ANTH 172
CULTURE AND POWER
MWF 2:00-3:15 pm, Fall 2012
Classroom: George Wilson Hall
Professor: Sarah M. Mathis
School for International Studies
Office hours: MW 4:00-5:00, H 1:30-2:30 or by appointment
Email: smathis@pacific.edu
COURSE DESCRIPTION
What is power? How do power relations shape the everyday lives of people around the globe? How
is power institutionalized and contested in an increasingly interconnected world? The theme that
unites all these concerns is the politics of everyday life: how power works in and through culture to
shape the lives of individuals and societies. This course will begin with an overview of classical
political anthropology, which is focused on power relations in non-state societies and the origins
and expansion of states. Next, we will consider various aspects of politics in state based societies
past and present. Finally, we will examine the relationships between changing structures of power
and forms of agency in the contemporary global era.
COURSE GOALS
By the end of this course, students should be able to:
1. Distinguish among key concepts and theories of power used by anthropologists and apply
them to specific ethnographic cases.
2. Compare and contrast the four major types of political system in terms of organization,
leadership, function, and environment.
3. Discuss the diverse sources and manifestations of power across cultures and how they
interrelate.
4. Relate structures of power to systems of social inequality and conditions of material
production.
5. Theorize individual agency in relation to specific power structures.
6. Grasp the global significance of contemporary changes to local power relations.
7. Interpret the relationships between colonial power and anthropological knowledge
8. Demonstrate progress in developing the following skills necessary for higher learning:
a. Critical reading: Moving beyond reading for information to critically evaluating the
author’s assumptions, evidence, and arguments and putting the reading in
conversation with other course material.
b. Oral Communication: Collaborating to develop effective oral presentations and lead
group discussions.
c. Written Communication: Learning to construct and articulate clear arguments by
logically marshalling evidence in support of a thesis.
d. Research: Gaining familiarity with library and online sources, as well as with the
process of critically assessing the merits of different sources of information.
This course addresses SIS Learning Outcome #2, the ability to understand and apply economic,
social, and political theory in the analysis of historical events and contemporary international issues
and SIS Learning Outcome #4, the ability to think and communicate critically and clearly in both
written and oral forms. Copies of student work may be retained for assessment purposes.
READINGS
Lewellen, Ted C. 2003. Political Anthropology: An Introduction (Third Edition).
Lansing, J.S. 2012. Perfect Order: Recognizing Complexity in Bali.
Other readings will be available on Sakai. You may find the readings and many other useful course
materials after logging in (using your Inside Pacific ID and password) at
https://pacific.rsmart.com. E-mail me at the address above if you have problems.
REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING
Class participation
Student-led discussion
Terms and questions
Term paper, 10-12 pages
Midterm
Final exam
10%
5%
15%
25%
20%
25%
DISCUSSION LEADERSHIP
During the weeks designated on the syllabus, two students will be responsible for opening up and
facilitating whole-class discussions of the assigned readings. Each student will have two
opportunities to help lead discussion. This is primarily an opportunity for you to practice
professionalism in how you lead the class. Work on speaking clearly, organizing material logically
and facilitating discussion so that your fellow students come away from the class with a better
understanding of the material than they had when they came in. You will also be responsible for
starting and ending the class and the discussion, although please leave a few minutes at the end of
class for any announcements from the professor.
TERMS AND QUESTIONS
There will be two exams in this course that comprise 45% of your grade. You will be tested on
material from lectures, films, readings, and discussions. The midterm will cover all material through
the first part of the course. The final will cover the remainder of the course.
Students will help to generate the exams by submitting terms, quotes and questions as reading
responses. Each day before class commences, students will be responsible for submitting one term
(with a definition) and a “quotable quote” for each reading and (additionally) on Friday, one sample
essay/discussion question that ties together all of the week’s readings. These will be submitted
online through Sakai on the wiki provided. Before you write your definition, check the wiki to be
sure you are not using a term that has already been posted. Your submissions will be regularly
reviewed and collated to serve as an online study guide. Your submissions to this online study
guide will count for 15% of your course grade. No late submissions will be accepted.
CLASS RULES
1. You will be expected to attend every class session. Failure to attend class with be reflected
in your class participation grade. You can miss up to 3 classes with no penalty, but please
save this allowance for your sick days!
2. In-class work cannot be made up. Late assignments will be accepted but a third of the grade
will be deducted for every day that the assignment is late unless you have cleared an
extension with me ahead of time. Extensions will only be granted if you have a legitimate
excuse. Recognizing the night before the assignment is due that you won't finish in time
does not count as a legitimate excuse.
3. Use of wireless devices is prohibited during all class meetings (except to take notes) and
exams.
4. Copies of student work may be retained to assess how the learning objectives of the course
are being met.
5. Revisions to this syllabus will be announced in class and will take precedence over this
document.
COMMUNICATION
You are welcome to visit me during my office hours or by appointment to ask for further
explanations, to get help, to introduce yourself, etc. You may also contact me by email but please
allow 24 hours for response during the week. Emails should be addressed to your professor in
formal, respectful English (correct grammar, standard punctuation, etc.).
