Browsing by Author "Hopper, Clair"
Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Item Jahangir, Collector: Seizing the World(Rice University, 2019) Hopper, ClairMughal Emperor Jahangir (r. 1605-1627) was an avid collector of many things: art, animals, and natural wonders. By tracing his acquisition habits, including networks of trade and types of acquisitions, this article reveals how the emperor constructed his self-concept by way of his collection. Jahangir collected prestige objects to reinforce his own wealth, but also desired to know and possess the most fantastic animals, plants, stones, or other natural oddities. By allowing him to place his mark on such a wide range of objects, Jahangir’s collection justified his regnal title: Jahangir, World-Seizer.Item Ostalgie: A Quiet Cultural Politic(Rice University, 2017) Hopper, ClairThis paper concerns Ostalgie, or nostalgia for the former East German state in 2007-2010. During those years, many Germans (primarily Ossis, or ex-citizens of the former GDR) valorized material goods from the years before the Berlin Wall fell. Ostalgie became a widespread cultural movement: movies about the GDR became top-grossing, food and household products from the “good old days” of the command economy became popular, and popular journalism outlets like Der Spiegel examined the seemingly bizarre phenomenon quite regularly. Though the phenomenon was widespread, not all reactions to it were positive. While Ostalgie participants saw their actions as healthy connections to German history and national identity, critics decried Ostalgie as dismissive or accepting of a criminal political regime.