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Population Studies, Ethnography and Anthropology
UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI NAPOLI "L'ORIENTALE"
Overview
Date/time interval
Syllabus
Course Objectives
Classes in Cultural Anthropology pursue the general educational objectives of the Degree Course and is aimed at providing a historical framework of anthropology and a solid preparation in the field of African and Asian cultures, which can be articulated with linguistic ones and/or related to the fields of other human and social disciplines.
Objectives and outputs - The Course intends to offer students: 1) basic knowledge in anthropological disciplines on the main fields of investigation and the fundamental concepts of the discipline; 2) basic knowledge on the methods used and on the change over time of paradigms and tools; 3) knowledge about the history and changes of the different schools and perspectives within the discipline, with particular reference to the ethnography of African and Asian contexts.
Knowledges and practical skills - Students will be able to apply the fundamental principles of the anthropological approach to reflect critically and in relativistic terms on their own culture, developing the ability to listen, understand and respect for cultural differences and/or divisions.
Other outputs - More specifically, the teacher intends to develop 1) autonomy of judgment (students will be able to develop autonomous judgments in understanding cultural, gender, class, religious diversity and plurality, etc.; and their own critical position with respect to phenomena such as racism, sexism, migration and social marginalization); 2) communication skills, through the analysis of key words such as "identity", "culture", "ethnicity", "race", "gender", etc.
Course Prerequisites
No particular requirements are required. It is recommended to study the exam with a globe next to the Manual; and to reinforce, where lacking, the basic knowledge of history and geography.
Teaching Methods
The course will be held through lectures integrated with video-ethnographic and photographic material and is divided into two parts. In the first part, the theoretical and methodological foundations of the discipline will be offered to students, from its origins to contemporary developments. In the second part of the course, ethnographies of Africa and Asia will be explored, with particular attention to magical-religious systems, systems of care, the notion of person, migrations, the theme of the family and its transformation and environmental changes). The last half hour of each lesson will be dedicated to collecting questions, requests for clarifications, interventions and collegial discussions. However, laboratory activities or exercises are not planned.
A face-to-face teaching method is foreseen. Those who cannot attend in person will be able to take the exam as non-attending.
Teaching will be held in Italian. The teacher guarantees a good understanding of English and French and a basic understanding of Spanish and Portuguese, so questions and reflections can also be reported in other European languages by the participants, to encourage dialogue and understanding of the topics addressed if Erasmus and/or international students are present.
Assessment Methods
The introductory nature of the course allows the acquisition of the fundamental conceptual tools of cultural anthropology, as well as basic knowledge relating to the main concepts, theories and methods of cultural anthropology. At the end of the course, students must be able to understand: 1) the fundamental notions of the discipline (identity, ethnicity, rite of passage, ethnocentrism, cultural relativism, etc.); 2) have critical ability in reading some monographic texts made in class. Students will learn about some specific ethnographic contexts, in which anthropology has been applied in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia.
The expected test is written and consists of a test aimed at ascertaining the acquisition and appropriate use of a basic vocabulary of cultural anthropology, knowledge of the main thematic fields of the discipline and the main theoretical options; as well as critical ability in applying anthropological knowledge to the analysis of specific cases treated in class and explored in depth by the teacher.
The following criteria will be used to verify learning: the appropriateness and richness of the contents learned; clarity of exposition and the ability to use anthropological vocabulary; critical skills; the ability to memorize, analyze ethnographic cases and make connections and comparisons.
Texts
Mandatory textbook for all students:
- U. Fabietti, (2023) Elementi di antropologia culturale, Terza o Quarta edizione (Mondadori, Milano).
Additionally, mandatory for non-attending students:
- T. Ingold, (2020) Anthropology. Rethinking the World (English version, if needed)
One of the following books, by choice:
a) Ethnographies of Africa:
E. Evans-Pritchard, Stregoneria, oracoli e magia tra gli Azande (Cortina Editore)
S. Taliani, Il bambino e il suo doppio. Malattia, stregoneria e antropologia dell'infanzia in Camerun (FrancoAngeli)
b) Ethnographies of Asia:
B. Malinowski, La vita sessuale dei selvaggi (Bollati Borighieri)
R. Mastromattei, Tremore e potere. La condizione estatica nello sciamanismo himalajano (FrancoAngeli)
c) Open and Transversal Session:
E. De Martino, Il mondo magico (Einaudi)
C. Gallini, Le buone intenzioni: politica e metodologia nell'antropologia culturale statunitense (Guaraldi).
Contents
TOPICS
1. Definition and brief history of the discipline (from Malinowski to Evans-Pritchard);
2. The lexicon of difference: “race”, culture, ethnicity (the Rwandan genocide);
3. Body techniques and the notion of person in sub-Saharan Africa;
4. Notion of health and disease (the case of the "Minamata disease");
5. The magical world and witchcraft (from the works on the Maka of Cameroon to those made in Java)
Thematic insights:
A) primitivism and racialization of Others;
B) the environment and the nature-culture dichotomy.
Course Language
The course is in Italian (I understand English, French, Spanish and Portuguese)
More information
For any information, please send an email to
simona.taliani@unior.it
For the reception, please write to me and wait for confirmation of the appointment.