This seminar explores the emergence of notions of tradition and modernity and their reproduction in Eurocentric epistemologies and political formations. It uses work by such authors as Anderson, Butler, Chakrabarty, Clifford, Derrida, Foucault, Latour, Mignolo, Pateman, and Poovey to critically reread foundational works published between the 17th century and the present--along with philosophical texts with which they are in dialogue--in terms of how they are imbricated within and help produce traditionalities and modernities.

The course offers an introduction to the analytical study of the relationship between cultural heritage, social memory and collective identity in Europe. A large number of examples from different European countries will be presented for comparison. But special attention will be paid to the instructor's own historical and ethnographic research in Italy, the Czech Republic, Austria and Catalonia, Spain. We will unpack the so-called European identity-memory-heritage complex to explain phenomena such as group formation, regionalism, political polarization, identity-based tensions and conflicts, religious and cultural differentiation, and how history and the past are mobilized in the public sphere. We will critically examine the concepts of social memory, museum, identity, tradition, heritage and others.

Visiting instructor: Alessandro Testa
https://folklore.berkeley.edu/people/alessandro-testa

Repeat Rules