Peoples and Cultures of Europe:
From Rural Tradition to Urban Ethnicity in the New Europe

Europe is not a place. It is a problem shrouded in myth and ideology. Until recently, many scholars took European societies to be the measure of all civilization. Others now argue that much of what we thought was European could be traced to Africa. Caught between old customs and grand empires, young nations and invented traditions, Europeans themselves wonder if there is such a thing as European culture.

Europeans themselves are not sure of who they are anymore. The end of the cold war has left the West without a well-defined East and the end of Empire has brought millions of former colonial citizens to live and work in what used to be western Europe. Supranational organizations, such as the European Union, are dissolving European national identities and challenging carefully built welfare states. From Disney to Microsoft, American cultural and economic domination challenges the possibility that European countries might retain unique cultures and independent economies. Does globalization signal the end of Europe's unique cultures?

What remains of European cultures? In this course, we will draw on anthropological research in Europe to examine the ways in which European societies have managed to preserve much that is unique even as they adapt to new circumstances. We will read stories of revolutionary Irish priests and about the struggles of artisan chocolate makers in France. We will look at immigrant and youth subcultures in Great Britain and at the challenges faced by East Germans as they integrate into Western consumer culture. Ranging from Greek islands to the streets of Moscow, we will attempt to find the cultural contours of the new Europe.

Home http://fs.uno.edu/dberiss/europe/  Revised 1/19/01.