Papers 2 and 3: Ritual or Pivotal Event Analysis

Due: (Paper 2): Monday Nov 6, 5 pm, Moodle upload Late Paper Policy.

(Paper 3): Monday Dec. 11, 5 pm, Moodle upload

Length and Format: No more than 7-8 pages each, double-spaced, 1 inch margins all around, 12 point fonts. Please spellcheck. They should be well-organized, with a clear argument supported by evidence from readings. See 211 Analytic Paper Template.

Citation: Give parenthetic citations (author year: page; i.e., Sapir 1924: 517) for all quotations or direct paraphrases of ethnographic and theoretical passages.  Any sources outside of the assigned readings should be listed in an attached bibliography. Wikipedia is NOT an appropriate source for an academic paper. See Citation Practices for Anthropology Papers.

Evaluation: I will evaluate and respond to papers based on (in order of priority):

  1. Degree to which you respond to the assignment and incorporate ideas and issues from class materials in your discussion;
  2. Extent to which you demonstrate clear understanding of basic terms presented in the course;
  3. the creativity and originality of your ideas
  4. The clarity of your organization and writing

Topic: This semester we read anthropological theory and ethnography with an eye to placing the emergence and development of the discipline of anthropology in historical and political economic contexts. We have seen how early colonial theorists drew on assumptions about the "savage" or "primitive" other to construct universal theories of cultural or social collectivities. Yet contemporary anthropologists aim to bring theory and practice together, constantly testing our theories and assumptions against diverse and changing experience, through multiple forms of data (biological, linguistic, visual/performative, multimedia, or collaborative ethnography). Thus many anthropologists today provide sociocultural analysis that goes beyond popular punditry, polarized political discourse, or sanitized corporate or NGO testimonials.

The analyses: These two analyses are your chance to try your hand at this kind of engagement by making debates from the course syllabus speak to real-world events. You have the option of analyzing either 1) a specific "ritual" event or 2) a "pivotal" media event.

If you choose to analyze a ritual event:

By "ritual event" I mean: a particular instance of relatively formalized behavior, usually repeated at particular times and places, and framed as a public event. Such an event has a distinct beginning and end, and for participants is associated with certain important symbolic meanings.

There are two main tasks: 1) Identify and observe or research a particular instance or performance of a "ritual" (NOT a generic type of ritual!); and 2) use it as a case for thinking through, critiquing and/or applying a particular anthropological theorist's paradigm from the syllabus (see below). Note that you will do two such analyses on the SAME ritual event. Note also that you can incorporate images or video clips in your papers (in digital form). As always, please be thoughtful and respectful in your image-sharing practices (see the online guidelines on the ethical use of images). All images or videos used in your papers must be captioned or contextualized with some information about their sources and why they are relevant to the analysis.

If you choose to analyze a pivotal event: For inspiration see the Cultural Anthropology Journal "Fieldsites" website (especially "Hotspots")

By "pivotal event," I mean a particularly important and high-profile occurence historically or in the recent past that garnered much media debate and commentary about its causes, meanings, and solutions. Such an event would be richly documented, and potentially speak to a wide variety of social theory paradigms and debates.

There are two main tasks: 1) identify and research a "pivotal event" for analysis; and 2) use it as a case for thinking through, critiquing and/or applying a particular anthropological theorist's paradigm from the syllabus. Note that you will do two such analyses on the SAME event. Note also that you can incorporate images or video clips in your papers (in digital form). As always, please be thoughtful and respectful in your image-sharing practices (see the online guidelines on the ethical use of images). All images or videos used in your papers must be captioned or contextualized with some information about their sources and why they are relevant to the analysis.

Paper 2 (due Nov 6): Consider your ritual or pivotal event in terms of ONE of the paradigms/approaches from weeks 6-9 of the course (Durkheim's science of society and religion; structural-functionalism, structuralism, or symbolic anthro). You can choose just ONE theorist/ethnographer to discuss.

Paper 3 (due Dec 11): Deepen your analysis of your ritual or pivotal event by considering it in terms of at least ONE of the theorists we read this semester from the 1970s on (after Levi-Strauss' structuralism). That would include theorists on topics from weeks 10-14 of the course (Value/exchange, capitalism/globalization, gender/sexuality, ontologies/indigeneities), as well as previously read theorists like Trouillot, Fabian, Simpson, Harrison, and Asad. You can choose just ONE theorist/ethnographer to discuss. Note this is not just an addition to Paper 2 but a significant rewrite (7-8 new pages).

Remember that this is an exercise in description AND analysis or interpretation. That means I don't just want to know what happens during the event, but what conclusions you might draw about what significance or function it has, to whom, when etc. The goal of the paper is to interpret/explain this behavior, and that should be evident in your introduction and conclusion.

This is an "ethnographic" analysis, thus you need sufficient data on the history, structure/form, relevant social groups/roles and/or relevant meaning systems of your chosen "ritual" to undertake such an analysis. This could be an event you personally observed or participated in for this paper, or it could be one you have done previous research on, or read about in another course. Thus decontextualized Youtube clips, or vaguely remembered events from your past are not appropriate for this assignment!

You should spend most time on the analysis of the event itself, but your analysis should be guided by and make explicit reference to the ideas or methods of the selected author(s) from the syllabus (see the Anth 211 Analytic Paper Template). That means a good portion of your introductory paragraphs (up to 2 pages) should provide an account of the crucial aspects of your chosen paradigm or theoretical framework(s), defining any key terms and providing corroborating quotes and paraphrases (with page numbers). You can choose to simply apply the paradigm/approach and show what that lens would focus on and what kinds of causes/solutions it would suggest. Or you can build in your own critique: what might that approach leave out? miss? misrepresent? For Paper 3, you could construct a reasoned synthesis of 2 or more approaches.

Hints: The event:

  • observe/consider with a detailed eye to patterns of embodied behavior, dress, speech;
  • In order to take into account politics, change, and variation, look for some credible commentary that might give you a sense of the longer term histories involved.
  • consider carefully what social relationships were operating during the event (ie., social roles, groups, types of hierarchy, gender/race/class/ethnic difference, etc.)
  • consider how this event relates to other events in peoples' lives or in the life of a larger community (you might want to talk to a few people or read about people's interpretations of the event's signficance to them, why they participated, etc.);
  • consider the consequential, world/behavior-shaping nature of discourse in the event: how do mass media-circulated discourses, themes, symbols/structures shape people's behavior or actions?
  • consider the role of spatial politics in the event: what social spaces, or contests over use of spaces are involved? How might those spaces themselves be experienced as symbolic?

Unpacking the paradigm/theoretical framework:

  • Use your notes to prepare for the paper by going back and considering what theorists meant by "culture" and/or "society", and what were their main units of analysis.                                                                                           
  • Get clear on the overall "gestalt" of your chosen theorists' arguments: how do their respective approaches to "society" or "culture" fit into their overall goals and broad assumptions (about humanity, nature, power, economy, kinship, etc.).
  • Develop a thesis: an argument about the basic premises of the approach, its advantages and/or disadvantages, and what might be the implications of those premises (methodological, epistemological, political, etc.) for explaining/interpreting the event and/or suggesting solutions.