297C1

SoSe 17: Urban Anthropology

Deniz Yonucu

Kommentar

Today the majority of the world’s population lives in cities. Hence, examining urban life and the ways in which social relations and conflicts have been manifested, formed and reformed within the urban space is key to understanding the societies and cultures in which we live. Focusing both on the classical urban studies texts and contemporary anthropological works, the aim of this course is to introduce students to the core issues of urban anthropology and to familiarize them with various anthropological questions on and approaches to the cities and urban life. The course explores the ways in which urban life and culture have been affected by various social and historical processes and relations, such as racism, sexism, colonialism, (post)colonialism, industrial capitalism and neoliberalism. Examining ethnographic studies on cities of the Global South and North, we will focus on the following topics: Urban ethnography research and methodology, urban segregation, urban violence, divided cities, diasporic communities, military urbanism, inner-city youth, sex and the city and consumption. The readings will not only help students to familiarize themselves with anthropological literature on the cities but also to develop their own projects. The course, therefore, will enable students to design and conduct their own small-scale ethnographic research using Berlin as a field site to analyze the interaction between place, culture and society. Schließen