Anthropology 345 - Cultures of Secrecy-The Balkan Files

Institution:

Reed College

Subject:

Description:

Full course for one semester. This course will engage the question of secrecy as it pertains to life in former Communist cultures. The functioning of these societies (and most others around the world) was almost unimaginable without some form of secrecy. We will start by studying the workings of East European secret police, most notably that of UDBA in the former Yugoslavia. This will allow us to examine more general notions such as freedom, interrogation, public secrecy, resistance, revolution, and black humor. We will approach secrecy as a repository of power found in the spheres of politics, aesthetics, and sexuality. Our primary readings will come from memoirs, police files, and ethnographies. The students will be invited to think how these historical and contextual examples travel beyond Communism. What do they tell us about the nature of the State itself, from totalitarian systems to democratic ones What will be the role of secrecy in twenty-first century art, culture, and politics How can we write (about) this anthropology of secrecy Prerequisite: Anthropology 211 or consent of the instructor.

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.reed.edu

Phone Number:

(503) 771-1112

Regional Accreditation:

Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Calendar System:

Semester

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