ANY3530

Modernities in the Making: Indigenous Peoples and Colonial Cultures ( 6 points, SCA Band 1, 0.125 EFTSL)

Leader: Penelope Graham

Offered:
Not offered in 2006.

Synopsis: This unit explores the emergence of diverse 'modern' ways of life cross-culturally, especially as these stem from the varied contexts of indigenous peoples' encounters with forms of colonial power. Starting from a critique of the notion of 'unchanging' tradition, the focus is on the differing agendas and cultural processes which shaped relations between local peoples and colonial agents intent on re-constituting aspects of their social and cultural life.

Objectives: On completion of this subject students should be able to: 1. Analyse socio-cultural aspects of emergent modernities in selected ethnographic settings around the globe. 2. Demonstrate a knowledge of recent trends in the anthropological and sociological literature on colonial cultures and differing forms of modernity. 3. Critique unduly dichotomous accounts of colonial/pre-colonial and Western/non-Western social formations.

Assessment: Tutorial participation: 10% + Oral presentation (equivalent to 1000 words): 25% + Book review (1000 words): 25% + Essay (2000 words): 40% + Third-year students must additionally locate two published reviews and contrast these with their own reading of the ethnography they have chosen.

Contact Hours: 2 hours (1 x 1 hour lecture and 1 x 1 hour tutorial) per week

Prerequisites: A first-year sequence in Anthropology or History or Politics or Sociology or a cognate discipline or by permission

Prohibitions: ANY2530/COS2530/COS3530