The Idea of the City in Premodern Thought

Catalog description

For as long as people have been living in densely urban settlements, the city has been an intellectual problem for its inhabitants. Architects, philosophers, and poets across the premodern world puzzled over the definition of the city, its ideal organization, social function, and cultural value. In this course, we will investigate the development of these urbanistic discourses in the cultures/civilizations of the ancient Mediterranean, India, China, and Mesoamerica. Topics we will explore include: the relationship between the city and country and its representation in ancient literature and art; cities and the consolidation of political and economic power; city foundation and definition as colonialism; ancient urban design theory; and the effects of demographic and technological change on the idea of the city. We will also consider how the archaeology of premodern cities and analysis of ancient thinking about the city influenced the development of modern urban theory. Finally, we will ask how pre-modern ideas about the city might help us confront the social, economic, and ecological challenges facing the twenty-first century metropolis.