Miro Sazdic Löwstedt, 80% Doctoral Seminar

"kulturell allemansrätt": Reconceptualising the spectrum of youth-driven civic participation

Discussant: Katja Grillner

Supervisors: Anette Göthlund and Meike Schalk

Welcome to the 80% seminar of Miro Sazdic Löwstedt, introducing the collective research project ‘kulturell allemansrätt’: Reconceptualising the spectrum of youth-driven civic participation. This seminar will discuss a draft of Miro’s thesis project that takes the form of a thesis by compilation, currently represented by three bodies of work: a history book, a manuscript for a staged reading, and a city report.

This research encompasses a long-term collaborative project in Södertälje: THE GIRLS at Tjejhuset and The Caravan Itinerary. The project brings young people and adults together to explore ways of enabling young people to express themselves and voice their concerns, and to participate in society on their own terms. The underlying argument is that social structures contain inherent inequalities that hinder equal and inclusive participation. Consequently, the capacity of young people to engage fully in social life is restricted, particularly in public and third spaces, such as the space between home and school.

Drawing on collective research, the study emphasises the importance of intergenerational partnerships in effectively addressing these challenges. At the heart of the study lies the poiesis of following — a methodology shaped by Miro’s many years of experience working as an artist, educator and community collaborator. This approach considers what happens 'out of the corner of the eye', thus emphasising the importance of slowing down and listening with care. The endeavour is framed by 'a/r/tography', which is an entanglement of the roles of artist, researcher, and teacher, making research an embodied, performative, and collective enquiry.

Katja Grillner is Head of department, Department of Architecture, KTH, and Professor in critical studies in architecture. Her research into architecture and landscape perform aesthetic, historical and literary investigations from the perspectives of poetic practices and critical theory. In her teaching she has together with her colleagues contributed to a presence of courses or course components concerning intersections between architecture, feminism and gender in the architecture program and in extracurricular courses at the school. Grillner has initiated and participated in the formation of several groups and contexts that has had an impact on the development of architecture and design research in Sweden.

Please note that the draft of this thesis project will be made available on request.
Please contact Miro Sazdic if you would like to receive this material: miro.sazdic@konstfack.se