Global, Transnational and Diasporic Communities
(ANTH 129)
Spring 2014
Monday/Wednesday 2pm-3:20pm
Instructor: Jonathan Anjaria
Office Hours: Mon 3:30-4:30pm
Wed 9:45-10:45am
Office: Brown 219
janjaria@brandeis.edu
TA: Adam Gamwell
Office Hours: Tuesday 11am-12pm
Office: Olin-Sang 218
gamwell@brandeis.edu
This course examines the cultural dimensions of transcontinental connections, travel and exchange
from an anthropological perspective. The course begins with a discussion of the “globalization”
concept, exploring what it means and how it is debated in the media. This is followed by an
examination of histories of global interconnection, the relationship of globalization to development,
the role of cities in transnational processes, transnational sexualities and identity, migration and
diaspora.
This course is structured around a friction between two seemingly contradictory processes:
globalization and culture. One (globalization) seems boundless, flowing and all-encompassing. The
other (culture) seems bounded, rooted and constricting. However this framework doesn’t quite
correspond with reality. Looking at transcontinental connections ethnographically shows that the
“global” is often grounded in local experience and “culture” is a product of travel and transnational
processes. The readings, films and ethnographies assigned in this course allow us to closely examine
the lived experiences of this process. We will look at case studies from a variety of different contexts
including, but not limited to, China, Nigeria, India, Japan, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.
These readings cover a wide range of topics, from Japanese Hip Hop to the effects of international
financial institutions in West Africa to new sexual cultures in urban China.
“Globalization” has been a buzzword in the media since the early 1990s. The goal of this class is not
to critique or celebrate it, but to understand what it means. We will often be discussing topics that
dominate the news—outsourcing, immigration, international trade agreements and terrorism. As a
result, this class also offers the opportunity to explore how to use the anthropology to intervene in
debates of great public interest and importance.
Learning Goals
This course will enable students to:
— gain a firm grasp of what the word “globalization” means and how it has been debated.
— use scholarly writing and research to critically evaluate popular and media debates on issues such
as free trade, “cultural imperialism,” migration and diaspora.
— have a thorough understanding of intercontinental connections in the past and present.
— understand how cultural identity and sense of community is constructed and lived in a variety of
transnational contexts.
Papers:
Three short (4-5 page, double-spaced) papers are required for this class. Paper topics and guidelines
will be handed out two weeks prior to the due date. If you would like to discuss your writing prior to
the deadline, hand in a rough draft a week before the due date.
Submit all work via latte on the dates mentioned below. Papers will be graded on a 100 page scale.
Late papers will be deducted 3 points per day.
**Extensions without penalties are only granted in the event of a serious emergency.** So please
don’t ask. The upside is that I don’t require explanations for late papers — just use your judgment. If
you need an extra day and are willing to sacrifice 3 points for it, then go ahead and do it. If you plan
on handing your paper late, you do not need to let us know. Latte allows us to see what time and date
you uploaded your paper.
Final exam:
This will be a 1.5 hour exam consisting of five short answer questions (one paragraph each). The date
of the final exam will be set by the registrar at the end of the semester.
Attendance:
I take attendance very seriously. Each class builds on the next, so if you miss a class your
comprehension of the material will suffer. Full attendance is also essential for establishing a
productive community and class dynamic.
However, I understand that things come up during the semester that can prevent you from coming to
class (family emergencies, delayed flights, job interviews, etc.). As a result, you may miss two classes
without it affecting your grade. **However, for each additional class that you miss, your participation
grade will be reduced by five points.** I don’t do excused or unexcused absences, so please refrain
from contacting us about having to miss class. As with late papers, use your judgment.
Participation
Active participation in class discussions related to the readings is a crucial component to the course.
It is essential to come to class prepared, which means having done all the reading. I expect close
engagement with the texts you should have a firm understanding of the author’s argument, as well as
the data or information they use to back it up. Take notes on the readings and bring them to class. If
you are having trouble speaking in class, come prepared with a short question or comment ahead of
time.
Thoughts and Questions/ Learning Catalytics: On occasion you will be required to write short
responses to straightforward questions about the readings. For instance: a) What was most confusing
(or what did you wonder about, or want to hear more on) and b) What was most interesting. This
allows me to respond to your questions or thoughts during the following class session. These are not
graded, however failure to post a response on time will negatively affect your participation grade.
Accommodations:
If you are a student with a documented disability on record at Brandeis University and wish to have a
reasonable accommodation made for you in this class, please contact me as soon as possible.
Accommodations cannot be granted retroactively.
Grading:
1. Class participation
2. Paper 1
3. Paper 2
4. Paper 3
4. Final Exam
20%
15%
20%
20%
25%
Laptop Policy: No laptops or any other electronic device can be used during class time.
Required Texts*:
In An Antique Land, Amitav Ghosh.
Impossible Citizens: Dubai’s Indian Diaspora, by Neha Vora.
Building Globalization: Transnational Architecture Production in Urban China by Xuefei Ren.
[*These books have been ordered and will arrive in the bookstore in four weeks.]
Course Schedule
The readings are listed on the dates on which they should be completed. With the exception of Ghosh,
Vora and Ren, all readings have been uploaded to the course latte page.
I reserve the right to make changes to this schedule due to unforeseen circumstances.
All required films are streamed on latte.
