ANTHR 4143 - [Ruins of Modernity]

(crosslisted) ARKEO 4143
(CA-AS, HST-AS)

Fall. Not offered: 2022-2023. Next offered: 2023-2024. 4 credits. Student option grading.

Co-meets with ANTHR 7143/ARKEO 7143.

L. Khatchadourian.

We live in a world of ruins. Our planet is damaged. Cities grapple with urban decay caused by deindustrialization and other socio-economic problems. Capitalism, socialism, and imperialism have left a trail of detritus – the remnants of colonialism, extraction, industry, and failed utopian projects. For their part, 20th century dictatorships left behind the material traces of repression and mass violence. All the while, for centuries “the ruin” has evolved as a poignant allegory, representing such abstractions as history, the nation, the universal human, and even our emancipation from the destructive forces of capitalism. In conversation with philosophy and cultural geography, this course explores anthropological and archaeological approaches to modern ruins and ruination.