Venice and Globalization: course description
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Michael Hardt, Duke University. Tuesdays 17.00-18.30 and Thursdays 15.10-16.40
This course would situate the specific social condition of Venice and the Veneto region within the general processes of globalization. The semester will focus on four general topics. The first section will be dedicated to a general introduction to the processes of economic and political globalization in historical context. The second section will examine the processes of migration, particularly in Europe and Italy. We will also look at the formation of the Northern League in Italy and some of the anti-immigrant advocates. The third section will focus on the economic processes of globalization. In particular, the boom of Italy’s northeast (sometimes called the third Italy) around small business and flexible production will be analyzed in the general economic formations of global production. We will also learn about – and, if possible, visit – the cruise ship production facilities in Mestre. Finally, we will study the so-called anti-globalization movements, which is particularly strong in Veneto. We will visit the alternative youth social centers in Mestre, Venice, and/or Padua if feasible. The course will end with an examination of the some of the possibilities for democracy in the age of globalization. Method of teaching: combination of lecture and discussion formats. Prerequisites: none
