How do we understand cities anthropologically? What is the difference between an anthropology of cities and anthropology in cities? What can anthropology tell us about cities, and what do cities teach us about anthropology? Is there even such a thing as ‘Bielefeld’, ‘Berlin’ or ‘London’ or should we think of them as plural entities?
This course thinks through these issues through a range of readings and some practical exercises. We are talking of anthropology of urban spaces, but also will do much of our research in urban spaces. We will consider what anthropologies of cities should include and gather some of that information through a small number of our own practical exercises. This module involves reading about cities but also importantly, exploring cities first-hand. There is no requirement to do this in Bielefeld, any urban space where you are or where you visit will be fine.
The course will also allow you to make direct connections between theory and practice in anthropology, and to understand on a personal level the ways in which the two are linked.
All students are expected to be present in all sessions and to participate in discussions. If you feel that English may be a challenge, this module is a good opportunity to work with some accessible texts and ideas in their original language and become familiar with academic reading and writing in English.
Anderson, B. (2006) ‘Introduction’ in Imagined Communities: Reflections on the origin and spread of nationalism (revised edition) London: Verso
Hall, S. 2012. City, street and citizen: The measure of the ordinary. Routledge.
Low, S.M. 1996. ‘The Anthropology of Cities: imagining and theorising the city’ in Annual Review of Anthropology 25 pp.383-409.
Low, S.M. 1999. Theorizing the City: the new urban anthropology reader. Rutgers
University Press.
Massey. D. For space London: Sage
Sennett, R. 1994. Flesh and Stone: the body and the city in Western civilization. Faber & Faber (also available in the library in German)
Rhythmus | Tag | Uhrzeit | Format / Ort | Zeitraum | |
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wöchentlich | Di | 10:00-12:00 | 13.10.2025-06.02.2026 |
Modul | Veranstaltung | Leistungen | |
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30-M25 Fachmodul Transnationalisierung, Migration und Entwicklung | Seminar 1 | Studienleistung
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Studieninformation |
Seminar 2 | Studienleistung
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Studieninformation | |
- | benotete Prüfungsleistung | Studieninformation |
Die verbindlichen Modulbeschreibungen enthalten weitere Informationen, auch zu den "Leistungen" und ihren Anforderungen. Sind mehrere "Leistungsformen" möglich, entscheiden die jeweiligen Lehrenden darüber.
By the end of the course you will be able to:
• Demonstrate an understanding of different issues of studying cities and urban spaces.
• Identify major issues relating urban spaces to the life course, literature and develop arguments around key themes
• Undertake small scale practical research tasks relating to particular questions.
Key skills to develop:
• Discussion skills: able to present ideas clearly, formulate a coherent argument, respond to other ideas constructively, and develop confidence in one’s ability to engage with other people in a discussion.
• Reading skills: able to prepare for the weekly seminars and the essay, identify key arguments and evidence used in a piece of writing and then critically appraising them.
• Writing skills: able to prepare an essay, including the abilities to identify a relevant topic and synthesize academic sources, and construct an original and well-presented argument.
• Research skills: locate information that is relevant to the themes of the module both in literature and in a ‘real-world’ context.
• Self-reliance: able to manage time efficiently and be sufficiently reliable for group work, and to independently locate, evaluate, and use anthropological literature.
• Group work: able to prepare presentations, organize meetings of group members, constructively collaborate, and fully and equally participate.