Course syllabus

Welcome to ASAT (Advanced Study of Anthropological Theory)!

This course (1) explores some of the key problems to which modern social and cultural anthropology emerged as a response; it (2) focuses on major theories, themes, and debates that have informed anthropological inquiry; and it (3) exemplifies how anthropologists revisit, engage and reformulate classical theoretical discussions in analytical work today.

Course Objectives:

By the end of the course, students should have acquired the ability to discuss critically central aspects of the history of anthropological theory, and be able to make use of such knowledge in the construction of contemporary anthropological problems.

Course Requirements:

Students are required to attend all seminars, complete the seminar assignments, read the course literature, and complete the course assignments on time. Students who for any reason fail to attend a seminar must complete an extra assignment, those who miss two seminars must complete two extra assignments, and so on.

Required Reading:

1. Barnard, Alan. 2000. History and Theory in Anthropology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Link to library record https://tinyurl.com/y3pj48qr  [This is an important book that explores various traditions in the history of anthropology and provides valuable context to other readings.]
2. Moore, Henrietta L. and Todd Sanders (eds). 2014. Anthropology in Theory: Issues in Epistemology. Second Edition. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell. Link to electronic access https://tinyurl.com/ygsxn2ys  [This is a collection of original texts, although mostly given as abridged versions. As such, it enables close readings of relevant classical and contemporary pieces. Together, these texts provide an overview of the history of anthropological theory and of ongoing disciplinary discussions. Please make sure to obtain the second edition, published in 2014.]
3. Engelke, Matthew. 2017. Think like an Anthropologist. London, UK: Pelican, Penguin Books. Link to electronic access https://tinyurl.com/yhwzemha [A fascinating exploration organized by central themes]
4. Willerslev, Rane. 2007. Soul Hunters: Hunting, Animism, and Personhood among the Siberian Yukaghirs. Berkeley: University of California Press. Link to electronic access https://tinyurl.com/yjtwpx7z  [This is an ethnography that revisits classic theoretical debates—not as a return to the past, but to expose the empirical problems to which such discussions sought to respond. Ultimately, it illuminates how epistemological and ontological aspects of these problems in different forms reoccur in anthropological research today.]

Suggested reading for students with previous limited studies or no previous background in anthropology:

Ingold, Tim. 2018. Anthropology: Why It Matters. Cambridge, UK: Polity Press. Link to library record https://tinyurl.com/yfnv6p8m  [This short book gives you an overview of anthropological key questions and historical trajectory. It is written in a very accessible style and presents important reflections on the future of the discipline.]