This course is designed as an introduction to the peoples and cultures of the countries that make up modern South Asia––Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan–-and the contemporary problems that mark South Asia in a global context. The purpose of this course is to dislocate/complicate essentialized representations of South Asia as a timeless “object” of study, and move toward a complex analysis of how South Asian cultures and identities are produced and shaped by the processes of colonialism, nationalism, capitalism, globalization and environmental change. The course focuses on a variety of topics that inform modern South Asia such as religion, caste, class, nationalism, ethnicity, family life, gender, sexuality, diaspora, environment, and globalization.
We will discuss the following Key Concepts in this course from anthropological and cross-cultural perspectives:
Individual v. Dividual/Collective Self
South Asian Diasporas
Independence Wars and Religious Nationalisms
Extended Family v. Nuclear Family
Caste V. Class
Gender, Sexuality, Trans, and Hijra Identity
Arranged v. Romantic Marriages
Colonialism, Nationalism, Modernity
Development and Women’s Empowerment
Precariat Labor and Global Garment Industry
Environment and Saving Tigers
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