Professor Ann Marie Leshkowich
Beaven 231
508-793-2788
aleshkow@holycross.edu
Office Hours: M 10-12, 2-3, W 10-12, F 11-12

 

Assignment Objectives

Learning economic anthropology requires practicing two different, but closely related skills: 1) defining and analyzing theoretical models for relating the economy to social institutions and cultural ideas, and 2) constructing a project and methodology that will provide information to address these concerns. Weekly written assignments will give you the opportunity to develop and practice both of these skills.

While the assignments vary from thought experiments to ethnographic exercises, each asks you to relate your ideas or findings to the readings for that week. For each assignment, make sure that you formulate a thesis statement, present it in the introductory paragraph, and use it to guide your arguments in the body of your paper. These assignments are the only papers you will write for this class, so use them to hone your skills in formulating and supporting anthropological arguments; you'll need these skills for the mid-term and final as well.

 

Arguments and Thesis Statements

Response papers are relatively short, but they each require you to reflect critically on the course's material, themes, and modes of inquiry. Each paper MUST have an introductory paragraph with a clearly articulated thesis that states the argument which the rest of the paper will advance. A thesis statement is not a declaration of fact, a broad claim, or an obvious assertion. A thesis statement is an interesting and specific contention about which one can reasonably debate and disagree. A thesis statement also serves to orient the reader by highlighting the major themes which will be discussed in the rest of the paper. Each of the assignments below pose several questions which are intended to guide you in formulating a provocative and insightful thesis.

Examples of thesis statements:

BAD: Economics plays an important role in the world today. (This statement is both obvious and general; nobody would be likely to disagree.)

BETTER: As part of contemporary processes of globalization, economics has played an important role in bringing the world together. (This statement claims that economics is important to globalization, but it doesn't specify economics' role and hence can't easily be contested. The reader has no clue as to the impact of economics or why it might be important.)

GOOD: In contemporary discussions of globalization, the increasing dominance of one specific economic system -- Western European and North American-style capitalism -- has often been interpreted as a sign that economic and cultural distinctiveness is disappearing. Moving beyond the rhetoric, however, a concrete examination of how different parts of the world have responded to capitalism suggests an opposite conclusion: the spread of capitalism has not been uniform, and globalization does not necessarily lead to economic, cultural, or social homogenization. (While perhaps a bit wordy, these sentences introduce a specific characterization of the relationship between economics and globalization to make a clear, but arguable statement as to the nature and/or significance of this relationship.)

 

Paper Requirements and Grading

The specific assignments for each week are listed below. Unless the assignment indicates otherwise, each paper should be 2-3 double-spaced pages. Assignments are due in hard copy form at the beginning of class; electronic submissions will not be accepted! There are eleven assigned papers, of which you must complete ten. Each of the ten papers will be graded according to a three point scale, for a total of 30 points toward the final course grade. An eleventh paper can be completed for extra credit up to a maximum of 30 points. Late papers will not be accepted. For more info on grading standards, click here.

NOTE: Several of these papers require you to complete a specific ethnographic field exercise. These papers require advance preparation, so be sure to select your sites or arrange for interviews well in advance of class.

 

Assignment 1: Popular conceptions of economics (due September 7)

This assignment asks you to explore how economics is talked about in America today and how this relates to the anthropological perspectives on economics introduced in lecture and readings. Find a magazine or newspaper article which explicitly mentions "economics" and relates this in some ways to culture (possible topics include the spread of global capitalism, economic trends, how gasoline prices are affecting behavior, or global tourism). What conception of the relationships between economics and culture does the article's discussion suggest? How does this compare to the anthropological understandings of economics explored in class? What, in your opinion, are the significant issues raised by this comparison? Why are they significant?

 

Assignment 2: Domestic Production (due September 14)

According to Engels, the growth of male-owned private property and the rise of the monogamous family brought about the "world historical defeat of the female sex" (120) by trapping women's labor within the domestic sphere. From this analysis, Engels suggests that "the first condition for the liberation of the wife is to bring the whole female sex back into public industry" (137-8). Today, with most men and women throughout the world working for pay outside the home, Engels' solution would seem to have been implemented. At the same time, household chores continue to be a primary bone of contention between men and women, with many women complaining that they must now bear a double burden of work and family.

For this assignment, interview a man or a woman about how his or her work affects the household. Through your interview, you should also obtain concrete information about the household, in terms of size, relations between its members, and its durability over time. You can focus the interview around whatever themes you wish, but you may want to explore the following: how the decision to begin working was made, how the income from this work is spent, what types of work other household members perform, how the "reproductive" aspects of the household are performed, how household decisions about expenditures are made, who heads the household and why, and whether the interviewee sees any differences within the family according to gender or age. Based on your example, have the outcomes of work in "public industry" been what Engels predicted? What strengths and weaknesses does this suggest about Engels' model for understanding the relationship between households, work, and gender inequality?

