CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY

The course is mandatory for the MA in ACEL and optional for the MA courses in Philosophical sciences, History from the Middle Ages to Present. History of arts and conservation of artistic heritage.

The course has the objective of introducing students to the debates on religion in Cultural Anthropology. The study of religion has been at the centre of the development of Cultural Anthropology and its definition continues to accompany the most distinctive theoretical and methodological turns of the discipline. The course has the objective to introduce students to the debates and approaches to the study of religion from the Victorian period to the present day, with a special emphasis on the relationship between religious and political phenomena.

The course aims to provide students with knowledge and tools:
- to learn the main themes and debates in the study of religion in Cultural Anthropology,
- to acquire the ability to identify le limits of theoretical approaches in the light of more recent critiques,
- to acquire an ability to synthesize ideas and articulate complex theoretical approaches.

1. Knowledge and comprehension:
- to know main themes and debates in the Anthropology of religion,
- to know theoretical approaches applied to contemporary realities (political changes, new spiritual movements),
. to know main theoretical approaches characterizing the history of anthropological thought.
2. Ability to apply knowledge and comprehension:
- to interpret a case study in the specific theoretical frameworks,
- to apply theoretical notions to specific case studies from a comparative perspective.
3. Capacity for evaluation:
- be able to formulate and express complex ideas comparing and contrasting different theoretical and methodological perspectives,
- to develop a critical approach to the literature (identify contributes and limits).
4. Communication skills:
- To be able to summarize and present complex ideas orally (class presentations) and in writing (final exam essay),
- to develop ability for synthesis and knowledge of technical language (expressions and terminology).
5. Learning capacity:
- Specialized knowledge in structuring and writing a scientific essay,
- capacity to develop research autonomy in the interpretation of data.

The course does not have any pre-requirement. The coursework deals with the course's key themes providing students with a selection of texts on the study of religion from different theoretical perspectives and in multiple ethnographic contexts.

This course aims to introduce students to themes, debates, and arguments about religion in cultural anthropology. It is articulated as follows:

- Magic, witchcraft, and "(neo-)paganism";
- Ritual and belief;
- "Little traditions": vernacular religiosity and syncretism;
- "Great traditions": asceticism and ethics;
- Ecstasies, spirits, and encounters with the Beyond;
- Millenarianism, apocalypses, and conspiracies;
- Religion between nation and the state;
- A (post-)secular age?

These themes will be discussed in class and run through the required readings for the exam, which include a series of articles/chapters (accessible via Moodle) and a monograph. See below for details. Information about the coursework/exam will be given in class and the instructor can be contacted by email or during office hours for any questions.

Reading materials (Moodle):
- Durkheim E. "The Elementary Forms of Religious Life" in Lambek M. (ed.), A Reader in the Anthropology of Religion, Blackwell.
- Pels P. "Introduction: Magic and Modernity," in B. Meyer & P. Pels (eds.) Magic and Modernity. Interfaces of Revelation and Concealment, Stanford UP.
- Mazzarella W. "Populist leadership and charisma," in Stavrakakis Y and Katsambekis G. (ed.), Research Handbook on Populism, 291-302, Edward Elgar Publishing.
- Seligman A.B. "Ritual, the Self, and Sincerity," Social Research 76/4, 1073-1096.
- Shaw R. and Stewart C. "Introduction: problematizing syncretism," in id. (eds.) Syncretism/Anti-Syncretism: The Politics of Religious Synthesis, Routledge.
- Laidlaw J. "For an Anthropology of Ethics and Freedom," The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute 8/2, 311-332.
- Boddy J. "Spirits and Selves in Northern Sudan: The Cultural Therapeutics of Possession and Trance," American Ethnologist 15/1, 4-27.
- Robbins, J. "Secrecy and the Sense of an Ending: Narrative, Time and Everyday Millenarianism in PNG and in Christian Fundamentalism," Comparative Studies in Society and History 43/3, 525-51.
- Sekulić B. and Benussi M. "Sacralizing Ethnos: Conversions to Ethnoreligiosity in Eastern Europe" in Mithans G., Tóth H and Benussi M. (eds.), Conversions in Central and Eastern Europe: The Politics of Religion and Nonreligion across the 20th Century, Routledge.
- Fernando M. "Reconfiguring freedom: Muslim piety and the limits of secular law and public discourse in France," American Ethnologist 37/1, 19-35.

Monograph: Benussi M. "Restless Quietists: Muslim Forms of Life in Russia's Volga Region," Cornell UP.

Additional and integrative texts (nonmandatory) will be made available during the course.

Learning will be tested and evaluated as follows:
1) Oral presentation in class: students will present an article or book chapter from the reading materials, in collaboration with other students. Students are asked to contextualize the readings within specific theoretical approaches, present authors and formulate questions in order to stimulate class discussion.
2) Written essay (22.000 characters including spaces and references) to be submitted to the course instructor at least 15 days before the exam date.
3) Oral exam. Students will receive comments on their essays and on how to improve their work (content and form), as well as answering a few questions on the exam materials.
4) The final vote is composed as follows:
70% written essay,
20% oral exam,
10% oral presentation in class.

written

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.

Grades ranging from 18 to 22 (pass) require:
- sufficient knowledge and understanding of coursework;
- limited skills in collecting and/or interpreting information to reach original conclusions;
- sufficient communication skills, especially in relation to discipline-specific terms and concepts;
Grades ranging from 23 to 26 (high pass) require:
- good knowledge and understanding of coursework;
- good skills in collecting and/or interpreting information to reach original conclusions;
- good communication skills, especially in relation to discipline-specific terms and concepts;
Grades ranging from 27 to 30 (merit) require:
- very good knowledge and understanding of coursework;
- very good skills in collecting and/or interpreting information to reach original conclusions;
- very good communication skills, especially in relation to discipline-specific terms and concepts;
The distinction of Laude requires outstanding knowledge and understanding of coursework, pronounced autonomy in reasoning, and excellent communication skills.

The course consists in face-to-face lectures aimed at presenting the main theoretical and methodological issues in this field of study, and introducing the modalities of completion and submission of learning tasks (class presentation, written essay).
1. Class presentation. Students will present one of the articles or book chapters in collaboration with other students. Presentations are intended to generate a discussion and an exchange of Q&As.
2. The final essay must be submitted 15 days before the exam date. The essay should zoom in on one of the subjects encountered during the course and discuss it in the light of the reading materials. In particular, the topic is to be investigated through ethnographic examples and theoretical approaches drawn from the course readings. The essay is not a mere summary of the readings but an opportunity to reflect on arguments and approaches in order to develop one own critical capacity. The written essay must be typed (Times New Roman 12), with a 1,5 line spacing and with 2 cm margin. All ideas quoted directly or indirectly must be attributed to the author bt indicating the author's name, publication date and page number. The author-date method (which includes a detailed list of references at the end of the text) is preferred. The use of AI-generated text is incompatible with the course's pedagogical framework and is therefore strictly forbidden.

Attendance is not mandatory but is highly recommended. Students are asked to consult the informative material on the writing exercise and exam in Moodle and regularly check the instructor’s on-line notifications. Students with specialneeds may contact the Inclusion Office to obtain information. Students with specific allowances will be able to access the recordings (please check with the Inclusion Unit).

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "International cooperation" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development