58218 Ideology, Beliefs and Visions
Warning: The information on this page is indicative. The subject outline for a particular semester, location and mode of offering is the authoritative source of all information about the subject for that offering. Required texts, recommended texts and references in particular are likely to change. Students will be provided with a subject outline once they enrol in the subject.
UTS: Communication: Social and Political ChangeCredit points: 8 cp
Result type: Grade, no marks
Requisite(s): 58122 Introduction to Social Inquiry OR 58123 Society, Economy and Globalisation OR 58124 Local Transformations
These requisites may not apply to students in certain courses.
There are course requisites for this subject. See access conditions.
Anti-requisite(s): 50139 Political Theory AND 50187 Comparative Belief Systems
Handbook description
Social change produces ideas but ideas also produce or prevent social change. The ideologies we live under, the beliefs we may hold and the visions to which we aspire are rooted in our experiences but they also transcend them. The capacity to change society can hinge on this ability to inspire people to action. Students examine matters such as what produces beliefs and ideologies and how they are built into coherent worldviews through successive generations, the differences between religious cosmologies, political ideologies and visions and the ways they transform peoples' lives and the source of their potency and danger. They explore different types of ideas in the context of political ideologies, religious values and visions for a better society. Students develop and investigate a research question relevant to the role of ideas in social change, using participant observation and qualitative interviews to analyse ideational dynamics in real world contexts.
Subject objectives/outcomes
At the completion of this subject, students are expected to be able to:
a) apply key concepts of the social sciences
b) appreciate different standpoints, viewpoints and frameworks for understanding the social world
c) analyse their own beliefs, assumptions and expectations
d) undertake qualitative research, in particular, participant observation
e) critically apply theory to qualitative research practice and mobilise the resulting empirical data for social analysis
Contribution to course aims and graduate attributes
This subject makes a major contribution to the students’ capacity to think analytically, using concepts of the social sciences, and to apply their knowledges and skills in social research. It makes a major contribution to their capacity to respect the plurality of perspectives that inform social understanding. It makes a contribution to their capacity to conduct qualitative research, to communicate effectively, and to work collaboratively.
Teaching and learning strategies
The subject consists of 10 weekly lectures and tutorials, and two workshops: one for planning participant observation projects and one for integrating research into the essay. Core texts are reproduced online; additional resources are available in the UTS library. The lectures engage students with key concepts and methods while in half of the tutorials students evaluate theoretical claims through group and class discussion of lectures and key texts. The other half of the tutorials allow students to report on their research projects and learn of the difficulties and complexities of participant observation by listening to the experience of other students. Instruction and guidance on the ethical questions arising in participant observation will be included. Tutorials involve students in a variety of activities, including individual and group presentations, discussion groups on method and collaborative work shopping of qualitative project work.
Content
The subject introduces students to some of the key concepts in the theorisation of how ideas operate in and are expressed through collective, everyday contexts like organisations or movements. Students will apply the concepts of gender, race, social class and cultural diversity to the categories of ideology, belief and vision. Students will deepen their knowledge of and competence in qualitative research methods introduced in earlier units, in particular for participant observation and in-depth interviewing.
Assessment
Assessment Item 1: Tutorial presentation (10%) and tutorial paper (20%)
| Objective(s): | a, b |
| Weighting: | 30% |
| Length: | The written tutorial paper will be no more than 1500 words in length. |
| Criteria: |
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Assessment Item 2: Class presentation of Participant Observation project
| Objective(s): | a, b, c, d |
| Weighting: | 30% |
| Criteria: |
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Assessment Item 3: Essay on participation observation project
| Objective(s): | a, c, d , e |
| Weighting: | 40% |
| Length: | Length indication 3,000 words. |
| Criteria: |
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Minimum requirements
Mandatory attendance
Students are expected to read the subject outline to ensure they are familiar with the subject requirements. Since class discussion and participation in activities form an integral part of this subject, you are expected to attend, arrive punctually and actively participate in classes. If you experience difficulties meeting this requirement, please contact your lecturer. Students who have a reason for extended absence (e.g., illness) may be required to complete additional work to ensure they achieve the subject objectives.
Attendance is particularly important in this subject because it is based on a collaborative approach which involves essential workshopping and interchange of ideas. Students who attend fewer than ten classes are advised that their final work will not be assessed and that they are likely to fail the subject.
