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School of Culture History and Language · ANU College of Asia and the Pacific
This course introduces students to the most urgent issues in India today, looking at the remarkable impact of technology on Indian culture and society, from infrastructure to media and digital. It uses the anthropological lens to bring technology alive, as it is encountered in everyday life by people and institutions. The course begins with an examination of key institutions in India: its social system and cultural practices. It draws on the history and ethnography of South Asia, and the major concepts that framed the discipline of anthropology, as inseparable from the colonialism in Asia. The first part of the course will primarily focus on the foundations of Indian society, its social, cultural and political make up, before moving to main part of the course which focuses on technology. The second part of the course investigates the multiple effects of technological schemes and innovation in India and their implications for social life. What do we mean by technology? What is the relationship between technology and social order and cultural values? How has technology, as part of India’s embrace of economic reforms, reshaped society and the politics of identity? What is the role of the state and private enterprise in promoting technological innovations? These are some of the question we will cover. The final part of the course will focus on the effects of neoliberalism on both private and public spheres, in promoting policies and ideologies that continue to be key drivers in shaping ideologies and everyday practices in India and its vast diaspora. While the course will focus primarily on India, readings and classes will also cover aspects related to other countries in South Asia.
The workload for this course is 130 hours including independent study, and 3 hours per week of in-class time.
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