Anthropology of Everyday Life
Lecture Notes
Week 1, Lecture 1
3/3/14
Topic 1: Anthropology. Ethnography and the Everyday
Lecturer: Dr Georgina Drew
Lectures are available online via MyUni however certain content presented during lectures is
subject to copyright laws and cannot be recorded.
In week 1 only Monday tutorials will meet. In week 2 there is no lecture and only
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday tutorials meet. There will be no tutorials
week 7.
Anthropologists study people and culture in the past, present and future. They look at human
relationships, non-human relationships, human beliefs and practices.
There are 4 types of Anthropology and this course will focus on Cultural Anthropology. We will
study all forms of culture and learn that there can be no one definition of culture. Most
significantly we will examine the culture of our lives and note the cultural practices we engage in
which we are not even aware of.
Anthropology sheds light on many areas including:
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
Ritual and rites of passage
Kinship and family
Food and nutrition
Human sexuality
Social networks
Religious belief
Ideas of meaning of life and death
All of which can be studied further in future Anthropology courses.
Perhaps the most modern and contemporary philosophical and theoretical influences on
Anthropology include Emile Durkheim, Marcel Mauss, Wilhelm Diltheg and even Karl Marx
who looked at changes and progression in culture over time, however his work is often refuted.
In the early 20th century the way in which Anthropology was studied began to change as scholar
Malinowski developed and introduced the method of Ethnography. Malinowski studied many
subjects in his lifetime including the exchange system (of trinkets and such)of Trobriand
Islanders and noted that certain traditions were not unlike our own.
Amy Rudge
ANTH 1105
It is important to note that as we delve deeper into social nuances and cultural traditions that we
are not discovering or examining that which makes us different or separates us but in fact what it
is that brings us together.
As Anthropology developed, Ethnography came to be known as more of a scientific method due
to its systematic approach. What is referred to as participant observation is the cornerstone of
Ethnography. Through participant observation one can learn about a certain group of people
somewhat more precisely. There has been tremendous value placed on being there but we must
ask ourselves whether that alone is enough, what possible results may it yield and what may it
miss? Because through observation one may assume that they understand all they can about a
certain culture or group of people, they try to replicate the experiences and lives of the
individuals they are studying.
Important: Going Native is the least accurate/correct methodology
When conducting fieldwork Malinowski believed it is essential to:
!
!
!
!
Get to know how they lived
How they relate to one another
What they believed
What they valued
Unfortunately though Malinowski’s work is often deemed unethical and that his behaviour
towards those he was studying was non-generous and non-giving.
The Nacirema, can be found north of Mexico and believe that they are imprisoned within
themselves, within their ugly bodies, place large value on material items and are obsessed with
the mouth, specifically the social repercussions of appearance and verbal behaviour. Nacirema
spelt backwards is American.
This example of providing an Anthropological examination of the American culture
demonstrates that by standing back from a situation and viewing from an unbiased third person
view enables one to see there is no such thing as native or exotic because from anyone else’s
standpoint everyone is ‘native’ or ‘exotic’. Hence the terms ‘native’ and ‘exotic’ should be entirely
dismissed and will not be revisited in this course.
It can be said that by viewing people as ‘others’ i.e. different and odd from oneself, and
distancing yourself is only going back to a time of inequality to and racism.
It is important to read Geertz’s work of From the Native’s Point of View, in order to grasp an
understanding of the concepts ‘Experience Near’ and ‘Experience Distant’ and understand that
there must be a balance between the two for an effective understanding.
Cultural Anthropology allows us to study the everyday anything! From fashion and sports to
knitting and cleaning.
Course Structure:
!
Unit 1: Anthropology, Ethnography and the Everyday
Amy Rudge
ANTH 1105
!
!
!
Unit 2: Difference, Race and Resistance
Unit 3: Bodies, Appetites and Experience
Unit 4: Self, Identity and Community
Assessment
1. Tutorial Participation
Percentage
10%
2. Tutorial Presentation
20%
3. Online Open Book Multiple
Choice Exam x2
15% Each
4. Essay (2000 Words)
40%
Notes
! Very important
! Graded on 10/12 weeks
! Receive a fail if too many tutorials are
missed without explanation
A good presentation will include a good,
detailed and engaging powerpoint, 3 key
questions to further engage the students
and get them thinking about your topic and
will spark discussion among them.
You will have approximately 50 minutes to
complete each exam and as long as
students have payed attention in lectures,
tutorials and have done the required
reading them they should have no problem
completely and scoring well on these
exams.
----
Week 5 – Exam 1: details TBA
Week 2 Readings:
Read either of the supplementary readings, whatever interests you the most, both will be discussed in
next week’s lecture but only one supplementary reading is required.
