London School of Economics

The course offers a unique and scholarly history of the complexity of the British Empire through its origins, rise, fall, and legacy. Its primary focus is on understanding the experience of and the reasons for these processes including controversies and catastrophes. It includes histories of black women and men in Britain and the experience of what it was like being from the Empire and living in Britain.  Many of the case studies are Africa focused. Within the context of Britain's wider political, social, and cultural history, the course examines from the late 1700s the following: the origins of the second empire; explorers; liberalism and racism; the expansion of colonies of white settlement; the role of missionaries; the scramble for Africa; the Victorians and popular imperialism; the contribution of empire to the First and Second World Wars; fast exit strategies; violent decolonization; race and  immigration; post-colonial dictators and the legacy of white settlers. Case studies include Britain and Zimbabwe; Idi Amin and Uganda;  the Mau Mau insurgency in Kenya; plus British rule in Somaliland and the fallout of the Somali civil war. The thread of racism, the imperialism of industrial capitalism, and the role of key individuals are recurring themes. 

This course explores how the historical rise of capitalism has been inextricably tied to the production of the very idea of "the economy," and how anthropologists have persistently challenged this separation, showing instead how economic life is entangled with religion, kinship, politics, and affect. Drawing on a broad range of ethnographic and theoretical work, students explore the radical possibilities of alternative social relations offered by communities historically constituted outside capitalist economies or incorporated on their own terms, such as the so-called "original affluent societies." The course critically examines the limits and potentials of contemporary global capitalism. How did the global economy emerge? What are its political, social, and cultural consequences? Why does it produce volatility, inequality, and, at times, accumulation and spectacular abundance? Is globalization unravelling in an era of "de-coupling" and populism, and what new futures might be imagined for capitalism? The course answers these questions through key themes including production, social reproduction, circulation, consumption, and the enduring significance of colonialism, empire, industrialization, neoliberalization, financialization, digital and platform economies

This course examines how people around the world are engaging with, and having their lives mediated by, digital technologies. Ethnographies of digital activities have revealed how the constraints and affordances of various platforms are potentiating distinct modes of relationality, communication and experience. At the same time, anthropological research complicates simplistic metanarratives of "the digital" by revealing the use and experience of digital devices to be powerfully shaped by cultural, historical, infrastructural and political-economic context, amongst other factors. By attending to these various insights, the course enables students to develop conceptual frameworks that they can use not only to understand diverse ethnographic case materials, but also to inform their responses to pressing political and ethical questions surrounding "the digital," and to shape future engagements with digital technologies in their personal and professional lives.

How can we explain Latin America’s persistent inequality and uneven development? This course explores the region’s development trajectory in relation to the international economy from the colonial period (c. 1500–1800) to the present. It examines how political, economic, institutional, demographic, and environmental factors shaped — and were shaped by — Latin America’s integration into the world economy. Key themes include: the long-run determinants of Latin American development; the legacy of colonialism and its impact on inequality; the formation of modern states and markets; Latin America’s complex engagement with international markets and institutions; the persistent tension between development efforts and political and macroeconomic instability; Latin America’s industrialization efforts, especially in contrast to the European and East Asian development models; and the evolution of political regimes — from authoritarianism to democracy, through waves of populism and military rule. The course pays particular attention to the interaction between policy choices, political culture, and economic outcomes, exploring their short- and long-term effects on poverty, inequality, and prospects for sustainable development. Due to its interdisciplinary nature, the course will appeal to students in Economic History, Economics, International History, Political Science, Development, and International Relations.

This course introduces students to the foundations of Behavioral Science: the science that explains and predicts how humans make decisions. Students are introduced to the way in which we make judgements and investigate strategies for decision making. Students study cognitive biases and aspects of context which influence how/what judgements and decisions we make. This course also delves into the dynamics of decision-making in groups, exploring topics such as how groups make decisions effectively and the common pitfalls that can impede their success. Additionally, students delve into the role of choice architecture in shaping group decision-making processes, and analyze various heuristics that individuals use, such as anchoring and receptiveness, which can impact group decision-making. Importantly, across both parts of the course, discussion of core concepts and examples are woven together with new advances and applications in the field. 

The course provides an introduction to theoretical, historical, and contemporary debates around race, racism, and empire. It covers the following thematic areas: history; theory; experience; futurism. Students begin by exploring the historical events and contemporary afterlives that have created a world structured by racism and colonialism. From the Enlightenment to nationalism; from science to secularism, students look at how this world came to be, and why these often-hidden histories matter. The course then looks at different ways people have tried to understand this world. Theoretical paradigms include anticolonial theory, the Black Radical Tradition, Queer theory, Trans* theory, and postcolonial theory, decoloniality and settler colonialism, among others. The third block looks at the everyday experiences of race and empire. The course looks at the politics around tourism, climate change, technology, intimacy, movement and food, and the course ends with a discussion about abolition as a means of imagining a future free of racism.