AFRC539 - THE ANTHROPOLOGY OF NOSTALGIA AND MEMORY

How can we frame issues of memory and nostalgia as collective, social phenomena rather than solely individual experiences? What do nostalgic recollections of a previous era tell us about the contemporary moment? This course will interrogate processes of remembrance through a social science lens, engaging with a wide array of interdisciplinary materials across geographical regions and theoretical perspectives. We will discuss how memory is a deeply political and social act that intersects with class, race, gender, and generation in ways that have important implications for the present. Topics will include, for instance: colonial nostalgia, memories of the slave trade, gender and memory, and the politics of memorialization. Beyond traditional academic material, we will employ artistic portrayals of memory to enrich our discussions, such as the novel and film. Students will be asked to reflect on their personal encounters with nostalgia and memory through both weekly writing assignments and a creative final project that will engage mixed media to examine a topic of their choice.