Amy Rudge
ANTH 1105
Week 1, Lecture 2
4/3/14
Topic 1: Anthropology. Ethnography and the Everyday
Lecturer: Dr Georgina Drew
Reminder alterations to week 2 timetable:
!
!
!
!
NO LECTURE ON MONDAY 10th MARCH
NO MONDAY TUTORIALS 10th MARCH
Lecture on Tuesday 11th March is still happening
Tuesday-Friday Tutorials in week 2 are still happening
MyUni:
!
!
!
!
!
!
Each time an announcement is made on MyUni and email will be sent to your university
email address to inform you of this announcement
All required information and resources are available on MyUni
The reading list and links to the reading material are available on MyUni under Course
Documents, titled Readings: Online Content Links (Weeks 1-12)
Supplementary readings are not compulsory but they are recommended
All links to reading materials are active however if they do not seem to work for you
attempt use an alternative browser or seek support from the I.T. (Information
Technology) department
Lectures will also be available on MyUni under Course Material, the attached files will
download the powerpoint presentation and the link (which needs to be copied and
pasted into a new tab) will display video of the lecture
Further Information:
!
!
WEEK 2 will involve looking at the nature of conducting fieldwork
All essays will be submitted online via Turnitin, every day that an assignment is late, 5%
is deducted from your grading and after 2 weeks you will receive 0% for the whole
assignment
Subject: Living in Society vs Studying Living in Society
Analyse the smallest of details, they matter immensely to Anthologists
!
!
!
!
Social life is learned
Social life is dynamic
Social life is adaptive
Social life is meaningful
Amy Rudge
ANTH 1105
1. How is studying society different from living in it?
Social media is perhaps the best example to demonstrate. Through social media we are able to
take a step back and remove our personal opinions and bias in order to observe and note the
connections that are or are not being made, the debates that individuals engage in and their
points of view, as well as the values and beliefs which they hold.
The Nacirema
Going back to the idea of Nacirema (i.e. American) visited in the last lecture, this example clearly
shows that any individual or lifestyle (including that of ourselves) can be framed in a certain way,
or shed in a certain light, that it can be portrayed as ‘unusual’, ‘different’, ‘foreign’ or ‘odd’.
By simply reading the newspaper, watching television or any other form of media showcasing
human lives and perspectives, is not enough to understand the life of another, they are all only
descriptions.
Social Learning:
Social learning begins very early in our development, through simple body language and verbal
expression we learn what is considered acceptable and unacceptable in our culture.
It is through social learning and social reproduction that we already know (whether consciously
or sub-consciously) what is expected and required of us later in life and what we must avoid, for
example at a job interview. And what we believe is ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ in these situations can
greatly differ from those who have been brought up in another culture or society.
2. What can be gained from studying society?
There is a common saying that what is foreign can become familiar and what is familiar can become foreign.
Culture shock occurs when there is a clash of values and meanings.
Referring back to the reading by Raymond Firth about Tikopia, their tradition of burying their
dead within their homes was not strange, it was not unusual or uncommon. Instead they
considered it an act of respect, sheltering them in the afterlife as they had been during their lives.
And very soon Firth himself adapted to this custom, by ensuring that he did not tread on any of
the mats marking the graves, and soon it became an act which he no longer even thought about,
it was simply an automatic reaction.
In our culture the dead are injected with chemicals (formaldehyde for embalming), dressed up in
their clothes with their hair and make-up done, all in an effort to present them as the picture of
health only then to be placed in expensive coffins and either buried in the ground or burnt to
ashes through cremation.
Of course not only would this tradition seem odd to those who are not familiar or accustomed
to it but there has also been discussion about the environmental risks of such processes. As the
formaldehyde within the bodies can seep out after death and into the ground which in turn is
contaminating the environment and water sources and affecting the living.
Amy Rudge
ANTH 1105
Examining these differences, and understanding what motivates them makes leads to reflexivity.
NAFTA and Immigration
After the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was implemented there were huge
repercussions for the individuals in Mexico who relied on farming, specifically corn. They were
unfortunately caught up in the sidelines and essentially forced to flee north to America for better
prospects, where they lived illegally and competed for low-wage jobs.
Listen to at least the first four minutes of this podcast about:
http://www.culanth.org/fieldsights/477-worlding-with-the-body
3. By what means/methods can we study society in a way that develops meaningful
insights?
Ethnography is the most important and effective approach employed by Anthropologists and
through which fieldwork yields the most interesting and valuable information. Fieldwork
involves learning the social rules and customs of a given subculture.
Anthropology often seems to border between disciplines, as there as some Anthropologists who
will record and publish journal/diary type works which involve more personal wirings and
experiences where as there are others who have a more systematic approach and produce works
which are more scientific in nature.