The Village, Real and Imagined

"A Village is a Vast Hell" (Argentinian Proverb) "It Takes a Village" Through an exploration of the village in historical sources, we will evaluate these starkly different views, one emphasizing solidarity and caring, the other a nightmare of imprisonment. We will also explore the imaginary village through film. The course will range widely, from medieval villages to current attempts to repopulate villages in Europe. The latter have benefited from the pandemic; villages are beckoning to city dwellers as places of escape. This is just the latest iteration of the village's long-standing grip on our imagination.