References
REQUIRED AND RECOMMENDED READINGS BY LECTURES AND SEMINARS:
Week 1 Lecture: Introduction
Introduction to the study of religious practices, utopian visions and political ideologies. Overview of various conceptions of historical change and the role of ideas in history.
Discussion Questions:
What are the differences between religious cosmologies, political ideologies and visions?
In what ways do they transform peoples’ lives? Think about your own beliefs, are they utopian, religious, ideological?
Recommended Reading:
- Heywood, A. 2007, ‘Introduction: understanding ideology’, in A. Heywood, Political ideologies: an introduction, Palgrave Macmillan, New York.
- Smart, N. 1998, The world’s religions, Cambridge.
- Kumar, K. 1991, ‘The elements of utopia’, in K. Kumar, Utopianism, Open University Press.
Week 2 Lecture: Idealism and Materialism (Weber and Marx)
Social change produces ideas but ideas also produce or prevent social change. The ideologies we live under, the beliefs we may hold and the visions to which we aspire are rooted in our experiences but they also transcend them. The capacity to change society can hinge on this ability to inspire people to action. In this lecture we will discuss the distinction and overlap between idealist and materialist explanations of historical transformation, comparing Max Weber’s famous ‘Protestant Ethic’ thesis to Karl Marx’s views on the origins of capitalism.
Discussion questions:
Marx and Weber offer different explanations for the origins of modern capitalism. Discuss some of the differences (and similarities) between their views. Think about recent currents of social change (such as the Arab Spring, the Occupy movement, the mass protests in Greece or recent changes of government in Australia and the U.S.A.), what role did ideas and beliefs play in these events?
Required Readings:
- Kalberg, S. (2007) ‘Max Weber’, in George Rizter (ed), The Blackwell Companion to Major Classical Social Theorists, Chinchester: John Wiley and Sons, Ltd.
- Bottomore, T. 1985 Ch 1 'Marx's Theory of the Commodity-Producing Society' in Theories of Modern Capitalism, Allen &Unwin, London
Recommended Readings:
- Bottomore, T. 1985 Theories of Modern Capitalism, Ch 2 'Max Weber on Capitalism and Rationality', Allen &Unwin, London.
- Gane, N. (2002) Max Weber and Postmodern Theory: Rationalization Versus re-enchantment, Basingstoke, Hampshire, New York: Palgrave Macmillan
- Fine, Ben. Marx’s Capital. London, Basingstoke: Macmillan Press, 1975
- Harvey, D. 2006. The Limits to Capital. Verso: London, New York
Week 3 Lecture: Ideology and Commodity-Fetishism
In the Marxist tradition ideology has been associated with alienation and false consciousness. Consequently, Marxism aims to overcome the repressive effects of ideology. However, others argue that ideology is a productive force that shapes identity and gives expression to political aspirations for change. In this lecture we will examine these views and pose the question of whether or not there can be an ‘outside’ of ideology.
Discussion Questions:
Is ideology a repressive or an enabling force? Where is it located? In what ways does Athusser’s theory of interpellation complicate traditional ideas about ideology?(Think about the material effects of ideology).
Required Readings:
- Kaplan, Louise. Cultures of Fetishism. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2006
- Althusser, L. 1969, ‘Ideology and ldeological State Apparatuses’, in Lenin and Philosophy and Other Essays. Monthly Review Press, London, New York.
Recommended Reading:
- Marx, K and Engels, F. 1968, The German Ideology. Progress Publishers, Moscow.
- Derrida. J. (1994) Spectres of Marx, trans. P. Kamuf, London, New York: Routledge
- Zizek, S. 1989. The Sublime Object of Ideology. Verso, London
- Foucault, M. 1981 The History of Sexuality, Vol. 1. Penguin, London.
Week 4 Workshop 1: Conducting Research Using Participant Observation
Recommended Readings:
- Geertz, C (1988), Works and Lives: The anthropologist as author. Stanford, CA: Stanford UP.
- Denzin, N and Lincoln, Y (eds1998) Strategies of Qualitative Inquiry. Thousand Oaks London: Sage Publications.
Week 5 Lecture: Religion and Secularism
Proponents of secularism regard religion as an impediment to human progress and insist that government and other public institutions should exist separately from religious influence. However, opponents argue that secularism cannot accommodate the full range of human emotional experience. In this lecture we will discuss the main arguments and counter-arguments about secularism and consider the role that religion plays in contemporary society.
