While the nomads of Eurasia have perpetually resided at the fringes of historical narratives, they developed complex societies and pluralistic cultures indicative of sophisticated civilizations seated within the steppes. Through a series of regional case studies from the era of the so-called Huns, spanning from China to the Black Sea, this course brings to light the intricacies of lifeways and cultural politics evident in steppe arts and the complexities of the regimes they established. As this course also serves as an elective for Museum Studies, students will engage in analyses of material objects and their roles in museums. There will be hands-on sessions with objects from the UM Museum as well as exercises in curation and research of collections. Through these endeavors, we will discuss ways in which new narratives can be created for these ancient groups within the scope of modern-day cultural politics.

Meets Together with HISTART 497.002