4701.018 Political Anthropology Fall 2011 Tuesdays and Thursdays 3:30‐4:50 pm Instructor: Jennifer Chase, PhD Office: Chilton Hall, 330N Email: Jennifer.Chase@unt.edu Course Description Office Hours: Mondays 3‐5 And by appointment In this course we will investigate sources and expressions of power, as well as the ways in which anthropologists have sought to theorize and study power in ethnographic and theoretical terms. We’ll start with an introduction to the field, and review the initial concerns of early political anthropologists: politics in so‐called primitive societies, institutions of rule in societies in which the state seemed absent, and the evolutionary and historical emergence of the state. In these studies, we’ll see local cultures treated like organic and homogeneous wholes existing outside of forces such as colonialism, slavery and the world market. The second part of the class reflects how post‐World War II anthropologists were influenced by transformations in the societies they studied, changes in the global political economy, and ideas from thinkers outside the field of anthropology. It became evident that cultures are not merely local but also translocal, and that they are shaped by unequal access to resources and inequalities in power. The anthropological lens extended to consider both “formal” politics and everyday forms of power, domination and resistance. The “questions of the moment” were – and continue to be – concerned with how communities are made subject to and dependent on an unequal global system, and how communities once seen as harmonious, organic wholes also have unequal power relations. Finally, we consider politics and power in an age of “globalization”‐‐questioning that term even even as we examine its implications for identity, the state, and political action, and emphasizing the ways ethnographically grounded anthropological research can shift from the micro‐level to illuminate large‐scale, national, transnational and global processes. Course Objectives By the end of this course, students will articulate answers to the following questions: 1. What are the key concepts of “power” utilized by anthropologists? 2. What are the diverse sources and manifestations of power? Cultural? Economic? Political? How do they interrelate? 3. What are the theoretical and ethnographic formulations of ethnicity, class and gender in relation to culture and power? 4. How do we theorize the agency of the individual in light of structures of power? 5. In which ways have colonialism and globalization structured local power relations? Required Texts 1) The Anthropology of Politics: A Reader in Ethnography, Theory and Critique. Edited by Joan Vincent 2) Power and Its Disguises: Anthropological Perspectives on Politics. John Gledhill. 2nd Edition 1 These two texts are required reading and you will not pass the course if you do not do the readings. It is not my responsibility to help you gain access to these texts for free or for a reduced cost. Use your initiative to find a library copy, or a cheaper copy at a used bookstore such as Half‐Price Books or online at Amazon.com. You can also work with a fellow student to share a copy. Attendance and Class Participation Your regular attendance is required inasmuch as exam material will come from lectures, films, and the assigned readings. Please note that I am not responsible for sending you copies of the lectures. I will furthermore try to post slides from lecture on Blackboard, if I use powerpoint, but cannot promise to do so given time restraints. I definitely cannot promise to post them before lecture. I advise you instead to have one or two contacts in class from whom you can get notes if you have to miss a lecture. Attendance will be taken, but no points granted for it. Acceptable Student Behavior: Student behavior that interferes with an instructor’s ability to conduct a class or other students' opportunity to learn is unacceptable and disruptive and will not be tolerated in any instructional forum at UNT. Students engaging in unacceptable behavior will be directed to leave the classroom and the instructor may refer the student to the Center for Student Rights and Responsibilities to consider whether the student's conduct violated the Code of Student Conduct. The university's expectations for student conduct apply to all instructional forums, including university and electronic classroom, labs, discussion groups, field trips, etc. The Code of Student Conduct can be found at www.unt.edu/csrr Classroom Policies 1. READINGS: I do expect that you will have completed each day’s reading before the lecture. Exams will cover book material, regardless of whether or not we cover the material in lecture. 2. TECHNOLOGY: a. All cell phones are to be turned off, or placed on vibrate. If you are expecting an important call (the only acceptable kind to answer during the hour and a half of class time), then please quietly leave the classroom and take the call outside. b. Laptops are fabulous inventions and distractions. You are required to perform all non‐
