Political Science

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale program in cultural anthropology. The course is intended for advanced levels students only. Enrollment is by consent of the instructor. The course focuses on Algorithmic Patriarchy? Feminist critiques of technosocietal relations

The course is a component of the integrated course (IC) in "Political Theory". Combining a close reading of some of the most recent contributions of feminist political theory to the understanding and critique of the “politics of the algorithm” with the reading and comment of some classic texts of women's political thought in the second half of the twentieth century, the course investigates how the algorithm redefines some key political concepts in the field of tension between masculine domination and women's freedom. Using conceptual history, and providing a political understanding of the technical dimension of algorithmic operations (such as search of keywords on internet, facial recognition, datamining) the course provides students with the tools necessary to highlight the continuities and discontinuities that the algorithm determines in patriarchal social relations and liberation practices starting from the reflection around some key-concepts for feminist political theory: nature (sex / gender, domination / power); identity (codification / politicization); recognition (discrimination / struggle); difference (universal / particular).

At the end of the course students will acquire a knowledge of the ways in which women had historically criticized the theoretical justification of their subordination articulated in Western political and social thought. By applying the fundamental tools of feminist and post-colonial theories, the course will provide an historical analysis of political and social concepts – such as authority, freedom, rights, citizenship, society, labor – as the expression of gendered relations of power.

Students discuss the relationship between far right politics and liberal democracy. Focusing on Europe, students examine questions such as: How do far right mobilizations reflect wider structural forms of marginalization in society? Are mainstream political actors complicit in the normalization of exclusionary populist discourse? Does structural racism and other forms of discrimination/domination provide opportunities to far right actors? At the end of the seminar, students work in groups on ideas for counter-measures and present these as a project.

This course examines the interplay of external and internal factors in inflaming conflict and tension in the Middle East. It covers the role of foreign powers in a number of case studies: the Arab/Israeli conflict, Iran-Iraq war, the Gulf War of 1990-1991, the war on Terror, the Arab Uprisings, and the rise of the Islamic State. These case studies illustrate the difficulties in separating national from international politics and provide a nuanced appreciation of international relations in this vital region.

This course establishes fundamental knowledge needed to understand contemporary Iran. It analyzes political, economic, and cultural transformations which have guided imperial Persia from the beginning of the 19th century to become the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1979. The course systematically compares Iran and its regional environment with an emphasis on the Arab world and Turkey. It utilizes diverse disciplinary approaches, from social history to political economics, with a focus on political sociology.