ANTH 458 - Discourse, Nationhood & Racism

Semester Offered: Second Semester
Credits (Range): 3 Hours
Attribute: 3SS, CD, WR

New Course Added 10.10.2007.

Discursive practices have received increasing attention from scholars engaged in the study of language. This seminar will look at the relation between discourse and the construction of hegemonic power. The students will follow the invention of standard languages as part of the shaping of national identities, explore the role of linguistic ideologies in the colonialist enterprise, and the connection between language, racism and nation-making. The course will cover topics such as language planning, language revitalization movements and literacy. We will address questions such as: how does language maps onto social groups organized around notions of race, ethnicity, and peoplehood? How does languages operate as an index of allegiance, distance, solidarity, and power among social groups within the nation? How do various social actors use language to craft notions of collective “selves” and “others” within the nation? Enrollment Limit: 10.
Instructor: V. Pagliai
Prerequisites & Notes
ANTH 101 and one additional course in anthropology, or consent of instructor.