Ethnographies of the United States

This is a reading-intensive course that explores themes and provocations emergent from a range of ethnographies written about the USA or about places within the USA. It looks at how historical regimes and critical events, from slavery and the Civil War, 9/11 to Hurricane Katrina have influenced US society. It unpacks ethnographies that both describe and problematize the idea of ‘the everyday’ and the coherence of American culture.

Students discuss and challenge concepts that have been central to constitutional, political, and quotidian discussions and conflicts about what the US is or about what various groups think it should be — justice, ‘family’, happiness, democracy — and assess the centrality of individuality and capitalism to American social norms in specific contexts. Considerations of American investments in individualism and capitalism run throughout the seminar. At the end of the semester, students are invited to write a term paper putting key seminar themes and questions in conversation with an American reality television of their choosing.

Ethnographies of the United States is a joint honours undergraduate and graduate seminar that Jess has developed and teaches with Siobhan Magee.

Amy Sherald, If you surrendered to the air, you could ride it (2019)

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Anthropology & Psychoanalysis

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The Ethnography Seminar