class related emailing, surfing, messaging, etc. OUTSIDE of class. I reserve the right to ban laptops should they become more of a distraction and less of a learning tool. 3. MAKING UP EXAMS: If you need to turn in any exam (but the final exam) after the scheduled date, you will be allowed to do so. However, one full letter grade will be subtracted for each day after the exam due date, REGARDLESS of the reason for which you miss the exam. This means that if you earn a B on the exam, but took it one day late, then you will be given a C. THE FINAL EXAM CAN ONLY BE TURNED IN AT THE ASSIGNED DATE AND TIME. 4. No exam may be turned in early, under any circumstances. 5. STUDY GUIDES: The exams are take‐home and given on the honor system. I expect you to take them by yourself. Since they will be open book, open note, I will not be creating study guides. You will have to study both lecture material and book material carefully to effectively answer the question that will be distributed. I encourage you to create study groups, in particular if you are new to university, or know that your note‐taking skills may be weak. 2 6. EXTRA CREDIT: No extra credit opportunities will be given, under any circumstances. I am not responsible for making sure that you receive a given grade, even if you need that grade to maintain financial aid, health insurance, university enrollment, etc.. If this is the position you are in, I strongly suggest developing a study group that meets regularly to make sure that you are taking solid notes and know how to study. 7. REACHING ME: The best way to reach me is via email, and I require 24 hours to respond to any emails sent between Monday and Friday. Over the weekends and on holidays I require 48 hours to respond. Please include the name of the course you are taking with me in the body of your email. I have over 300 students, and cannot remember which class each individual student is in. If you do not include your course information in your email, my response to you will be delayed because I have to take extra time finding out what class you are in, and uncovering more information about your situation/your request, etc.. 8. ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT: The Department of Anthropology does not tolerate plagiarism, cheating, or helping others to cheat. I am furthermore of a mind that your integrity as a person is ALWAYS worth more than getting an “A” in one course – choosing to not cheat and perhaps get a lower grade is choosing to be a person of whom you can be proud. Students suspected of any of these will be provided the opportunity for a hearing; a guilty finding will merit an automatic “F” in the course. For information on the University’s policies regarding academic integrity and dishonesty, see the UNT Center for Student Rights and Responsibilities, http://www.unt.edu/csrr/ 9. ADA: The Anthropology Department does not discriminate based on an individual’s disability, as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act. Our program provides academic adjustments or help to individuals with disabilities, and attempts will be made to meet all certified requirements. Please see me if you have a documented disability so that appropriate arrangements can be made to help you get the most out of this class. I cannot promise to give powerpoints to students ahead of class times, however, because I often create them, or change them to suit a particular class, too close to class time to send them out in advance. 10. Keeping up with where we are in class, what is due when, getting the readings done, coming to class regularly and on time, behaving respectfully in class, staying awake in class, approaching me with problems or concerns as they arise and NOT at the end of the semester – these are your duties. I can guarantee you now that we will not follow the timeline given in this syllabus. We will, however, follow the topics in the order that is listed here. That means that we might cover early hominids a day or two later or earlier than listed on the schedule. Do not panic; this does not mean the entire syllabus is blown to bits. Again, the order of the topics will stay the same. I am also not responsible for keeping track of add/drop dates, or otherwise advising you about university deadlines that you may need to know about. My responsibilities include showing up on time, grading fairly and within a reasonable amount of time, and maintaining a respectful atmosphere. Note that providing notes, review sheets, powerpoints, bending or breaking my policies, or the policies of the department, college or university for you regarding attendance, assignments, plagiarism, cheating, etc. are NOT included in my duties. 