2013-2014

8.2. Cultural Anthropology

Module Supervisor: Prof. Radu Surdulescu
Syllabus for Semester
1. Anthropology as a Comparative Discipline
!ersatility of de"nitions. #ranches. CA$ ethnography$ ethnology. %he
ethnographic method& the structure of "eld in'uiry& "eld speci"city and
participant observation& the informant& the ethnographic te(t. %he
ethnographer)s e(perience. CA vs. mythography$ cultural history$
cultural studies. %emporality and A. paradigms. Rupture vs. continuity.
Allochrony and coevalness. Comparative*evolutionary A.$ cultural
relativism$ functionalism$ structuralist A.$ semiotic A.$ postmodern A.
Criti'ue of essentialism$ ob+ecti"cation$ codi"cation in present*day
approaches. ,lu( and indeterminacy. Change and tradition. #ritish and
American Anthropology - main directions.
. /arris$ 0livia$ 1%he temporalities of tradition: Re2ections on a
changing anthropology3$ in /ubinger$ !aclav 4ed.5$ Grasping the
Changing World: Anthropological Concepts in the Postmodern Era.
. 6eert7$ Cli8ord$ 9%hic: ;escription: %o<ard an =nterpretive %heory of
Culture9$ in The Interpretation of Cultures.
2. Culture and Cultures
%aylor)s de"nition of C. >ebs of signi"cance. Shaped behaviour. C. as
te(t. %hic: description. C. and conte(t. C. and civilisation.
?nculturation. @A and America * a contrastive vie<.
. Pas'uinelli$ Carla$ 9%he concept of culture bet<een modernity and
postmodernity9$ in /ubinger$ !. ...
3. Myths and Rituals
Rituals$ rites. Rites of <orship$ puri"cation$ e(piation$ sacri"ce$
passage$ of gift giving. %aboos$ totems. Myth and ritual. Myth and truth
value. %he linguistic approach. %he structuralist de"nition. ,reudian$
Bungian vie<s. ?liade)s phenomenology of myths. Cassirer. /istoricist
and ideologist vie<s.
Social con2ict as social drama. Rituali7ed forms of authority. %he te(t
analogue and the conte(t of performance. Phases in social drama.
;istance bet<een audience and performers. Ciminal and liminoid.
. ,ra7er$ Sir Bames$ The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and eligion!
Abridged edition. Condon: Papermac$ D8E& "rst published: D22.
4Selected fragments5
. ?liade$ Mircea$ Sacrul "i profanul$ #ucuresti: /umanitas$ DD2.
4Selected fragments5.
. %urner$ !ictor$ 9Acting in ?veryday Cife and ?veryday Cife in Acting9$
in #rom itual to Theatre: The $uman Seriousness of Play.
4. el!" Race" #thnicity
%he tree and the net%or& images about human evolution. Race as a
cultural construct. =ts discursive nature. =ts relational structure.
;ividuals. Multiple identities. ;ispersed identities. %he foreigner <ithin.
Speci"c problematics in the @A and the @SA.
. Ryan$ Michael. 9?thnicity9$ in Cultural Studies: A Practical
Introduction.
. Sarup$ Madan$ FFRace$ =dentity and Gation*ness9$ in Identity' Culture
and the Postmodern World.
. SH:efeld$ Martin$ 9;ebating Self$ =dentity and Culture in
Anthropology9$ in
Current Anthropology$ !ol. IJ$ Go. I$ August*0ctober DDD.
. Seyhan$ A7ade$ 9?thnic Selves9$ in ;aniel$ ?. !. and Pec:$ B. M. ...
. Ryan$ Michael. 9%ransnationality$ 6lobali7ation$ and Postcoloniality9$
in Cultural Studies: A Practical Introduction.
$. %ostmodern &ori'ons in #thnography. (rom Representation
to )nvention
,rom interpretive*te(tualist A.$ to meta*te(tual A. ,ictions inventing
truths. %he ethnographer as a /ermes$ a tric:ster. Rhetorical
strategies. ?thnography and po<er. ;econstructing ethnography. %he
anthropology of postmodernity.
. Cli8ord$ Bames$ F=ntroduction: Partial %ruths)$ in Cli8ord$ Bames and
Marcus$ 6eorge eds. Writing Culture: The Poetics and Politics of
Ethnography.
