ANTIGONE AND THE ETHICS OF RESISTANCE:
LAW, POWER AND MORAL COURAGE
Dr Leena Taneja, Associate Professor, Zayed University, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Friday 22 January < 5.00 pm < Saturday 23 January < 10.00 am–12.00 pm
COURSE FEES R345; Staff and students R173
What does it mean to do the right thing when the law demands otherwise? When does obedience become complicity – and disobedience a moral obligation? This three-lecture course offers a close reading of Antigone by Sophocles, a timeless exploration of the conflict between individual conscience and state authority. Through guided discussion, we will examine the central ethical tensions in the play: the clash between moral and political law, the limits of state power, and the responsibilities of individuals in the face of injustice.
In the first lecture, an introduction to Antigone, we will look at the issue of Creon’s authority and the rationale behind political law, and how absolute power can create ethical dilemmas. The subject of Antigone’s moral duty to her brother versus Creon’s laws and the concept of conscience-driven action will be discussed in the second lecture. Finally, the course will consider the consequences of defying or enforcing unjust laws, and the tragic elements as ethical lessons.
These questions take on particular urgency in the context of apartheid, where legal systems enforced profound injustice and resistance often required acts of defiance. By placing Antigone alongside South Africa’s history – from apartheid-era dissent to the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission – the course explores how societies confront unjust laws, reckon with moral responsibility and seek justice after conflict.
Designed for a general audience, the course requires no prior background – only a willingness to engage deeply with a text that challenges how we think about law, justice and the courage to act.
Lecture titles
1. Introduction to Antigone
2. Moral responsibility and civil disobedience
3. Tragedy, consequences and justice: Antigone: Acts 5–6
Recommended reading
Sophocles. 2005. Antigone. Prestwick House Inc.
Walzer, M. 1973. Obedience and Morality: Reflections on Political Responsibility. In Political Action: Essays in Moral Philosophy (pp. 1–20). Yale University Press.
Case studies will be drawn from current news articles.
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