3 11. If you need to miss class to observe religious holidays, please let me know within the first two weeks of the semester. We need to make sure you are not penalized for doing so. Evaluation THREE TAKE‐HOME ESSAY EXAMS: (25 points each) You will be assigned one essay question based on assigned readings, lecture material and class discussions for each part of the course (i.e. Parts One, Two, and Three; see the schedule of classes below). Details on the length and format, as well as the actual question, will be provided in advance. The first exam is due at the start of class on September 29th. The second exam is due at the start of class on October 29th. The third exam is due in my mailbox (Chilton Hall 330) by 3:30 pm on Dec. 15th. Except for exam 3, all exams handed in outside of class, including via email, will have a full letter grade deducted regardless of the reason. Additionally, any first and second exams handed in late (meaning one weekday after the due date) will have a full letter grade deducted. If an exam comes in via email and one day late, the best grade that can be earned will be a C. For the final exam, I will deduct a full letter grade for lateness starting at 3:31 according to the clock at the front desk. I will have about 300 exams to grade, and final grades to calculate for those 300 students by 11 am on Monday. I therefore HAVE to have everything turned in on time from you. Note: If you have questions about the way an exam was graded, it is your responsibility to ask those questions (as part of your general responsibility to monitor your own grades) within 3 days of the exam date. Questions, comments, and complaints about each exam will not be entertained after this date. RESEARCH PAPER: (5 points + 20 points) On Tuesday, October 11, you will hand in a research topic prospectus (min. 2 pages, maximum 3 pages), which will summarize the topic you have chosen for your research paper. The page count includes a list of about five published sources that you are using or plan to use. I must approve your prospectus, and it will be worth 5 of the total 25 points assigned to the research paper. The research paper, based upon the prospectus, is due Tuesday, November 29th in class. Details for the paper are attached to the end of this syllabus. All grades will be assigned based on the following grading scale: 90‐100% 80‐89% 70‐79% A B C 60‐69% 59‐under D F How to Calculate Your Grade There will be a total of 100 points available in this class. To calculate your grade, you divide the number of points you have received by the number of points possible at any given point in time. For example, if there have been 2 exams, then there have been 50 points available so far. If you received a 23 on one 4 exam, 20 on the second, then you’ve accumulated 43 points. 43 points divided by 50 is 86%, a B in the course so far.
PART I: POWER AND POLITICS in STATELESS SOCIETIES and GLOBAL CAPITALISM August 25: Course overview August 30 – September 1: Politics and Power in Anthropology Readings: 1. In Vincent reader: Ch. 9 – Marc Swartz, Victor Turner, Arthur Tuden, “Political Anthropology,” and Ch. 19 – Eric Wolf, “Facing Power—Old Insights, New Questions.” 2. Gledhill, Ch. 1, “Locating the political: a political anthropology for today” September 6 – 8: Political Systems and Roles in Stateless Societies Readings: 1. Gledhill, Ch. 2, “The origins and limits of coercive power: the anthropology of stateless societies” 2. In Vincent reader: Ch. 2 – E.E. Evans‐Pritchard, “Nuer Politics: Structure and System (1940)” September 13 – 15: Politics in Agrarian Societies and the Rise of the State Readings: 1. Gledhill, Ch. 3, “From hierarchy to surveillance: the politics of agrarian civilizations and the rise of the western national state” 2. In Vincent reader: Ch. 5 – Talal Asad, “Market Model, Class Structure and Consent: A Reconsideration of Swat Political Organization” September 20 – 22: Colonial States Readings: 1. Gledhill, Ch. 4, “The political anthropology of colonialism: a study of domination and resistance” 2. In Vincent reader: Ch. 17 – Jean and John Comaroff, “Of Revelation and Revolution,” and Ch. 14 – Ann Stoler, “Perceptions of Protest: Defining the Dangerous in Colonial Sumatra” PART TWO: TRANSNATIONAL POWER AND POLITICS September 27 – 29: Colonialism and World Capitalism Readings: 1. Gledhill, Ch. 5, “Post‐colonial states: legacies of history and pressures of modernity” 2. In Vincent reader: Ch. 20 – June Nash, “Ethnographic Aspects of the World Capitalist