Long Answer Questions

Question 1

Malinowski and Boas laid the necessary foundations for social anthropology. Describe their contributions to anthropology, making reference to their ethnographic work.

Answer 1

Malinowski- Polish-English Anthropologist. Argonauts of the Western Pacific, 1922, Trobriand Islands in which he described the Kula ring exchange. Participant observation and functionalism. Argued against evolutionism with Boas.

Boas- German-American anthropologist, known as the father of American anthropology. Conducted fieldwork among North-West Coast native Americans (Kwakiutl, Kwakiutl Ethnography (1966)). Prime proponent of cultural relativism. Among his most significant students were Ruth Benedict and Margaret Mead. Created the four field subdivision of anthropology which became prominent in American anthropology in the 20th century. The Mind of Primitive Man, 1911 takes a critical look at the concept of primitive culture, challenging widely held racist and eugenic claims about race and intelligence, particularly white supremacy.

Question 2

Describe how social anthropologists approach sex and gender, illustrating your answer with at least two ethnographic examples related to economic and/or political roles

Answer 2

Sex and gender as separate entities - gender is social construct, sex is biological. Gender roles, norms, create oppression. Debate as to whether there should be further split. Feminist anthropology.
Homa Hoodfar: Return to the veil (1991)
Lila Abu-Lughod: Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving? (2002)
Paul Willis, Learning to Labour, 1977.

Question 3

Choose one of the ethnographies you have read during the course. Provide a brief description of the community and the ethnographic context. Then, give an overview of one domain of social life, from either ritual, kinship or politics. Use two different theoretical perspectives in your answer.

Answer 3

Withcraft, Oracles and Magic Among the Azande, E.E Evans-Pritchard, 1937, controlled by British government at the time of writing. Community in Anglo-Egyptian Sudan who believe that witchcraft is physical substance in the body that can strike out at any time to cause death or misfortune. Social control in the form of ritual: oracles consulted to ask whether someone is a witch- they will then have to pay compensation- previously they would have been killed. Politics: Nobilities oracles overrule all. Kinship: Inherited witchcraft along gender lines. Structuralist: chaos/order reconciled during ritual Structural-Functionalist: social control

Question 4

Discuss the transition from evolutionism to synchronic approaches in anthropology

Answer 4

Armchair anthropologists e.g Frazer, Tylor created evolutionism. Magic > religion > science. Ethnocentric, based in racism and white supremacy. Challenged by Boas and Malinowski, using cultural relativism, participant observation. The Mind of Primitive Man, 1911 by Boas in particular challenged this.

Question 5

To what extenet is the proposition that Social Anthropology, as we know it today, started with Malinowski’s legendary feidlwork in the Trobriand Islands true? Discuss

Answer 5

Malinowski- Polish-English Anthropologist. Argonauts of the Western Pacific, 1922, Trobriand Islands in which he described the Kula ring exchange. Participant observation and functionalism. Argued against evolutionism with Boas.

Question 6

Functionalism and Structural-Functionalism are two similar, but separate theoretical approaches in Social Anthropology. What are their basic characteristics and differences?

Answer 6

Functionalism:

Structural-Functionalism:

Question 7

Why has the concept of ‘exchange’ proved such a useful tool of analysis in anthropology?

Answer 7

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Question 8

Using specific ethnographic examples, discuss how anthropologists have explained the topics of witchcraft, magic and rationality

Answer 8

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Question 9

Critically evaluate the proposition that during colonial times anthropology served the interests of the colonisers
Or
What are the problems with treating small-scale societies in remote locations as isolated from the world?

Answer 9

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Question 10

What critiques have indigenous intellectuals levelled at anthropological research and how have anthropologists dealt with this?

Answer 10

In the interest of colonisers, exlpoitative (not enough reciprocity), lies, ethnocentric

Question 11

With reference to specific ethnographic examples address how anthropologists engage with fieldwork in the era of globalisation.

Answer 11

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Question 12

Outline the theoretical and methodological liabilities of evolutionism in anthropology

Answer 12

Armchair anthropologists: Frazer, Tylor, 20th century.

Question 13

What do you think is the secret to Malinowski’s success? Discuss with reference to his contributions to both theory and method

Answer 13

Malinowski: Polish anthropologist, Trobriand Islands WWI, Argonauts of the Western Pacific, 1922.
Theory: Functionalism
Method: Participant Observation

Question 14

With reference to specific examples outline how Structural-Functionalism sought to explain society

Answer 14

Radcliffe-Brown:

Question 15

What is meant by a ‘gift economy’, discuss in reference to specific examples

Answer 15

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Question 16

Using specific examples discuss how anthropologists have approached the phenomena of witchcraft and/or magic

Answer 16

E.E. Evans-Pritchard, Witchcraft, Oracles and Magic Among the Azande

Question 17

Discuss the relationship between anthropology and colonialism?

Answer 17

White supremacy, racism, evolutionism, objectification, “exotic”. Rise of indigenous anthropology or “anthropology at home”.

Question 18

What challenges and innovations has Feminist Anthropology brought to the discipline of Social Anthropology?

Answer 18

Previously anthropologists were mainly male - did not have access to women’s spaces and didn’t want to write about them. Women were not given a voice or written about.

Question 19

What was/is the ‘crisis of representation’ in socio-cultural anthropology and how have anthropologists responded to this?

Answer 19

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Question 20

What challenges does ‘globalization’ pose to anthropological theory and methods, discuss in reference to specific examples

Answer 20

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Question 21

How do different societies resolve disputes? Discuss at least two ethnographic examples and then briefly describe a current event “dispute” in anthropological terms

Answer 21

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Question 22

Discuss, using examples, anthropological approaches to two of: gender, class, or ethnicity

Answer 22

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Question 23

In what ways have the concepts of exchange and reciprocity been useful for anthropologists? Use named examples in your answer

Answer 23

Kula Ring, Argonauts of the Western Pacific, Malinowski, 1922.

Question 24

Using specific ethnographic examples, contrast the characteristics of anthropological fieldwork in the era of globalisation with studies from before 1980.

Answer 24

Feminist anthropology