Discussion Questions:
Secularism advocates a strict separation between religion and the state, proposing that religion should be confined to the private realm. Discuss the reasoning behind this view and consider some problems associated with it. Can beliefs be confined to the private sphere?
Why might ethnic minorities perceive secularism as essential to the practice of their faith in multi-ethnic multi-religious societies? In what ways might religious and secular forces be entwined within contemporary ‘secular’ societies?
Required Readings:
- Hefner, R. W. 1998, ‘Multiple modernities: Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism in a globalizing age’, Annual Review of Anthropology, vol. 27, 83-104.
- Holyoake, G. J. 1896, ‘How secularism arose’, in G. J. Holyoake, The origin and nature of secularism: showing that where freethought commonly ends secularism begins, Watts & Co, London.
Recommended Readings:
- Jakobsen, J. and Pellegrini, A. 2000, ‘World Secularisms at the Millennium’, Social Text, Vol. 18, No. 3, 1-26.
- Asad, T. 2003, ‘Introduction: thinking about secularism’, in T. Asad, Formations of the secular: Christianity, Islam,Modernity, Stanford University Press, California.
- Taylor, C. 2007, ‘Introduction: a secular age’, in C. Taylor, A secular age, The Belknap Press of Harvard University
- Taylor, M.C. 2007, After God, Chicago University Press, Chicago.
Week 6 Lecture: Liberalism (Market, State, Society)
Liberalism is committed to individual freedom and equality amongst persons. These principles underpin basic conceptions of human rights and have become central to the way many envision 'the good life'. However liberalism has been criticised for being enthnocentric and gender-blind. We will explore some feminist engagements with liberalism and critically examine the liberal promise of freedom of choice within an open market/society.
Discussion Questions:
What would a liberal utopia look like (i.e. how does liberalism imagine the ideal society)? What role would difference play within this ideal society?
Reflect on the concepts of autonomy, value-neutrality and individualism within liberal doctrine. Why have some feminists been critical of the argument that freedom is guaranteed by them? How well do such conceptions of freedom apply to non-western social and political arrangements?
Required Readings:
- Nussbaum, M. C. 1997, ‘The feminist critique of liberalism’, in M. C. Nussbaum, Sex and Social justice, The University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
- Galston, W. 2002 'Introduction: Pluralism in Ethics and Politics', in Galston, W. Liberal Pluralism: The Implications of Value Pluralism in Liberal Theory and Practice, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Recommended Readings:
- Rawls, J. 2005, ‘Introduction and introduction to the paperback edition’, in J. Rawls, Political liberalism, HarvardUniversity, Cambridge.
- Berlin, I. 2002, ‘Introduction- liberty: incorporating four essays on liberty’, in H. Hardy et al. (eds.), Liberty:incorporating four essays on liberty, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
- Dewey, J. 1963, ‘The history of liberalism’, in J. Dewey, Liberalism and social action, The University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
Week 7 Lecture: Islam, Gender and the State
In this lecture we explore tensions in the relationship between liberalism, gender and religion,examining contradictions between Australian laws pertaining to practices of female genital modification and those covering more conventional forms of cosmetic surgery. We will consider the way western feminists and anthropologists have represented practices of FGM in Africa. The lecture will pose the question, are bodies and experiences of sexual freedom the same everywhere or do they differ across cultures? And if so, does this raise problems for the goal of equality espoused by liberalism? How do we respect the wishes of others if we regard them as harmful?
Discussion Questions:
Should women be able to modify their own bodies? If you were responsible for drafting policy in this area what would you do? Justify your answer in terms of the readings.
Kirby’s article also raises issues for anthropologists studying other cultures. What role does cultural difference play in our efforts to know the other?
Required Readings:
- N, Sullivan. 2007, '"The Price to Pay for the Common Good": Gential Modification and the Somatechnologies of Cultural (in)Difference'. Social Semiotics, 17, 3, 395-409.
- V, Kirby. 'Out of Africa': "Our Bodies Ourselves?"', in O. Nnaemeka Female Circumscion and the Politics of Knowledge: African Women in Imperialist Discourse, Praeger. Westport and London, 81-96.
