Anthropology

From the Sahara to the Silk Roads: diverse societies, connected cultures'

Module code: 003AE
Level 5
15 credits in spring semester
Teaching method: Workshop
Assessment modes: Coursework, Essay

This module introduces you to societies and cultures of North Africa, Southwest Asia and Central Asia through immersive, fieldwork-based ethnographic studies.

Drawing on feminist and decolonial perspectives, we interrogate the idea of the ‘Middle East’, and ask: how do people across these regions shape their lifeworlds
as local and global events transform their lives?

We engage with anthropology’s invitation to try to understand – from the perspective of others – everyday dilemmas and exceptional events, from how people build families, manage mobility and migration, and pursue a good life, to questions of political and economic organisation, geopolitics and climate crisis.

Module learning outcomes

• To demonstrate an awareness in key themes in the anthropology of the Middle East and Central Asia
• To anchor such themes in wider theoretical debates and discussions within anthropology
• To apply a critical ethnographic perspective to political, cultural, social, and economic issues in the Middle East and Central Asia
• To apply analytical frameworks concerning culture and political economy to historical and ethnographic accounts of the region