- Project Summary: In no more than 200 words, provide a brief description of your project, including the key questions your project attempts to answer and a brief discussion of how you intend to answer those questions.
- Deadline: March 1st Friday, 11:59 pm
After reading about Hurricane Katrina, I was very curious about military responses to crises and how they often perpetuated neoliberal ideals. I am interested in exploring how counterinsurgency responses to threats often keep neoliberal values alive and in turn fostered inequality within communities. I hope to find examples both in the US and around the world in order to learn more.
Some questions I aim to answer:
What is a counterinsurgency response? When are they most effective?
How did this specific counterinsurgency response instill neoliberal beliefs into a community? Explain its affects on the community.
How does the state rationalize their use of military involvement? What was the language used in the announcements?
Did the media play a role in this event? If so, how did it shape the discourse of the response and the people involved?
I plan on researching different counterinsurgency responses and (hopefully) finding examples that best fit what I hope to present. Then I will continue exploring those specific events and create subcategories that will then be discussed in a podcast. The goal of the podcast is to keep viewers interested in the material, while explaining it to them in a digestible manner.
Comments:
This is a good topic, Gaby. I also liked your questions in general. But you will have to narrow your focus down. You should think about what you mean by “crisis.” Do you mean “natural” crises? or civil “disorders” (like uprisings)? or both?
Also, are you going to look at only military responses to crises or humanitarian responses as well? Some humanitarian responses could also be seen as upholding neoliberal ideas?
Moreover, you should also think further about what you exactly mean by “neoliberalism.” What aspects of neoliberalism will you focus on?
One more thing: will you have a specific time frame? Do you want to focus on responses to crisis in the past or more recent times?
Keep in mind that your goal for this project is not just learning more about your topic but engage in a robust analysis of it.
Doing a podcast for your project sounds great. After the break, we should talk about how to narrow down your focus.