Anth3131

Contemporary Cultural Anthropology

Spring 2006 Syllabus & Workbook | WebCT

Course Description
In this course, we focus on understanding the practice and methods of contemporary cultural Anthropology by reading and analyzing four ethnographies. We will (1) explore the concept of ‘culture,' definitions of cultural difference and cultural diversity; (2) learn about important topics in Cultural Anthropology such as kinship, gender, economy, religion, and ethnicity; (3) examine the nature of ethnographic fieldwork and the specific ways in which it seeks to study social issues; and (4) use this exposure to other cultural categories, concepts, and ideologies to reflect critically on aspects of our own societies.

Texts & Films I've used in this course:

Note: Please consult your syllabus to determine what we're reading this time around!

Lila Abu-Lughod, 1986, Veiled Sentiments: Honor and Poetry in a Bedouin Society. Listen to a sampling of ghinnawas here, and here to a lecture on Abu-Lughod's work.

Barbara Belejack (2002) “Bio “gold” Rush in Chiapas on Hold,” in NACLA Vol. XXXV, #5 [on-campus access only. From off-campus, you can find this article on-line through Neumann Library, in the Academic Search Premier Database. Consult me or a reference librarian if you need assistance finding it.]

Bruce Grant, 1995, In the Soviet House of Culture: A Century of Perestroikas

Matthews Masayuki Hamabata, 1990, Crested Kimono: Power and Love in the Japanese Business Family (See the AT HOME IN JAPAN reference guide)

Cori Hayden, 2004, When Nature goes Public: The making and unmaking of Bioprospecting in Mexico
(Read about bioprospecting in New Zealand here and in Madagascar here)

Alan Klein, 1999, Baseball on the Border: A story of two Laredos

Kirin Narayan, 1989, Storytellers, Saints and Scoundrels: Folk Narrative and Hindu Religious Teaching

Marjorie Shostak, 1981, Nisa: Life and Words of a !Kung Woman

Other texts I might use in the future:

Adriana Petryna, 2003, Life Exposed: Biological Citizens After Chernobyl

Films

| Life Running Out of Control; see also: Navdanya and the Center for Food Safety

| The Three Worlds of Bali: article on Balinese water temples & a site on "The Balinese"

| Desi: South Asians in New York: Interview with filmmaker Shebana Coelho

| Culture Jam: see also "We're all Borf in the end" (from The Washington Post, July 24 2005)|

Other Materials of Interest

An American take on Kinship: "I'm my own Grandpa" & since I can't put Willie Nelson's recording on without copyright infringement, here's my 'umble rendition

Related to Prospecting
NPR's Morning Edition Series on Nigerian Oil (August 2005):
1. Race to share in Nigeria's Oil Bounty
2. Oil pits locals against companies, government

Note: You may need Real Player to listen to the stories; download the free version here.

The Starbucks take on benefit-returns: 2005 ad campaign (photo by Deepa Reddy; Honolulu International Airport)

Hand-clapping game from an old Nigerian nursery-rhyme

This is the way to the kingdom, come and see
In the kingdom there is a palace, come and see
In the palace there is a bedroom, come and see
In the bedroom there is a bed, come and see
On the bed there is a basket, come and see
In the basket there is a bottle, come and see
In the bottle there is water, come and see
In the water there is a flower, come and see
On the flower there is a bee, come and see
In the bee there is honey, come and see
Honey in the bee,
Bee on the flower,
Flower in the water,
Water in the bottle,
Bottle in the basket,
Basket on the bed,
Bed in the bedroom,
Room in the palace,
Palace in the kingdom,
This is the way to the kingdom, come and see