This seminar is an investigation into the intersection between cinema and ritual on the background of questions raised by research in visual anthropology. The course serves at the same time as an introduction into the topic and a space for speculation. While film-making is generally taken as something inherently modern and ritual as something ancient, with this seminar I want to open up discussions and perceptions to see the many ways the two can relate. To gain a shared ground from which to think, the first part will be focused on readings in the history and theory of visual anthropology. This work will be done remotely, via homework assignments. In the second part, we will focus more specifically on ritual and cinema. It will include screenings of classics as well as lesser-known works that engage the space opened up after the crisis of representation, including narrative films.
- Teacher: Milan Kroulík