. Crapan7ano$ !incent$ F/ermes) ;ilemma: %he Mas:ing of Subversion
in ?thnographic ;escription)$ in Writing Culture.
. 6avriluKL$ Gicu$ 9Antropologie sociala si culturala9 * 4multiculturalism$
se(uality$ abortion$ cloning5.
*. Culture and )mmortality
;econstructing mortality and immortality in the modern era.
. #auman$ Mygmunt$ =ntroduction to: Mortality' Immortality and (ther
)ife Strategies.
+. Memory and Culture
. Verovek, Peter. " The Politics of Memory: A Conceptual Approach to the Stuy of
Memory in Politics", at http:!!""".yale.eu!macmillan!ocvpro#ram!conf$papers!Verovsek.pf
,. Cosmopolitics
Modern imaginings. Mass migration. ;angerous convergences. %he
long*distance nationalist. %he dynamics of socialism vs. those of
transition. Pro* and anti*Americanism: myths and realities.
. Anderson$ #enedict$ 9%he Ge< >orld ;isorder9$ in Boan !incent 4ed.5...
. ,rigioiu$ Gic.$ 9Ritualuri politice9$ in Antropologie politic* 4#ucuresti$
2JJD5
. Revel$ Bean*,rancois$ )+o,session anti-am.ricaine 4pp.E*2E5.
. 4optional5 #ehr$ ?d<ard$ /ne Am.ri0ue 0ui fait peur 4pp. E*2I5.
-. Anthropology and .ther &uman ciences
Culture into te(t$ versus te(t into culture. 6enre mi(ing. Re"guration
of social thought. Portrayal$ modelling$ diagnosing. %hree basic
analogies: game$ drama$ te(t. Relationships bet<een CA and literary
studies at various levels.
. 6eert7$ Cli8ord$ F#lurred 6enres: %he Re"guration of Social %hought)$
in )ocal 1no%ledge: #urther Essays in Interpreti2e Anthropology.
. 6eert7$ Cli8ord$ F,ound in %ranslation: 0n the Social /istory of Moral
=magination)$ in )ocal 1no%ledge.
10. upplementary De/ates
Controversial issues in contemporary cultural and social anthropology
4comparative vie<s on small*si7e and comple( societies$ such as @A
and @SA5.
Abortion. Capital punishment. %he 9Christmas9 controversy. Civil
liberties and anti*terrorism measures. ?ducation and terrorism.
?uthanasia. ,ree speech. 6locali7ation. /olocaust$ 6ulag$ genocide.
Marginal groups 4the perspectives of gender$ race$ ethnicity5. Medical
ethics. Multiculturalism. Police interrogation. Political correctness.
Religion and identity. Se( education. Separation of church and state.
Nouth violence.
,@R%/?R R?A;=G6 AG; R?,?R?GC? #00AS 4available at #CSC or upon
re'uest5:
AugO$ Marc$ )e sens des autres: Actualit. de l3anthropologie' Paris:
,ayard$ DDI.
#auman$ Mygmunt. Culture in a )i0uid Modern World. Cambridge:
Polity Press$ 2J.
#auman$ Mygmunt$ Mortality' Immortality and (ther )ife
Strategies$ Stanford: Stanford @niv. Press$ DD2.
#ehr$ ?d<ard$ /ne Am.ri0ue 0ui fait peur 4Paris: Plon$ DDP5
#ell$ Catherine$ itual Theory' itual Practice$ Ge< Nor:: 0(ford
@niv. Press$ DD2.
Cli8ord$ Bames$ The Predicament of Culture: T%entieth Century
Ethnography' )iterature and Art' Cambridge: /arvard @P$ D88.
Cli8ord$ Bames and Marcus$ 6eorge eds. Writing Culture: The Poetics
and Politics of Ethnography' #er:eley: @niv. of California Press$
D8Q.
Coupe$ Caurence$ Myth' Condon: Routledge$ DDD.
;aniel$ ?. !alentine and Pec:$ Be8rey M. eds. Culture4Conte5ture:
E5plorations in Anthropology and )iterary Studies' #er:eley: @niv. of
California Press$ DDQ.
