Urban Anthropology

The course is an introduction to urban anthropology, its characteristics and position in the discipline. The introductory part examines emergence and development of cities in human history, focusing primarily on material preconditions for their foundations and consequential economical, social and political changes. We also examine different typologies and forms of early cities, their morphological characteristics, and theories of urban revolution.
The next part provides overview of history of urban anthropology and its main research paradigms. We examine urban sociology and anthropology in Chicago, British urban studies in Africa and 'Manchester school', and development of urban ethnology in Slovenia.
In the third part, we present certain prominent issues and approaches in urban anthropology: methodology of urban studies or studies of complex phenomena in urban space, urbanisation and rural urban migration, urban symbolism and ethnic complexity in modern cities. Only briefly we also mention issue of globalisation, transnationalism, economy and global/world cities – topics that are discussed in the course Urban and transnational anthropology in MA programme.