Professor Ann Marie Leshkowich
Beaven 230
508-793-2788
aleshkow@holycross.edu
Office Hours: M 10-10:45, W 1-4, F 1-3; other times by appointment

Course Description: This course introduces students to the issues, methods, and concepts of economic anthropology. Our goal is to place the study of economic features such as markets, commodities, and money into a larger cross-cultural context by exploring relations of power, morality, kinship, gender, exchange, and social transformation. We will explore such diverse topics as gift exchange on a tropical Pacific island, tea plantations in India, the rise of a culture of capitalism in Western Europe, spirit possession among female employees in a Malaysian electronics factory, rites of worship to the devil in a Bolivian tin mine, and the culture of Wall Street. As we examine these issues, we will seek to answer three key questions:

1) How have anthropologists approached the study of the economy?

2) What do we mean by capitalism, economic development, globalization, and neoliberalism?

3) How are individuals and communities around the globe responding to contemporary economic processes?

 

Learning Objectives

Students completing this course in economic anthropology will understand:
(1) The different ways that anthropologists have defined and studied culture and economy;
(2) The benefits of viewing the world from a perspective of cultural relativism, recognizing that no one culture's worldview should be the norm from which others are judged;
(3) The historical and social contexts that shape individual economic behavior;
(4) How economic anthropology is empirically grounded in methods of participant observation and detailed ethnographic field studies;
(5) How economic anthropology contributes theoretically to our understanding of human experience, social relations, and political and economic structures;
(6) Ways in which all societies today are enmeshed in the consequences of colonialism and shaped by continuing processes of globalization

 

Class meetings

The class meets three times per week. Most weeks, two of these periods will be used for lectures, with the additional meeting devoted to viewing films or class discussion. Students will be expected to attend all class meetings (attendance will be taken) and to complete the readings as scheduled on the syllabus. There will be a brief response paper (2-3 pages) on an assigned topic for each unit. These will serve as the basis for group discussion.

 

Course Requirements

Course grades will be based on written work and class participation, broken down as follows:

1. Class Discussion and Participation (15%)

This course takes an active approach to learning; your presence and participation in class are essential to your success! You are required to attend all class meetings, including lectures, films, and discussion sessions. Participation consists of being alert and taking notes during lectures, asking questions to clarify points of misunderstanding, engaging actively in small-group activities, and contributing meaningfully to classroom discussions. Because involvement in class activities is so important, more than two unexcused absences during the semester will result in the lowering of your participation grade by one-half of a percentage point for each additional class missed.

2. Response papers (30%)

In preparation for discussion sections, you will be asked to submit short response papers on assigned topics. These papers require you to integrate what you have learned from lectures and readings, either by reflecting on them to develop your own insights or by evaluating their methods by completing your own ethnographic research exercise. Ten papers are assigned, and you must complete six. At least two of the papers must be submitted before the midterm. Each of the six assignments will be worth five points, for a total of 30% of your course grade. One extra paper can be completed, in which case the highest six grades will count as your total. Late papers will not be accepted. For information about composing thesis statements, constructing your argument, and grading standards, please refer to these guidelines. Papers are to be emailed to Prof. Leshkowich before class on the day indicated on the syllabus.

3. Midterm (22%)

An in-class midterm will be given on Friday, March 16. The midterm will consist of identification of key terms and concepts from the first half of the class (readings, lectures, and films), and a short essay question. Study materials will be posted to the course website.

4. Final Exam (33%)

Like the midterm, the final exam will consist of essays and identifications. There will be a total of two essays: one in response to a broad question synthesizing the major themes of the course and a second, shorter question focusing on the material covered after the mid-term. The final exam is tentatively scheduled to be held on Friday, May 11 at 3:00pm.

5. Extra Credit Opportunities

Holy Cross frequently hosts films, speakers, and cultural events related to economics and anthropology. Some of these events are noted on the syllabus; others will be announced and added as information becomes available. Students can earn extra credit by attending and then submitting by email a paragraph exploring an issue or two raised by the event as it relates to a topic or reading we've explored in class. Extra credit of .5 for each event write-up will be added to your response paper total, up to the maximum of 30 points.

