27309 - Social Anthropology (1) (A-L)

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course students will have mastered the main lines of the history of social anthropology thanks to a critical knowledge of the anthropological paradigms relevant to studying social relations in towns. They will apply such knowledge to the anthropological study of migratory phenomena and acquire the methodological tools needed for ethnographic research in towns. Students will be able to apply the main models of critical analysis to cultures, ethnic populations, gender and generations, and be able to focus on socio-cultural issues to do with migratory processes, globalization and the knowledge society. They will have learnt to listen, understand and debate respectfully with different viewpoints, and acquired judgment on a professional, human and ethical level.

Course contents

The course described here is directed at ARCO and History students whose family name is between the letters A and L (no exceptions are possible).

The course is divided into 2 parts but the exam is unique.

The course will explore some areas of social and urban anthropology with a focus on racism, segregation/marginality processes and the production of specific street cultures. It will also address tourism and the economic and urban transformations related to it.

The macro themes addressed in the course are 1) urban transformations and inequalities 2) exclusion and street cultures 3) inequalities and policies that promote the criminalization of the poor. 3) rise of the tourism industry and urban transformations.

The proposed ethnographies take an anthropological approach to the issues of racism, inequality and urban segregation at the current stage when these issues are often addressed through securitarian, racist and criminalizing policies.

 

Readings/Bibliography

 

There are no differences in the program between attending and non-attending students.

First module (two texts):

D'Eramo M. 2020. Il maiale e il grattacielo. Chicago: una storia del nostro futuro, Feltrinelli.

D'Eramo M., 2022. Il selfie del mondo: Indagine sull'età del turismo da Mark Twain al Covid-19, Feltrinelli.

Holmes H. 2023. Frutta fresca, corpi spezzati. Braccianti migranti negli Stati Uniti d'America, Meltemi.

Tsing A. 2021. Il fungo alla fine del mondo. La possibilità di vivere nelle rovine del capitalismo, Keller.

 

 

Second module:

two texts between: 

Bourgois P. 2005. Cercando rispetto. Drug economy e cultura distrada. Derive Approdi.

Bourgois P., Schonberg J. 2011. Reietti e fuorilegge. Antropologia della violenza nella metropoli americana, Derive Approdi.

Fassin D. 2013. La forza dell'ordine. Antropologia della polizia nelle periferie urbane. La Linea.

Wacquant L. 2016. I reietti della città. Ghetto, perififeria, stato. Edizioni ETS.

 

 

Teaching methods

Lessons will be frontal and occasionally the teacher will use audiovisual material to give more concreteness to the topics discussed. Students will be solicited to ask questions and open up debates on the issues addressed in the course.

Assessment methods

The exam is written and will be held in computer labs. Students with 12 cfu will have two hours to answer four questions, one for each text chosen, students with 6 cfu will have one hour for 2 questions.

Students will have to prove to be able to contextualize the texts, to place them within the history of discipline and to reconstruct their theoretical frameworks. They will have two hours and thirty minutes to answer to four open questions on the computers in the computer lab. The program is the same both for students attending classes as well as for the non-attending ones.

Teaching tools

The teacher will occasionally use audio-visual sources (documentaries, maps and photos).

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 Luca Jourdan