240532 SE Anthropology of memory and remembrance: Confronting Steine der Erinnerung (P4) (2019S)

This is a course that combines both theoretical and practical learning.
Theoretical:
Students will be required to read one or more articles for each class session, and to write short memoranda on the readings, to be discussed in class
The reading material focuses on the anthropological fields of
• material culture
• anthropology of memory
• politics of remembrance
• Holocaust counter-monuments and memorials

Practical:
The topic of the class is integrated in the historical and social geography of the city of Vienna, and as such, walking fieldtrips to visit and analyse monuments and memorials will be an essential component of the course. This includes fieldwork methodology such as interview and site-specific observation.
There will be one film showing (60 minutes).
Learning outcomes:
• Students will have learned critical reading and writing skills
• Students will have learned and experienced basic anthropological field methodology
• Students will gain a critical understanding of the cultural politics of memorialization, particularly in their own Viennese environment.