Cultural and Change - Critical Studies in the Humanities

Overview

At the Cultural and Change - Critical Studies in the Humanities programme at Malmö University we explore and ask questions about issues of power, representation, memory, silence, and place. The programme will help you to bridge theory and practice, and to develop research interests in collaboration with external stakeholders. If you have ever considered working in the arts, policy-making, cultural administration, or even pursuing a PhD, this might be the ideal programme for you.

Culture is not just a set of texts, images, artefacts, and compositions that we experience or analyse. It is also a living medium through which we interact with the world and each other, as well as understand ourselves and the societies that we inhabit. Culture is constantly shifting and affects the way power is negotiated. In the post-truth, post-memory 21st century, it is still not clear how different perspectives and expressions of culture will continue to coexist. Questions that we need to face and tackle are: Who gets to speak and act, and who listens? Why do we produce knowledge, and what is it used for? And how can we ethically engage and participate in the work of making/doing “culture”?

This is a two-year master’s programme in Cultural Studies which is based in the humanities but also uses methods, theories, and approaches from other fields, such as participatory design, critical museology, and artistic research. A distinguishing feature of this programme is the bridging of theory and practice. You will study culture in a broad sense and practically engage with different forms of cultural production as it takes place within institutions such as museums, theatres, arts venues, and in dialogue with stakeholders such as artists, curators, activists, collectives, and small enterprises. An important part of this multidisciplinary programme is to provide opportunities for you as a student to collaborate with cultural stakeholders and co-create your own productions, as well as build a community of peers.

This programme is specifically designed to provide you with the skills, confidence, and qualifications to work in cultural production, cultural administration and enterprise, particularly in ways that are aware and ethically responsible. Working with a range of local stakeholders, and alongside peers, you will also get the opportunity to build a strong professional network. At the same time, the programme provides the necessary rigour to prepare students for doctoral studies within an interdisciplinary and international academic context.