Module Code and Title:         ETY201 Ethnographic Monographs          

Programme:                          BA in Anthropology

Credit:                                   12

Module Tutor:                       Dolma Choden Roder

General objective: This module explores and analyses both classic and contemporary ethnographic monographs written by well-known anthropologists. The module discusses the impacts of these core ethnographic texts on the development of Anthropology as a discipline. Each ethnographic text will be engaged with critically; this includes a critical appreciation of the time-period in which it was written and the monograph’s relevance for Anthropology today.

Learning outcomes – On completion of this module, students will be able to:

1. Identify core ethnographic texts that have helped shaped the discipline.
2. Situate ethnographic monographs within their historical and theoretical context.
3. Critically evaluate ethnographic monographs.
4. Discuss the influence of the authors’ background and contexts on their publications.
5. Explain the development of the discipline through critical readings of key ethnographic texts.
6. Explore the relationship between theory and ethnography through readings selected from different historical periods, theoretical perspectives, and geographical areas.
7. Examine current themes and trends in ethnography.

Learning and Teaching Approach:

Assessment Approach:

A. Book Review of Classical Monograph: Portion of Final Mark: 20%

Students will select and read a classical monograph (published before 1970). Tools for analyses and comprehension will be provided. Students will submit a written review, which includes a critical summary of the book and an analyses of the theoretical and methodological choices made by the author. This assignment, to be completed before the mid-term, will be assessed for 20% of the module. The expected length of this assignment is 750-1000 words. The book review will be marked based on the following criteria:

3%       Draft (summary and quality of analysis and reflection)

8%       Summary of the book (accuracy and completeness)

4%       Quality of analysis and reflection (includes well stated and original analysis, thoughtfulness of reflection, uses relevant and adequate support for all claims made)

1%       Organization

1 %      Language       

1%       Referencing

2%       Improvement (in comparison to draft, with particular emphasis on consideration and incorporation of feedback provided)

B. Book Review of Contemporary Monograph: Portion of Final Mark: 20%

Students will select and read a contemporary monograph (written within the last 10 years) and submit a written review, which includes a critical summary of the book and an analysis of the theoretical and methodological choices made by the author. This assignment, to be completed before the semester-end examination, will be assessed for 20% of the module. The expected length of this assignment is 750-1000 words. The book-review will be marked based on the following criteria:

3%       Draft (summary and quality of analysis and reflection)

8%       Summary of the book (accuracy and completeness)

4%       Quality of analysis and reflection (includes well stated and original analysis, thoughtfulness of reflection, uses relevant and adequate support for all claims made)

1%       Organization

1%       Language       

1%       Referencing

2%       Improvement (in comparison to draft, with particular emphasis on consideration and incorporation of feedback provided)

C. Peer-Review of Book review: Portion of Final Mark: 5%

Students will peer-review a review written by a classmate. Each student will be expected to critically analyse the book review of a classmate, identity strong and weak points, and offer suggestions for improvement. Their review will be orally presented inside the classroom. Each presentation will last no more than 10 minutes. Students will be marked based on the following criteria:

3%       quality of analysis and usefulness of suggestions

2%       presentation skills (organization, structure, delivery, language use and time management)

D. Response Paper: Portion of Final Mark: 10%

Based upon class lectures and weekly key ethnographic readings (usually an article, chapter or synopsis of a monography, or a review), students will submit a response paper in which they relate key ethnographic texts to their historical context and discuss their importance in the development of the discipline. The response paper will be 500-750 words in length.

2%       Summary of the text’s main arguments (accuracy and completeness)

5%       Quality of analysis (includes well stated and original analysis, thoughtfulness of reflection, use of relevant and adequate support for all claims made, ties analysis to relevant module concepts)

1%       Organization

1%       Language       

1%       Referencing

E. Class participation and preparedness: Portion of Mark: 5%

Students will be expected to participate substantially in class discussions, with contributions reflecting adequate preparation for topics under discussion. 2.5% of class participation and preparedness will be assessed before midterm, and the remaining 2.5% post midterm

F. Midterm Examination: Portion of Final Mark: 10%

Students will take a written exam of 1.5 hr duration covering topics up to the mid-point of the semester.

