Dance 272 - Dance Anthropology: Performed Identities and Embodied Cultures

What are social functions of dance? How does the body signify culture? How does movement articulate identities? What forms of knowledge do dance anthropologists produce, and how? Through theories of performance and embodiment, this course illuminates the relationships between self, body, culture, and society. It discusses the nature of fieldwork and ethnographic research in dance, critically examining how contemporary ethnographers negotiate the historical relationship between anthropology and coloniality. The course highlights ethnographies of dance forms from the Americas, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. Students conduct a fieldwork project of their choice, engaging in participant observation and fieldnote writing. Enrollment limited to 20.