AP/ANTH 2100 6.00 Global Capitalism, Culture, and Conflict
This course analyzes and critiques the foundations of historical and contemporary forms of global capitalism. The curriculum focuses on the examination of the social, political, and economic consequences of the production and circulation of global commodities, the rise of consumer capitalism, and the idea of the society of perpetual growth, as well as the resulting patterns of social change that have transformed cultures worldwide over the past century and more. The rise of various forms of conflict that have accompanied these global processes, including religious extremism, xenophobia, racism, and nationalism, will complement our consideration of contemporary issues ranging from immigration, transnational labour mobility, and global flows of technology.
We begin with an overview of the history of global capitalism in the early modern period that pays particular attention to the role of European colonialism in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. We then survey current research that examines the many facets of transnationalism and migration from a comparative perspective. Consideration of the varieties of identity politics in the global era, and of local responses to globalization, will round out the course.
A key focus of the course involves examining the nexus between global processes and local lives, and therefore we will proceed on the assumption that attention to the interconnections between “the local” and “the global” offers insights into life in the twenty-first century.
Course Director (Fall/Winter 24-25): A. Sorge - asorge@yorku.ca