11684 - Ethno-Anthropology of Religions (1)

Learning outcomes

At the end of this course, students will have gained fundamental knowledge of the basic structures of contemporary and ancient religious systems. Students will have acquired tools to analyse texts and documents autonomously. Students will be able to follow new methodologies in interpreting religious phenomena and in providing adequate communication of new research lines.

Course contents

The aim of this course is to find basic methods, forms and themes to interpret religious facts, starting from some texts by Marcel Mauss, whose contribution to the study of religions is fundamental.

Before starting this course, it would be useful to have some basic knowledge of the history of anthropology. Preferably, students should have already attended the course and / or passed the exam of cultural anthropology.

Readings/Bibliography

Texts for for attending:

1) Destro A., Antropologia e religioni. Sistemi e strategie, Brescia, Morcelliana, 2005

Or: 

Ciattini A., Antropologia delle religioni, Carocci, Roma (qualsiasi edizione)

2) Mauss M., Teoria generale della magia e altri saggi, intr. di Claude Levi-Stauss, Torino, Einaudi (qualsiasi edizione).

 Or:

 - Durkheim E., Hubert H., Mauss M., Le origini dei poteri magici, Torino, Einaudi, 1951

 - Mauss M., La preghiera e i riti orali, Brescia, Morcellania, 1997

 - Hubert H. e Mauss M., Saggio sul sacrificio, Brescia, Morcelliana, 1981

Texts for non-attending:

 1) Destro A., Antropologia e religioni. Sistemi e strategie, Brescia, Morcelliana, 2005.

Or: 

Ciattini A., Antropologia delle religioni, Carocci, Roma (qualsiasi edizione)

2) Mauss M., Teoria generale della magia e altri saggi, intr. di Claude Levi-Stauss, Torino, Einaudi (qualsiasi edizione).

 3) - Durkheim E., Hubert H., Mauss M., Le origini dei poteri magici, Torino, Einaudi, 1951

- Mauss M., La preghiera e i riti orali, Brescia, Morcellania, 1997

- Hubert H. e Mauss M., Saggio sul sacrificio, Brescia, Morcelliana, 1981

Facoltative lectures:

Fimiani Maria Paola, Marcel Mauss e il pensiero delle origini, Napoli, Guida, 1984

Fournier M., Marcel Mauss: a biography, Oxford, Princeton University Press, 2006

Martelli S., Marcel Mauss: una introduzione, Roma, Armando, 1987

Rivière C., Socio-anthropologie des religiones, Colin, 1997

Seminario organizzato dalla Fondazione Collegio San Carlo (Modena), Marcel Mauss: il fatto sociale totale, disponibile registrazione sonora presso Collegio San Carlo Modena (11 audiocassette).

Tarot C., Sociologie et anthropologie de Marcel Mauss, Paris, la Decouverte, 2003

Teaching methods

The course will be organised as a seminar, including readings, collective debates on parts of the texts to be studied for the exam, and students' active participation.

Assessment methods

Oral exam.

If requested by students, the exam can be integrated with a written essay about a relevant topic to be agreed with the lecturer.

Teaching tools

As an integration to the seminar-based lectures, further documents will be used, such as films and ethnographic videos.

Office hours

See the website of Francesca Sbardella