Urban Ecologies of the French-Speaking World: Sustainability and the City in the 21st Century
Taught at: Williams College
Last taught: Fall 2020
In the twenty-first century, urban populations around the world have continued to grow, all while the climate crisis has become ever more urgent. The fact that more than 55% of Earth’s inhabitants live in urban settings today means that cities will be important actors in the fight against climate change moving forward. In this course, we will examine how cities from the French-speaking world (including in North America, Europe, and Africa, as well as along the Pacific Rim) are enacting solutions for sustainable living in their midst. Taking a cultural studies approach, we will examine a variety of sources—including literature, videos and films, press articles, government documents, academic analyses, websites, and artistic productions, among others—to understand the challenges each of these cities faces and the solutions each has introduced. In so doing, we will study how site-specific realities, such as (eco)tourism, the legacy of colonialism and imperialism, relations with indigenous populations, and inequalities (such as those of race, sex, gender expression, class, age, and ability), are interwoven with questions of sustainable development and ecological living.