Summary Anthropology
INHOUDSOPGAVE
Week 1: Introduction to the course................................................................................................ 3
Reading(s) ....................................................................................................................................... 3
What is anthropology? ..................................................................................................................... 3
Week 2: The science of ethnography I; the method and the product ................................................ 4
Reading(s) ....................................................................................................................................... 4
Introduction class 2 ......................................................................................................................... 5
Ethnography .................................................................................................................................... 6
The Argonauts of the Western Pacific (1922) Malinowski ................................................................. 7
Participant observation ................................................................................................................. 7
Some advantages of ethnography .................................................................................................. 8
Field: Where do anthropologists do their research? ........................................................................... 9
Week 3: The science of ethnography II – Epistemological considerations and their implications .....11
Readings ....................................................................................................................................... 11
What is a bias? .............................................................................................................................. 14
Shifting grounds of positionality ...................................................................................................... 14
Week 4: Why anthropology? .........................................................................................................18
Readings ....................................................................................................................................... 18
Text 1: A. Pandian: Introduction: An ethnographer among the Anthropologists ............................... 18
Text 2: Writing Against Culture by Lila Abu-Lughod ...................................................................... 19
Part 1 of the class: Why anthropology? ............................................................................................ 21
What to do with anthropology? And the anthropologists?.............................................................. 21
Ethnography as union..................................................................................................................... 21
History of anthropology ............................................................................................................... 21
Part 2 ............................................................................................................................................ 22
What is culture? ......................................................................................................................... 22
Week 6: Guest lecture .................................................................................................................25
Readings ....................................................................................................................................... 25
An anthropology of Nonreligion? .................................................................................................. 25
Bringing Intersectionality to the Core of Social and Cultural Anthropology: Scaling Holistic
Intersectionality ......................................................................................................................... 27
Intersectionality & anthropology ..................................................................................................... 28
1
, Positionality .................................................................................................................................. 28
Anthropology of (non)religion .......................................................................................................... 29
Concluding remarks....................................................................................................................... 30
Week 7: Digital anthropology .......................................................................................................30
Readings ....................................................................................................................................... 30
Digital anthropology .................................................................................................................... 30
Social Media in Southeast Turkey ................................................................................................ 31
What is digital anthropology?.......................................................................................................... 33
1) The digital intensifies the dialectical nature of culture (growth in universality and particularity)
33
2) Humanity is not more mediated by the rise of the digital ....................................................... 33
3) Holism ............................................................................................................................... 33
4) Cultural relativism .............................................................................................................. 34
5) Openness and closure ........................................................................................................ 34
6) Materiality of digital world.................................................................................................... 34
What does anthropology add to the study of digital technologies? .................................................... 34
Week 8: Doing digital ethnography ...............................................................................................35
Readings ....................................................................................................................................... 35
Ethnography of the digital ............................................................................................................... 36
General principles of ethnography and digital ethnography ........................................................... 36
Ethnography in digital worlds .......................................................................................................... 36
Week 9 & 10: Visual Anthropology ................................................................................................37
Readings ....................................................................................................................................... 37
The visual in anthropology ........................................................................................................... 37
Seeing anthropology ................................................................................................................... 39
What is visual anthropology? .......................................................................................................... 41
Basic assumptions visual anthropology .......................................................................................... 42
Visual ethnography ........................................................................................................................ 44
Photography ............................................................................................................................... 45
Week 11: The anthropology of migration .......................................................................................45
Readings ....................................................................................................................................... 45
Intro .............................................................................................................................................. 47
Problematisation of sedentarist approach – Liisa Malkki .................................................................. 49
The opposite of sedentarism: the nomadic paradigm ................................................................... 49
Borders: what are they and why they matter .................................................................................... 50
Palestine/Israel: a case study ...................................................................................................... 52
Bordering without and within ....................................................................................................... 52
The industry of borders ............................................................................................................... 52
2
, The case of family reunification ...................................................................................................... 52
The history of family migrants in Belgium ..................................................................................... 53
Women as problematic migrants ................................................................................................. 53
Huge challenges for families to reunite ........................................................................................ 53
What happens if you fall in love with someone who does not hold Belgian or EU nationality? .......... 56
WEEK 1: INTRODUCTION TO THE COURSE
Reading(s)
Text 1: What is a Classroom For? Teaching the Anthropology of Palestine
In this article: Maura Finkelstein reflects on her experiences as an anti-Zionist Jewish faculty
member introducing a course titled "The Anthropology of Palestine" at a small liberal arts college.
She views the classroom as a dynamic space for mutual engagement, activism, and learning,
emphasizing the importance of fostering critical thinking and challenging preconceived notions.
Finkelstein's motivation to develop this course stemmed from two primary sources:
1. Campus Climate: She observed a dominant influence of pro-Israel narratives, leading to
a noticeable absence of Palestinian perspectives.
2. Personal Experience: A transformative faculty development seminar in East Jerusalem
and the West Bank exposed her to the tangible realities of occupation, evoking a profound
sense of anger and urgency to address these issues academically.