Pre-requisites: AFD101: Introduction to Anthropology

Subject matter:

1. Unit I: Ethnography in Anthropology (a review)
   • Review of origins and evolution of ethnography within anthropology
   • Histories and examples of ethnographic traditions
2. Unit II: Ethnography in its Context
   • The connection between ethnography and the colonial encounter (Talal Asad, Edward Said)
   • The relationship between the ethnographer and their ethnography
   • Changes in postcolonial ethnography: key trends and debates
3. Unit III: Ethnography and the Production of Anthropological Knowledge;
   • Key themes in ethnography (e.g. kinship, gift and exchange, ritual and religion)
   • Defining ethnographic theory
   • The role of theory in ethnography
   • The influence of Clifford Geertz and the ‘Interpretive Turn’
   • Ethnographic controversies – Mead / Freedman, the Malinowski diaries
4. Unit IV: Contemporary Trends and Topics in Ethnography
   • Defining and describing the crisis of representation – Clifford and Marcus
   • ‘The social lives of things’ – Appadurai
   • Examples of new directions in ethnographic research (e.g. climate change)
5. Unit V: Auto-ethnography
   • The merits and challenges of native anthropology (M.N. Srinivas)
   • Defining and critiquing ethnographic authority
   • Dilemmas in auto-ethnography
   • The effect of subjectivity on ethnography
   • The role of positionality and reflexivity in ethnography

Reading List:

1. Essential Reading

• Clifford, J., & Marcus, G.E. (Eds.). (1986). Writing culture: The poetics and politics of ethnography. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
• Evans-Pritchard, E.E. (1940). The Nuer: A description of the modes of livelihood and political institutions of a Nilotic people. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

1. Additional Readings

• Abu-Lughod, L. (1986). Veiled sentiments: Honor and poetry in a Bedouin society. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
• Barth, F., Parkin, R., Gingrich, A., & Sylverman, S. (2005). One discipline, four ways: British, French, German, and American anthropology. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
• Blasco, P., & Wardle, H. (2007). How to read ethnography. London/New York: Routledge.
• Boddy, J. (1989). Wombs and alien spirits: Women, men, and the Zar cult in Northern Sudan. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press.
• Bourgois, P. (1995). In search of respect: Selling crack in El Barrio. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Briggs, J.L. (1970). Never in anger: Portrait of an Eskimo family. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
• Evans-Pritchard, E.E. (1976). Witchcraft, oracles, and magic among the Azande. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Cohen, L. (1998). No aging in India: Alzheimer’s, the bad family, and other modern things. Berkeley: University of California Press.
• Eriksen, T.H. (2001). Small places, large issues: An introduction to social and cultural anthropology (2nd ed.). London: Pluto Press
• Ferguson, J. (2006). Global shadows: Africa in the neoliberal world order. Durham: Duke University Press.
• Fürer-Haimendorf, C. V. (1939). The naked Nagas. London: Methuen & Co
• Geertz, C. (1973). The interpretation of cultures. New York: Basic Books.
• Leach, E. (1954). Political systems of highland Burma: A study of Kachin social structure. London: Athlone Press.
• Malinowski, B. (1922). Argonauts of the Western Pacific: An account of the native enterprise and adventures in the archipelagoes of Melanesian New Guinea. London: Routledge.
• McCurdy, D.W., Spradley, J.P., & Shandy, D.J. (2004). The cultural experience: Ethnography in complex society. Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press.
• Mead, M. (1975). Coming of age in Samoa: A psychological study of primitive youth for western civilization. New York: William Morrow & Company. (Original work published in 1928)
• Rabinow, P., & Sullivan, W.M. (1987). Interpretive social science: A second look. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
• Robben, A.C.G.M, & Sluka, J.A. (Eds.). (2007). Ethnographic fieldwork: An anthropological reader. Malden, MA: Blackwell.
• Scheper-Hughes, N. (1992). Death without weeping: The violence of everyday life in Brazil. Berkeley: University of California Press.
• Srinivas, M.N. (1976). The remembered village. Berkeley: University of California Press.
• Turner, V. (1966). The ritual process: Structure and anti-structure. London: Aldine Transaction.

Date: March 15, 2018