APPLIED ANTHROPOLOGY

The course is aimed at students who are pursuing a specialist degree in Cultural Anthropology, Ethnology and Ethnolinguistics, or who, despite coming from other disciplines, are interested in the critical tools offered by the discipline and their application in relation to the study of the relationship between civil society, development projects and state, and between man and nature. The general objective of teaching is to provide students with the analytical tools necessary to be able to deal with the ethnographic analysis of development processes, with particular attention to environmental conflicts.

1. Knowledge and understanding
Acquire the ability to critically analyze a development project and the underlying power dynamics.
Have a general idea of ​​the possible fields of extra-academic application of ethnographic knowledge
2. Ability to apply knowledge and understanding
Acquisition of the basic tools to apply the ethnographic method to the observation of development processes
3. Judgment capacity
Critical judgment capacity towards applied anthropology texts
4. Communication skills
Through the group exercises carried out during the course, the student will deepen his own exhibition skills.
5. Ability to learn
Through the group exercises carried out during the course, and the preparation of the final thesis, the student will deepen his critical and independent research ability.

Although there are no pre-requisites to access the course, a certain familiarity with the ethnographic method would be desirable.

The following topics will be addressed both through lectures and through group presentations:

1. Definition of applied anthropology and public anthropology; possible fields of application of the ethnographic method in extra-academic contexts
2. Definition and critical analysis of the concept of "development" through its practical application in different case studies (for example: India; Paraguay; Lesotho)
3. Analysis of some key concepts of anthropological theory such as: "hybrid collective", "friction", "political ontology", and their application to conflicts and problems related to man / nature / state relationship

In italiano:
Declich, F. (2012). Il mestiere dell’antropologo. Esperienze di consulenza tra istituzioni e cooperazione allo sviluppo.
Severi, Ivan. (2018) Quick and dirty. Antropologia pubblica, applicata e professionale. Editpress

In inglese:
De Leon, Jason. (2015) The land of open graves. University of California Press.
Ferguson, J. (1990). The anti-politics machine:'development', depoliticization and bureaucratic power in Lesotho. CUP Archive.
Tsing, A. L. (2011). Friction: An ethnography of global connection. Princeton University Press.
Mosse, D. (2005). Cultivating development: An ethnography of aid policy and practice (anthropology, culture and society series).
Blaser, M. (2010). Storytelling globalization from the Chaco and beyond. Duke University Press [capitoli selezionati + altri articoli a cura di Bonifacio, V.).

ATTENTION: TEMPORARY MODIFICATION CAUSED BY CORONAVIRUS EMERGENCY

For the final exam, students will have to take both a written and an oral test.
On the day of the exam, students will:
A) Deliver a written essay drawn up on the basis of a trace provided fifteen days before
B) Present the dissertation in oral form, responding to any requests for further information from the teacher.
Both the written track and the delivery will take place via the moodle platform.

The course will consist of lectures, viewing and commentary of audio-visual materials and group presentations of selected articles.

Italian

written

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Poverty and inequalities" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development