HC 1 & 2
Theory = way of thinking. Paradigm is based on a theory. When a theory gets followers then it becomes a
paradigm.
Paradigm = worldview. E.g. Evolutionism, romanticism, Marxism.
Evolutionism
Evolutionism is the thinking that society emerges from one source into one direction (linear thinking).
That groups evolve through different stages to eventually reach a certain preferred ideal. During the
Hellenistic period this ideal was the Hellenistic culture. In the Age of Discovery the ideal was the
Victorian model and according to Marxism the ideal is communism.
They thought that every person in essence is the same and because of that go through stages the same
way. They saw the differences between cultures, but they were looking at elements of society that show
evolution.
Hellenistic century: superior culture, higher civilization than other people. Spreading of cultural ideas
started to happen.
Age of discovery: trade, traveling (Marco Polo). Others were inferiors/pagans.
Terranunians = nobodies land.
Homoaniemales = people who are not baptized, people in inferior states.
Feeling of European superiority because of Christianity. Popes supported the kings (doctrine of the
Church) and the kings sent the explorers to explore the world. So the explorers were very confident
because of this great support, they also felt superior to the cultures they explored, because those people
were not baptized. They needed Christianity to become like Europeans, to eventually reach the Victorian
ideal who every person needed to reach in order not to be regarded and treated as inferior anymore.
People who were not baptized were not regarded as human but barbarians until they reach the final stage
of baptism/Christianity.
Critics of evolutionism argue that society does not only move in one way.
1
, Enlightment 18th century
Liberation thinking started in France, Church isn’t always right.
Ratio, agency, liberation from Church, empirical observation. Groups change technologically, not
religiously.
Descartes: reason. Rational thinking.
Evolution thinking is still important. Evolutionism not only about civilizations getting better, because
some cultures got destroyed. Even though society developed in different ways, they still thought there
must be some similarities.
Debates 18th century
France → reason
Germany → emotion. Romanticism: a reaction against rationalization of nature. It was
embodied in arts, music and literature. It had a strong effect on nationalism. There was a
particular discourse on nation building.
Methodological individualism: the way you come to theory is by human senses; smell, touch.
Methodological collectivism: empirical conscious- or unconsciousness. E.g. Whether or not you are
aware of the concept ‘human’, what human means to us, could have a complete different meaning in
another culture. Or whether or not you are aware of who pulls the strings in society.
19th century Start of Anthropology
Tylor. Had a religious background. Also ‘Father of Anthropology’ because he was the first to give a
definition of culture. He argued there was a connection between different societies. Within diversity
looking for uniformity (evolutionist thinking). Looked at religion, law etc. through the lens of
evolutionism. Introduced the term cultural survivals.
Morgan. Society evolves based on kinship groups and through stages and classifications. Start of
fieldwork, explorers stayed only a short period of time.
2
Theory = way of thinking. Paradigm is based on a theory. When a theory gets followers then it becomes a
paradigm.
Paradigm = worldview. E.g. Evolutionism, romanticism, Marxism.
Evolutionism
Evolutionism is the thinking that society emerges from one source into one direction (linear thinking).
That groups evolve through different stages to eventually reach a certain preferred ideal. During the
Hellenistic period this ideal was the Hellenistic culture. In the Age of Discovery the ideal was the
Victorian model and according to Marxism the ideal is communism.
They thought that every person in essence is the same and because of that go through stages the same
way. They saw the differences between cultures, but they were looking at elements of society that show
evolution.
Hellenistic century: superior culture, higher civilization than other people. Spreading of cultural ideas
started to happen.
Age of discovery: trade, traveling (Marco Polo). Others were inferiors/pagans.
Terranunians = nobodies land.
Homoaniemales = people who are not baptized, people in inferior states.
Feeling of European superiority because of Christianity. Popes supported the kings (doctrine of the
Church) and the kings sent the explorers to explore the world. So the explorers were very confident
because of this great support, they also felt superior to the cultures they explored, because those people
were not baptized. They needed Christianity to become like Europeans, to eventually reach the Victorian
ideal who every person needed to reach in order not to be regarded and treated as inferior anymore.
People who were not baptized were not regarded as human but barbarians until they reach the final stage
of baptism/Christianity.
Critics of evolutionism argue that society does not only move in one way.
1
, Enlightment 18th century
Liberation thinking started in France, Church isn’t always right.
Ratio, agency, liberation from Church, empirical observation. Groups change technologically, not
religiously.
Descartes: reason. Rational thinking.
Evolution thinking is still important. Evolutionism not only about civilizations getting better, because
some cultures got destroyed. Even though society developed in different ways, they still thought there
must be some similarities.
Debates 18th century
France → reason
Germany → emotion. Romanticism: a reaction against rationalization of nature. It was
embodied in arts, music and literature. It had a strong effect on nationalism. There was a
particular discourse on nation building.
Methodological individualism: the way you come to theory is by human senses; smell, touch.
Methodological collectivism: empirical conscious- or unconsciousness. E.g. Whether or not you are
aware of the concept ‘human’, what human means to us, could have a complete different meaning in
another culture. Or whether or not you are aware of who pulls the strings in society.
19th century Start of Anthropology
Tylor. Had a religious background. Also ‘Father of Anthropology’ because he was the first to give a
definition of culture. He argued there was a connection between different societies. Within diversity
looking for uniformity (evolutionist thinking). Looked at religion, law etc. through the lens of
evolutionism. Introduced the term cultural survivals.
Morgan. Society evolves based on kinship groups and through stages and classifications. Start of
fieldwork, explorers stayed only a short period of time.
2