HONOR CODE
The Pacific policy on academic honesty is detailed in Tiger Lore. You may be failed in the course
and reported to the Director of Judicial Affairs in the Office of Student Life for violating the honor
code, so please read this policy. See Tiger Lore for details about the university’s proceedings and
punishments.
Please see a good style manual for what constitutes plagiarism and how to avoid it. Obviously,
turning in someone else’s work with your name on it is theft and will be treated accordingly—this
includes any work that you didn’t write, whether you stole it from a roommate or cut/paste it from
an internet site or anything else. You are encouraged to discuss your ideas with each other, but do
your own work; turning in identical or nearly identical assignments is a violation of the Honor
Code.
LEARNING OR PHYSICAL DISABILITIES
If you need accommodations because of a certified learning or physical disability, you must contact
Mr. Daniel Nuss, Coordinator of the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities, in 101
Bannister to obtain an Accommodations Request Letter. Once you have obtained the letter, I will
happily work with you to make appropriate arrangements to accommodate your needs. Please see
me after class or in office hours.
COURSE CONTENTS
Please prepare readings for the day on which they are listed.
Week 1: Introduction
Aug 27: Introduction
Aug 29: Lewellen, Chapter 1 and Vincent, the Enlightenment and its Challenges
Aug 31: Lewellen, Chapter 2
Week 2: Early Political Anthropology
Sept 3: LABOR DAY H OLIDAY
Sept 5: Fortes and Evans-Pritchard “Introduction” to African Political Systems
Sept 7: Present one chapter from African Political Systems
Week 3: Decentralized Societies
Sept 10: Turnbull, The Lesson of the Pygmies; Harris, Life without Chiefs
Sept 12: Lee, Primitive Communism; Lee, The Gods Must be Crazy but the State has a Plan
Sept 14: Evans-Pritchard, The Nuer (SLD – Caitlin and Caitlin)
Ongka’s Big Moka (film)
Week 4: The State
Sept 17: Llewellen, Chapter 3
Sept 19: Scott, Seeing Like a State (Chapter 1)
Sept 21: Nugent, Building the State, Making the Nation (SLD – Caitlyn T. and Alexis)
Week 5: Sacred Power and Symbolism
Sept 24: Llewellen, Chapter 4; Turner, Passages, Margins and Poverty (excerpts)
Sept 26: Comaroff, Talking Politics
Sept 28: Perfect Order, pages 1-19, 62-71
The Goddess and the Computer
Week 6: Perfect Order
Oct 1: Perfect Order, 72-121
Oct 3: Perfect Order, Chapter 5
Oct 5: FALL BREAK
Week 7: Perfect Order
Oct 8: Perfect Order, Chapter 6
Oct 10: Perfect Order, Chapter 7
Oct 12: MIDTERM
Week 8: Structure and Process and the Individual
Oct 15: Llewellen, Chapters 5 and 6
Oct 17: Gluckman, Social Situation in Modern Zululand
Oct 19: Bailey, Stratagems and Spoils; Asad, Reconsideration of Swat Poli. Org. (excerpts) (SLD –
Danielle and Tiresa)
Due: One paragraph describing the idea for your paper
Week 9: Resistance and Rebellion
Oct 22: Lewellen, Chapter 7; Gough, New Proposals
Oct 24: Thompson, Moral Economy; Marx, Communist Manifesto
Oct 26: James Scott, Everyday Forms of Peasant Resistance (SLD – Caitlin M. and Kelly)
Week 10: Gender
Oct 29: Lewellen, Chapter 8
Oct 31: Van Allen, Sitting on a Man
Nov 2: Stoler, Making Empire Respectable (SLD – Tiresa and Patrick)
Week 11: Ethnicity and Nationalism
Nov 5: Lewellen, Chapter 9; Barth on ethnicity
Nov 7: Southall, The Illusion of Tribe
Nov 9: Hutchinson, Nuer Ethnicity Militarized (SLD – Danielle and Mayra)
Due: Annotated Bibliography of 10 anthropological sources for your paper
Week 12: Reframing Power
Nov 12: Lewellen, Chapter 10
Nov 14: Wolf, Facing Power
Nov 16: Hegemony; Durrenburger and Doukas (SLD - Alexis and Mayra)
Due: Revised one page summary of/introduction to your paper
Week 13: Beyond States
Nov 19: Lewellen, Chapter 11
Nov 21: THANKSGIVING BREAK
Nov 23: THANKSGIVING BREAK
Week 14: Beyond States (cont.)
Nov 26: Juris, The Seattle Effect
Nov 28: Ong, Flexible Citizenship
Nov 30: Ferguson, Anti-Politics (SLD – Kelly and Patrick)
Week 15: Wrap-up
Dec 3: Gledhill, Politics and the Academy
Dec 5: Present paper topics
Dec 7: Paper Due
Final Exam: Wednesday, Dec. 12th, 12:00-3:00pm