The study of New Orleans offers much insight into American identity. The city’s heritage is profoundly plural, incorporating elements of French and Spanish culture, the cultures of slaves and free people of color, of Native Americans–all folded after 1803 into possibilities of American experience. We will look at various representations of New Orleans, considering literature, art, architecture, music, and film and incorporating perspectives from within and from outside the city. We will explore what makes New Orleans an American city, and think in turn about what New Orleans tells us about America.