System,” and Ch. 12 – Talal Asad, “From the History of Colonial Anthropology to the Anthropology of Western Hegemony” October 4 – 6: From Colonialism to “Globalization” Readings 1. In Vincent reader: Ch. 21 – Benedict Anderson, “The New World Disorder,” and Ch. 23 – Jonathan Friedman, “Transnationalization, Socio‐political Disorder, and Ethnification as Expressions of Declining Global Hegemony” 5 October 11 – 13: Transnational Power Readings: 1. In Vincent reader: Ch. 27– Aihwa Ong, “Flexible Citizenship among Chinese Cosmopolitans,” Ch. 28 – Nina Glick Schiller and Georges Fouron, “Long‐distance Nationalism Defined,” and Ch. 22 – Arjun Appadurai, “Grassroots Globalization and the Research Imagination” October 18 – 20: Global Processes and Local Resistances Readings: 1. Gledhill, Ch. 7, “Political process and ‘global disorder’: perspectives on contemporary conflict and violence” 2. In Vincent reader: Ch. 32 – Marc Edelman, “Peasants against Globalization” PART THREE: AGENCY, SOCIAL MOVEMENTS AND HUMAN RIGHTS October 25 – 27: Structure, Agency and Political Conflict Readings: 1. Gledhill, Ch. 6, “From macro‐structure to micro‐process: anthropological analysis of political practice” 2. In Vincent reader: Ch. 2. – Sharon Elaine Hutchinson, “Nuer Ethnicity Militarized,” Ch. 3. – Max Gluckman, “‘The Bridge’: Analysis of a Social Situation in Zululand,”and Ch. 4. – Ronald Frankenberg, “‘The Bridge’ Revisited” November 1 – 3: Anth Theory and Political Agency Readings: 1. Gledhill, Ch. 8, “Society against the modern state?: the politics of social movements” 2. In Vincent reader: Ch. 7. – F. G. Bailey, “Stratagems and Spoils,” and Ch. 8. – Victor Turner, “Passages, Margins, and Poverty: Religious Symbols of Communitas” Readings to be announced for the following topics and dates: November 8 – 10: Human Rights and the Nation‐State System Excerpts from The Political Theory of Possessive Individualism: Hobbes to Locke by C.B. Macpherson. November 15 – 17: What is a Person? Some African Notions of Personhood November 22 – 24: Marx and Marxism November 29 – December 1: Foucault on Discipline and the Individual December 6‐ 8: The Rights of “Woman”? Rights, Democracy and the Body 6 Paper Instructions Mechanics 
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7‐10 pages, double‐spaced, 12 point font (preferably Times New Roman), regular margins (no more than 1” around). Insert page numbers. We will have an easy, informal style in class, but academic writing should be formal unless you are explicitly told otherwise. A formal tone means: a. Correct spelling and grammar are used throughout 1. Know the difference between “its” and “it’s.” Know the difference between “there” and “their.” b. Name on paper c. “You” or “we” are not used to address the reader in any way. d. If you refer to American society, then “American society” or “American culture” is used e. No contractions are used (unless quoting and, in such a short writing, quoting is strongly discouraged). f. Pages are numbered g. The word “things” is not used; you are specific h. Do not start a sentence with AND or BUT. Use words such as, HOWEVER and ALSO. i. No slang or profanities are used (unless quoting). j. The word “normal” is not used, or the meaning of “normal” is explained. I have posted a guide for grammar, spelling and in‐paper citation on Blackboard. You will be held responsible for the information provided there. THESIS STATEMENT: See “Statement on the Nature of the Thesis” for an in‐depth discussion. The thesis statement should be a part of a short introduction. BODY: Choose a particular ideology, event, conflict, individual or movement, in a specific part of the world, and write a research paper that applies the concepts that we’ve been reading about and discussing in class. You may use either of the assigned books, but you don’t have to, and they don’t count towards your required number of sources. You must have at least three outside scholarly sources (Wikipedia doesn’t count). These can be anthropological or not, but you must be able to apply concepts and ideas we’ve been discussing in class. This might be easier if you read anthropological texts. a. You MUST USE at least 3 analytical citations from your sources. See the in‐depth discussion of these citations below. b. As a suggestion: focusing on three strong and related examples or issues works particularly well for a 7‐10 page paper. The key here is to FOCUS. Cite material from the course readings and other scholarly books and essays to support your argument. •
CONCLUSION: Briefly summarize how your thesis and data supports your argument. In a few concluding sentences, explain why the information in your paper is important for readers to know. Do NOT introduce new arguments in the conclusion.