Recommended Readings:
- N Feldman, 'Why Sharia, The New York Times, March 16 2008.
- M John, 'Postcolonial Feminists in the Western Intellectual Field: Anthropologists and Native Informants'. Inscriptions. 5, 1989.
- W Njambi, 2004, ‘Dualisms and Female Bodies in Representations of African Female Circumscion’, Feminist Theory. 5 (3), 281-303.
- AbdullahiAn-Na’im. “The West’s Biggest Misconceptions about Islam,” Emory University Big Think, bigthink.com/ideas/15156Abdullahi An-Na’im on “Islam and the Secular State” http://Berkeleycenter.georgetown.edu
Week 8 Lecture: Confucianism and the State Cult
Guest Lecturer: Chongyi Feng
From a Confucian viewpoint, the best government is ‘government by example’. The ruling elite in the ideal Confucian society is not a ‘political class’ but a priesthood which holds society together by the spirit of benevolence (jen/ren). The exemplary family relations of this ruling vanguard radiates their virtue (te/de) over the society as a whole. In the words of Confucius, ‘Govern the people by penal laws and order them with punishments and they will try to evade the punishments and lose their sense of shame. Lead them by moral power and keep order by li [rite]. They will have a sense of shame and correct themselves.’
Discussion Questions:
What is the role of the government in the Confucian conception of society? What are the manifestations of the state cult in Confucianism? Do you think it is unique to Confucianism?
Required Readings:
- Shryock, J. 1966, ‘Chapter XV’, in J. Shryock, The origin and development of the state cult of Confucius, ParagonBook Reprint Corp, New York.
- Ames, R. & Hall, D. 1987, ‘Effecting socio-political order (3.1 and 3.2 of Chapter 3)’, in R. Ames & D. Hall,Thinking through Confucius, State University of New York, New York
Recommended Readings:
- Confucius (Lunyu), 1997, The analects of Confucius, trans. S. Leys, W.W. Norton, New York.
- Creel, H. G. 1960, Confucius and the Chinese way, Harper & Row, New York.
- Hahm, C. 2004, ‘The Ironies of Confucianism’, Journal of Democracy, vol. 15, no.3, pp. 93-107.
Week 9: Study Break
Vice-Chancellor’s Week – UTS non teaching week.
Week 10 Lecture: Religion and Modernization
Advocates of secularization argue that religion is hindrance to processes of modernization. However, religion has also shaped modernity. This suggests a complex inter-relation between religion and the forces of rationalization. In this lecture we will consider Taylor's theory of the dialectical relationship between religion and secularity and examine the various ways that theorists of modernisation have understood historical change.
Discussion Questions:
Discuss Taylor’s dialectical conception of the relationship between religion and modernization.Does his view complicate the way we usually think about the relationship between religion and modernity? Can you think of other ways in which religious forces have affected modern institutions and practices?
Required Reading:
- Taylor, M. C. 2007, After God. Chicago University Press, Chicago. Chapter 1 and pp73-83.
- Inglehart, R. & Baker, W. E. “Modernization, Cultural Change, and the Persistence of Traditional Values”, American Sociological Review, Vol. 65, No. 1, “Looking Forward, Looking Back: Continuity and Change at the Turn of the Millenium”, Feb., 2000, pp. 19-51
Week 11 Lecture: The End of History?
In 1989 Francis Fukuyama published ‘The End of History and the Last Man’, inspiring heated debates about the way we view history and the political forces that have shaped the particular history of the west. With the recent collapse of the Soviet Union, Fukuyama’s argument that the historical struggle between socialism and liberalism had ended had obvious appeal. How viable is his argument today? Has liberal democracy lived up to its own goals? In this lecture we will consider these questions, examining the interplay between idealism and materialism in Fukuyama’s argument.
Discussion Questions
Do events like Sept. 11 and the GFC, as well as the rise of China and India complicate Fukuyama's argument that history has ended? Explain the interaction between ideals and empirical reality in his argument. Fukuyama's focus is primarily on liberalism as a political practice (rather than cultural reality). Can you see any limitations in this?
Required Reading:
- Fukuyama, F. (1989) ‘The End of History?’, The National Interest, Summer.
- Fukuyama, F. (2002) Has history restarted since September 11?, lecture to the Centre for Independent Studies,Sydney (available online).
