Anthropology of Contact: Contagion, Coloniality, Capital

In this course, we will find out what an 'anthropology of contact' can do to advance a critical analysis of culture. Contact is a prerequisite for human existence, and it can also destroy existence. Across various contexts from colonial encounters to contagious disease, we will look at what bodies exchange when they exist in proximity. We will read theoretical, historical, and ethnographic texts. Topics include malaria in the Philippines; sexuality in gentrifying New York; human porosity and toxicity; and labor and liberalism in imperial exchange.