AN 371: POLITICAL ANTHROPOLOGY

AN 371: POLITICAL ANTHROPOLOGY (with AN 771)

Spring 2005

CAS 432, Tuesday and Thursday, 11:00 A.M. to 12:20 P.M.

Professor Augustus Richard Norton

152 Bay State Road, Rm. 440

Phone: 353-7808 (direct), 353-9278 (dept.)

Email: arn@bu.edu

Webpage: http://people.bu.edu/arn/ Blog: http://bostonuniversity.blogspot.com/

Courseinfo page: http://courseinfo.bu.edu/courses/05sprggrsan771_a1/

SYLLABUS:

POLITICAL ANTHROPOLOGY: THE MAKING OF THE MODERN WORLD

Do “modern” politics differ from premodern politics? How did colonialism and industrial capitalism transform non-Western societies? Is democracy a uniquely Western phenomenon or is it generalizable to non-Western societies? Is nationalism a social disorder or an integral part of being modern? How do we come to define ourselves as citizens of a given state? How does the state establish and sustain its control over its citizenry and how do citizens collectively or individually resist the state’s controls? What are human rights? What social conditions seem to be conducive to democratic governance and which conditions promote tyranny, intolerance and civil violence?

This course examines these and other questions in political anthropology as part of a broader effort to understand the origins and development of the modern political world. In general terms, we are interested this semester in exploring three problems: 1) the origins of modern politics, its institutions, and cultures, both Western and non-Western; 2) the political conditions that have worked at times to create unprecedented human liberty and at other times unparalleled tyranny; and, 3) the prospects for democracy and tolerance among and within the world’s diverse civilizations.

Though our primary focus in this course is on the forces that have shaped the modern era, we seek to understand them comparatively. Among other things, this means that we must analyze premodern patterns of political organization, and the forces that have promoted their destabilization and change. Our discussion will thus examine traditional forms of authority, domination, and resistance; the “rise of the West” and the impact of colonialism on the non-Western world; nationalism and ethnic violence; the role of politics in the development of market capitalism; and the prospects for democracy, freedom, and civil society in the diverse cultures of the modern world. The theme that unites all these concerns is the concept of “integrative revolution”: the political, economic, and cultural processes that have incorporated once autonomous regions into an increasingly interconnected world. These political processes created the modern world; our goal this semester is to understand their origins and implications for our future.

Texts: We will be reading several books this semester, as well as a few important articles. The books are available at the BU bookstore, except as noted. The required books are: Benedict Anderson, Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism; Whitney Azoy, Buzkashi; Abner Cohen, Two Dimensional Man (Cohen is out of print but you can find cheap used copies on the web and there is one copy on reserve, HM131.C7417; please try and buy a used copy on the WWW or in a local used book store); John Gledhill, Power and its Disguises: Anthropological Perspectives on Politics; Ted Lewellen, Political Anthropology (2^nd. ed.; GN492 .L48 1992); A. R. Norton, Civil Society in the Middle East, vol. 2; and, Robert Weller, Alternate Civilities.

Graduate students: an additional reading list will be provided.

Requirements: There will be two scheduled quizzes in the course. Each quiz will be comprised of short essay questions that require the student to draw upon the assigned readings, as well as class discussions. There is also a mid-term examination in this course. Students in this course are expected to do all the readings for this course in advance of class. In each class session, at least one student will be asked to comment on the assigned reading.

A grade for course participation will take account of attendance as well as the student’s contributions to the classroom discussion, especially when called upon to comment.

Each student is required to prepare two incisive papers during the semester (see attached). Each of the two papers is a case study focusing on a distinct level of political organization (e.g., bands, tribes, chiefdoms or states). The second paper must focus on a different region, society and level of political organization than the first paper.

Each student is assigned to a three person group, which then makes a graded formal presentation to the class drawing on their course papers.

Attendance: Attendance is required. Unexcused absences and lateness will be considered in calculating the grade for participation. An attendance sheet will be circulated with an addendum for late arrivals.

