The “We”: Representing Collectives

“Who are we?” This may be the fundamental question underlying any community. Rather than propose a particular answer to this question, in this course we will attempt to develop a historical poetics of social formations: how are communities (“we”) maintained and represented under different political paradigms, how do communities appear, and how do they disintegrate? Readings will include foundational texts of modern Western political philosophy, with responses from beyond Europe (Russia, the Global South, and the Americas), and case studies from literature, cinema, protest, and mass media. Students taking this class for a Russian requirement meet one extra hour per week to discuss selected texts in Russian. 3 hrs. sem