She emphasizes the significance of firsthand experience in teaching sensitive subjects, noting
that prior to her visit, she lacked a deep understanding of the material. This experience
underscored the anthropological practice of "bearing witness," highlighting the value of
direct engagement in comprehending complex socio-political contexts.
Finkelstein's approach to the course involves curating a syllabus predominantly featuring
Palestinian scholars and voices, aiming to provide students with an authentic and nuanced
understanding of Palestinian experiences and histories. This initiative seeks to challenge
existing campus narratives and foster a more inclusive discourse on the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict.
In essence, Finkelstein advocates for the classroom to serve as a transformative space where
both educators and students collaboratively engage in critical reflection, confront
discomfort, and reconstruct their understanding of the world through diverse and often
marginalized perspectives.
What is anthropology?
Anthropology as the study of humans as cultural and social beings - shaped and inspired by
postcolonial thinking and reflections.
Anthropology:
- Aims to study and describe in the broadest possible sense what it means to be human
3
, - Anthropology is the study of humanity across time and space
- The scientific study of human beings as social organisms interacting with each other in their
environment
- Comparative studies
It is
- Holistic
- Interdisciplinary
- Global
Method to study anthropology: Ethnography
= studies human behaviour in the natural settings in which people live – immersion, mind and
body
“To grasp the native's point of view, his relation to life, to realize his vision of his world"
BUT comes from an uncomfortable past:
Anthropology is a child of Western imperialism
Example: Photography
Photography was developed in Europe at the height of the British empire, and amongst the first
subjects of the lens were colonized people around the world.
So… does it study or produce diversity?
In a world of divisions, we must work for union. We must defend humanity, defend life, envision a
new possible future. We as part of the world.
Anthropology (and ethnography) only science that ask from you to immerse yourself in the
world…
WEEK 2: THE SCIENCE OF ETHNOGRAPHY I: THE METHOD AND THE
PRODUCT
Reading(s)
Discipline and practice: ‘The field’ as site, method, and location in
anthropology. in Gupta and Ferguson, Anthropological locations: Boundaries and grounds
of a field science.
In this article: the concept of the field in anthropology, challenging traditional assumptions
about fieldwork, location, and ethnographic authority. Their work is a foundational critique of
how anthropology has historically framed its sites of study.
1. The Problem of ‘The Field’ in Anthropology
- Anthropology has conventionally treated the field as a distant, bounded, and exotic place,
reinforcing a colonialist perspective.
- The distinction between “home” (where theory is produced) and “the field” (where data is
gathered) is problematic.
4
INHOUDSOPGAVE
Week 1: Introduction to the course................................................................................................ 3
Reading(s) ....................................................................................................................................... 3
What is anthropology? ..................................................................................................................... 3
Week 2: The science of ethnography I; the method and the product ................................................ 4
Reading(s) ....................................................................................................................................... 4
Introduction class 2 ......................................................................................................................... 5
Ethnography .................................................................................................................................... 6
The Argonauts of the Western Pacific (1922) Malinowski ................................................................. 7
Participant observation ................................................................................................................. 7
Some advantages of ethnography .................................................................................................. 8
Field: Where do anthropologists do their research? ........................................................................... 9
Week 3: The science of ethnography II – Epistemological considerations and their implications .....11
Readings ....................................................................................................................................... 11
What is a bias? .............................................................................................................................. 14
Shifting grounds of positionality ...................................................................................................... 14
Week 4: Why anthropology? .........................................................................................................18
Readings ....................................................................................................................................... 18
Text 1: A. Pandian: Introduction: An ethnographer among the Anthropologists ............................... 18
Text 2: Writing Against Culture by Lila Abu-Lughod ...................................................................... 19
Part 1 of the class: Why anthropology? ............................................................................................ 21
What to do with anthropology? And the anthropologists?.............................................................. 21
Ethnography as union..................................................................................................................... 21
History of anthropology ............................................................................................................... 21
Part 2 ............................................................................................................................................ 22
What is culture? ......................................................................................................................... 22
Week 6: Guest lecture .................................................................................................................25
Readings ....................................................................................................................................... 25
An anthropology of Nonreligion? .................................................................................................. 25
Bringing Intersectionality to the Core of Social and Cultural Anthropology: Scaling Holistic
Intersectionality ......................................................................................................................... 27
Intersectionality & anthropology ..................................................................................................... 28
1
, Positionality .................................................................................................................................. 28
Anthropology of (non)religion .......................................................................................................... 29
Concluding remarks....................................................................................................................... 30
Week 7: Digital anthropology .......................................................................................................30
Readings ....................................................................................................................................... 30
Digital anthropology .................................................................................................................... 30
Social Media in Southeast Turkey ................................................................................................ 31
What is digital anthropology?.......................................................................................................... 33
1) The digital intensifies the dialectical nature of culture (growth in universality and particularity)
