Introduction
Today, all too often, the implicit analytical frameworks of past and present societies are based on a hegemonic "white, neoliberal and patriarchal" model. This model is now being questioned by large sections of civil society and by the scientific world. There is an urgent need to reinterpret any historical period in the light of these issues. But how can we go about re-reading phenomena such as slavery, colonisation, globalisation, capitalism and gender relations in a different way today? How can we decentralise our view as historians and citizens?
Since the middle of the 20th century, with the emancipation of women and the anti-colonial movements, several currents and theories have renewed the way of writing history and decoding current societies: connected history, history from below, subaltern studies, postcolonial studies, decolonial studies and gender history. These critical and analytical tools invite a geographical, mental and temporal 'decentring' and allow us to understand past and present systems of thought and action, here and elsewhere, from new perspectives.
Your programme
The 'Decentring History' minor offers students :
- A theoretical foundation on the different currents allowing for 'decentring' in history: connected history, Subaltern studies, Postcolonial studies, Decolonial studies and gender history;
- A transversal and interdisciplinary approach in order to diversify the ways of practicing "decentering" in the humanities and social sciences;
- The opportunity to study the history, ways of thinking and social and cultural practices of non-European societies;
- Concrete tools to decode past and contemporary societies from the perspective of power relations in a critical and nuanced way.