;as$ !eena et al. eds$ 6iolence 7 Su,8ecti2ity$ @. of Calif. P.$ 2JJJ 4c
DDQ5.
;ouglas$ Mary$ Purity and 9anger: An Analysis of the Concepts of
Pollution and Ta,oo$ Condon: Routledge$ DDQ$ DQQ.
,rigioiu$ Gic.$ Antropologie politica 4#ucuresti: %ritonic$ 2JJD5
6avriluta$ Gic.$ Antropologie sociala si culturala 4=asi: Polirom$ 2JJD5
6eert7$ Cli8ord$ The Interpretation of Cultures$ Ge< Nor:: #asic
#oo:s$ DER.
6eert7$ Cli8ord$ )ocal 1no%ledge: #urther Essays in Interpreti2e
Anthropology' Condon: ,ontana Press$ DDR 4c D8R5.
6oody$ Bac:$ The East in the West$ Cambridge: Cambridge @niv.
Press$ DDQ.
/endry$ Boy$ An Introduction to Social Anthropology: (ther People3s
Worlds' Condon: MacMillan Press$ DDD.
/ubinger$ !aclav 4ed.5$ Grasping the Changing World:
Anthropological Concepts in the Postmodern Era. Condon:
Routledge$ DDQ.
=ngold$ %im ed.. 1ey 9e,ates in Anthropology' Condon: Routledge$
DDQS2JJ.
=ser$ >olfgang$ The #icti2e and the Imaginary: Charting )iterary
Anthropology' Bohns /op:ins @. P.$ DDR.
Auper$ Adam$ Culture: The Anthropological Account 4Condon:
Routledge$ DDQ5.
Cane$ Christopher$ ed.. The Psychoanalysis of ace' Ge< Nor::
Columbia @P$ DD8.
;i Ceonardo$ Micaela$ 9=ntroduction: 6ender$ Culture$ and Political
?conomy9$ in Gender at the Crossroads of 1no%ledge: #eminist
Anthropology in the Postmodern Era$ #er:eley: @niv. of California
Press$ DD.
Marcus$ 6eorge and ,ischer$ Michael$ Anthropology as Cultural
Criti0ue: An E5perimental Moment in the $uman Sciences' Chicago:
@niv. of Chicago Press$ D8QSDDD.
Moore$ /enrietta$ Anthropological Theory Today' Condon: Malden:
Polity Press$ DDDS2JJJ.
Rapport$ Gigel T 0vering$ Boanna$ Social and Cultural Anthropology:
The 1ey Concepts' Condon: Routledge$ 2JJJ.
Revel$ Bean*,rancois$ )+o,session anti-am.ricaine 4Paris: Plon$
2JJ25.
Sarup$ Madan$ FFRace)$ =dentity and Gation*ness)$ in Identity' Culture
and the Postmodern World' ?dinburgh: ?dinburgh @niversity Press$
DDQ.
Sevillia$ Bean. Corectitudinea moral 4#ucuresti: /umanitas$ 2JJD5
Surdulescu$ Radu$ The aping of Identity: Studies on Physical and
Sym,olic 6iolence$ =asi: =nstitutul ?uropean$ 2JJQ.
%urner$ !ictor$ FActing in ?veryday Cife and ?veryday Cife in Acting)$
in #rom itual to Theatre: The $uman Seriousness of Play' Ge< Nor::
PAB #oo:s$ D82.
%urner$ !ictor$ 9ramas' #ields and Metaphors$ =thaca: Cornell @. P.$
DDQ.
*Verovek$ Peter. 9 %he Politics of Memory: A Conceptual Approach to the
Study of Memory in Politics9$ at
http:SS<<<.yale.eduSmacmillanSocvprogramSconfUpapersS!erovse:.pdf
!incent$ Boan 4ed.5$ The Anthropology of Politics: A eader in
Ethnography' Theory' and Criti0ue 4Malden: #lac:<ell Publishing$
2JJ25.
;e !ries$ /ent and >eber$ Samuel eds$ 6iolence' Identity and Self-
9etermination' Stanford: Stanford @niv. Press$ DDE.
>inthrop$ Robert /.$ 9ictionary of Concepts in Cultural
Anthropology' Ge< Nor:: 6reen<ood Press$ DD.