Course Description: Once touted as "economic tigers," the rapidly developing economies of East and Southeast Asia have over the past few years experienced economic and political crises which suggest that they are under siege by the very forces of change which created their earlier prosperity. This seminar provides an in-depth exploration of the ways in which anthropologists research, write, and theorize economic development. Focusing on the social and cultural transformations associated with different types of development in Asia, the course explores how these changes affect women, gender and family relations, and cultural conceptions of men and women's roles. The course's approach will be simultaneously concrete and theoretical. Concrete, in that we will explore how ethnographic methods can be used to identify, document, and analyze specific changes in women's lives and activities. Theoretical, in that a gendered perspective will enable us to question the assumptions of both economic development models and academic debates about the relationships between individuals, social structures, cultural values, and economic activities. Topics to be considered include: gendered divisions of labor, household economies, factory work, and market exchange. Readings will consist of classic works of social scientific analysis (Durkheim, Marx, Foucault), recent contributions in gender theory (e.g. Ortner, Rosaldo, Irigaray), and contemporary ethnographies of Asia (e.g. Ong, Kondo, Brenner, Constable).

Course Syllabus

Writing Assignments

Study Guide Questions for Readings

Announcements: (will be posted here as necessary)

 

For more information, contact:  aleshkow@holycross.edu