Outside Sources You must use at least three sources from outside of class. This may be obtained from the library, 7 Internet, academic journals, current periodicals, newspaper articles, etc.. Key will be your ability to write using analytical citations. ABOUT ANALYTICAL CITATIONS: An analytical citation is where you cite an author’s analysis (not just data in isolation). They should be SHORT citations that support your thesis. Since we didn’t read Bronislaw Malinowski’s Magic, Science, and Religion for class, I will use it to give you some examples of analytical citations. Below is an example: GOOD analytical citation While it is certainly true that systems of magic do not employ methods like controlled experimentation, magic is “akin to science in that it always has a definite aim associated with human instincts, needs, and pursuits” (Malinowski 1992:140). NOTE how the citation is relevant to my thesis about the relationship between science and magic. It’s not too long, and I’ve actually embedded it into a sentence (you don’t have to do this, but it often helps). The citation format at the end (which you should use; see below) means that you can find this quote in Bronislaw Malinowski’s book on page 140 (see for yourself!). BAD analytical citation While it is certainly true that systems of magic do not employ methods like controlled experimentation, magic “requires a pedigree, a sort of traditional passport in its travel across time. This is supplied by the myth of magic” (Malinowski 1992:141). NOTE how the citation is about myths of magic, NOT about the relationship between magic and science! Citations are also bad if they’re too long (more than 30 words or so). NOT AN analytical citation at all! While it is certainly true that systems of magic do not employ methods like controlled experimentation, “the body is sometimes kept on the knees of seated persons, stroked and embraced” (Malinowski 1992:49). Whoops! Note how the citation isn’t analytical at all: it conveys data. You will probably share some data in your analytic paper, but it won’t count as an analytical citation. Grading Rubric: The paper will be worth 20 points (20% of the 100 points possible for this course). The scale for grading reflects the instructions given above: 9 Has and DEVELOPS a thesis (including 3 points per analytical citation, meaning 9 points total) 4 Organization (including use of paragraphs) 4 Mechanics (spelling, name on paper, correct length, all required attachments are there) 3 Style, grammar Statement on the Nature of the Thesis: 
The thesis comes after the introduction and is an assertion, an argument, a theory or hypothesis to be investigated, or a set of related questions to be addressed. Your thesis does not have to be written entirely in one sentence. You can break it down into a set of sentences. It does, however, have to make a strong statement; otherwise, your 8 paper’s argument will not have the required foundation to make it dynamic and compelling. For example, the following ARE NOT theses: I will investigate a Bar Mitzvah as a rite of passage into manhood in the Jewish community. This sentence is an INTRODUCTION to a thesis statement. In this paper I will analyze the rituals, material objects, and interactions of the spiritual leaders and worshippers of a Buddhist temple through interpretive interactionism. OR In this paper I will analyze the rituals, material objects, and interactions of the spiritual leaders and worshippers of a Buddhist temple through the interpretive and symbolic theories of anthropologist Clifford Geertz. This is a general overview of what you are going to do in the paper. You do not refer to the theory/s or the theorists you are using to analyze your data in your thesis statement. The rituals of the Romanian Orthodox Church reinforce the religion’s system of beliefs to generate solidarity among its membership and community. This is a long understood, “general information,” pat functionalist statement. *NOTE: It is acceptable in anthropology to write in the first person – “When I entered the temple….etc.” **NOTE: It is important to understand functionalism/structural functionalism in the context of the history of anthropological theories of sexuality. You can use it to explicate a detail in your analysis of your chosen cultural product. However, you cannot use it as your PRIMARY theory as it became passé in the 1960s due to its focus on and support of the status quo, and inability to theorize conflict, inequity, and change adequately. ***NOTE: This is an upper‐division course; moreover, the course design does not include teaching college writing. Accordingly, it is not appropriate to inform me that you cannot develop a thesis, and/or to ask me to develop a thesis for you. The following example is an introduction and a thesis statement: A long held religious belief of the Syrian Alawi