18363. Philosophy through History and Culture 18359. Cultural Anthropologl

Identify the main historical approaches to the relationship between ethics and culture. To understand the main theoretical approaches to the relationship between ethics and culture. To analyse the relevance of the concept of "identity" for understanding contemporary social conflict. To understand and assess the main demands for cultural recognition in the history of the 20th and 21st centuries. Learn to write critical social theory from a situated point of view. Understand and apply concepts related to epistemic injustice, intersectionality theory, race and gender studies.

The relationship between ethical reflection and culture is complex and often contested. Since the rationalization processes of modernity¿from the seventeenth century onward¿Western philosophy has frequently treated moral reasoning as independent from cultural conditions. This tendency to universalize ethics without regard to its social or symbolic embeddedness has been increasingly questioned. Theoretical critiques of liberal individualism and the multiple crises of rationalization have exposed the deep cultural entanglements of our moral orientation. This course begins by exploring that foundational question: Can there be a universal ethics across cultural diversity? To answer it, we will examine contributions from anthropology, moral psychology, and the philosophy of evolution, alongside discussions on relativism, pluralism, and multiculturalism. These questions are not only philosophical, but also political: they concern the legitimacy of judging, comparing, or even intervening in other cultural value systems. As the course progresses, we will examine how cultural identity shapes moral reasoning, and how the struggle for recognition has become central to contemporary political ethics. Students will be introduced to the intellectual traditions that theorize recognition and identity politics, and the controversies that emerge from debates on multiculturalism, decolonial thought, and intersectionality. Special attention will be paid to hybrid and situated forms of identity that challenge both liberal universalism and essentialist culturalism. Finally, the course will investigate how cultural frameworks may hinder moral autonomy. We will analyze how ideologies, implicit biases, and microaggressions can reproduce structural inequalities and shape individuals' moral perceptions without their awareness. In doing so, we will assess the moral responsibility individuals and communities bear for perpetuating¿often unintentionally¿forms of harm rooted in cultural prejudice. Through this journey, students will develop the conceptual tools to critically assess the ethical dimensions of culture and to reflect on their own moral identities in relation to broader historical and political structures.Each week will focus on one topic, as specified in the schedule below. For each topic, there will be a master session led by Gonzalo Velasco (GV in the schedule bellow) and a seminar led by Teresa Casas (TC). In the seminar we¿ll put into practice methodologies of cultural analysis with special emphasis on autoethnography¿cultural analysis that stems (and transcends) self-narrative. Week 1: Ethics across Cultures ¿ Is there a Universal Morality? Objective: To explore the tension between moral universalism and cultural diversity. Theoretical session James Rachels, The Challenge of Cultural Relativism Jonathan Haidt, ¿The Moral Roots of Liberals and Conservatives¿ (TED Talk + summary of Moral Foundations Theory) Practical session Analysis of real-world moral dilemmas (e.g., female genital mutilation, traditional punishments) Structured classroom debate: ¿Are there truly universal moral norms?¿ Week 2: Relativism, Pluralism, and Multiculturalism Objective: To understand the limits of relativism and the ethical-political challenges of multicultural societies. Theoretical session Charles Taylor, Multiculturalism and the Politics of Recognition Kwame Anthony Appiah, "Ethics in a World of Strangers" (intro to Cosmopolitanism) Practical session Case studies: the French ban on the Islamic veil, Merkel¿s multiculturalism speech Classroom debate: ¿Should a society tolerate practices that violate its democratic values?¿ Week 3: The Origin of Morality ¿ Cooperation, Emotions, and Culture Objective: To examine the emergence of moral behavior from evolutionary and philosophical perspectives. Theoretical session Michael Tomasello, Why We Cooperate (Ch. 1) Hegel, Phenomenology of Spirit (section on moral consciousness) Practical session Videos by Frans de Waal on justice in primates Group mapping of moral values across different cultures today Week 4: The Cultural Approach to Morality ¿ Norms and Transgression Objective: To understand morality as a form of cultural order and resistance. Theoretical session Norbert Elias, The Civilizing Process (excerpt) Richard Sennett, Respect (introduction) Practical session Screening: I May Destroy You (Ep. 9), This is America (Childish Gambino) Scene analysis: what kinds of behavior are socially punished¿and why? Week 5: Cultural Determinism and Ideology Objective: To reflect on how much of our moral identity is culturally pre-shaped. Theoretical session Louis Althusser, Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses Slavoj ¿i¿ek, The Sublime Object of Ideology (intro) Fernando Broncano, Subjects in the Fog (chapter on ideology) Practical session Critical analysis of advertising and political slogans Discussion: ¿Do we choose our identities?