220128 A Global History of Area Studies: Debates and (visual) representations (S) (SoSe 2018)

In the context of the re-newed academic, political, and public interest in Area Studies, this course explores the historical and spatial-political perspectives of Areas Studies, especially in regard to the Americas. The course discusses the different constructions and representations of areas – such as Latin America, Africa, the Caribbean – as well as sub-areas – the Andes, Amazonia, or the borderlands. Furthermore it explores the academic institutionalization of Area Studies, especially in the United States and Europe as well as the diverse political context structures – from Panamericanism to Cold War to globalization.
Beyond the discussion of key texts, the course puts also an emphasis on the visual representation of areas, especially in documentaries.

The seminar is organized by Olaf Kaltmeier (Bielefeld University) and Alex Schlenker (Universidad Andina / Universidad Católica, Quito, Ecuador)

Requirements for participation, required level

Dieses Seminar muss zusammen mit der Historischen Kontextualisierung “A Global History of Area Studies. Local Perspectives” studiert werden.

Bibliography

Basic Literature
Berger, Mark T.. Under Northern Eyes: Latin American Studies and U.S. Hegemony in the Americas, 1898-1990. Bloomington: Indiana UP, 1995. Print.
Mielke, Katja, Hornidge, Anna-Katharina (Eds.). Area Studies at the Crossroads Knowledge Production after the Mobility Turn. New York: Palgrave. 2017.
Mignolo, Walter. Local Histories/Global Designs: Coloniality, Subaltern Knowledges and Border Thinking.Princeton, NJ: PUP, 1999. Print.
Mirsepassi, Ali; Amrita Basu and Frederick Weaver.(Ed.) Localizing Knowledge in a Globalizing World:
Recasting the Area Studies Debate. NY: Syracuse UP, 2003. Print.
Szanton, David.The Politics of Knowledge: Area Studies and the Disciplines. Berkeley: U of California P, 2004. Print
Wesley-Smith, Terence and Jon Goss (Ed.). Remaking Area Studies: Teaching and Learning Across Asia and the Pacific. Honolulu: U of Hawai’i P, 2010. Print