Political Science 477H - Architectures of Disavowal

Disavowal and its cousin, denial, refer to a phenomenon whereby people, organizations, governments, or entire societies know about X, but continue to act as if they did not know about X. Disavowal and denial become politically important when X involves ongoing and pervasive violence, destruction, suffering, domination, or exploitation. In this course, we explore various political architectures of denial and disavowal in contemporary life. That is, we seek to understand how disavowal and denial are actively produced and how they facilitate unjust relations of power. Such understandings may serve as precursors for thinking creatively about how existing architectures of disavowal and denial might be dismantled, subverted, or repurposed toward more just relations of power.

Open to Commonwealth Honors College Students only.