PDF der Vortragsreihe >>

Since the years of the Gold Rush, California has stood symbolically for utopian longing. The idea of unlimited freedom plays a crucial role in the vision of a geographic region which has inspired the hopes and dreams of many. As a melting pot, the region comprises a large diversity of arts and cultures and ways of living, and its openness toward multiple diaspora communities. However, taking the brutal facts into account, such as unaffordable house prices, a high degree of homelessness, the threat of wood fires and earthquakes, it remains questionable as to whether California has not rather become a dystopia for the majority of people living there.
This lecture series investigates how California as both utopia and dystopia manifests itself in art and architecture, and seeks to explore if the Californian Dream lives up to reality. We are particularly keen on interrogating how California functions as a nourishing ground for many novel ideas and approaches, particularly in cultural studies, gender studies, museum studies, political science and postcolonialism.