16844

WiSe 15/16: Berlin: From Squatters' Capital to Creative City

Jens Manuel Lutz

Additional information / Pre-requisites

Englischkenntnisse: B2 (CEF)

Comments

Berlin has undergone intense changes throughout the last three decades morphing from frontier city in the cold war era into Europe's trendiest metropolis. Berlin's development, however, is not only a result of shifts in political and economic systems on national and global scale but also it is the result of local struggles. The city's inhabitants have shaped the city, demanding and proposing their own urban visions and alternatives, which often clashed with plans and projects of powerful elites and capital interests. This history of urban contestations contributes to the specific qualities of today's Berlin: each generation of urban social movements have protested, resisted, and produced particular outcomes manifest in buildings, urban practices, sites of struggles, and policy changes. The aim of this seminar is to investigate the recent history of urban social movements in Berlin to provide insights into how Berlin was co-shaped from below. Drawing from urban studies literature and research on urban movements the seminar will introduce an understanding of urban social movements, their emergence and their impacts on urban development. Using different media, academic articles, and movements pamphlets, the seminar will cover some distinct historical phases and changing themes of urban contestations: o the 1980s squatters movement in West-Berlin o squatting in re-unified Berlin in the early 1990s o struggles against mega-projects in the new capital and aspiring global city o struggles against gentrification and rising rents o struggles for citizen's participation Assessment: Participants are expected to attend regularly the seminar, to study the course material, and to participate actively in the discussions. On a rotating basis, participants are required to co-facilitate the sessions and to produce short protocols. Additionally, there will be final written exam (90 minutes) based on the course readings, seminar discussions and excursions. close

16 Class schedule

Regular appointments

Thu, 10:00 - 12:00 16 Class schedule

Thu, 2015-10-15 10:00 - 12:00

Lecturers:
Jens Manuel Lutz