Jan 13 Introduction to the class
Jan 15 Anthropology and Theories of Globalization
“What is the Concept of Globalization Good For? An African Historian’s Perspective”
Fredrick Cooper.
Jan 20 No class — Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Debating Globalization and the Media
Jan 22 Global Connection and Disconnection
“The Clash of Civilizations,” Samuel Huntington
“The Seven Deadly Sins of Samuel Huntington,” Hugh Gusterson
Europe and the People without History (p.1-9), Wolf, Eric.
Jan 27 Globalization and Culture Debates I — Mixing and Authenticity
“The World in Creolization,” Ulf Hannerz
“The Case for Contamination,” Kwame Anthony Appiah.
Jan 29 Globalization and Culture Debates II— Transnational Media
“Itineraries of Indian Cinema: African Videos, Bollywood, and Global Media,” Brian Larkin.
Hip Hop Japan: Rap and the Paths of Cultural Globalization (p. 1-20), Ian Condry.
Feb 3 Economic Globalization Debates I— The Pundits and Their Critics
Lexus and the Olive Tree (p. 29-43), Thomas Friedman + NYT op-eds.
“Globalization and Thomas Friedman,” Angelique Haugerud.
Feb 5 Economic Globalization Debates II— International Financial Institutions
Globalization and its Discontents (ch. 1) , Joseph Stiglitz.
“Globalization from Buzz Word to Curse,” Nayan Chanda.
Life and Debt (dir. Stephanie Black, 2001)
[Watch film at home and come to class ready to discuss.]
February 7 — Paper #1 Due (11:59pm)
Political Economy: Transcontinental Connections Then and Now
Feb 10 Commodities and Power
Sweetness and Power: The Place of Sugar in Modern History (p. 57-96, 108-122, 151-186),
Sidney Mintz.
Feb 12 Global Trade and Travel Before Europe
In an Antique Land (p. 1-80), Amitav Ghosh.
Feb 17 No class — Winter break [Read In an Antique Land!]
Feb 19 No class — Winter break [Read In an Antique Land!]
Feb 24 Music and Transnational Culture — Special class visit by musicians from Mali!
“Mapping Cosmopolitan Identities: Rap Music and Male Youth Culture in Mali,” Dorothea
Schulz.
“POYI! Bamana jeli music, Mali and the Blues,” Lucy Durán
**Trio Da Kali performance— Meet at Slosberg Recital Hall, 2pm **
Feb 26 Other Modernities
In an Antique Land (entire book!), Amitav Ghosh.
March 3 Structural Adjustment in West Africa
Expectations of Modernity: Myths and Meanings of Urban Life on the Zambian Copperbelt,
(p.1-17 and 234-254), James Ferguson.
March 5 Is “Africa” Global?
Global Shadows: Africa in the Neoliberal World Order (p. 1-29), James Ferguson.
Bamako (dir. Abderrahmane Sissako, 2006).
[Watch film at home and come to class ready to discuss.]
Also, read the following short articles on Bamako: “One Angry African Puts Big Money on
Trial” and “World Bank on the Docket, Charged with Africa’s Woes.”
March 7 — Paper #2 Due (11:59pm)
Space: Cities, Image and Transnational Labor
March 10 Branding Place
“‘Very Bombay’: Contending with the global in an Indian Advertising Agency,” (p. 33-42,
50-51, 56-610), William Mazzarella.
“Spectacular Events, City Spaces and Citizenship: The Commonwealth Games in Delhi,”
Amita Baviskar.
March 12 Transnational Labor
“Who’s on the Line? Indian Call Center Agents Pose as Americans for U.S.-Outsourced
Firms,” Winifred Poster.
March 17 Cities and Globality
Building Globalization: Transnational Architecture Production in Urban China, Xuefei Ren
(chapters TBA).
March 19 Cities and Globality
Building Globalization: Transnational Architecture Production in Urban China, Xuefei Ren
(chapters TBA).
Personhood: Transnational Identities, Migration and Dislocation
March 24 Transnational Sexualities
Desiring China: Experiments in Neoliberalism, Sexuality and Public Culture (p. 85-110), Lisa
Rofel.
March 26 Globality and Sexual Identity
“Dubbing Culture: Indonesian Gay and Lesbi Subjectivities and Ethnography in an Already
Globalized World,” Tom Boellstorff.
March 31 Dislocation and Belonging
“Diasporas” (p. 302-31-, 321-328), James Clifford.
“Imaginary Homelands,” Salman Rushdie.
April 2 Migration and Senses of “Home”
“Mexican Migration and the Social Space of Postmodernism,” Roger Rouse.
“Inside-Out Houses: Urban Belonging and Imagined Futures in Dakar, Senegal,” Caroline
Melly.
April 7 Identity and Territory
“National Geographic: The Rooting of Peoples and the Territorialization of National
Identity Among Scholars and Refugees,” Lisa Malkki.
April 9 Migrations Outside the West
Impossible Citizens: Dubai’s Indian Diaspora (chapters TBA), by Neha Vora.
April 14 Citizenship and Belonging
Impossible Citizens: Dubai’s Indian Diaspora (chapters TBA), by Neha Vora.
April 16- 21 No class- Passover break
April 23 No class (Prof. Anjaria will be away)
April 24 — Paper #3 Due (11:59pm)
April 28 Assessing Theories of the Global
“The Global Situation” (p.327-330, 347-353) Anna Tsing.
Final exam date and time TBA.