Anthropology 316WC - Writing Capitalism's Ruins

There's a low buzz; we feel nervous. Is this capitalism's end? Have zombie silhouettes hit the horizon yet? Keep checking. Anthropology narrates collective feelings, gives form to the ambience. But what's the ambience of late industrialism; what's it feel like to collapse? As we watch factory buildings crumble, we wonder whether the tap water's clean. The question of how to write the world (anthropologically-speaking) must also be a question of how to survive, thrive, and even flourish. Archaeologists have long explored decadence, collapse, and ruins. Cultural anthropologists now find themselves in the archaeologists' shoes. Drawing from archaeology, cultural anthropology, ecology, and literary theory, this course will be an open-ended, writing-oriented examination of contemporary experiences of ruins and ruination. One area of focus is the effects of capitalism and post-industrialism on people of color and non-English speakers in North America.

Prereq: ANTHR-105.