 

Assignment 3: Weapons of the Weak (due September 26)

Scott's book describes the weapons of the weak -- the everyday ways in which peasants in Malaysia resist the people and economic structures which oppress them. Imagine that you are a student of Scott's and are looking for similar forms of resistance at Holy Cross. Describe an example of a weapon of the weak used by students or employees. What are they resisting and why? What is the outcome of their resistance? What does this example suggest to you about Scott's argument?

 

Assignment 4: Exchange and Culture (due October 3)

A central argument of Mauss's book is that there is no such thing as a free gift: all gift exchanges involve the unspoken rules of giving, receiving, and reciprocating. This assignment requires you to test this theory by interviewing someone about his or her giving practices. When and to whom does your interviewee give gifts? What are the expectations involved? Have there been times when these expectations were not met? What happened? Have your interviewee's giving practices varied over time? Use the paper to summarize your findings and suggest the ways in which your interview might lead you to re-evaluate Mauss.

 

Assignment 5: Capitalism and Morality (due Due October 12)

Nearly a century ago, Weber wrote in The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalismthat the pursuit of money in the United States had become stripped of its former moral and religious associations and had instead become a kind of sport. Do you think this is true today? Pick a newspaper article, magazine spread, film, or television show which profiles a wealthy individual or family. What role does morality play in the lives of the individuals described or in the presentation of those lives? Is morality mentioned or implied at all? What does your example suggest about Weber's argument about the relationship between money, capitalism, and morality?

 

Assignment 6: Demand and Consumption (due October 21)

Mintz argues that the demand for sugar is not a natural quality of humanity, but a historical condition which has been created and increased over time. This assignment asks you to analyze your own demand and consumption patterns in light of Mintz's argument. For one week, keep a spending diary of everything which you purchase and consume. Once you have finished the diary, rank the items in terms of their importance to you personally. Then, re-rank the items in terms of their necessity to you as a physical, biological organism. Pick one item which is much more important in personal terms than in biological ones. Following Mintz's example, speculate about why this item might be so important to you. What do you think are the historical, cultural, social, and economic conditions which have created your desire for it? What does your discussion suggest about Mintz's argument about the creation of demand?

 

Assignment 7: Religion as Resistance to Capitalism (due October 28)

Taussig's book analyzes different religious beliefs and practices as a kind of critique of capitalism. Earlier, we explored Weber's argument that capitalism in the US used to be intimately connected to religion, but has since become completely secular. To what extent is religion in the US today opposed to capitalism? This assignment asks you to address this question by observing a worship service. Take detailed fieldnotes about the rituals, the officiants, and the congregation. Feel free to speak to different participants about why they attend worship services. What kinds of statements about money and capitalism are offered or implied during the service? What do your findings suggest about Taussig and Weber's arguments?

 

Assignment 8: Spirits of Economic Development (due November 7)

Ong opens her book with the following question: "Why are Malay women workers periodically seized by spirit possession on the shopfloor of modern factories?" (xiii). What is her answer to this question? Do you find her argument convincing? Why or why not?

 

Assignment 9: Culture and Class (due November 14)

Does education train someone to occupy a specific class position? In the US, we tend to think of education as an opportunity for social and economic advancement which is available to all, regardless of class background. Willis argues the opposite: education actually reinforces class inequalities. Test his theory by interviewing an adult about his or her educational background and work history. Be sure to discuss your interviewee's attitudes toward education and the relationship between schooling and work. Use your essay to present your findings and to comment on Willis' argument about the relationship between education, culture, and class.

 

Assignment 10: Market Culture (due November 21)

What is the relationship between money and power? Can a group of people hold potentially contradictory ideas about this relationship? Suzanne Brenner argues that they can, with different cultural explanations being used or seen to be relevant in different circumstances. Look through an American magazine and find two ads which seem to support competing beliefs about money (spending, saving), gender, and power. To what extent are both ideas realistic? In what contexts can they each be used? In what ways do they come into conflict with each other? What does your example suggest to you about how cultural values are formulated and deployed?

 

Assignment 11: Dress for Success (due December 2)

Carla Freeman explores the link between production and consumption by examining how female informatics workers in Barbados use dress and consumption practices to craft their identities as pink collar workers. For this assignment, you should observe a workplace setting (store, dining hall, library, office). As a first step, identify the different employees and take notes on what they are wearing. Based on your observations, what do you think are their specific jobs? Next, spend an hour or so observing what they actually do. Is there any discrepancy between your expectations based on their appearance and your observations? Are these differences significant? (You might, for example, find that women or lower status employees tend more often to dress according to expectations, while men or higher status employees have greater latitude to dress up or down. What do these differences suggest?) Finally, interview an employee about his or her work and dress. How does he or she choose what to wear? Does he or she identify him/herself primarily through work? In what ways? How would you explain this identification and the reasons for it? Use your essay to present your findings (briefly) and to explore what they suggest about the relationship between work, consumption, and self identity.

 

For more information, contact:  aleshkow@holycross.edu