1101-3: Vorlesung Kulturstudien: A Political and Cultural History of the British Isles
dienstags 13.15 - 14.45 Uhr Audimax Böhnke, Dietmar
Exam: written examination (60 min) covering the courses 1101-3 and 1101-4
The British Isles are often seen as being “steeped in history”, and British (and Irish) identity as having a strong historical, sometimes nostalgic, streak (think of Bridgerton and the heritage industry). Certainly Cultural Studies urges scholars and students to “always historicise”. At the same time, history is a politically and ideologically inflected construction of past events (“always written by the winners”, as they say). Against this background, this series of lectures has the dual aim to provide, on one hand, a general introduction to the history of the British Isles from pre-Roman times to the present, and to question and analyse, on the other, the perspectives and discourses surrounding these ‘narratives’ (such as questions of source/text and medium, class, gender, ethnicity, region, nation etc.). Among others, we will touch on such issues as the evolution of (political) institutions, including the parliament and the monarchy, the complex histories of various regions and ethnicities, the development of the British Empire and Britain’s place within Europe, and a wide range of other economic, social and cultural developments.
- Trainer/in: Dietmar Böhnke