Solidarity, Social Movements, and the Fight for Justice and Change in Greece

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

In recent years, Greece has seen the development of a number of social movements and solidarity efforts, in the face of the difficult social conditions that have arisen with the "financial crisis" that occurred in 2009 and the austerity measures which followed. Some of these efforts are new and creative responses, while others have long histories in Greek society and politics. Preceding the crisis, we also see the emergence of what has been called "civil society": voluntary and social organizations that are an integral part of political life, but are not commercial in nature or part of the state. This course examines the roles that solidarity and social movements, social justice goals, and civil society development play in contemporary Greek society. What are the social problems currently identified by these concerns? In what ways have people responded? How has the relationship between citizen and state, individual and society, been changing through these efforts? Students join such organizations as volunteers, devoting a minimum of 45 hours to their volunteer work over the course of the semester. These volunteer experiences are integrated into the course, providing an experiential dimension to the questions we will be exploring together.