It is becoming a truism in academia as well as in general media that presently much of the modern world, and especially the West, are permeated by a "culture of fear". Fear of the complexity and fluidity of their circumstances, fear of the "other", fear of a plethora of dangers military, economic, environmental, sociocultural.
Furthermore, those acting in a state of fear more often than not inspire a sense of danger in others, inducing a continuing spiral. The summer school intends to analyse the field of fear in a rigorous and balanced manner, starting with the consideration of "fear" at the intersection of the personal and the cultural, and by putting the notion in a historical perspective.
The main focus, however, will be to analyse the varied sociocultural mechanisms of construction, operation, and harnessing of fear during the time-span from the interwar period to the present day. We will consider not only the established notion of a "culture of fear", but also for example the connections between fear and pleasure (in tourism, cinema, literature) and, very centrally, the complex interaction between fear and trust in modern societies. The summer school will draw upon a multi-disciplinary framework, primarily Anthropology, Cultural Psychology, Cultural Semiotics, History, Politics, Postcolonial Studies, Sociology.
Period
22-07-2011 - 29-07-2011 (1 weeks)
Target group
We invite MA and PhD students in the humanities and social sciences to participate.
Course aim
The course aims to discuss the issues related to fear.
Credits
5.0 ECTS credits
Course fee
EUR 35: Non-refundable registration fee (without accommodation).
Course leader
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Tallinn University
Address: Uus-Sadama 5
Postal code: 10120
City: Tallinn
Country: Estonia
Website: http://summerschool.tlu.ee/
E-mail: birgitk@tlu.ee
Phone: 372 6199599
Tallinn Postgraduate Summer School in Social and Cultural Studies. Fear: Poetics and Practices
