Current Anthropological Research: Anthropology and History: Legacies of empire

During this course we will dive into studies by anthropologists that are at the intersection of anthropology and history and discuss issues and concepts related to the field of anthropological history. A key concept will be that of legacy and how it helps us study the long-term historical effects of past events in the present.

Historical anthropology became a subfield within anthropology in the mid-twentieth century when the discipline became concerned with explaining the post-colonial predicament of former European colonies, and with challenging a western linear structuring of time. Only very recently have anthropologists become concerned with the historical long-term effects of empires on societies on the margins of Europe, more specifically in the Balkans and Southeastern Europe, a region where three different multi-ethnic empires ended during the twentieth century.

The course will pose three overarching questions: To what extent do features of these empires and the" debris" (material, cultural and structural) left behind shape contemporary societies in the region and orient their futures. How do people themselves understand history and make it relevant for the present? How can anthropology with its presentist method of participant observation study the past?

The theme of the course connects with current debates about mobility and migration, borders, nationalism and transnationalism, identity and belonging, and their historical roots.

In a world with global political shifts, radical and fast paced changes in technology and the natural environment, and a more future oriented research agenda, this course argues that the historical past still matters and discusses why and how anthropologists study it. It offers insights into how the past effect contemporary social life, and helps you understand how people create, experience, and remember history, not just what happened.

A student who has completed the course should have the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence.

The student will be able to:

Knowledge

• provide an overview of the topic addressed in the course, with particular reference to its history and associated theoretical and methodological debates in social anthropology

Skills

• explain the current state-of-art of research in the field of study addressed in the course
• explain the various methodological and theoretical considerations that must be taken in order to further develop the field of study

General competence

• apply key concepts and perspectives from the course and its field of study independently, in the understanding and analysis of local and global processes
• apply an understanding of the correlation and difference between empirical data, theory and analysis in text production