This is the fourth course of Specialisation 3:The Power of Culture (English track History).
Why are the French so divided on the issue of headscarfs? Why does a world cup soccer match which pits Portugal against Brazil merit headlines like ‘The Empire Strikes back?’ Why was the opening of Disney Paris condemned as a ‘cultural Tsjernobyl’? These specific historical situations show how empires spread ideas, values and other forms of culture far beyond regional, linguistic, and national borders. In the process they create long-lasting legacies that continue to shape our current political realities. The process of colonization created conflict, along with fusions and dynamic new cultural developments. This course will explore these complex relations between historical empires, geopolitical power relations, and the global encounters between cultures. In which ways were constructions of race, ethnicity, and cultural hierarchy used to legitimise Western imperialism? Where do sports, music, and fashion come into play? This course analyses these activities alongside the novels, films, and print media used to convey and contest imperial cultures. It focuses on the cultural dimension of empires in the Western World between 1750 and 2001. You will work with a variety of source material and then select your own topic to produce independent research that illustrates the cultural impact of colonization, empire-building, and globalisation.
Students discuss historical theme’s and topics wit hand ethnic, cultural and political dimension. In their research projects they develop the skills to select and interpret complex historical literature, and learn to evaluate and apply relevant historical concepts such as postcolonialism, empire, hegemony, and globalisation, and write an academic paper that builds on these conceptual frameworks.
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