AN100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Eric Wolf, Adam Kadmon, Participant Observation
AN100 - Lecture 1 - Anthropology Matters: Applied Anthropology Part 1
History
- Born during colonial phase
- Became scientific discipline (field experiments) in early 20th century
- Interest in other cultures preceded the scientific phase
- Has gone global
Colonial History
- “Anthropology was the outcome of a process which made the large part of mankind
subservient to the other” - Levi Strauss
- Anthropology is the “handmaiden of colonialism”
- Helped the colonies to better them
- Anthropology was a type of “applied colonialism”
- Ex how to rule better
What was the interest in “other cultures”?
- Curiosity and adventure
- Salvaging: preserving of a culture before it became extinct
- Advocacy: fighting for their rights (marginalized groups)
- Survivals: study societies that are still in the past and not as advanced as our own
cultures (teached us more about our own culture)
Eric Wolf
- “The most scientific of the humanities, and the most humanistic of the sciences”
- Use science to study cultures (ex fieldwork, experiments, observations)
- We are studying human beings
Deeper Meanings
- Michael Focault - “creating docile bodies”
- Relevant concept - “political anatomy” - control via discipline
The Study of Humankind
- Anthropos: “human beings”
- Logia: “the study of” or “knowledge of”
A Multi-faceted Discipline
- Study of humankind in all times and spaces (*temporal and spatial)
- “What it means to be human” in a broad sense
- The endless cultural variations humans are capable of manifesting
Study of…
- Differences and similarities (*particular and universal) in human cultural possibilities
- Yet too much focus on either will lead to … ?
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
An100 - lecture 1 - anthropology matters: applied anthropology part 1. Became scientific discipline (field experiments) in early 20th century. Interest in other cultures preceded the scientific phase. Anthropology was the outcome of a process which made the large part of mankind subservient to the other - levi strauss. Anthropology was a type of applied colonialism . Salvaging: preserving of a culture before it became extinct. Advocacy: fighting for their rights (marginalized groups) Survivals: study societies that are still in the past and not as advanced as our own cultures (teached us more about our own culture) The most scientific of the humanities, and the most humanistic of the sciences . Use science to study cultures (ex fieldwork, experiments, observations) Relevant concept - political anatomy - control via discipline. Logia: the study of or knowledge of . Study of humankind in all times and spaces (*temporal and spatial) The endless cultural variations humans are capable of manifesting.
