Instructor: Dr. Sabina Magiliocco
Term 2
Mondays and Wednesdays
12:30 pm to 2:00 pm
Description:
How do you think of the Mediterranean: vacation paradise, romantic destination, food mecca, cradle of Western civilization – or underdeveloped, conflict-riven area dominated by religion and violence? Come examine these conflicting portraits of the modern Mediterranean, an area in which many Canadians have cultural roots. While some anthropologists have treated the Mediterranean as a single culture area, others have emphasized its diversity, seeing it as a border in which many different cultures have historically come into contact, and, at times, conflict. Thus one of the course’s central questions will concern the nature and extent of the unity of the Mediterranean as constructed by both anthropologists and Mediterraneans themselves. Focusing on concepts such as honor and shame, hospitality, festivals and celebrations, gender, and conflict in the comparative study of Mediterranean cultures, we will explore the realities and representations of the peoples whose homes border on the Mediterranean Sea through a series of ethnographies, articles, films, and foods (yes, you read that right: get ready learn to cook and eat Med food!).
Prof. Magliocco is an Italian native who has conducted fieldwork in and published on the Mediterranean since 1986.