ANTHRO 173W: Ruin and Ruination: Perspectives in Contemporary Anthropology

Course Description

"Ruin" has a prominent place in critical theory. The concept has close associations with the critique of modernity as the promise of scientific advancement becomes shattered with two world wars. The past two decades, however, have seen a renewed interest - evena rediscovery - in anthropology. What are some of the issues anthropologists address by using "ruin" as an anchor? What are some of the common threads between works that deploy this concept? This course introduces works that have adopted the trope of "ruin" as lens to interrogate primary anthropological objects such as capitalism, globalization, migration, environment, infrastructure, nation and empire. With insights from diverse methodologies employed by anthropologists drawing upon critical theory, literary theory, and archaeology, we will explore a rich array of anthropology's current concerns.