Western Civilizations?
Questioning a sweeping course title through the lives of objects
Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of Macau
At the University of Macau, the course Western Civilizations reflects a traditional understanding of world history which holds that the worlds of the past can be studied systematically by focusing on a limited number of civilizations. In our global age, it is important to contrast such grand narratives with other perspectives that shed light on the past “from below.”
For this zone, history students from Macao and Mainland China taking the course are asked to select “western” objects. Under the guidance of their instructor, Mario Cams, they then explore the lives and itineraries of these objects, questioning the sweeping course title and discovering that grand civilizational narratives may not always be all that relevant.
This is a continually expanding zone with stories added yearly.
