Universität Wien
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240008 VO Introduction to Political Anthropology (2019W)

3.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 24 - Kultur- und Sozialanthropologie
Moodle

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Details

Language: German

Examination dates

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

  • Wednesday 09.10. 13:15 - 14:45 Hörsaal II NIG Erdgeschoß
  • Wednesday 16.10. 13:15 - 14:45 Hörsaal II NIG Erdgeschoß
  • Wednesday 23.10. 13:15 - 14:45 Hörsaal II NIG Erdgeschoß
  • Wednesday 30.10. 13:15 - 14:45 Hörsaal II NIG Erdgeschoß
  • Wednesday 13.11. 13:15 - 14:45 Hörsaal II NIG Erdgeschoß
  • Wednesday 20.11. 13:15 - 14:45 Hörsaal II NIG Erdgeschoß
  • Wednesday 27.11. 13:15 - 14:45 Hörsaal II NIG Erdgeschoß
  • Wednesday 04.12. 13:15 - 14:45 Hörsaal II NIG Erdgeschoß
  • Wednesday 11.12. 13:15 - 14:45 Hörsaal II NIG Erdgeschoß
  • Wednesday 08.01. 13:15 - 14:45 Hörsaal II NIG Erdgeschoß
  • Wednesday 15.01. 13:15 - 14:45 Hörsaal II NIG Erdgeschoß
  • Wednesday 22.01. 13:15 - 14:45 Hörsaal II NIG Erdgeschoß

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

The course consists of three main parts:
1) An overview over the history and core concepts of Political Anthropology.
2) The treatment of special topics such as ethnicity and nationalism, colonialism and post-colonialism, post-socialism and globalisation.
3) A discussion of aspects of contemporary indigenous politics, mit a focus on hunter-gatherer societies.

Accordingly, the course has three goals:
1) To acquaint you with the historic and contemporary main tendencies within Political Anthropology.
2) To provide a basic understanding of key debates regarding select topics within Political Anthropology.
3) To point out connections to other courses within Social and Cultural Anthropology.

The course has a lecture format with the possibility for discussion.
The course will be accompanied by a tutorium; the dates for the tutorium will announced at the beginning of the semester.

Assessment and permitted materials

Written exam; bonus points through tutorium participation. No auxiliary materials are allowed during the exam.

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

In order to get a positive grade, you need at least 60 out of a possible 100 points.

Examination topics

The exam will cover everything presented in class and part of the mandatory reading list.

Reading list

- Abélès, Marc. 1988. Modern Political Ritual: Ethnography of an Inauguration and a Pilgrimage by President Mitterand. Current Anthropology 29(3):391-404.
- Barth, Fredrik. 1959. Segmentary Opposition and the Theory of Games: A Study of Pathan Organization. Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland 89:5-21.
- Carneiro, Robert L. 1970. A Theory of the Origin of the State. Science 169:733-738.
- Dombrowski, Kirk. 2002. The Praxis of Indigenism and Alaska Native Timber Politics. American Anthropologist 104(4):1062-1073.
- Evans-Pritchard, E.E. 1940. The Nuer of the Southern Sudan. In: African Political Systems. M. Fortes and E.E. Evans-Pritchard, eds. London: KPI: 272-296.
- Gluckman, Max. 1940. Analysis of a Social Situation in Modern Zululand. Bantu Studies 14(1):1-30.
- Harvey, Penelope. 2005. The Materiality of State-Effects: An Ethnography of a Road in the Peruvian Andes. In State Formation: Anthropological Perspectives. C. Krohn-Hansen and K.G. Nustad, eds. Pp. 216-247. London: Pluto Press.
- Hodgson, Dorothy L. 2002. Precarious Alliances: The Cultural Politics and Structural Predicaments of the Indigenous Rights Movement in Tanzania. American Anthropologist 104(4):1086-1097.
- Pels, Peter. 2008. What Has Anthropology Learned from the Anthropology of Colonialism? Social Anthropology 16(3):280–299.
- Ries, Nancy. 2009. Potato Ontology: Surviving Postsocialism in Russia. Cultural Anthropology 24(2):181-212.
- Scott, James C. 1983. Everyday Forms of Class Struggle between Ex-Patrons and Ex-Clients: The Green Revolution in Kedah, Malaysia. International Political Science Review/Revue Internationale de science politique 4(4):537-556.
- Sturm, Circe. 2014. Reflections on the Anthropology of Sovereignty and Settler Colonialism: Lessons from Native North America. Cultural Anthropology 32 (3): 340–348.

Association in the course directory

Last modified: Fr 12.05.2023 00:20