Cultural Diversity in a Globalizing World

Full course description

This course problematizes the link between culture and globalization, with a focus on how the political, economy, and social transformations which signal the era of globalization intersect and transform cultural production and identity. It seeks to analyze how globalization influences identity and culture and the ways in which these interact with social differences such as race, gender, and class. Students will become acquainted with different theories of globalization and culture such as Edward Said’s influential theory of orientalism, Anna Tsing’s formulations around the ‘frictions’ of global interconnectedness, and Gloria Wekker’s deconstruction of Dutch multiculturalism. Moreover, the course encourages students to critically think on the question raised by globalization in regards our relation to our natural environment and wider ecological questions, and to tie the thematics raised by the course to pressing issues of our day. Themes: Cultural Diversity; Gender and Ethnicity; Multiculturalism; Orientalism; Occidentalism; Migration; Ecology; Capitalism Disciplinary perspectives: Cultural Studies, Migration Studies, Gender and Diversity Studies, Sociology.