Academic integrity: Please read the Boston University Academic Conduct Code. Handing in someone else's work or ideas as your own (even if you worked on it together as a group) constitutes plagiarism, as does using someone's ideas without attribution. You must give a citation when you use an author's ideas in your paper, even if you do not quote the text word-for-word. I will go over in class the correct procedures for quoting and referencing the work of other authors. If you miss that class or if you have any questions, please ask. Any infraction MUST be reported to the Dean for resolution by the Academic Conduct Committee. Be informed and be careful.

The syllabus, course descriptions, and handouts created by Professor Norton, and all class lectures, are copyrighted by Boston University and/or Professor Norton. Except with respect to enrolled students as set forth below, the materials and lectures may not be reproduced in any form or otherwise copied, displayed or distributed, nor should works derived from them be reproduced, copied, displayed or distributed without the written permission of Professor Norton. Infringement of the copyright in these materials, including any sale or commercial use of notes, summaries, outlines or other reproductions of lectures, constitutes a violation of the copyright laws and is prohibited.

Students enrolled in the course are allowed to share with other enrolled students course materials, notes, and other writings based on the course materials and lectures, but may not do so on a commercial basis or otherwise for payment of any kind. Please note, in particular, that selling or buying class notes, lecture notes or summaries, or similar materials both violates copyright and interferes with the academic mission of the College, and is therefore prohibited in this class and will be considered a violation of the student code of responsibility that is subject to academic sanctions.

Communication: The CourseInfo page is an excellent device for conveniently providing course materials, schedules, grades and announcements. Access is limited to enrolled students in the course. Class members are urged to check the page twice weekly using the Boston University user name and password. The URL for our page is shown above, and you may also enter through the Boston University web page by clicking “Resources” and then following the trail to the CourseInfo page for AN 371/771.

Routine communications and announcements will be made by email. If you use an email address other than your __@bu.edu address, please be sure to provide that email address to the professor (by email to arn@bu.edu ).

Consultation and office hours: 152 Bay State Road (IR), fourth floor, Rm. 440. Feel free to come by and chat. Office hours are Tuesday/Thursday, 1:30-3:00 p.m., and at other times by appointment (353-7808 or 9279; email: arn@bu.edu ).

AN 371: TOPICS AND READINGS

(A Note on the Readings: Throughout this semester I will draw on and refer to many other readings, some of which you may wish to explore on your own. Where copyright restrictions allow, I will make these additional items available on the CourseInfo page. There may, in addition, be one or two short articles added to the list of readings over the course of the semester.)

WEEK 1 (Jan 18/20): THE NATURE OF POLITICS: PREMODERN AND MODERN COMPARISONS

Read: Geertz, “An Inconstant Profession” on the courseinfo page.

Lewellen, Political Anthropology, chaps. 1-6.

WEEK 2 (Jan 25/27): THE BIRTH OF NATIONALISM

Read: Anderson, Imagined Communities, pp. 1-65.

WEEK 3 (Feb 1/3): NATIONALIST REVOLUTION AND REACTION

Read: Imagined Communities, pp. 67-140; peruse the remaining pages.

Lewellen, chaps. 7-11.

WEEK 4 (Feb 8/10): MAN AND WOMAN IN COMPLEX SOCIETIES

Read: Cohen, all (on reserve).

Topic due, February 8.

WEEK 5 (Feb 15/17): Ethnicity and Identity

Read: Barth, “Ethnic Groups and Boundaries” (on courseinfo page)

Feb 17: QUIZ I on all readings through Barth.

WEEK 6 (Feb 24): GAMES, RITUALS AND POLITICAL AUTHORITY I

(Due to revised holiday schedule there is no class on the 22d.)

Read: Azoy.

WEEK 7 (Mar 1/3): GAMES, RITUALS AND POLITICAL AUTHORITY II;

POWER RELATIONS IN THE MODERN STATE, RESISTANCE AND COERCION

Read (March 1): Azoy.

Read (March 3): Gledhill, pp. 1-126.

WEEK 8 (March 15/17): LOCAL POLITICS, GLOBALIZATION AND THE NOTION OF POST-MODERNITY

Read: Glenhill, pp. 127 to end.

Paper I due, March 17.