¿ Week 6: Responsibility for Implicit Biases Objective: To examine moral accountability in the face of structural prejudice. Theoretical session Miranda Fricker, Epistemic Injustice (testimonial injustice) Review of empirical research on implicit bias Practical session In-class application of Harvard¿s Implicit Association Test Group reflection on micro-injustices in everyday environments Week 7: Microaggressions and Cultural Blameworthiness Objective: To evaluate the ethical significance of microaggressions and cultural insensitivity. Theoretical session Regina Rini, The Ethics of Microaggressions (Optional) Sara Ahmed, The Promise of Happiness (excerpts) Practical session Role-playing microaggression scenarios Discussion: how intention, impact, and context shape moral responsibility Week 8: K. Anthony Appiah ¿ The Ethics of Identity Objective: To explore the relationship between identity, autonomy, and recognition. Theoretical session Appiah, The Ethics of Identity (Chapters 1¿2) Introduction to ethical cosmopolitanism Practical session Socratic debate: ¿Do identities empower or limit us?¿ Text commentary and group dialogue Week 9: Identity Politics and the Struggle for Recognition Objective: To understand the philosophical stakes of identity-based political claims. Theoretical session Axel Honneth, The Struggle for Recognition (excerpts) Nancy Fraser, ¿Recognition or Redistribution?¿ Practical session Screening: The Handmaid¿s Tale (selected episode), I Am Not Your Negro Group analysis: political strategies of visibility and resistance Week 10: Responses to Identity Politics Critiques Objective: To analyze liberal and Marxist critiques of identity politics. Theoretical session Mark Lilla, The Once and Future Liberal (excerpts) Nancy Fraser continued Practical session Screening: Get Out, by Jordan Peele Scene analysis: Bella and her editor in I May Destroy You Week 11: Situated Knowledge and Intersectionality Objective: To examine how knowledge is shaped by positionality and intersecting systems of oppression. Theoretical session Kimberlé Crenshaw, Mapping the Margins Donna Haraway, Situated Knowledges (excerpt) Practical session Real-world case analysis (e.g. non-hegemonic feminisms) Interactive activity: intersectional identity mapping Week 12: Epistemic Injustice and Silencing Objective: To explore the ethical dimensions of testimonial exclusion. Theoretical session José Medina, The Epistemology of Resistance (excerpt) Contextual background on The Assistant Practical session Screening: The Assistant + I May Destroy You (Ep. 4) Guided reflection and discussion Week 13: Multiculturalism and Decolonial Approaches Objective: To reflect on the right to narrate and epistemologies of the Global South. Theoretical session Silvia Rivera Cusicanqui, A Ch¿ixi World is Possible (Optional) Boaventura de Sousa Santos, Epistemologies of the South Practical session Observation activity: who speaks in public space? Group debate: cultural appropriation and voice Week 14: Final Review and Exam Preparation Objective: To consolidate concepts and prepare for the final assessment. Theoretical session Comprehensive review of key theories and debates Concept map creation and Q&A Practical session Exam preparation workshop Collaborative group study and discussio

The course will consist of a theoretical part and a practical part in which relevant texts and creative artistic manifestations will be discussed in order to exemplify and problematise the contents of the subject. The lecturer will present the general contents and the associated texts. Each session will end with the posing of one or more problems and research questions. The lecturer will indicate which texts are recommended for further investigation of these questions and problems. Discussions will be held with students to check the degree of understanding of the contents and to help resolve any doubts raised. The forum in Aula Global will be the tool used to create a thread and an archive of the questions, doubts, problems and secondary references raised in class. Students will contribute to the writing of forum entries, summarising sessions and discussions. The use of Artificial Intelligence tools is selectively permitted in this course. Students may use AI tools for bibliographic searches or retrieving specific data, but not for writing their own critical reflection. If AI use leads to academic fraud by falsifying the results of an assignment, the disciplinary regulations of Universidad Carlos III de Madrid will apply, following the partial implementation of Law 3/2022, of February 24, on university coexistence.