Recommended Reading:
- Derrida, J. (1994), ‘Spectres of Marx’, New Left Review, # 205, May/June
- Klein, N. (2002) Farewell to the ‘end of history’: organisation and vision in anti-corporate movements, Socialis tRegister, 1-15 (available online).
- Brown, Chris (1999) ‘History Ends, Worlds Collide’, in M. Cox, K. Booth & T. Dunne (eds) The Interregnum:Controversies in World Politics 1989-1999, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp. 41-58.
- Frank, G. (1993) No End to History! History to No End?, in Nordenstreng, in K. and Schiller, H. (eds) Beyond National Sovereignty: International Communication in the 1990s, Ablex Publishers: New Jersey
Week 12 Lecture: Socialism, Utopian and Scientific
Defined in opposition to capitalism, the core of socialism is a vision of humans as social beings united by their common humanity. Utopian socialism regards socialism as morally superior to capitalism because human beings are ethical creatures, bound to one another by the ties of love, sympathy and compassion. Scientific socialism undertakes a scientific analysis of historical and social development, which, from the point of view of Marxism, suggests that socialism would inevitably replace capitalism. In this lecture, we will discuss the basic arguments of scientific socialism and the principal features of socialist utopias.
Discussion Questions:
'The ideal factory is a microcosm of the ideal society'. Discuss the possibilities for an industrial utopia.
'Hunt in the morning and criticise after dinner'. Discuss the problems with a separation between manual and mental labour, and outline a utopian solution to this separation.
Required Reading:
- Carey, J. Faber book of utopias, pp. 181-314 (especially Marx)
- Engels, F. 1880, Socialism: utopian and scientific, http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1880/soc-utop/index.htm
Recommended Reading:
- Bauman, Z. 1976, Socialism: the active utopia, Allen and Unwin, London.
- Thomas, P. 2008, Marxism and scientific socialism, Routledge, London.
- Newman, M. 2005, Socialism: a very short introduction, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
- Harrington, M. 1989, Socialism: past and future, Arcade, New York
Week 13 Lecture: Anarchism (Greece and the Radical Left)
Guest Lecturer: Nick Apoifis
This week’s lecture will explore alternatives to the liberalism/socialism divide, looking at anarchism as the new inheritors of the radical left. We will look specifically at contemporary anarchist movements in Greece and explore the role they are playing in the after-math of the GFC and the collapse of the Greek economy. Nick will also discuss ethnographic work he has undertaken in Greece and respond to student’s questions about their own participant observation projects.
Discussion Questions and Required Readings: TBA
Week 14 Lecture Idioms of Change: Satyagraha and Non-violence
Gandhi described ‘satyagraha’ as the force of truth, which developed religious connotations. As an idiom of resistance satyagraha was an innovation, a language of political action, which was deeply embedded in notions of non-violence (ahimsa), and suffering love. Through a combination of strategies of non-violence and civil disobedience, Gandhi perfected its‘techniques’ while resisting what he considered ‘unfair’ laws of the colonial state in South Africa. The legacy of satyagraha, has resonated in different historical contexts, and in different movements within and outside India.
Discussion Questions:
How does Gandhi connect satya (truth), ahimsa (non-violence), and suffering love? How would you distinguish between passive resistance and satyagraha?How is satyagraha a form of ‘dialogic resistance’?
Required Reading:
- Parekh, Bhikhu (1997) Gandhi, OUP, Oxford (Chapter 5: ‘Satyagraha’ pp.51-62
- Hardiman, David (2003) Gandhi: In His Times and Ours, Permanent Black, New Delhi (Chapter 3: ‘Dialogic Resistance’ pp.39-65).
- Dr. King: Non-violence is the most powerful weapon’, video on Youtube, duration 7 minutes
Recommended Reading:
- Dalton, Dennis (1998) Gandhi’s Power: Nonviolence in Action, Oxford University Press, Delhi.
- Haksar, Vineet (2001) Rights, Communities and Disobedience: Liberalism and Gandhi, Oxford University Press,New Delhi (‘Preface’ pp.ix-xxix).
- Parekh, Bhikhu (1997) Gandhi, OUP, Oxford (Chapter 5: ‘Satyagraha’ pp.51-62
- Hardiman, David (2003) Gandhi: In His Times and Ours, Permanent Black, New Delhi (Chapter 3: ‘Dialogic Resistance’ pp.39-65)
