Holy Hipsters: Spiritual Rebellion and Hip Consumerism in Postwar America

This course sketches the history of the "hip" mode of spiritual rebellion from the 1950s Beat Generation to the "hipster witches" of today. In addition to explicating the socio-historical dynamics of spiritual dissent, this seminar will map the shifting terrain of "hip consumerism" and explore the intersection of race, class, and gender in the social construction of hipness.