SOC 345 Producing the Past (Same as Asian Studies 345 and History 392) (Not offered 2008-2009; to be offered 2009-2010)
In response to the apparent rise in individual and collective celebrations of "traditional community" over the past two decades, this course will examine how the past is mobilized in order to animate collective identities, address contemporary grievances, and produce events in the present. We will consider the emergence of modern forms of historical consciousness and writing and interrogate the modalities by which they are produced. Participants will read critical works focused on a range of cultural settings, all of which consider the production of the past in connection with the following topics: "community," nation, and religion; collective memory; disciplinary knowledge and power; "tradition," race, and gender; genocide and democracy; and constructing objects of inquiry.
Format: seminar. Requirements: full participation, one class presentation, and two papers.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 19 (expected: 19). Open to non-majors.
VALIANI