400018 SE Social (in)visibility: a category for the social sciences (2023S)

The seminar takes Andrea Brighenti's seminal, 2007 published text on "visibility as a general category for the social sciences" as reference and starting point. Participants are encouraged to discuss both the ambivalences of visibility and its effects between recognition (visibilization as empowerment) and surveillance (visibilization as control), and, in more general terms, to critically reflect the role and function of (in)visibility in producing and reproducing power-relations and social inequalities. The scope of readings, the seminar is based on, includes beside classical works (Merlau-Ponty, Simmel, Goffman, Sartre), more recent contributions to this inspiring debate: theories of recognition (Honneth, Fazer), theories of surveillance and control (Deleuze, Foucault), theories of silencing and absence (Scott, de Sousa Santos) etc.

Written work can be submitted in German or English.