Socialist Utopias: Transcendence and Religion in Communist States
RELI 225
Fall 2022 not offered
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| Crosslisting:
REES 230 |
Socialism is a political system predicated on building a better future by transcending the present. But what kind of utopias were imagined in and by actual socialist states like the Soviet Union? Why was atheism so central to Marx's vision of socialism, and what kinds of futures did communists imagine were possible, once religion was removed from society? What kinds of transcendence did communists imagine would exist once they transcended religion? What kinds of religious practices were enabled despite and sometimes because of the state's repression of organized religion? We will read some Marx and some Soviet science fiction as well as ethnographies, ranging from studies that explore how communism is and isn't like a religion, how former atheists became missionaries, how some religious communities survived communism, how mangoes became Mao's relics, how Vietnamese spirit mediums channel Ho Chi Minh, and what kinds of imaginaries can flourish in post-socialist ruins like Moscow and Silicon Valley. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
SBS RELI |
| Course Format: Seminar | Grading Mode: Student Option |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (REES-Social Sci)(RELI-MN)(RELI) |
Major Readings:
Karl Marx, ON RELIGION
Adam Chau, MAO'S TRAVELLING MANGOES: FOOD AS RELIC IN REVOLUTIONARY CHINA
Sonja Luehrmann, SECULARISM SOVIET STYLE
Anya Bernstein, THE FUTURE OF IMMORTALITY: REMAKING LIFE AND DEATH IN CONTEMPORARY RUSSIA
Soviet science fiction (in English translation) including Bogdanov's Red Star, as well as short stories.
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Examinations and Assignments:
Three reflective essays and regular reading responses |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
This course fulfills the "Thematic Approach" requirement for the Religion major. |
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