ANTH 262 - Anthropological Approaches to Myth, Ritual and Symbol

1 unit(s)

What is the place of myth, ritual and symbol in human social life? Do symbols reflect reality, or create it? This course considers answers to these questions in social theory (Marx, Freud and Durkheim) and in major anthropological approaches Anth (functionalism, structuralism, and symbolic anthropology). It then reviews current debates in interpretive anthropology about order and change, power and resistance, the enchantments of capitalism, and the role of ritual in the making of history. Ethnographic and historical studies may include Fiji, Italy, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Japan and the U.S. Martha Kaplan.

Two 75-minute periods.

Not offered in 2024/25.

Course Format: CLS