THE/HUM 295 Experiencing Postcolonial London: Locating the World City in Social, Political, and Cultural Performances
(Delmenico), 4 credits
This course views London, the subject of study, through the lens of its performances as both lived environment and site of production of material culture. Examining multiple urban places, this course is multidisciplinary and experiential, allowing students to engage with the multiple meanings of urban spaces through reading, analysis, and embodied experience. The course’s field of inquiry is a spectrum of human performance, including theatrical, political, religious, sports, festival and cultural events
--and practices of everyday life. We will explore the built environment of urban planning and architecture, public spaces and memorials, educational institutions, museums, and events as varied as marketplaces, trials, festivals, and political sessions. This course and Professor Prevost’s are designed to complement each other. Hers provides the imperial grounding for the city’s development, as this course addresses contemporary London, after colonialism and (as currently argued) after multiculturalism, viewing it as multiple and contesting places for identity construction. This course will focus on site visits, with some in conjunction with Professor Prevost’s Phase 1 course. We will also share film screenings, and lectures at local area universities and performance venues.
