13533 - ANTROPOLOGIA ECONOMICA

Learning outcomes

The course aims to present the basic theoretical concepts useful for studying and analyzing the different forms of production and distribution of resources and the different consumption patterns in human social organizations as well as their consequences in terms of both social stratification and exploitation of environmental and human resources. The course introduces classic ethnographic cases from the literature of economic anthropology to strengthen the awareness of the historical character of the various social formations and of the ideologies that support and legitimize them. At the end of the course the student acquires the ability to identify and theoretically frame the main economic dynamics that run through societies, to recognize their ideological matrix and the generative power of social stratifications and hierarchies, to critically read the consumption models and the identity value of the social practices that derive from them. "

Course contents

After a general introduction to economic anthropology, the course will examine how it is practised in relation to international development and sustainability through key themes of the subdiscipline, offering critical reflections on questions such as poverty, class, work, and egalitarianism. We will do so using in particular lowland South American ethnography, which will help to provide a grounding in environmental and ecological foundations of economic life. The course will include sessions on Amazonian historical ecology, on the ecological relations of production in Amazonian ecosystems, and on the systems of ownership that help to organize the human and symbolic ecology that are associated with them. We will touch on the role of shamanism in this symbolic ecology, and how and why shamans are involved in ecological struggles. We will discuss the work of development actors, explore gendered perspectives in sustainability, and examine attempts to introduce social and environmental ‘responsibility’ programmes into corporate practices at the extractive frontier. Food production will be explored on different scales, including how food and agriculture have spurred social movements. Building on the more global themes of the preceding sessions, we consider how sustainability is becoming financialized through notions such as Environmental Social and Governance (ESG). We shall also look at how issues of environmental justice and intersectionality relate to questions of sustainability. The course will conclude with broader considerations on sustainable global economy and the problem of growth.

Readings/Bibliography

Hann, C. e K. Hart 2011. Antropologia economica. Storia, etnografia, critica. Torino: Einaudi.

Mauss, M. 2016. Saggio sul dono: Forma e motivo dello scambio nelle società arcaiche. Torino: Einaudi.

Polanyi, K. 2010. La grande trasformazione: Le origini economiche e politiche della nostra epoca. Torino: Einaudi.

Weber, M. L'etica protestante e lo spirito del capitalismo (diverse edizioni)

Teaching methods

The course will be taught through the discussion of ethnographic material. Sessions will alternate between lectures and student-led seminars. Students must read at least three texts (available on Virtuale or in the library) in advance for each seminar and prepare notes and a series of points for discussion. Students will prepare brief presentations, based on a more individual in-depth study of the course materials and topics, on subjects of their choice, accompanied by slides if they wish, for each seminar. Alternative modes of presentation are permitted following discussion with Prof. Brightman. The presentations will form the basis of an open discussion to explore the themes that emerge from them. During the final session, all students will make a second presentation addressing the different topics of the course in a broader way.

Assessment methods

The evaluation will take place through an oral exam, on a topic based on the course, to be agreed with Prof. Brightman. Students should demonstrate initiative and are encouraged to explore reading beyond the course bibliography.
Students are also advised to familiarize themselves with one or two detailed ethnographic case studies (e.g. book length), which they can use to illustrate ideas discussed during the course.

Teaching tools

Students who require specific services and adaptations to teaching activities due to a disability or specific learning disorders (SLD), must first contact the appropriate office: https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students.

Office hours

See the website of Marc Andrew Brightman