Winter school „Semiotics of Political and Strategic Communication“ programme

TIME 
29th January to 2nd February 2024

PLACE
Narva and Tartu in Estonia, at the UT Narva College and the University of Tartu.

Organisers: Department of Semiotics (prof. Andreas Ventsel) and Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies (prof Andrey Makarychev), Tartu University

Day 1 (29.01): Historical Narratives and Collective Memories (Eneken Laanes, Tallinn University)

I session - Opening words + introducing the program, assessment etc,.

II session - Lecture + Seminar: Historical Narratives, Heritage and Political Polarization

III session - Lecture + Seminar: Securitization of Memory; antagonistic vs agonistic memory cultures

IV session - Group Work: Dissecting Vladimir Putin’s use of historical arguments in key speeches and essays

Day 2 (30.01): Semiotics Aspects of Strategic Narratives: Fake News, Conspiracy Theories, Manipulative Techniques of Misinformation (Andreas Ventsel, Tartu University)

I session – Lecture: Introduction of main concepts (strategic communication, semiotic approach, counter strategies, affective storytelling etc)

II session – Seminar: Seminar texts on strategic/political communication, affective storytelling and history narratives

III session – Group work: Constructing strategic narrative. Work groups, each consisting of 5 members, are established. These groups are tasked with crafting a strategic narrative or message. By the end of the third session, they present their narratives/messages, highlighting their primary objectives and underlying structural principles.

IV session - Group work: Strategic counter narrative. Students engage with the strategic messages developed in the prior session, with the aim of formulating a response or devising an debunking strategy for the initial message. The session wraps up with presentations followed by a discussion.

Day 3 (31.01): Visual Biopolitics of Crises and Conflicts: Semiotic Inquiries (Andrey Makarychev, Tartu University)

I Session - Lecture: Visual Biopolitics for International Relations and Political Studies: Methodologies and Conceptualizations

II Session - Visual Biopolitics of the COVID-19 Pandemic (presentation of main points, followed by a group discussion)

III Session: Visual Biopolitics of Bordering and De-bordering: Estonian and Finnish Storylines (presentation and a practical exercise)

IV Session – Group work: From Bio- to Necropolitics: Visualizing Russia’s Invasion in Ukraine

Day 4 (01.02): Ukraine in the Limelight: What and How Can We Learn? (Yuliia Kurnyshova, Copenhagen University)

I Session - Lecture +Discussion: Emotions during the War: Interplay between Emotions, Pragmatism and Security Governance

• Conceptual Approaches
• How emotions can be manipulated to influence public opinion and decision-making
• Case-studies of Ukraine and Russia

II Session - Lecture + Discussion: Ethical Tropes in War Discources

• Ukraine’s Ethical Reasoning and Normative Agency
• Civilizational Security (Ukraine, Russia, Euro-Atlantic West)

III Session: Semiotics of Space: Ukraine’s Break with the Easten Europe

• Role of language, imageries, and cultural references in shaping postcolonial narratives

IV Session: Students’ Presentations of the work in groups, Conclusions

• Intersections and Interactions of all elements

Day 5 (02.02): “The Arts of Survival”: Estonian Cultural Narratives in Insecure Times (Kristina Norman)

I Session - After-War (2009). Addressing the white spots in history and finding multiple ways of looking at the so-called Bronze Soldier monument in Tallinn. After-War as a project of recycling of a historical symbol and of thinking about the ethics of representation of minority cultures and subject positions in the media and the arts.

II Session - Souvenir and Iron Arch (2014), a project of turning the Palace Square of St Petersburg into Kyiv’s Maidan. Reviving the memory of political protests in the main squares of Russia’s towns and cities.

III Session - Orchidelirium Expanded 2.0 (2023). Dealing with colonial heritage in post-Soviet Estonia, investigating forgotten connections between Eastern Europe and the global south through performing art and experimental film.

The event is supported by Estonian Research Council and CELSA consortium.