The course considers the manner in which national cultures and identities are constructed and contested within the context of local and transnational forces. In particular, this entails an examination of a variety of vital factors including: nationally sanctioned and contested ideologies, the role of class formation, and grassroots efforts that challenge and reconfigure definitions of national identity through their activities and representations. In addition, the manner in which the media and information technology impact the formation of identities and cultures through the dynamics of globalization is explored. Key to this examination is the movements of both people (and capital) and how evolving processes of (im)migration challenge previous accepted notions of culture and identity, as variations of what were once considered coherent cultural belief systems and traditions are quickly emerging. Moreover, this course will consider cultures and identities in the context of unequal power relations and transnational mechanisms of exclusion and coercion at work in the construction of counter-identities and cultures of resistance around the world. Instructor: Antonia Darder