Universität Wien

240008 VO Introduction to Political Anthropology (2022S)

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

Die Lehrveranstaltungsleitung kann Studierende zu einem notenrelevanten Gespräch über erbrachte Teilleistungen einladen.
Plagiierte oder erschlichene Teilleistungen führen zur Nichtbewertung der Lehrveranstaltung (Eintragung eines 'X' im Sammelzeugnis). Es kommt die Plagiatssoftware (‘Turnitin') zum Einsatz.
Moodle

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).
Register/Deregister for this course

Details

Language: German

Examination dates

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

If possible, the course is to be conducted in presence. Due to the respective applicable distance regulations and other measures, adjustments may be made.

  • Thursday 10.03. 11:30 - 13:00 Hörsaal II NIG Erdgeschoß
  • Thursday 17.03. 11:30 - 13:00 Hörsaal II NIG Erdgeschoß
  • Thursday 24.03. 11:30 - 13:00 Hörsaal II NIG Erdgeschoß
  • Thursday 31.03. 11:30 - 13:00 Hörsaal II NIG Erdgeschoß
  • Thursday 07.04. 11:30 - 13:00 Hörsaal II NIG Erdgeschoß
  • Thursday 28.04. 11:30 - 13:00 Hörsaal II NIG Erdgeschoß
  • Thursday 05.05. 11:30 - 13:00 Hörsaal II NIG Erdgeschoß
  • Thursday 12.05. 11:30 - 13:00 Hörsaal II NIG Erdgeschoß
  • Thursday 19.05. 11:30 - 13:00 Hörsaal II NIG Erdgeschoß
  • Thursday 02.06. 11:30 - 13:00 Hörsaal II NIG Erdgeschoß
  • Thursday 09.06. 11:30 - 13:00 Hörsaal II NIG Erdgeschoß
  • Thursday 23.06. 11:30 - 13:00 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. The following grading scale will be used:
1 ("sehr gut"): 90-100 points
2 ("gut"): 80-89 points
3 ("befriedigend"): 70-79 points
4 ("genügend"): 60-69 points
5 ("nicht genügend"): 0-59 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 02.09.2022 12:48