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CS92PROD
Grounding the Past: Monument, Site, and Historical Memory
ARHA 383
Spring 2010 not offered
Crosslisting: ARCP 383

The peculiar power of monuments and cultural sites arises from their status as tangible objects and places that simultaneously belong to both past and present. Because of their ability to collapse time and make the past present, these types of objects often function as sites of memory, providing the foci around which social memory condenses and histories are constructed. This course explores the varied links between monuments, cultural sites, and collective memory, through consideration of both theoretical writings and a number of specific cases from South Asia and other parts of the world. Among the themes to be discussed are the typology of mnemonic modes and the role of the body and place in structuring memory; the nature of collective memory and the role of objects and places in its mediation; the nature of commemorative monuments and relics; spatial devices for organizing memory; the concept of cultural property and the social practices surrounding its preservation and destruction; and the politics of contested sites.

Essential Capabilities:
This course introduces students to a body of theoretical contributions facilitating the interpretation of how societies use material objects to structure and transmit social memory.
Credit: 1 Gen Ed Area Dept: HA ART
Course Format: SeminarGrading Mode: Graded
Level: UGRD Prerequisites: None
Fulfills a Major Requirement for: (ARCP-MN)(ARCP)

Last Updated on MAR-28-2024
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