What happens if we consider the entire country a borderlands? How does settlement, displacement and development affect cultural identity, and what does music have to do with it all? We will explore these questions and more.
Enjoy a week-long class with Octavio Carrasco, which will visit three distinct topics. The class will visit the Mayas of Guatemala and learn how they adapted, interpreted and absorbed Christianity to protect and prolong their way of life. Secondly, the class investigates the religious dimensions of popular music. While emerging forms of music are often shunned or labeled as dangerous, we are entering a time when popular music is one of the centers of cultural identity and performance. Finally, we will consider the complex relationship of the cultural encounter of Europeans, Africans and Aborigines that defines U.S. history. It becomes imperative to consider the ways the entire country is borderlands. This moves beyond our modern conceptions of states and connects us back to the process of settlement, displacement, and development that continues today. All three topics will encourage discussion and reflection.
Schedule a week or two, or three! Or, just sprinkle some classes in between other commitments.