 

Diversity and Inclusion

Our diversity is a strength that is critical to the educational mission of the College of the Holy Cross overall and to this class in particular. In joining this community, we have each committed to building an inclusive and respectful environment for all. Dimensions of diversity can include sex, race, age, national origin, ethnicity, gender identity and expression, intellectual and physical ability, sexual orientation, income, faith and non-faith perspectives, socio-economic class, political ideology, education, primary language, family status, cognitive style, and communication style. The individual intersection of these experiences and characteristics must be valued in our community.

If you encounter any barriers to your learning, please let me know immediately so that we can determine together what steps to take. These may include changing an aspect of the course design or accessing additional campus resources (Office of Disability Services, Title IX Coordinator, Office of Diversity and Inclusion). If you feel the need for accommodation based on the impact of a disability, please contact the Office of Disability Services (508-793-3693, Hogan 215A) to discuss support services available. If you are already registered with Disability Services, please be sure to deliver your accommodation letter to me in a timely fashion. I am always happy to consider creative solutions as long as they do not compromise the intent of the assessment or learning activity. I welcome feedback that will assist me in improving the usability and learning experience of this course for all students.

 

Academic Integrity

In coming to Holy Cross, students and faculty have joined an intellectual community dedicated to learning together through the open exchange of ideas. For us to feel comfortable sharing our perspectives, we need to be confident that our ideas will be respected as our own. All of us share responsibility for creating an environment conducive to open exchange by holding to principles of trust, integrity, and honesty. Academic dishonesty, including plagiarism, fabrication, cheating, and collusion, violates these fundamental principles. As a student, you are responsible for reading and knowing the College Policy on Academic Integrity, as stated in the College Catalog and available here: https://catalog.holycross.edu/node/1381#AHP. As your professor, I am available to help you understand this policy and to guide you in following appropriate methods of research and citation.

All written work for this course will be archived. All response papers for this class must be submitted in electronic form by email so that they may be permanently stored.

This class adheres to a zero tolerance policy for academic dishonesty. Any work that, upon investigation, is found to violate the college policy will receive a grade of zero and a report will be submitted to the College administration.

 

Electronic Devices

As outlined in the attendance policy above, the intellectual community that this class seeks to foster requires that you be an active participant and careful listener. Employed judiciously, technology can enhance our ability to learn interactively through having a wealth of knowledge and perspectives at our fingertips. Use of computers, tablets, and smartphones is therefore permitted in class, so long as such use facilitates the learning objectives of the class by allowing you to contribute more actively and substantively to lectures, discussions, and activities. You may not use devices to check email, monitor social media, or engage in any kind of interaction unrelated to class. Students violating this policy will be asked to discontinue all device use for the rest of the class period. Repeated violations will result in withdrawal of permission to use devices for the remainder of the semester. Finally, while laptops can be useful for taking notes, scholarly studies suggest that handwritten notes, when and if possible, better promote active learning and retention.

 

Grade Calculation

The midterm, final exam, and course grade will be calculated according to a 100-point scale. The grading scale is as follows:

A, 93 and above	C+, 77-79.99
A-, 90-92.99	C, 73-76.99
B+, 87-89.99	C-, 70-72.99
B, 83-86.99	D+, 67-69.99
B-, 80-82.99	D, 60-66.99
	F, 59.99 and below

 

Office Hours

My office hours are listed at the top of this syllabus, and I encourage you to visit with me during the semester. I am available to discuss specific issues arising from the course, as well as to exchange more general insights and chat about experiences from your studies or my research.

 

Introductory Meetings

I would like to meet with each of you individually during the first month of the semester. This is a great opportunity for us to chat about your interests, reasons for taking this class, possible future plans, etc. These appointments will last 10-15 minutes. A signup sheet will be passed around during the first week of class.

