Urbanization and the Rise of Popular Culture, 1880-1950's
This course will examine the emergence and development of "popular culture" from the turn of the nineteenth century to the end of the1950s. We will study the interconnections between leisure, the development of mass media, particularly the radio, and urbanization. This was a time which witnessed the proliferation of popular music, the emergence of popular religions such as Rastafarianism, the institution of national celebrations such as carnival, and international sports, as well as other cultural manifestations for mass consumption. It will also be important to understand the ethnic, racial and national implications of these developments and to examine how historians study, document and analyze them. Examples will come from Latin America and the Caribbean but we will discuss their impact and relationship to popular culture in other parts of the world including Europe and the United States. (formerly HIST 0412)