Europe After the Cold War
HIST-LIT 90FK
Subject & Catalog Number
Course Information
Description
Contemporary Europe is a continent of contrasts: it’s home to some of the most peaceful, prosperous societies on earth, while continuing to be marred by war, economic stagnation, and division. This course explores how we got to the Europe of today’s headlines. We begin by investigating the apparent triumph of Western liberalism in the aftermath of the Cold War—what political scientist Francis Fukuyama dubbed “the end of history.” How did this supposed victory of Western values confront new realities of economic stagnation, migration, racial conflict, and war? And how did European states seek to preserve equality, economic prosperity, and social welfare at home in an unequal world? Course topics include the fall of Communism and German reunification, neoliberalism and inequality, class, gender, the 2008 financial crisis, the 2010s migrant crisis, and the rise of populist politics. We consider texts by Angela Merkel, Lea Ypi, Jenny Erpenbeck, Michel Houellebecq, Joan Scott, Tony Judt, and Timothy Garton Ash; and films like the 1993 French drama La Haine, the 2003 German reunification comedy Good Bye, Lenin!, the 2013 Italian portrait of decadence La Grande Bellezza (The Great Beauty), and the 2016 German comedy Toni Erdmann.
Class Notes
Interested students should petition to enroll on my.harvard. In your petition, say a few words about your interest in the course (including concentrations you are considering if you are undeclared), any requirement the course may satisfy, and whether you have taken any other History & Literature seminars. Please contact the instructor if you have any questions.
Available for Harvard Cross Registration
