CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY, INTRODUCTION

The course in "Cultural Anthropology, introduction" falls within the distinctive training activities of the anthropological stream of the undergraduate degree course in History and is a compulsory exam in the undergraduate degree course in Conservation and management of cultural heritage. The aim of the course is to provide the basic theoretical and methodological tools of Cultural Anthropology as well as foster a critical understanding of socio-cultural diversity. The course focuses particularly on the main areas of anthropological analysis: religion, kinship, economics, and politics. The course’s educational goal is to provide basic knowledge of the anthropological approach.

1. Themes: cultural diversity; cultural relativism and critical ethnocentrism; social phenomena and relationships; political systems; religion and magic; gift and merchandise; kinship and relatedness.

2. Methods: introduction to the main tools of anthropological research (fieldwork, participant observation, verbal and non-verbal data collection, transcription, production of anthropological knowledge, access and positioning of the anthropologist, systematization and interpretation of data, etc.).

1. learning anthropological theories and methods applied to the study of different social phenomena;

2. learning and appreciating other societies’ cultural complexity;

3. learning to refrain from judging other societies and groups by imposing one’s own categories; learn to reflect on one’s own biases, practices and cultural representations that are often take for granted;

4. learning the specialist vocabulary and terminology of anthropology, understanding the internal variety of the discipline;

5. learning to take notes, make connections, and summarize themes and ideas learned during the lessons and in the encounter with the exam material.

The course, being introductory to the discipline, does not have any pre-requirement.

Articles and individual book chapters will be made available through the Moodle platform.


Engelke M. Pensare come un antropologo. Einaudi 2017. Also available in English (see below).

Lewis G. “Magia”. Enciclopedia delle scienze sociali. Treccani. 1995.

Dei F. “Tra le maglie della rete” e Favole A. “Forme e dilemmi del dono a Futuna”. In Aria M. e Dei F.: Culture del dono. Meltemi 2008.

Padovani G. “Esistono società senza un potere politico autoritario?”. Studi di sociologia. 1976.

Gaibazzi P. “Sovranità e controllo diffuso nel regime dei visti”. Antropologia. 2016.

Viazzo P.P. e Remotti F. “La famiglia: uno sguardo antropologico”. 2007.


ENGLISH-LANGUAGE READINGS

Students are free to choose texts in English that correspond to or replace the analogues in Italian (if you are interested in this option, please consult the instructor in advance), or to explore the list below for additional readings.

Engelke M. How to Think Like an Anthropologist. Princeton. 2018.

Evans-Pritchard E. “The notion of witchcraft explains unfortunate events”. In Evans-Pritchard E.: Witchcraft, Oracles and Magic among the Azande”. Oxford University Press. 1976.

Carrier J. “Gifts in a World of Commodities: The Ideology of the Perfect Gift in American Society”. Social Analysis 29, 1990.

Ledeneva A. “Blat and Guanxi: Informal Practices in Russia and China”. Comparative Studies in Society and History 50 (1), 2008.

Kulick D. “The gender of Brazilian transgendered prostitutes”. American Anthropologist 99 (3), 1997.

Inhorn M. “Islam, IVF and Everyday Life in the Middle East”. Anthropology of the Middle East 1 (1), 2006.

Sahlins M. “The original political society”. In Graeber D. and Sahlins M. On Kings. HAU Books. 2017.

Humphrey C. “Sovereignty”. In A Companion to the Anthropology of Politics. Blackwell. 2007.

Engelke M. Pensare come un antropologo. Einaudi (capitoli 1, 2, 3, 6).
Lewis G. “Magia”. Enciclopedia delle scienze sociali. Treccani. 1995.
Dei F. “Tra le maglie della rete” e Favole A. “Forme e dilemmi del dono a Futuna”. In Aria M. e Dei F.: Culture del dono. Meltemi 2008.
Padovani G. “Esistono società senza un potere politico autoritario?”. Studi di sociologia. 1976.
Gaibazzi P. “Sovranità e controllo diffuso nel regime dei visti”. Antropologia. 2016.
Viazzo P.P. e Remotti F. “La famiglia: uno sguardo antropologico”. 2007.

English-language texts (in lieu of Italian-language equivalents or as additional readings).
Engelke M. How to Think Like an Anthropologist. Princeton. 2018.
Evans-Pritchard E. “The notion of witchcraft explains unfortunate events”. In Evans-Pritchard E.: Witchcraft, Oracles and Magic among the Azande”. Oxford University Press. 1976.
Carrier J. “Gifts in a World of Commodities: The Ideology of the Perfect Gift in American Society”. Social Analysis 29, 1990.
Ledeneva A. “Blat and Guanxi: Informal Practices in Russia and China”. Comparative Studies in Society and History 50 (1), 2008.
Kulick D. “The gender of Brazilian transgendered prostitutes”. American Anthropologist 99 (3), 1997.
Inhorn M. “Islam, IVF and Everyday Life in the Middle East”. Anthropology of the Middle East 1 (1), 2006.
Sahlins M. “The original political society”. In Graeber D. and Sahlins M. On Kings. HAU Books. 2017.
Humphrey C. “Sovereignty”. In A Companion to the Anthropology of Politics. Blackwell. 2007.

Written exam. Any further activities, if applicable, will be discussed in class.

The exam consists of a written test with targeted questions on precise notions (definitions, technical terms, authors and key periods) as well as open-ended questions designed to test students’ comprehension and critical synthesis skills. The answers to open-ended questions are evaluated according to the following criteria:
a. Comprehension of concepts/ideas,
b. Ability to summarize effectively and clarity of exposition,
c. Concrete references to topics discussed in the reading materials and in class,
d. Correct references to specific ethnographic details (ethnonyms, toponyms, etc.),
e. Correct references to authors cited during the lessons and in the texts.
NB: Students with special requirements and allowances are invited to contact the Disability Office in advance.

Grades ranging from 18 to 22 (pass) require:
- sufficient knowledge and understanding of coursework;
- limited skills in collecting and/or interpreting information to reach original conclusions;
- sufficient communication skills, especially in relation to discipline-specific terms and concepts;
Grades ranging from 23 to 26 (high pass) require:
- good knowledge and understanding of coursework;
- good skills in collecting and/or interpreting information to reach original conclusions;
- good communication skills, especially in relation to discipline-specfic terms and concepts;
Grades ranging from 27 to 30 (merit) require:
- very good knowledge and understanding of coursework;
- very good skills in collecting and/or interpreting information to reach original conclusions;
- very good communication skills, especially in relation to discipline-specific terms and concepts;
The disinction of Laude requires outstanding knowledge and understanding of coursework, pronounced autonomy in reasoning, and excelllent commuication skills.

The course consists of:
1. Lectures (use of ppt, audiovisual material);
2. Non-mandatory short essays;
3. After the communication of the result of the written exam, the students are invited to see the instructor to receive feedback and discuss the outcome;
4. Further optional readings will be uploaded onto Moodle.

Italian

Attendance is not mandatory but is highly recommended. Students are asked to consult the informative material on the writing exercise and exam in Moodle and regularly check the instructor’s on-line notifications. Students with special requirements and allowances may contact the Disability Office to obtain information.

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