33
2) Humanity is not more mediated by the rise of the digital ....................................................... 33
3) Holism ............................................................................................................................... 33
4) Cultural relativism .............................................................................................................. 34
5) Openness and closure ........................................................................................................ 34
6) Materiality of digital world.................................................................................................... 34
What does anthropology add to the study of digital technologies? .................................................... 34
Week 8: Doing digital ethnography ...............................................................................................35
Readings ....................................................................................................................................... 35
Ethnography of the digital ............................................................................................................... 36
General principles of ethnography and digital ethnography ........................................................... 36
Ethnography in digital worlds .......................................................................................................... 36
Week 9 & 10: Visual Anthropology ................................................................................................37
Readings ....................................................................................................................................... 37
The visual in anthropology ........................................................................................................... 37
Seeing anthropology ................................................................................................................... 39
What is visual anthropology? .......................................................................................................... 41
Basic assumptions visual anthropology .......................................................................................... 42
Visual ethnography ........................................................................................................................ 44
Photography ............................................................................................................................... 45
Week 11: The anthropology of migration .......................................................................................45
Readings ....................................................................................................................................... 45
Intro .............................................................................................................................................. 47
Problematisation of sedentarist approach – Liisa Malkki .................................................................. 49
The opposite of sedentarism: the nomadic paradigm ................................................................... 49
Borders: what are they and why they matter .................................................................................... 50
Palestine/Israel: a case study ...................................................................................................... 52
Bordering without and within ....................................................................................................... 52
The industry of borders ............................................................................................................... 52
2
, The case of family reunification ...................................................................................................... 52
The history of family migrants in Belgium ..................................................................................... 53
Women as problematic migrants ................................................................................................. 53
Huge challenges for families to reunite ........................................................................................ 53
What happens if you fall in love with someone who does not hold Belgian or EU nationality? .......... 56
WEEK 1: INTRODUCTION TO THE COURSE
Reading(s)
Text 1: What is a Classroom For? Teaching the Anthropology of Palestine
In this article: Maura Finkelstein reflects on her experiences as an anti-Zionist Jewish faculty
member introducing a course titled "The Anthropology of Palestine" at a small liberal arts college.
She views the classroom as a dynamic space for mutual engagement, activism, and learning,
emphasizing the importance of fostering critical thinking and challenging preconceived notions.
Finkelstein's motivation to develop this course stemmed from two primary sources:
1. Campus Climate: She observed a dominant influence of pro-Israel narratives, leading to
a noticeable absence of Palestinian perspectives.
2. Personal Experience: A transformative faculty development seminar in East Jerusalem
and the West Bank exposed her to the tangible realities of occupation, evoking a profound
sense of anger and urgency to address these issues academically.
She emphasizes the significance of firsthand experience in teaching sensitive subjects, noting
that prior to her visit, she lacked a deep understanding of the material. This experience
underscored the anthropological practice of "bearing witness," highlighting the value of
direct engagement in comprehending complex socio-political contexts.
Finkelstein's approach to the course involves curating a syllabus predominantly featuring
Palestinian scholars and voices, aiming to provide students with an authentic and nuanced
understanding of Palestinian experiences and histories. This initiative seeks to challenge
existing campus narratives and foster a more inclusive discourse on the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict.
In essence, Finkelstein advocates for the classroom to serve as a transformative space where
both educators and students collaboratively engage in critical reflection, confront
discomfort, and reconstruct their understanding of the world through diverse and often
marginalized perspectives.
What is anthropology?
Anthropology as the study of humans as cultural and social beings - shaped and inspired by
postcolonial thinking and reflections.
Anthropology:
- Aims to study and describe in the broadest possible sense what it means to be human
3
, - Anthropology is the study of humanity across time and space
- The scientific study of human beings as social organisms interacting with each other in their
environment
- Comparative studies
It is
- Holistic
- Interdisciplinary
- Global
Method to study anthropology: Ethnography
= studies human behaviour in the natural settings in which people live – immersion, mind and
body
“To grasp the native's point of view, his relation to life, to realize his vision of his world"
BUT comes from an uncomfortable past:
Anthropology is a child of Western imperialism
Example: Photography
Photography was developed in Europe at the height of the British empire, and amongst the first
subjects of the lens were colonized people around the world.
So… does it study or produce diversity?
In a world of divisions, we must work for union. We must defend humanity, defend life, envision a
new possible future. We as part of the world.
Anthropology (and ethnography) only science that ask from you to immerse yourself in the
world…
WEEK 2: THE SCIENCE OF ETHNOGRAPHY I: THE METHOD AND THE
PRODUCT
Reading(s)
Discipline and practice: ‘The field’ as site, method, and location in
anthropology. in Gupta and Ferguson, Anthropological locations: Boundaries and grounds
of a field science.
In this article: the concept of the field in anthropology, challenging traditional assumptions
about fieldwork, location, and ethnographic authority. Their work is a foundational critique of
how anthropology has historically framed its sites of study.
1. The Problem of ‘The Field’ in Anthropology
- Anthropology has conventionally treated the field as a distant, bounded, and exotic place,
reinforcing a colonialist perspective.
- The distinction between “home” (where theory is produced) and “the field” (where data is
gathered) is problematic.
4
