Course syllabus

About the course: An anthropological perspective on the study of culture and war

Using ethnographic work, the course documents the everyday processes that characterize, precede, and succeed war or armed conflict. After completing the course, students will possess an in-depth understanding of a selection of contemporary wars and armed conflicts, which will help them:

• Apply anthropological perspectives in the study of other wars and armed conflicts;
• Broaden their understanding of culture and everyday life in times of war and armed conflicts, an understanding pertinent in humanitarian aid, journalism, and conflict resolution;
• Relate local phenomena, such as changing gender roles, children and youth in war, lived vulnerabilities, and displacement, to global phenomena, such as media coverage, humanitarian and military intervention, and arms trade.

Four of the five mandatory course books listed below are single-case monographs that span four continents/countries: Africa/Uganda, Europe/Ukraine, the Middle East/Palestine, and North America/the U.S. The Ukraine monograph takes place before and between wars, the Uganda and Palestine monographs during war/conflict; the monograph on the U.S. after war. As a complement to the four single-case monographs, the fifth mandatory course book focuses on perpetrators, with comparative material from Argentina and Cambodia.

Course start

The course starts on 1 September at 15.15-17.00. Thereafter, sessions will be held weekly on Tuesday afternoons. It is important that you contact the course director if you cannot attend the first session, but will still take the course. A detailed schedule is available to registered students.

 

Don’t forget to register for the course

To start the course, you need to be registered. It is not enough simply to have been admitted. On the Admissions and Registration page, you will find instructions on how to register. Please go to Ladok for Students to complete your registration. You can find our registration periods on the department student gateway.

 

Studying with disabilities

If you require additional support in your studies, you need to obtain a (NAIS) certificate to receive it. You can read more and apply for support on our student page Study Support. If you have any questions, please contact Uppsala University’s coordinator for targeted study support. Apply as soon as possible after registering for the course to receive prompt support.

 

Teaching, expectations, and examination

Study plan and expectations, sessions 1-10

Sessions 1-2 are conventional 2x45-min lectures that will introduce students to the course and the mandatory readings.

In preparation for sessions 1-2, students are to read the introductory chapters of four of the course books (Bohlin & Ståhlberg, Finnström, Segal, Wool) as well as three articles (detailed instructions available to registered students on the course web).

Sessions 3-9 generally consist of a lecture (first hour) and a seminar/group discussion (second hour). In the seminars, students will discuss the literature they have read in advance in groups and in plenary.

Session 10 will summarize the course and prepare for the final assignment.

Written seminar responses, sessions 2-9

For sessions 2-9, based on the reading ahead of class, students are to submit written responses to the readings one day before each session. Detailed instructions are provided for registered students.

Final review essay

On Nov 6, a final written review essay is due. Detailed instructions are provided for registered students.

 

Mandatory course books: Ukraine, Uganda, Argentina/Cambodia, Palestine, and the U.S.

• Bolin, Göran, and Per Ståhlberg. 2023. Managing meaning in Ukraine: Information, communication, and narration since the Euromaidan revolution. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press. 135 pp.
• Finnström, Sverker. 2008. Living with bad surroundings: War, history, and everyday moments in northern Uganda. Durham: Duke University Press. 244 pp.
• Robben, Antonius C.G.M., and Alexander Laban Hinton. 2023. Perpetrators: Encountering humanity's dark side. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. 217 pp.
• Segal, Lotte Buch. 2016. No place for grief: martyrs, prisoners, and mourning in contemporary Palestine. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. 176 pp.
• Wool, Zoë Hamilton. 2015. After war: The weight of life at Walter Reed. Durham: Duke University Press. 194 pp.

All books are all available as e-resources from the Uppsala University Library. They are also available in physical library copies at the Karin Boye Library and on the Cultural Anthropology course literature shelf. Bolin & Ståhlberg's is also fully open access from the publisher's webpage. Finally, the books are available from various (off/online) bookstores.

The books are also accessible via the university course catalogue.

Besides a Uppsala University student account, you might also need to register with the Uppsala University library to access the university library books. Even without registering, you can read the e-books, but you might need to follow the library's instructions if you'll be accessing them off campus. Go here for guidance.

 

Mandatory course literature, articles

Articles to be read, and when to be read, are listed on the course web, the "Course material"-page (module).

 

Important information: how things work with us

It is important that you read the information provided by the department on our student gateway. There you will find out more about how things work with us.

 

Contacts

Sverker Finnström is the course director and lecturer. Sverker Finnström is best contacted here via Studium or at sverker.finnstrom@antro.uu.se. You should contact Sverker Finnström if you have questions about the course structure and content. Please report any absence to Sverker Finnström. If you will be absent for a longer period, you can apply for Academic leave of absence.

The department’s course administrator is Angelika Holm. You can contact Angelika via Studium or at kursadm@antro.uu.se if you have questions regarding admission, registration, or similar matters. Angelika is also the department’s contact person if you require additional support in your studies. Mahmoud Keshavarz is the Director of Studies for First Cycle.

For questions about your student account, Ladok for students, Studium, and Zoom, please contact IT Support. Contact details can be found on the IT for students page.