Arts in Society

The arts are considered to have a wide variety of 'functions' in society. Not only can they be a means for expressing, representing and even generating individual and collective identities, but they also serve to critical reflect society. In the Master track Arts in Society you will study aspects of the public role of art in today's societies.
In the present time, the position of the arts and culture in society is more critical than ever. We witness how culture has become a platform for polarization and conflict, but how it can also serve as an instrument for appeasement. From the realist novel and Brecht's theatre to Pussy Riot and NWA, art has been used as a stage to combat political oppression and to express and negotiate identities. This track looks at the various ways in which artistic practices can contribute to forms of political resistance. The track also foregrounds approaches which illuminate the inter-relations between various arts disciplines. Finally, the MA track studies arts and culture in relation to current developments such as digitization / AI, decolonization, democracy and populism, globalization and its relation to future developments in GenZ.

Building on a combination of critical sociology and cultural studies, the Arts in Society track provides tools, in the first semester, to study and interpret these developments whilst developing strategies for