UK Social Anthropology

Question 1

Edward Burnett Tylor (1832-1917)

Answer 1

‘Primitive Culture’ (1871), Founder of Cultural Anthropology and Cultural Evolution, Introduced the concept of culture as a central organising principle in anthropology, Defined culture as “that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society” => influencing US anthropology

Question 2

William Robertson Smith (1846-1894)

Answer 2

‘The Religion of the Semites’ (1889) => Religion evolved through Animism-Polytheism-Monotheism; Religious rituals e.g. sacrifices and festivals, serve to reinforce social bonds, establish hierarchies of power, and mediate relationships between individuals and the divine; Kicked out of Aberdeen uni for analysing Bible as mythical text

Question 3

James G. Frazer (1854-1951)

Answer 3

‘Golden Bough’ (1889), Cultural Evolution of Magic-Religion-Science, Sympathetic Magic, Taboo and Ritual, Social Function of religion, Dying God motif, Functionalist foundations for Malinowski

Question 4

Émile Durkheim (1858-1917)

Answer 4

‘The Division of Labour in Society’ (1893), Positivistic Structural-Functionalist = external, coercive objective social institutions that constrain individual behaviour and shape Collective Consciousness; Mechanical Solidarity => Organic Solidarity (individuals become connected through mutual dependence on one another’s specialised skills and contributions - formal institutions needed for regulation and greater individual autonomy and diversity in social roles); Religion and ritual as one of mechanisms for reinforcing social bonds and expressing collective values

Question 5

Grafton Eliot Smith (1871-1937)

Answer 5

‘The Diffusion of Culture’ (1927), Physical Anthropology, Cultural Diffusionism -> Hyperdiffusionism

Question 6

Bronisław Malinowski (1884-1932)

Answer 6

‘Argonauts of the Western Pacific’ (1922), Functionalism - “every culture must satisfy the biological system of needs”; Empirical research, participant observation, and functional analysis over speculative theories of cultural evolution and diffusion; Shifted focus from explaining cultural diversity in evolutionary terms to understanding the underlying principles of cultural coherence and stability in synchronic dimension with methodological innovations and theoretical insights

Question 7

Alfred Radcliffe-Brown (1881-1955)

Answer 7

‘Andaman Islanders’ (1922), Structural Functionalism built from Durkheim’s social solidarity and Malinowski’s Functionalism = in between US Cultural and Functionalist

Question 8

E.E. Evans-Pritchard (1902-1973)

Answer 8

‘The Nuer’ of South Sudan (1940), ‘African Political Systems’ (1940), Brown’s student, S. Functionalism (+ Kinship, religion, political organisation in African societies); Critique that Functionalism oversimplifies social systems and the tendency to focus solely on their functional aspects, arguing for a more nuanced understanding of the complexities and contradictions within societies; Segmentary lineage system, Cattle

Question 9

Edmund Leach (1910-1989)

Answer 9

“Political Systems of Highland Burma” = Kachin (1954), Brown’s Student, S. Functionalist (+ Linguistics, psychology, and philosophy), Critique that S. Functionalism overlooks power dynamics, conflicts, and contradictions within social systems; Equilibrium of plurality in systems and actors

Question 10

Max Gluckman (1911-1975)

Answer 10

South African studies, S. Functionalist (+ Conflict and Change), Drew on Radcliffe-Brown and Conflict Theory of Marx, Equilibrium of historical time and structural durations,

Question 11

Victor Turner (1920-1983)

Answer 11

“The Ritual Process” (1969), Rites of passage, ‘Liminality’; ‘Social Drama’ = conflicts follow dramatic structure, with stages of breach, crisis, redress, and reintegration: performative aspects of conflict resolution highlight how conflicts are staged, negotiated, and resolved through symbolic actions; ‘Communitas’ within liminality fostering social cohesion

Question 12

Mary Douglas (1921-2007)

Answer 12

“Purity and Pollution” (1966), Symbolism to dirt and pollution; ‘Grid Group’ theory; Feminism: Cultural symbols like Clothing, Language, Rituals, and Occupational Segregation are used to mark and reinforce gender distinctions and hierarchies.