The course will run through the history of the anthropological thought from its origins, in the XIX century, to our days. The following issues will be particularly taken into consideration an analyzed:
1) The birth om modern anthropology in the XIX century. L. H. Morgan and E. B. Tylor and their evolutionism. Kinship at the core of social relations in ‘primitive’ societies.
2) At the origins of fieldwork: The Torres Strait expeditions, British anthropology and the contributions of C. Haddon and W. H. Rivers.
3) F. Boas in the USA: The new cultural anthropology. Historical Particularism and Cultural Relativism. The ‘strange’ reciprocity among the Kwakiutl.
4) B. Malinowski in GB. Mythological foundation of British Social Anthropology, ‘fieldwork’ and functionalist theory. Trobrianders, the ‘kula’, the babies who come from the sea.
6) The birth of French anthropology fron the Durkheim’s Sociological School: M. Mauss’ ‘gift’.
7) Developments in USA anthropology. Culture and Personality School. The contributions of M. Mead and R. Benedict.
8) Developments in British Social Anthropology. Hegemony of Radcliffe-Brown’s Structural-Functionalism. The giants in ethnography: E.E. Evans-Pritchard, M. Fortes and others. Birth of Political Anthropolgy. The Nuer.
9) Lévi-Strauss’ structuralist revolution in France: The struggle against empiricism.
10) Antropologgy and Colonialism. ‘Applied’ Anthropology. The case of the Rhodes-Livingstone Institute.
11) Rebellion in the USA Anthropology: L. White and J. Steward for new forms of Evolutionism and Materialism.
12) Rebellion in GB Anthropology: The ‘new’ Evans-pritchard, Humanist; M. Gluckman and conflict; E. Leach and the ‘structure in movement’.
13) Marxist anthropology in France: M. Godelier.
14) Evading from ‘social structure’: The new ‘Methodological Individualism’ in British Anthropology.
15) Against Idealism in North-American anthropology: M. Harris’ Cultural Materialism.
16) Against Materialism in North American anthropology: Interpretaive anthropology, C. Geertz and a new definition of culture.
17) New trends in contemporary anthropology: The end of the theoretical ‘isms’; the ‘reflexive’ character of the anthropological practice; the anthropologist takes side; Anthropology within relations of Power.
18) Strength and weakness in Italian Anthropology.