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ALL lecture notes History and Theory of Anthropology
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These are all lecture notes from HTA at VU. Paraphrased the lecturer and added text of slides later.
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History and Theory of AnthropologyWeek 1.1
26-10-2020
HTA gives a theoretical and historical perspective on anthropological themes. Maybe it is even
philosophical.
“Anthropology, for me, is philosophy with the people in. It is philosophy, because its concern is with
the conditions and possibilities of human being and knowing in the one world we all inhabit” (Tim
Ingold)
Anthropology cannot be without theory, without reflecting on our research.
Chapter 1
Hume’s critique on empiricism
Anthropology is with hume critique. We acknowledge that theory is leading in the way we approach
reality. Anthropologist are very keen about the assumptions on research: everybody has
expectations when we enter the field.
“theory”> (heuristic) model
Theory hasn’t got a very clear definition. Model is more likely.
Probabilistic theories: suggesting an association between different phenomena.
The problem of interpretation.
Moberg calls it paradigms. We may observe the same thing, but understand it very differently.
Teacher doesn’t agree with the term ‘paradigm’, rather it is a different worldview. The scientific
approach has disappeared mostly.
Anthropology as a science
“Scientific” view on anthropology: research will lead to generalized knowledge -> explanation.
Explain reality by measuring and suggesting natural laws and testing these laws. Thus anthropology
creates social laws and generalization.
Interpretivist view on anthropology: research will lead to an understanding of particular cultural
contexts -> interpretation by understanding their particular social condition. Moberg call is
postmodern (more extreme).. So it leads to an interpretation of social reality.
Nowadays understood as an interpretive science.
Evans-Pritchard (1950): anthropology belongs the humanities.
Debate has ended, the scientific view has disappeared, all though still discussion about the
knowledge anthropology yields. What are we?
Anthropology: our position in academia
Between the humanities (philosophy, literary studies, history) and social sciences (political science,
geography, economics).
,All though most people will agree that we are a social science because of our preference for
interpretation. But we do different things. This becomes clear when departments have to write a
shared research program; coherent diversity of themes.
Can we still talk about a single discipline? It refers to historical and power dynamics of anthropology.
Also the future: will it continue to diverse?
History and Theory of Anthropology
Week 1.2
27-10-2020
Moberg ch. 2+3
What is theory? Early history of theory
Recap ‘theory’
Why theory? What is its purpose?
To give knowledge a place and to order knowledge (my personal answer)
The definition needs to be very broad.
With knowledge of theory, anthropology becomes an attempt to answer philosophical and practical
problems.
Without knowledge…
Theorizing means… making assumptions explicit.
- Theory is already there (theory-laden)
- Describing is perceiving (interpretation)
- Reflection on frames (language, concepts)
- The anthropologist is part of the production of knowledge
Subject/object distinction in anthropology
Is rather different than in other sciences. Chapter 2. Anthropologists change culture in ways that cant
be predicted controlled or even identified.
For a very long time the anthopologts voice was very authorative, not questioned. Why did he write
the thing down the way he did: pre-reflexive anthropology
Having no reflexivity is a problem. There is no reflection on how this knowledge is produced.
The motto of anthropological research: the anthropologist is her own research instrument. We do
not have any other tools than ourselves. This means that everything you’ve written down has been
perceived by you, you’re the vessel of knowledge. This means you have to know who you, yourself
are. You beliefs, identity etc.
This makes anthropology very complicated but also interesting.
Du Bois
,Sociologist, investigated the idea of double consciousness. A concept that is now very current in race
studies. Double consciousness is about the idea that if you are a person of color, you don’t only have
your own consciousness, but also take in the account the perspective of the dominant majority of the
group. You always have to think twice. This can be a matter of life and death.
Zora Neale Hurston
Moberg has devoted an excursion about her in the book. READ IT! She did anthropological studies
from her insider African-American view. She is more well known for her novels. But has done folklore
studies into African-American culture in the southern states.
Anthropological claims and critiques
Positivism - not reflexive following the way of investigating via the way of nature sciences
Positivism (scientific anthropology) > we can research reality without taking into account the
researcher’s identity and beliefs
e.g. functionalism materialism etic understanding.
What was the postmodern critique on this position
1. It is impossible to be objective
2. Anthropologists are promoting their own views, not those of who they are studying.
Anthropologist cannot speak for the locals themselves, does not have the right to do this.
3. Ethical consequences with doing research this way. This may lead to moral behaviour.
Speaking against inequality rather than just observing it. Moral behavior is desired: not just
describing, but advocating.
Anthropology before anthropology
World map
- Ties between the countries
- Mediterranean is only shown
- Upside down
The other is not me
This experience is intriguing, it is our curiosity that drives people to study other human beings.
The other is like me
We find all sort of aspects interesting, because it may be relatable
The other is not like me
Then it’s about the consequences of this experience. What does it mean? What does it make you do?
People outside of Europe seemed very different.
Encounters with the other: expansion
, Travel writer: Herodotus (5th century BC)
Human differences seen as human maid, very modern idea. Lots of fantasies of people living outside
civilisation, or humans that are not human. Herodotus saw that these differences did not lay in the
humans at all. He wrote about diversity in a modern way.
Marco Polo (1295-1324), Travel writer
Someone who wrote with empathy about the different cultures he encountered. We can thus relate
to this. He also travelled on the Silk Road and lived in China.
Ibn Khaldun (1331-1405), ‘Modern’ historian
Prioneer of the social sciences
- Study of Noth African societies
- Materialist reasoning
- Theories of solidarity
NEED TO KNOW if you want to know your history.
The age of exploration
End of the 15th century -> Expansion of knowledge. Huge interest in modern science, but also in
territory and power. -> diverging interests
They could imagine people living in China, because they were already described. They could also
justify the living of the other people. BUT the bible does not mention the Americas.
The Indian questions; are Indians humans? This question started the transatlantic slave trade.
IMPORTANT to know.
Some notes on language… he constantly speaks of Indians but also says indigenous or native.
Versteeg prefers the term indigenous people, because the people themselves don’t like the word
Indians. The word enslaved is more correct than slave.
Montaigne > savage is seen as ‘natural’ human.
Romantic period: fascination with nature as a cultural critique > culture seen as decadent
Jean-Jacques Rousseau: The ‘novel savage’ as the opposite of degenerate civilized humans.
Enlightenment social theories
“Universal histories” or evolutionay schemes (18th century)
Cultural evolution: universal stages of development
e.g. savagery> barbarism > civilization (Fergusson)
Rational thinking as the motor of change
Auguste Comte’s theory of stages:
Idealism: society’s essence is its belief system > change occurs through advances reasoning
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