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 onetwo 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:
Double Translation”. 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.