At a time in which anthropologists
are increasingly critical of simplistic notions of culture, identity,
and heritage, their political and economic uses are on the rise and
everywhere to be seen. The focus of the course will be on the way these
notions are articulated and employed in the public sphere, and on the
debates and controversies related to their strategic and instrumental
uses. From political evocations of culture, to identity based movements
and the commercialization of heritage - a variety of ethnographic
examples from across the world will help us understand the contemporary
forms taken by these notions and their uses, including the reasons for
their success as well as their risks and limitations.