:
- Laura Bullon-Cassis, Postdoctoral Researcher, Albert Hirschman Centre on Democracy, (Geneva Graduate Institute)
- Nataliya Tchermalykh, Postdoctoral Teaching and Research Fellow, Interdisciplinary Center for Children’s Rights Studies, University of Geneva
Discussant:
- Kiri Santer, Postdoctoral Researcher and Lecturer at the Institute of Social Anthropology, University of Bern
This session is organised in the context of the research project “Youth Climate Activism and Local Institutions: Reframing Democratic Spaces at a Time of Polarisation” as part of the Geneva Democracy Week programme. Sandwich lunch will be provided to registered participants.
As space is limited, places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.
The venue and other logistical information will be communicated in the confirmation email.
This event is organised by the Albert Hirschman Centre on Democracy in the context of the Geneva Democracy Week.