Face-to-face , second term, 30 hours of theory.

Second term
Tuesday from 14:00 to 16:00 at 109 Marais 100

French and possibly some texts in English.

- General introduction to social and cultural anthropology (or ethnology)
- Knowledge of the major theoretical currents and key-notions of the discipline;
- Understanding of some main typically anthropological issues (the logic of donation or ceremonial reciprocal exchange, rites of passage or of initiation, theatrical dimension of rites…);
- Development of an open and discerning mind. Apply anthropological “decentring” to one's own society or culture.

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This course aims to provide a general introduction to social and cultural anthropology (or ethnology). The adopted approach relies not only on a presentation of the main currents and (conceptual and methodological) tools of anthropology as it exists since the end of the 19th century, but also - and inextricably - on a reflection on the current status of this discipline in a world where the classic objects of anthropology (“exotic” or distant societies, oral traditions, the figures of the “primitive”…) inevitably tend to blur, to fade away, even to disappear. In a world sometimes qualified as postcolonial, marked by the combined effects of globalisation (“global village”) and fragmentation (affirmations of identity, neo-communitarianism…), anthropology is faced with the return effects of questions it previously directed to “other” societies and cultures.

The first part of the course aims to put this discipline into perspective: context of emergence in the second half of the 19th century, evolutionism and its critique, the formation of an anthropology of scientific pretension (Malinowski...), the main paradigms (culturalism, structuralism…), the symmetric traps represented by ethnocentrism and relativism, the reformation of the discipline around new objects (intercultural relations, cultural melting pots, syncretism, etc.).

The second part of the course which refers most of the time to renowned field studies, focussed on some major typically anthropological issues: gift / counter-gift or ceremonial reciprocal exchange (Malinowski, Mauss...), the organisation of so called tribal societies (“societies against the State”, according to Sahlins and Clastres), the caste system in India (L. Dumont), the ritual phenomenon (Van Gennep, Turner, Leiris, Métraux, Bastide…), the field of kinship (Lévi-Strauss, Leach, Godelier...), the debates on fetishism (Pouillon, Latour...), etc. (all these themes may however not be addressed; some changes may appear from one year to another). Through this second part, we attempt to provide an overview of the main types of society and to cross the different fields of the discipline (symbolism, economics, power, kinship...).

- Lecture
- The presentation of important works of anthropological tradition will enable us to identify the theoretical and methodological lessons. Starting from the fieldwork, we will illustrate the methodological tools and concepts.
- Comparative approach, which assures a comparison between the studied societies and our own society. Particular attention will be paid to putting into perspective the conceptual and methodological resources and to link them with questions that make sense nowadays.
- Syllabus (notes + appendices including some texts)
- Depending on the year, an ethnographic documentary may be projected

Oral examination.
Three questions on the subject matter.

See syllabus

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