Philosophy of Anthropology Course

Philosophy. Study the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality and existence.

This introductory course crosses many fields including sociology, cultural theory, linguistics, ethnography, psychology, and evolutionary theory. Anthropology, though its own distinctive field and its unique history, has drawn from and contributed back to many of these areas. During this course, we will take a cultural/historical approach to track the philosophical ideas which underpin anthropology, from its 19th century beginnings to the present.

One of cultural anthropology’s most important contributions to 20th century philosophy is its development of a distinctive theory of cultural differences. Many philosophical post-structuralist and postmodernists, including Foucault, rely broadly on this approach. It attempts to understand cultures from the inside: its members form a distinct community who have acquired their worldview through socialisation into this community.

We will begin this course in the 19th century and review the work of James George Frazer “The Golden Bough_” (1890), before moving on to the early 20th century and Émile Durkheim’s “_Primitive Classification_” (1903), Franz Boas’ “_The Mind of Primitive Man_” (1911), and Margaret Mead's “_Coming of Age in Samoa" (1928). We then explore the late 20th century and the philosophical theories of structuralism and post-structuralism. Included is the text: “_Structural Anthropology_” (Claude Lévi-Strauss, 1958). From the late 20th century to present, we consider topics including race theory, urban anthropology, and the impact of globalisation on indigenous peoples. We will also consider the growing area of engaged anthropology, which seeks to address the challenges facing local communities amid increasing globalisation.

Aims

The aim of this ten-week course is to provide you with an overview of cultural anthropology, its relationship to the development of ideas concerning race and ethnicity, and how it can impact real world change. You will also make the connection between the history of anthropology and developments in broader areas of philosophy, linguistics, and cultural theory.

Outcomes

By the end of this course, you should be able to:

• describe the origins of anthropology and its historical development
• comprehend the philosophical ideas which form the basis of the anthropological movement
• discuss the impact of anthropology on other disciplines, such as the social sciences, psychology, and evolutionary theory
• relate anthropological ideas to contemporary debate concerning issues of race, ethnicity, and religion
• apply anthropological theory to the broader philosophy of identity politics.

Content

Introduction to anthropology

We begin by defining the area of study and introducing specific terms. Cultural anthropology, for example, is the study of how people who share a common cultural system organise and shape the physical and social world around them, and are in turn shaped by those ideas, behaviours, and physical environments.

Origins of anthropology

The philosophical interest in non-European societies as means of defining the human condition has a long history. We discuss the concepts behind this interest and analyse “_Evidence as to Man's Place in Nature_” (Thomas Henry Huxley, 1863) and Franz Boas’s theory of cultural relativism.

Myth and rituals

The interest in the myths and rituals of non-European societies may have begun with a fascination in ‘exoticism’, but eventually led theorists to a deeper understanding of the structure of all human religions. Texts for discussion include James George Frazer’s “_The Golden Bough_” (1890) and Émile Durkheim’s “_Primitive Classification_” (1903).

The sociological turn

The founders of sociology gave anthropology a working theoretical structure. We examine the philosophy behind this structure in Max Weber’s “_The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism_” (1905) (English translation: 1930).

Anthropology in the field

Early field workers like Margaret Mead later came into some disrepute for their assumed western bias. However, given that cultural bias is inevitable in any cross-cultural work, has history been too harsh on these early pioneers? We consider texts including Bronisław Malinowski’s “_Sex and Repression in Savage Society_” (1927), Margaret Mead’s “_Coming of Age in Samoa_” (1928) and Ruth Benedict’s “_The Chrysanthemum and the Sword_” (1946).

Structuralism: Claude Lévi-Strauss

Structuralism transformed many areas of philosophy, linguistics and anthropology. We will consider the monumental work of Claude Lévi-Strauss "_Structural Anthropology_” (1958).

Post-Structuralism

The Post-Structural movement can be considered as either a reaction against Structuralism or an extension of it. There are many important philosophers in this movement, including Wittgenstein, Foucault, and Derrida. We look at impact of Structuralism on anthropology using Edward Said’s “_Orientalism_” (1978) as an example. Said was not an anthropologist, however his work was influential across many areas of cultural theory including anthropology.

Urban anthropology

Urban anthropology turns its attention to the study of urban groups, often sub-cultures within larger city environments. The group need not be racially, religiously, or ethnically different to the major culture. This work enabled a broader perspective on Western societies. We discuss a range of studies in this area.

Contemporary debates

The 21st century has produced a considerable expansion of anthropology into new areas, but also a claim that the domain is in theoretical crisis. We will consider both sides of the story.

Engaged anthropology

We discuss some case studies in this new area of anthropology, including field anthropologist Edith Turner’s work. Turner began with an interest in documenting the religious healing practices of indigenous Inupiat people of Alaska, but during her research she uncovered an undisclosed nuclear waste dump in their area. The group reported high levels of cancer and the government was indifferent to hear their case. Turner helped take their case to the UN.

Intended audience

Anyone with a general interest in philosophy.

Prerequisites

None

Delivery style

Lecture/seminar

Materials

Course notes are distributed electronically.

Chronological bibliography

1850 to 1899

Immanuel Kant, Anthropology from a Pragmatic Point of View, 1798
Charles Darwin, On the Origin of Species, 1859
Johann Jakob Bachofen, Myth, Religion, and Mother Right: Selected Writings of J.J. Bachofen, 1861 (English translation: 1967)
Thomas Henry Huxley, Evidence as to Man's Place in Nature, 1863
James George Frazer, The Golden Bough, 1890  

1900 to 1919

Émile Durkheim, Primitive Classification, 1903

Max Weber, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, 1905 (English translation: 1930)

Franz Boas, The Mind of Primitive Man, 1911

Sigmund Freud, Totem and Taboo, 1913

Max Weber, The Religion of China: Confucianism and Taoism, 1915 (English translation: 1951)  

1920 to 1959

Bronisław Malinowski, Argonauts of the Western Pacific, 1922

Franz Boas, Primitive Art, 1927

Bronisław Malinowski, Sex and Repression in Savage Society, 1927

Margaret Mead, Coming of Age in Samoa, 1928

Ruth Benedict, The Chrysanthemum and the Sword, 1946

Laura Bohannan, Return to Laughter, 1954

Claude Lévi-Strauss, Structural Anthropology, 1958  

1960 to 1999

Mary Douglas, Purity and Danger: An Analysis of Concepts of Pollution and Taboo, 1966

Pierre Bourdieu, Outline of a Theory of Practice, 1972

Henri Lefebvre, The Production of Space, 1974 (English translation: 1991)

Edward Said, Orientalism, 1978

George Lakoff and Mark Johnson, Metaphors We Live By, 1980

Donna Haraway, Simians, Cyborgs and Women: The Reinvention of Nature, 1991

Jared Diamond, The Third Chimpanzee, 1991

Mary Douglas, Risk and Blame: Essays in Cultural Theory, 1992  

2000s

David Graeber, Debt: The First 5000 Years, 2011

Tim Ingold, Being Alive: Essays on Movement, Knowledge and Description, 2011

Alan Barnard, Social Anthropology and Human Origins, 2011

Maurice Bloch, Anthropology and the Cognitive Challenge, 2012

Jared Diamond, The World Until Yesterday: What Can We Learn from Traditional Societies?, 2014

Robert Harrison, The Prophet of Envy: On the Enduring Relevance of Rene Girard, 2018

Kenneth Guest, Cultural Anthropology: A Reader for a Global Age, 2019

Charles King, The Reinvention of Humanity, 2020