WEEK 9 (March 22/24): RELIGIOUS SYMBOLISM, RITUAL AND POLITICAL IDENTITY

Mar 22: QUIZ II on all readings through Gledhill.

Read: Norton, “‘Ashura in Nabatiyya” (Mugar reserve/CourseInfo page), Turner, The Ritual Process (on reserve)

WEEK 10 (March 29/31): CIVILITY, ASSOCIATIONAL LIFE AND THE QUESTION OF CIVIL SOCIETY

Read: Weller

WEEK 11: (April 5/7): fissures, borders and commonalities

Read: Norton, ed., intro and chaps. 1, 2, 4, 7, 8.

WEEK 12 (April 12/14): The context of late modernity

Read: Samuel P. Huntington, “The Clash of Civilizations” (Mugar reserve)

April 13: In addition to regular class meeting, there is a required lecture at the Castle, 5 p.m.

WEEK 13 (April 19/21): MID-TERM EXAMINATION AND STUDENT

PRESENTATIONS

April 19: Mid-term exam: Essay format; all reading and lectures will be covered.

April 21: Presentations begin.

WEEK 14 (April 26/28): STUDENT PRESENTATIONS

WEEK 15 (May 3): COURSE WRAP-UP

AN 371: Political Anthropology

Spring 2004

Course Requirements

Summary of Deadlines:

February 8 Topic for paper I due.

February 17 Quiz I

March 17 Paper I due

March 22 Quiz II

April 13 Required lecture, 5 p.m.

April 19 Mid-term examination

April 21 Presentations commence

May 3 Paper II due

Grade calculation: Grades are posted on the CourseInfo page. You may gain access to your grades by using your unique BU alias and kyberos password. The components of the course grade are as follows:

Participation: 10%

Quizzes (2): 10% each

Topic I 5%

Papers (2): 15% each.

Presentation: 10%

Mid-term exam 25%

Grade scale: A (95% or above), A- (92% or above); B+ (88% or above); B (85% or above), B- (82% or above), C+ (78% or above), C (75% or above), C- (72 or above), D (65% or above).

Quizzes: Quizzes on the course readings will be given on February 17 and March 22. The format will be short answer, objective questions based on the course readings, lectures and films. N.B., No make-up quizzes will be offered, except in the case of bona fide emergencies and documented illness.

Class presentations: Each student participates in a ten to twelve minute presentation to the class as part of a research group designated based on paper topics. The presentations will be scheduled for April. Papers will be grouped by subject, and dates for presentation will be randomly chosen. Each group is expected to provide a two-page outline to the class at the time of presentation. This outline is intended to facilitate note taking and should be distributed to all class members. Arrangements will be made for audiovisual support, including overhead projectors, digital projectors, slide projectors, and video equipment.

Papers: There are two required short papers as described below. The papers are due on March 17 and May 3. The papers should be four to five pages in length (approximately 1,000 words and no more than 1,200 words—please include a word count on your cover sheet). The Department of Anthropology publishes a short and inexpensive style manual that you may find helpful:

Parish, Steven M., The Student’s Practical Guide: Writing Term Papers for Anthropology (and Related Subjects) (Boston: BU Dept. of Anthropology, 1994). This is available in the Boston University bookstore for a few dollars.

The bible for style is the Chicago Style Manual, or the Turabian Guide, which derives from the CSM.

Topics for papers: Each of the two papers should treat a single type of political system (i.e., band, tribe, chiefdom or state). You must choose a different political system in a different world region for the second paper. Thus, if you choose a Latin American tribe as your first topic, you must choose a band, chiefdom or state outside of Latin America as your second topic.

Topic for first paper: NLT than February 8, submit your topic for the first paper.

Late papers: Unless there is a bona fide emergency or otherwise authorized exception, late papers will be docked half a letter grade per day.

The class readings do a good job of introducing the basic themes and concepts of political anthropology. Choose a theme that interests you and apply it to the political system that you are treating. Thus, you may write about conflict resolution in a Bedouin tribe, leadership among the !kung of the Kalahari, the blood feud in Corsica, or religious legitimation in Pharaonic Egypt. The following list of topics is only intended to be suggestive: