Universität Wien
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240525 SE MM3 Selling/Consuming Identities (2025W)

5.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 24 - Kultur- und Sozialanthropologie
Continuous assessment of course work

Participation at first session is obligatory!

The lecturer can invite students to a grade-relevant discussion about partial achievements. Partial achievements that are obtained by fraud or plagiarized result in the non-evaluation of the course (entry 'X' in certificate). The plagiarism software 'Turnitin' will be used.
The use of AI tools (e.g. ChatGPT) for the attainment of partial achievements is only allowed if explicitly requested by the course instructor.
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).

Details

max. 25 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

  • Thursday 16.10. 15:00 - 18:15 Hörsaal C, NIG 4. Stock
  • Thursday 13.11. 15:00 - 18:15 Hörsaal C, NIG 4. Stock
  • Thursday 04.12. 15:00 - 18:15 Hörsaal C, NIG 4. Stock
  • Wednesday 17.12. 13:15 - 16:30 Hörsaal C, NIG 4. Stock
  • Thursday 08.01. 15:00 - 18:15 Hörsaal C, NIG 4. Stock
  • Thursday 15.01. 15:00 - 18:15 Hörsaal C, NIG 4. Stock
  • Thursday 22.01. 15:00 - 18:15 Hörsaal C, NIG 4. Stock

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

The seminar deals with the analisis of the commercialization of authenticity and identities (ethnicity e.g.), which is essential and indispensable to understand societies in the context of material culture from a contemporary anthropological perspective. In the seminar, theoretical anthropological approaches will be discussed and linked to anthroological case studies, sources and/or fieldwork data of the participating students.

The course introduces anthropological theory and practice about material culture and consumption related to local/global strategies of identity marketing. The students are enabled to identify and analyse research fields of material culture studies and consumption anthropology through studying anthropological texts and doing fieldwork (optional). Processes of appreciation and devaluation of consumer practices are shown as integral part of emphasizing differences in societies. The importance of materiality for daily life and identity establishing processes will become unveiled on different social levels and ranks.

The methodology of the course includes:
+ short input sequences
+ documentations and videos
+ analysis & discussion of anthropological texts, text & film analysis
+ topical working groups with particular assignments (e.g. fieldwork, interviews, text/material analysis)
+ all steps supported by blended learning (Moodle)

Assessment and permitted materials

Assessment (of academic achievement):
+ adequate attandance
+ individual quality of participation
+ written term paper (to be handed in until 23rd of March latest)

Optional: Students will receive feedback with a suggested grade if they submit a complete and formally correct portfolio by February 9th, 2026. Students then have until March 23rd, 2026, to improve their work.

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

Grading criteria:
+ basic requirement: adequate course participation (continuos attendance)
+ quality of course participation (45%)
+ qualitiy of term paper (55%)

The lecturer can invite students to a grade-relevant discussion about partial achievements. Partial achievements that are obtained by fraud or plagiarized result in the non-evaluation of the course (entry 'X' in certificate). The plagiarism software 'Turnitin' will be used for courses with continuous assessment.

Examination topics

Required reading (to be provided on the moodle platform from october 2026 on)

Reading list

Recommendations (required reading will be discussed in th first seminar block):
BÖNISCH-BREDNICH, Brigitte (2010) (Hrg.) Local lives. Migration and the politics of place, Burlington, VT, Ashgate.
MILLER, Daniel. (ed.). 2002. Consumption: critical concepts in the social sciences. Volumes 1-4. London, Routledge.
MILLER, Daniel. 2008. The comfort of things. Cambridge [u.a.], Polity.
DASTON, Lorraine. (ed.) 2004. Things that talk: object lessons from art and science. New York, NY, Zone Books.
EDWARDS, Elizabeth/ GOSDEN, Chris/ PHILLIPS, Ruth B. (2006). Introduction. In: EDWARDS, Elizabeth et al. (eds.), Sensible Objects. Colonialism, Museums and Material Culture. Oxford & New York/ Berg Publishers: 1-31.
GRAVES-BROWN, Paul (2000). Introduction. In: ders. (ed.), Matter, Materiality and Modern Culture. London & New York, Routledge: 1-9.
HALTER, Marilyn (2000) Shopping for Identity. The Marketing of Ethnicity. Schocken Books, New York.
KALTMEIER, Olaf (2011) (Hrg.) Selling Ethnicity. Urban Cultural Politics in the Americas. Burlington, VT, Ashgate.
KOPYTOFF, Igor (2001). The Cultural Biography of Things: Commoditization as Process” In: Miller, Daniel (ed.), Consumption - Critical Concepts in the Social Sciences, Vol. III [Disciplinary approaches to consumption]. London & New York, Routledge: 9-33.
MILLER, Daniel (2005). Materiality: An Introduction. In: ders. (ed.), Materiality. Durham & London, Duke University Press: 1-50.

Association in the course directory

Last modified: Tu 30.09.2025 12:07