An introduction to critical theories, methods and ethnographies centering the urban, this course explores how anthropology views urban life, infrastructure and economy as it emerges in history and the present. The aim of the course is to familiarize students with debates around race, class and gender-ed inequality via urban dynamics of accessibility and distribution, themes that surface in everyday life as we navigate turnstiles and skyscrapers. The semester will span inquiries into why cities became important to anthropologists, how urbanization became central to the global economy and how actors, social groups and networks from across the globe interpret, inhabit and contest the urban through language and labor. This will allow us to work together to unpack cultural logics spanning gentrification, urban planning and community policing. 

Fall 2024
Room 717
Mondays and Thursdays
2:30 to 3:45 PM