Final Paper Options for

History of Anthropological Theory

(for students not graduating this semester)

Produce a carefully edited and revised paper of 3500 to 4000 words in response to one of the following two prompts.

A.  Select an ethnographic work (a book, in most cases) written since 1985 and analyze its relationship to at least three of the following paradigmatic threads that have played a role in the history of anthropology: (i) social evolutionary theory, (ii) racial formalism,  (iii) the Boasian culture concept, (iv) structural-functionalism, (v) structuralism, (vi) symbolic or interpretive anthropology, (vii) Marxist theory, and (viii) “unfolding reconsiderations.”  To a significant degree, the success of your paper will be determined by how well you make the choice of which of these paradigmatic threads to consider in relation to the ethnographic text you select.  It does not make sense to pick one of these threads only to say “this work neither uses nor rejects x paradigmatic thread; it has no significant relationship to this thread”  In other words, part of your task is to recognize just which threads the work you have selected is engaging in interesting ways.

B.  Identify some statement made in the contemporary public sphere that rests on an anthropological claim and then respond to the statement, drawing on your knowledge of the history of anthropological theory.  An example might be George Bush’s statements about the importance of “heterosexual marriage” for “civilization.”  Your task is to bring to the surface the embedded theory/ies in such a claim and give the best arguments you can as to why the embedded theory/ies and claims based on it are or are not valid.

You have the following interim due dates:

1 March:  Submit an email to theory@pitzer.edu that identifies which option you have chosen.  If you have selected option A, you must also identify the ethnographic work you will be using.  If you have selected option B, you must also identify what statement from the contemporary public sphere you will be using.  For both options, you must provide a paragraph explaining why you have chosen the ethnography or statement you have chosen.  You should also include in your email a response to this question: What do you see as being at stake in the specific topic you have chosen?  Students who have chosen option B will then identify, in consultation with the course faculty, a small set of relevant readings related to their topic.

21 March:  Students who have chosen option A must have completed reading their selected ethnographic work (for the first time, at least).  Students who have chosen option B should similarly have completed the relevant reading(s) identified in consultation with the course faculty.  Between 22 and 23 March, each student will have a scheduled conference with one of the course faculty to both demonstrate completion of their readings and to help plan their remaining work on the paper.