ANTH 396: Issues in Anthropology: Social Sciences

ANTH 396-003: Asian Megacities
(Spring 2013)

04:30 PM to 07:10 PM T

Krug Hall 7

Section Information for Spring 2013

London, Paris, and New York used to be the models of how to and how not to urbanize, as well as being the uncontested locations of modernity. Today it is increasingly megacities in other parts of the world – Latin America, Africa, Asia – that are driving our understanding of what cities in the 21st century will be and mean. Our focus will be on Asian cities, whose residents range from being associated with “tigers” and “slumdogs.” We will analyze these meanings by reading the latest social theories about megacities (Mike Davis, Aihwa Ong, David Harvey, Saskia Sassen, Ananya Roy, etc.) and considering the histories of colonialism, orientalism, and globalization that undergird them. Alongside this theoretical analysis, we will consider different forms of inquiry (ethnography, reportage, fiction, and film) about cities, including Dhaka, Jakarta, Mumbai, Delhi, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Beijing, and the representations each creates. We will ask how different genres of writing make an account more ‘real’ and analyze which techniques and experiences go into producing that reality. In the process, we will question whether a realist understanding of a place and its people is the necessary one for social change and greater global equity.

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Course Information from the University Catalog

Credits: 3

Topic of contemporary interest in anthropology, focusing on social science topics of interest. Notes: May be repeated when topic is different. Offered by Sociology & Anthropology. May be repeated within the term for a maximum 18 credits.
Mason Core: Mason Core, Social/Behavioral Sciences
Specialized Designation: Topic Varies, Non-Western Culture
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.

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