Instructor: Prof. Madina Tlostanova
From multiculturalism to trans-culturalism: globalization through culture, politics and literature.
Goals:
The seminar is meant for senior students and requires their preliminary acquaintance with the basic historical, ideological, cultural social-political conditions defining the complex process of globalization. The seminar aims to critically define the contradictory ways in which globalization influences culture and politics, with a specific emphasis on cultural multiplicity and difference as realized in various discourses — multiculturalism, post-nationalism, transculturality, etc. The course regards cultural and ideological “institutes” as closely connected with and developing parallel to all transformations of Western “modernity”, from its imperial-colonial side to the emergence, growth and decline of nation-states, from liberalism to neo-liberalism, from civilizational discourses to the tyranny of the market and corporate culture. An important part is devoted to the critical analysis of such widely spread concepts of cultural globalization as “deterritorialization”, “hybridity”, “transculturation”, “epistemic creolization” “multilingualism”, “commercialization”, “Americanization”, “canonical counter—discourse”, etc. as well as to the concrete manifestations of globalization in various political ideologies, cultural and literary discourses — from multiculturalism to postcolonial discourse, from sweat shop sublime to transcultural aesthetics. A specific emphasis in the course is put on the so called alternative non-western critical theories of globalization and on the analysis of epistemic models they offer, such as “critical cosmopolitanism”, “coloniality of power”, “trans—modernity”, “border thinking”, etc. Some attention is paid to the interconnection between Western postmodernism, postcolonial discourse and critical global studies, as well as to the definition of the new transcultural subjectivity and aesthetics of globalization that in many cases supercedes the model of national/world culture as it existed before. Finally, one of the minor emphasis is on post—soviet cultural imaginary seen through the lens of globalization.
Tasks and Evaluations:
Readings for the seminar include several theoretical and fictional texts from all over the world (the USA, Great Britain, Latin America, Caribbean, Russia, Eastern Europe, South Africa, Turkey, etc. – see specific reading assignments for each class). The classes will be held in English. During the course 4—5 students per meeting will be responsible for the discussion related to the specific theme of the particular class. They will prepare short statements (1 page) framing the discussion and distribute it to the rest of the class beforehand. The course consists of 11 two-hour meetings in which lectures will be combined and intertwined with problem—based discussions. Normally they will be one-two texts offered for discussions for each class, coming from various western, non-western and in-between sources. The students will have to write one final paper. For the last class the students will be required to turn in a 5 pp. abstract of the paper they propose to do for the final course requirement, explaining what texts and what theoretical approaches they will use, and anticipating conclusions. Conference will be held at the last class to discuss the feasibility and approach using peer critiques to aid in writing the final versions (20-25 pp., due at the end of the semester; 70% of grade).
The evaluation of students performance will be as follows:
Leading the discussion — 15 %
General class participation — 15 %
Final paper – 70%
The seminar will include the following topics :
Meeting 1: Various models and cultural dimensions of globalization. (mode: introductory lecture)
Meeting 2 : Possibilities and prospects of various alter-globalist theories. (mode — lecture and discussion)
Reading:
Dussel E. World System and Trans-Modernity. // Nepantla. 3.2., 2002, P. 221-244.
Meeting 3: Transformation of the national in globalization: trans(post)nationalization of the global cultural and political process. Redefinition of world/national culture and literature. (mode — lecture and discussion)
Reading:
1. Huntington S. “Deconstructing America. The Rise of Subnational Identities”. Hegemony and Multiculturalism. 10th international conference. Academy de la Latinite. R.J., 2004, Pp. 243-269.
2. Bhabha H. The Location of Culture. London: Routledge. “DissemiNation: Time, Narrative and the Margins of the Modern Nation”. Pp. 139-170.
Meeting 4: Language and globalization: the communicative dimension. Cultural translation and untranslatability. The concept of “double translation”. (mode — lecture and discussion)
Reading:
1. Mignolo W.D., Freya Schiwy. 2003. “Transculturation and the Colonial Difference: DoubleTranslation”. Translation and Ethnography. The Anthropological Challenge of Intercultural Understanding. Ed. Tullio Maranhao and Bernhard Streck. Tuscon: The University of Arizona Press. 3—29.
2. Ashcroft B. Post-Colonial Transformation. L. & N.Y. 2001. pp. 56-81.
Meeting 5: Commercialization of the production and consuming of cultural products in globalization. Exoticism as marketable goods. (mode — lecture and discussion)
Reading:
1. Huggan G. The Post-Colonial Exotic. Marketing the Margins. L. & N.Y., 2001. pp. 1-34, 105-124.
2. Ashcroft B. Post-Colonial Transformation. L. & N.Y. 2001 pp. 206—226.
Meeting 6: Parallels, intersections, contradictions, untranslatability between various alternative theories of modernity: otherness, synthesis, deterritorialization, cultural multiplicity and opaqueness, etc. (mode — lecture and discussion)
Reading:
Sylvia Marcos. “The Borders Within: The Indigenous Women’s Movements and Feminism in Mexico”. Dialogue and Difference. Feminisms Challenge Globalization. N.Y.: Palgrave McMillan, 2005, pp. 81-112.
Optional reading:
Judith Halberstam “An introduction to Female Masculinity” Female Masculinity. Duke Univ. Press, 1998. pp. 1-44.
Meeting 7: Globalization or Americanization ? American multiculturalism as a neoliberal model of cultural multiplicity. Other multiculturalisms. (mode — lecture and discussion)
Reading:
Berger P. L., Huntington S. P. 2002. Many Globalizations. Cultural Diversity in the Contemporary World. N.Y.: Oxford University Press. Pp. 323-358.
Optional reading:
Smith N. 2003. “Geographical Solicitude, Vital Anomaly”. American Empire. Roosevelt’s Geographer and the Prelude to Globalization. Berkeley & Los-Angeles & London : Univ. of California Press. Pp. 454-462.
Meeting 8: Imperial-colonial dimension of cultural globalization. Advantages and limitations of postcolonial discourse in the study of globalization processes. (mode — lecture and discussion)
1. During S.1998. “Postcolonialism and Globalization: A Dialectical Relation after all ?” Postcolonial Studies, Vol. 1, No.1. 31—47.
2. Mignolo W., Tlostanova M. “The Logic of Coloniality and The Limits of Postcoloniality” (forthcoming)
Meeting 9:Globalization and aesthetics: from Kantian aesthetics of the beautiful and sublime to the “sweat-shop sublime” and trans-cultural aesthetics. Trans-cultural Aesthetics in action - discussion of fictional texts (mode — lecture and discussion). Each student can chose just one fictional text out of the three.
Reading:
1. Robbins B. 2002. “The Sweatshop Sublime”. PMLA. January, Volume 117. Number 1. 84—97.
2. J.M. Coetzee Disgrace (any edition)
3. Paul Theroux. Kowloon Tong (any edition)
4. Volos A. 2001. Hurramabad. Glas. New Russian Writing. Contemporary Russian Literature in English Translation. Vol. 26. Printed at the “Novosti” Publishing House, Moscow.
Meeting 10: Transculturation as a new epistemic and aesthetic model. Post-soviet culture and globalization (mode — lecture and discussion)
1. Tkhagapsoyev K. “On the Way to Mirage: Russian Metamorphoses of Liberalism and the Problem of their Interpretation” (forthcoming).
2. Kaplinski J.1998. “From Harem to Brothel. Artists in the Post-Communist World”. Krasnogruda. No 8, Sejny — Stockholm. Pp. 162—164.
Meeting 11: Concluding remarks and a general conference discussing the projects for final papers.