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The lecture will address the challenges of deep disagreements and fundamental conflicts as they arise in plural societies - but from the specific angle of literary studies. For most of the semester, we will more specifically discuss functions of literature in present-day pluralist democracies. Here, literature can, for instance, function as a means of understanding contemporary debates, as a practical exercise in experiencing alterity and otherness, as a form of practicing perspective-taking, or as giving voice to those usually overheard or marginalized. Tying together these various functions, literature can even be seen as a crucial means of civic education for democratic pluralism. Discussions about uses of literature in school contexts will of course also play a role. All materials will be supplied electronically. |
