Erdağ Göknar
The concerns of geopolitics often take precedence over an understanding of local cultures at a great cost in human life and material resources. In a globalizing world, how might the “otherness” of individuals, communities, and nations be acknowledged without condoning exile, war, and ethnic cleansing? This seminar examines the geopolitics of conflicts from Bosnia to Afghanistan from a cultural perspective. Through current events, policy papers, historic documents, documentaries, and literature we will survey the changing geopolitical context of nations and states that have recently made headlines. One of our overarching goals will be to understand how historical and literary texts function to create lasting cultural representations (and misrepresentations) that carry political force. We will compare political and cultural accounts that present contrasting views of nations, states, and their minorities. Other questions at issue will include: What is the relationship between representation and ideology? And how does policy, history, or fiction work to establish and reinforce, or conversely, subvert identity?
