Corsi di Studio del Dipartimento di Culture, Politica e Società

Basic training in cultural anthropology

In line with the educational goals of the Master in Cultural Anthropology and Ethnology, aimed at  providing a basic preparation in the anthropological discipline and its main thematic fields, this course offers, in the first part, an introductory overview of Political  Anthropology by illustrating its theoretical foundations and their historical development. The second part will explore ethnographic cases from overseas countries and territories of Europe Community . The aim is to develop the students’ critical awareness and autonomy of judgment.

The course aims at providing advanced and specific knowledge of main authors, concepts and debates within Political Anthropology. It intends to enhance the students’ ability to learn about this specific field and its specific lexicon, by analyzing ethnographic cases presented in class and implementing meaningful connection between them.

Lectures. The course is divided in two parts. The first part is a historic and theoretical presentation of the discipline; the second thematic and ethnographic part will alternate lectures with seminar lessons involving students in the presentation of short reports based on selected articles. 

Students will sit an oral exam aiming to assess the acquired basic notions in Political anthropology, their ability to apply such notions to specific cases, and to critically discuss a selected topic. Questions will address both notions acquired while attending the course, and the texts each student selects upon previous agreement with the teacher. The answers will be evaluated according to the following criteria: a) Appropriateness and richness of the contents; b) Clarity of expression and sector-based vocabulary; c) Critical-analytical capacity and ability to give examples.

Students who do not or cannot attend class will present an oral exposition of the texts specifically listed for “non – attending students”. Non-native speakers can give  their answers in French or in English on a selection of agreed texts.

The course will provide students with an overview of authors and theories that have characterized the political anthropology and more generally the anthropological study of power. It will be in particular analyzed the relationship culture/power/creativity. 

In the second part of the course, ethnographic case studies taken from various Territories, Countries and Ultra-Peripheral Ue Regions will be examined. What do this, mainly insular areas, represent for Europe? Are they only residues of ancient empires or they could be viewed as intercultural coexistence laboratories? New Caledonia and French Polynesia in the Pacific; La Réunion and Mayotte in the Indian Ocean; French Guyana, the Caribbean territories of France, Netherlands, United Kingdom; even Greenland, host "aboriginal" and creole population who, with full right, hold European citizenship. What contribution these populations have provided historically to Europe, in economic and political terms, but also in artistic and cultural terms? What kind of requests for recognition and empowerment they now adress to the nation state they are linked with and to the European Union? How does local affiliations interweave with national and European  affiliations? Thanks to thick ethnographic descriptions, we will reflect on this marginalized Europe, mostly unknown to European living "on the continent"

Texts for students attending the course

1. A. Favole, Oceania. Isole di creatività culturale, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2010.
2. Notes of the course.
3. A selection of articles discussed during the course

Texts for students non attending the course

1. A. Favole, Oceania. Isole di creatività culturale, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2010.

2. A text agreed with the teacher

International and Erasmus students may prepare for examinations and take them in French and English.