This course is concerned with the application of anthropological theory to particular ethnographic problems. The main objective of this course is to survey and critically evaluate comparison as one of the key methodological tools in social anthropology. Students will be introduced to some of the key theoretical concepts and debates on the comparative approach by engaging a selection of anthropological literature, ranging from classical texts to more recent ethnographic case studies. Students will learn to assess the assumptions and limitations of different comparative approaches. The course will cover topics which have been traditionally the focus of comparative approaches, such as history, kinship, ethnicity and identity, the anthropology of the state, next to contemporary social practices like consumption, mass communication and digital media practices.
By the end of the course, students will be able to grasp key debates in social and cultural anthropology, to critically reflect on the merits of comparison as a mode of anthropological inquiry and to understand the relationship of theory and ethnography in the construction of anthropological knowledge.
Studienleistung: Wird in der ersten Stunde bekannt gegeben
Modulleistung: Hausarbeit
Besonderheiten: This course will be taught in English and all student assignments will also have to be submitted in English.
