ANTHROPOLOGY OF DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONFLICTS

The course is aimed at students pursuing a Master's degree in Cultural Anthropology, Ethnology and Ethnolinguistics or students from other disciplines, interested in the critical tools offered by the discipline and its application in relation to the study of the relationship between between "humans" and "nature". Particular attention will be devoted to the situated construction of the concept of gender, the locally specific habitus it produces, and the study of the frictions between civil society and the state. The general aim of the course is to provide students with the analytical tools necessary to approach the ethnographic analysis of contexts marked by environmental frictions and conflicts. The course involves also ethnographic fieldwork excursions aimed at learning how to do field work research.

1. Knowledge and understanding
Through the analysis of specific case studies, students will acquire the ability to analyse cases of environmental conflict from an ethnographic perspective.
2. Ability to apply knowledge and understanding
Acquisition of the basic tools for applying the ethnographic method to the observation of environmental development processes.
3. Ability to apply judgement
Critical analysis of various texts will sharpen the capacity for judgement in applied and environmental anthropology texts.
4. Communication skills
Through the seminar exercises carried out during the course, the student will deepen his or her expository skills.
5. Learning skills
Through the individual and group exposition exercises carried out during the course, the student will deepen his or her critical and research skills.

It is suggested that students attend the course after having passed and attended at least two of the core examinations of the ACEL degree course.

During the course, a range of case studies will be examined, enabling students to acquire the theoretical and methodological tools necessary to analyse contexts characterised by environmental conflicts. Following an introductory section, the course will focus, through a monographic module centred on the themes of "coloniality" and "development", on a reflection grounded in the case of Cuba, the history of the plantation and slavery, and the intersections of gender, class, and race that provide a framework for understanding the accelerated transformations that have taken place on the island. In addition, the course presents the Venice Lagoon as a nearby research laboratory, offering an opportunity to put the theoretical concepts explored during the course into practice. Particular attention will be devoted to the Venice Lagoon, the politics of bodies, the environment, labour, and gender relations, also through ethnographic field excursions that engage with the ongoing transformations of native ecologies.

Il seguente programma è ancora provvisorio. Il programma potrà subire mutamenti, sarà pubblicato nella sua versione definitiva nel mese di settembre

Parte generale obbligatoria
- Achille Mbembe, Necropolitica, Verona, Ombre Corte, 2011.
- Tim Ingold, Ecologia della cultura, Milano, Meltemi, 2016, Capitolo 2, pp.49-79; Capitolo 4 pp.111-139; cap. 6 pp.189-218.
- Rita Segato, La guerra contro le donne, Napoli, Tamu, 2016
- Elena Zapponi, "La joie de vivre tropicale". Visioni europee del lussureggiante», in L’Uomo. Società Tradizione Sviluppo, 10 (2), pp. 101-126.

-1 articolo a scelta tra questi tre A e B e C (disponibili in pdf):
A) Kyra Grieco, « Le « genre » du développement minier : maternalisme et extractivisme, entre complémentarité et contestation », Cahiers des Amériques latines [En ligne], 82, 2016.
B) Deborah Fahy Bryceson, Jesper Bosse Jønsson and Hannelore Verbrugge, « For Richer, for Poorer: Marriage and Casualized Sex in East African Artisanal Mining Settlements», Development and Change 45(1), 2014 pp. 79–104.
C) Marco Simonelli, Elena Zapponi, «Politiche vaccinali cubane e scommesse sulla sovranità. Risposte al virus, politicizzazione della salute globale e mutamenti accelerati», in AM. Rivista della Società Italiana di Antropologia Medica, n. 55, pp. 187-213.

Parte monografica:
- Sezione su Cuba in numero monografico della La Ricerca Folklorica, "Cuba en apagón. Etnografie dell’assedio energetico e della sovranità", dicembre 2026.
-Elena Zapponi, La notte delle anguille. Donne, lavoro e relazioni di genere nella Laguna di Venezia, Roma, Viella, 2026.

Un testo di approfondimento a scelta e obbligatorio tra i seguenti:
-Bruce Albert, Davi Kopenawa, Lo spirito della foresta, Nottetempo, Milano, 2023. Cap. 1, 2, 3, 11, 16.
-Miguel Barnet, Canzone di Rachel, a cura di Elena Zapponi. Presentazione di Italo Calvino, Quodlibet Storie, 2026.
-Miguel Barnet, Cimarrón. Biografia di uno schiavo fuggiasco, a cura di Elena Zapponi. Presentazione di Italo Calvino, Quodlibet Storie, 2024.
-Alejo Carpentier, Il regno di questo mondo, Torino, Einaudi.
- Aimé Cèsaire, Discorso sul colonialismo, Torino, Einaudi.
-Alba de Cespedés, Quaderno proibito, Mondadori, 2022.
-Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Metà di un sole giallo, Einaudi.

The final examination consists of an oral test. For non-attending students, the programme is the same.

oral

The instructor is responsible for ensuring the authenticity and originality of all examinations and coursework. In cases of suspected academic misconduct, an additional on-site assessment may be required during the exams, which may differ from the standard format.

The examination grade will be established during an oral examination.
The exam grade will be determined through an oral examination.
Assessment will be based on the level of knowledge and understanding of the exam material, as well as analytical skills and the ability to personally elaborate on the content.

More specifically:
A sufficient performance (18–22/30) demonstrates the student’s ability to reflect on the entire exam syllabus.
A good performance (22–26/30) demonstrates the student’s ability to analytically elaborate on the course content.
An excellent performance (27–30/30) demonstrates critical thinking on environmental conflicts and the ability to connect different topics from the syllabus.
A distinction (30/30 cum laude) is awarded to students who demonstrate in-depth understanding, critical analysis, and autonomous, cross-cutting connections between the required readings.

The course will consist of lectures, vision and commentary of audio-visual materials and group exercises on selected articles and topics. If possible, educational trips to museum spaces and field research workshops in the Lagoon will be organised. During the course in-depth texts will be uploaded in MOODLE