ANTHR 1179

FWS: Diaspora, Exile and Migration

Course Description

Course information provided by the 2014-2015 Catalog.

What distinguishes an exile from a refugee? Why are some people identified as belonging, while others are designated outsiders? The accelerated movement and displacement of people worldwide, as a result of political upheaval, environmental catastrophe and global capitalism has made dislocation central to the modern condition. This course examines the experience of diaspora, migration and exile in Western and non-Western contexts, through literary, historical and ethnographic texts, including Edward Said, Homer and Arjun Appadurai. We will consider how home, community and belonging are (re)configured as a result of forced or voluntary migration, and the affective, cultural and political dimensions of transnational mobility. Writing exercises include response papers, reviews, and creative exercises that engage the related themes of home and homelessness from an anthropological perspective.

When Offered Fall.

Satisfies Requirement First-Year Writing Seminar.

View Enrollment Information