Cultural Anthropology 2016

This was the homepage for my Cultural Anthropology 2016 course, which was the last time I was able to use Michel-Rolph Trouillot’s book Global Transformations: Anthropology and the Modern World in a classroom setting. This cultural anthropology course would ideally occur after a four field Introduction to Anthropology.

My more recent cultural anthropology course, Cultural Anthropology 2020, significantly revamped the readings. For 2021, see the reflections on Is anthropology more important than ever? and this YouTube playlist:

There were five required books for Cultural Anthropology 2016:

Part 1 – The beautiful idea of culture

1. Trouillot, “Introduction” (1-5); [see the 2013 blog-post Purpose of Anthropology for reflections on these introductory pages.]

2. Benedict, 1-56

3. Benedict, 57-129

4. Benedict, 130-172
Welsch & Vivanco, chapter 2, “Culture: Giving Meaning to Human Lives” (22-40)

5. Benedict, 173-222

6. Benedict, 223-278
Welsch & Vivanco, chapter 4, “Ethnography: Studying Culture” (61-79)
Film: Divorce, Iranian Style

Part 2 – Beautiful Idea, Beautifully Naïve: Culture in the Field

7. Trouillot, “North Atlantic Fictions” (29-46)
Welsch & Vivanco, chapter 8, “Power: Politics and Social Control” (143-164)

8. Bowen, 1-115
Welsch & Vivanco, chapter 3, “Linguistic Anthropology” (41-60)

9. Bowen, 116-155
Welsch & Vivanco, chapter 10, “Kinship, Marriage, and the Family” (184-201)

10. Bowen, 156-221
Welsch & Vivanco, chapter 9, “Gender, Sex, and Sexuality” (165-183)
Film: Strange Beliefs

11. Bowen, 222-297
Welsch & Vivanco, chapter 11, “Religion: Ritual and Belief” (202-220)

12. Trouillot, “Adieu, Culture” (97-116)
Film: Advertising Missionaries

Part 3 – The Culture Problem

13. Trouillot, “A Fragmented Globality” (47-78)
Welsch & Vivanco, chapter 5, “Globalization and Culture” (80-100)

14. Chin, 1-61
Welsch & Vivanco, chapter 7, “Economics: Working, Sharing & Buying” (124-144)

15. Chin, 63-115

16. Chin, 117-141
Welsch & Vivanco, chapter 13, “The Arts” (242-259)

17. Chin, 143-205

18. Welsch & Vivanco, “The Body: Biocultural Perspectives on Health & Illness” (221-241)

Third Paper Due
Film: Race: The House We Live In

Cultural Anthropology at the End of the World

19. Trouillot, “The Anthropology of the State” (79-96)
Welsch & Vivanco, ch. 6, “Sustainability: Environment & Foodways” (101-123)

20. Trouillot, “Making Sense” (117-139)

Share
Tweet
Print
Email
Pin