Cities, Belonging and Citizenship (4 Hours)

Ayse Caglar
SS 2014
University of Vienna

Objectives: This course aims to approach city as a site of politics and

belonging beyond the trope of community. In times of increasing
importance of cities in the context of contemporary globalization, it is
important to revisit the questions of participation, claim making,
citizenship, and governmentality in cities, as well as the different forms
of connectivity, organization and solidarity networks, and the images of
urban power in a historical context. How do claims of participation to the
city life are organized, mediated, negotiated and performed by different
groups, including the new comers to the city? How is the contemporary
urban micro- politics entangled with the changing relations between cities
and states in times of neoliberal globalization? On the basis of case
studies from Africa, Asia and Europe, this course will focus on city as a
performative space in which particular forms of power, rights, resistance
and belonging are enacted beyond the legal status of citizenship.

Structure: Seminars will begin with a short lecture by the instructor and
will be followed by a presentation/introduction of that weeks topic in
which the students responsible for that week's topic will present the
readings with critical comments and questions. This introduction will be
followed by a discussion. For each seminar there will be two or three key
texts (which appear in the course reader). Those preparing the
introduction of the topic are expected to include the suggested readings
into their presentation, in addition to the key texts. It is inevitable to
prepare in advance for the seminars, as there is a strong emphasis on class
participation. At the end of each meeting, the instructor will distribute
questions to rethink the readings of the week further and to relate them to
the readings of the previous weeks.
Grading: Each student will be assessed through a combination of seminar
contribution, oral presentation, and written work.

Oral presentation (30%) Students are expected to introduce one of the

seminars. The written introduction (max. 4 pages) is due 2 days before
the seminar (latest 4pm). This assignment should ideally include a
succinct summary of the main thesis of the text as well as comments and
questions about the readings.
Term paper (50%) about 4000 word (double-spaced) paper is due by the
end of the term. Students can write their term paper on the seminar topic
they introduced, but can also choose another one (after consultation with
the lecturer).
Class participation 20%)