This class develops a sociological perspective on modernity and modernization that accounts for the integration of planetary space within the capitalist mode of production, corresponding with the period of European empire in the 19thcentury. The unequal distribution of material resources and symbolic power that continues to influence the world in which we live indexes this integration.
The goals of the course are to provide students with a standpoint for understanding current events and developments, from the war on Gaza to. Students will develop a sense of societal modernization as it is described from the standpoint of those who were colonized, one which they can integrate with the commonsense notions of societal modernization that circulate in contemporary Canadian culture and society. They will also be introduced to key ideas and perspectives that may estrange us from common sense assumptions about the purposes and benefits of economic growth, private property, and individual self-interest, which anchor the moral dispositions of Western imperialism. It is hoped that by introducing students to these ideas and this approach, they will gain a broader understanding of our shared, global modernity, which will help them locate themselves and dialogue with others from different social positions and globalizing trajectories.
- Teacher: Matthew Hayes