Anthropology

Clothing, tools, technologies, and architecture, the physical or material realm is central to cultural processes and cultural expression. This course examines approaches to the study of material culture and technology through discussion of theoretical approaches and the examination of case studies covering topics that may include vernacular architecture, clothing (the t-shirt), pottery, folk costume, museum display, cars, and student material culture. The course examines the study and documentation of material culture as an entry point to cultural analysis in disciplines such as folklore, ethnology, and anthropology. The course locates material culture studies within folklore and cognate disciplines, considering the physical or material realm as central to cultural processes and cultural expression. It approaches the study of material culture through discussion of theoretical approaches and the examination of case studies covering topics that include vernacular, traditional and contemporary material culture.

This course examines systems of meanings and practices that evolved around notions of love, body, and emotions across time and place, and their political significance. In particular, the cross-cultural perspective will demonstrate the intimate associations of these ‘private emotions and desires’ with social structures such as gender, class, ethnicity, and religion. It examines both the reproductive role of ideologies about love and intimacy in different societies, as well as their transformative potential. The questions that will be raised in class include: Do bodily and emotional experiences of intimacy differ across cultures? What shape the economic and social formations of intimate relationships such as love and friendship? What does it mean to say that romantic love is an ideology? What have our desires got to do with social order? Why are some emotions and desires taboo? And is our body a product of nature or culture?

The delicate art of eating has many implications for sustainability. Food production and consumption affect the climate, the natural environment, and the landscape. Food also affects the sustainability of societies and individuals. Both bodily functions and length of life are partly determined by how, what, where, and when we eat. The course gives a broad introduction to the study of food and eating concerning sustainability. The course has an interdisciplinary approach, combining cultural, nutritional, and geographical perspectives. Local field studies are combined with a global outlook, based on literature studies.

This course explores the cultural relationship between museums and identity in London. Long recognized as important sites for reinforcing social, political, and national identities, museums have undergone significant changes since the first public museum opened two hundred years ago. The course draws on the rich resources of London such as the British Museum, National Gallery, Imperial War Museum, Tate Britain, and the Museum of London to consider the role of these institutions both in the past and in the present. Far more than storehouses preserving Britain's cultural heritage, museums can now also be agents of social change, providing a place where identities can be explored, challenged, and reconsidered. How are museums meeting the challenges of a more dynamic global city? This course takes a multidisciplinary approach, engaging with current debates within art, politics, and social sciences.