of the Asi River Valley of Hatay, Turkey, is that women do not have souls, and were put on Earth to distract men from piety. A woman’s only hope for an afterlife is to be a good, obedient, and chaste wife and mother so that her husband might be inclined to ask Allah to grant her entrance to paradise. Since the 1980s, the Asi River Valley has experienced escalated development, and integration with the global community. In articulation with new knowledge and information that accompanies rapid transformations, some Alawi adhere to the belief that women do not have souls, while others – although they identify as Alawi – do not take it seriously, while still others have either privately or openly ceased practicing the religion altogether. Nevertheless, historical and cultural specificities continue to shape 9 gender roles and relations in which men maintain an inordinate degree of power that perpetuates a form of male domination particular to the region. Attachments: You MUST be turned in a “Works Cited” page listing your secondary references with your paper. This page does NOT count towards the minimum or maximum page length. This page must be formatted according to the American Anthropological Association style. As pulled from its website (which you have access to): Single‐Author Book Castles, Stephen 1990 Here for Good. London: Pluto Press. Coauthored Book Bonacich, Edna, and John Modell 1975 The Economic Basis of Ethnic Solidarity: Small Business in the Japanese American Community. Berkeley: University of California Press. Author, with Others (cite first author in text citations) Bonacich, Edna, with Mark Smith and Kathy Hunt 1999 The Economic Basis of Ethnic Solidarity: Small Business in the Japanese American Community. Berkeley: University of California Press. Chapter in Book with Editor(s) Rohlen, Thomas P. 1993 Education: Policies and Prospects. In Koreans in Japan: Ethnic Conflicts and Accommodation. Cameron Lee and George De Vos, eds. Pp. 182–222. Berkeley: University of California Press. Editor as Author Diskin, Martin, ed. 1970 Trouble in Our Backyard: Central America in the Eighties. New York: Pantheon Books. Article in Journal Moll, Luis C. 2000 Writing as Communication: Creating Strategic Learning Environments for Students. Theory into Practice 25(3):202–208. Professional writers ALWAYS have people look at drafts before turning anything in. Unfortunately, I am not able to look at drafts before you turn them in, so please do use your classmates as resources. Some possible topics: •
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“African Tribalism” and the Hutu‐Tutsi conflict in Rwanda “Third World Feminism”: any different from “First World” Feminism? “Third World Marxism”: any different from “First World” Marxism? Bolivian Amerindians in national political campaigns Che Guevara in Bolivia: analyses of a revolution that never was 10 •
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Conceptual problems with the category of “peasant” in anthropology Conceptualizing “passive” and “active” resistance in a historical case study: problems and limitations with the idea of resistance? Consumerism as an expression of agency? Anthropological debates on culture, consumption and political economy Culture, resistance and the Gramscian concept of “hegemony” Ethnic Nationalism and the demise of states such as Yugoslavia and the USSR Gandhian philosophies and the politics of transformation in India Inter‐ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka Kayapo, Xavante or other Amerindians of the Brazilian Amazon, in conflict with the national state and/or international development agencies Liberation Theology and working class political rebellion in Latin America Malcolm X and the movement for African‐American civil rights and social transformation Messianic leaders Millenarian movements Movements embodying the principle of “think globally, act locally.” Peasant rebellions Reformism versus revolution: anthropological analysis of a historical case study Religion and grassroots political resistance: e.g. Vodou and politics in Haiti Structural functionalism: theoretical problems concerning conflict and change The Eurocentricity of Development Theories and Practices The politics of decolonization in states which recently gained independence (i.e., post‐
1960s) The politics of national identity in settler societies: i.e., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, etc. The politics of stabilization: how some political systems seemingly endure with little change The symbols of populist politics in Peronist Argentina The Zapatista rebellion in Chiapas, Mexico Transformations of traditional chiefdoms under colonial rule What are “post‐colonial politics”? Theoretical review, applied to a case study World‐Systems Analysis versus Marxist Theories of Capitalism: anthropological responses 11