Critical Social Inquiry 0221 - Ethnographies of Europe

Traditionally anthropology has been conceived as the study of non-Western cultures, but contemporary critical approaches focus the ethnographic lens on Europe. This move was accompanied, perhaps even prompted, by an historic shift in anthropology from studying self-contained "communities" to questioning the construction of geographic categories such as "Europe" itself. After exploring this shift, this course examines the on-the-ground effects of recent political, economic, and cultural transformations here and individual roles in these changes. Themes to explore include the fall of communism or "postsocialism", new transnational migrations, rising multiculturalisms and xenophobias, European Union integration, and neoliberalism. Throughout, we will keep a close eye on the dynamic intersections of race, class, gender, citizenship, and ethnicity. Students will explore these themes through close reading of several ethnographies and careful study of a few films, class discussions and short writing assignments, and an independent research paper on a topic of their choice.

Culture, Humanities, and Languages Independent Work Multiple Cultural Perspectives Quantitative Skills Writing and Research In this course, students are expected to spend at least six to eight hours a week of preparation and work outside of class time. This time includes reading, viewing, research and writing.