PhD Courses in Denmark

Contents

The course is aimed at PhD students with an interest in norm critique, norm-critical interventions, and the significance of norms for (in)equality, (in)justice as well as inclusion and exclusion in various societal contexts such as educational practice, urban planning, sustainable transition, innovation, working life, and management.

Norm critique – and particularly norm-critical pedagogy – is a Nordic phenomenon which initially grew out of Swedish activist and educational circles. Later, the norm-critical approach to equality and social change has spread to the rest of the Nordic countries, and in Sweden it has even become a state-approved approach in diversity and equality work. At the same time, norm critique has encountered political and public opposition and has been criticized for being yet another strand of identity politics and, thus, undermining society. Hence, it becomes even more important to consolidate the theoretical basis for norm-critical research, which more and more PhD students and researchers are conducting.

Originally, norm critique draws on Freirean liberation thinking, feminist theory, critical gender studies, intersectionality, queer theory, and critical race theory. But only recently has there been research interest in disentangling, developing, and discussing the theoretical basis for norm critique in research across disciplines.

The PhD course taps into these current theoretical, methodological, and analytical discussions of how norm critique can offer new ways of studying inequality and how norm critical research practices can revitalize a feminist and anti-racist ethical imperative of social change and refurbish the social obligation of research.

The course is organized around three themes:

The theoretical foundation and epistemology of norm critique:

• Modern legacies and postmodern possibilities (Krøjer)
• Norms, normalcy and norm violations (Padovan-Özdemir)
• Firstness and otherness (Brade)

Norm-critical methodologies:

• Queering as a strategy (Just)
• Critical design (Hagbert)
• Cabinet of Rarities (Padovan-Özdemir)

Norm-critical ethics:

• Heterotopic horizon of change (Padovan-Özdemir)
• Feminist ethics of care (Krøjer)

In this way, the participants get the opportunity to sharpen the distinction between norm critique in practice/activism and norm critique as a research approach and perspective, while at the same time being able to observe and relate to the ethical basis of norm critique.