
biopolitics, session #1, preface and introduction
Read Puar, Jasbir K. 2017. The Right to Maim. Durham. Duke University Press. Preface and introduction. ix–32.
Contribute to the blog by commenting on the readings and discussions. See ‘requirements’ for details.
biopolitics seminar – learning outcomes
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
- Explain Puar’s concept of ‘debility’ and how it relates to disability and capacity in the context of biopolitics.
- Analyze how states and institutions use disability, debility, and capacity to control and manage populations, drawing on examples from the Israel-Palestine conflict.
- Identify and critique problematic representations of disability, injury, and victimhood in media and discourse related to the Middle East.
- Connect Puar’s concepts to other scholarly works on necropolitics, precarity, and biopower in the region.
- Discuss strategies used by disability activists and advocacy groups to counter dominant narratives and promote social justice.
- Apply Puar’s analytical framework to examine other regional case studies beyond Israel-Palestine.
- Communicate perspectives on these issues clearly through discussions, brief oral presentations, and a final blog post.
- Provide constructive feedback to fellow students to enrich collective understanding.
- Demonstrate critical thinking skills in evaluating arguments and evidence on topics related to the course.
biopolitics seminar – syllabus
1 – 16.10.2023 10–12 – reading time // self-study
Read Puar, Jasbir K. 2017. The Right to Maim. Durham. Duke University Press. Preface and introduction. ix–32.
NOTE: Use this day/week to read the information here on the course, assigments, participation, etc. and the first part of Puar’s text. There will be no introductory session; we will jump right in on Monday 23!
2 – 23.10.2023 10–12 discussion – preface & introduction
3 – 30.10.2023 10–12 reading time // self-study
Read Puar, Jasbir K. 2017. The Right to Maim. Durham. Duke University Press. Chapter 1 “Bodies with New Organs: Becoming Trans, Becoming Disabled”. 33–62.
4 – 6.11.2023 10–12 discussion – trans & disability
5 – 13.11.2023 10–12 reading time // self-study
Read Puar, Jasbir K. 2017. The Right to Maim. Durham. Duke University Press. Chapter 2 “Crip Nationalism: From Narrative Prosthesis to Disaster Capitalism”. 63–94.
6 – 20.11.2023 10–12 discussion – disability politics
7– 27.11.2023 10–12 reading time // self-study
Read Puar, Jasbir K. 2017. The Right to Maim. Durham. Duke University Press. Chapter 3 “Disabled Diaspora, Rehabilitating State: The Queer Politics of Reproduction in Palestine/Israel”. 95–126.
8– 4.12.2023 10–12 discussion – queer politics Israel/Palestine
Task in preparation of 11.12.: Listen to the podcast episode on “The Right to Maim”with Bassam Sidiki on https://newbooksnetwork.com/the-right-to-maim and comment on it in the blog.
9 – 11.12.2023 10–12 discussion – references to the right to maim
10 – 18.12.2023 10–12 reading time // self-study
Read Puar, Jasbir K. 2017. The Right to Maim. Durham. Duke University Press. Chapter 4 “”Will Not Let Die”: Debilitation and Inhuman Biopolitics in Palestine”. 127–154.
11 – 8.1.2024 10–12 discussion – biopolitics in Palestine
12 – 15.1.2024 10–12 reading time // self-study
Read Mbembe, Achille. 2019. Necropolitics. Durham. Duke University Press. Chapter to be announced.
13 – 22.1.2024 10–12 discussion – necropolitics
Task in preperation of 5.2.: Read Puar, Jasbir K. 2017. The Right to Maim. Durham. Duke University Press. Postscript. 155-162.
14 – 5.2.2024 10–12 – course wrap-up
15 – 12.2.2024 10–12 – individual follow-up
Task: Publish your final blog comment until 19.2.2024 6 PM.
Biopolitics and Disability: Navigating Jasbir K. Puar’s “The Right to Maim” in the Middle East
In our seminar, we will delve into Jasbir K. Puar's groundbreaking work, "The Right to Maim," interrogating how power structures in the Middle East employ biopolitics to manage populations. We will scrutinize Puar's innovative concept of 'debility' and its interaction with disability and capacity. Beyond the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, our exploration will extend to other regional scenarios, such as the impact of Syria's civil conflict and the predicaments of migrant laborers in the Gulf States. By analyzing these contexts through Puar's 'right to maim' thesis, we aim to stir a lively discourse on the intersections of power, bodily harm, and social exclusion within the Middle Eastern milieu.~ commentary from the course catalogue