 

Course Website (http://college.holycross.edu/faculty/aleshkow/268/268.html)

The website for this course is a center for important information: syllabus, lecture handouts, writing assignments, study guide questions, exam review materials, and announcements. Please check it frequently and feel free to pass along suggestions for additional links and information which should be included. Also, check out my homepage at:
http://college.holycross.edu/faculty/aleshkow/homepage.html

 

Readings

It is expected that you will have textbooks and other required class materials in order to achieve academic success. If you are unable to purchase course materials, please go to the Financial Aid office where a staff member will be happy to provide you with information and assistance. Readings marked "Moodle article" on the syllabus are available through Moodle. The books listed below are required for the course. They can be purchased at the bookstore. Hard copies have been placed on reserve at Dinand Library. Most (but not all) of the titles for this course are also available as e-books with unlimited user access.

Besky, Sarah. 2013. The Darjeeling Distinction: Labor and Justice on Fair-Trade Tea Plantations in India. University of California Press. ISBN: 9780520277397
Mauss, Marcel. 2000. The Gift. W.W. Norton & Company. ISBN: 039332043X
Weber, Max. 2001. The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. Routledge. ISBN: 041525406x
Mintz, Sidney. 1985. Sweetness and Power. Penguin. ISBN: 9780140092332
Taussig, Michael. 2010 (1980). The Devil and Commodity Fetishism in South America. University of North Carolina Press. ISBN: 9780807871331
Ong, Aihwa. 1987. Spirits of Resistance and Capitalist Discipline. State University of New York Press. ISBN: 0887063810
Leshkowich, Ann Marie. 2014. Essential Trade: Vietnamese Women in a Changing Marketplace. University of Hawai'i Press. ISBN: 9780824839918
Freeman, Carla. 2014. Entrepreneurial Selves: Neoliberal Respectability and the Making of a Caribbean Middle Class. Duke University Press. ISBN: 9780822358039
Ho, Karen. 2009. Liquidated: An Ethnography of Wall Street. Duke University Press. ISBN: 9780822345992

 

SCHEDULE FOR THE COURSE

Introduction: What is economics? What is economic anthropology?

At its most basic, economics is the study of the relationship between people, money, and objects as occurring through production, circulation, and consumption. Most of the theories comprising the modern field of economics were developed to describe capitalist systems. Earlier this century, economic anthropologists used their studies of non- or partially capitalist societies to question economic assumptions about human behavior. How is economic anthropology different from economics? How have anthropologists analyzed "economics" in non-capitalist settings? How can we understand the relationship between culture, economics, and power?

January 24 (W): The Anthropological Study of Economic Life
Read: No reading today

January 26 (F): What Is the Economy? How Have We Created It? Does It Have a Life of Its Own? (short lecture and discussion)
Read: Nash, "The Meaning and Scope of Economic Anthropology" (Moodle article)
Mitchell, "The Character of Calculability" from Rule of Experts, pp. 80-98 (Moodle article)

January 29 (M): Economic Anthropological Perspectives on Structural Violence and Hyperinequality (short lecture and discussion)
Read: Farmer, "On Suffering and Structural Violence: A View From Below" (Moodle article)
Walley, "Trump's Election and the 'White Working Class': What we missed" (Moodle article)
Ho, "Markets, Myths, and Misrecognitions: Economic Populism in the Age of Financialization and Hyperinequality" (Moodle article)

Optional Extra Credit Activity:Tuesday, January 30 (T), 9pm: Watch EITHER (1) the State of the Union address OR (2) TWO or more of the following responses to it: Rep. Joe Kennedy, D-MA (official Democratic response, English); Virginia Del. Elizabeth Guzman (official Democratic response, Spanish); Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-VT (independent response); Rep. Maxine Waters, D-CA (independent response); former MD Rep. Donna F. Edwards (Working Families Party). Of course, feel free to watch more if you'd like! Then, submit a paragraph (or more, if you'd like!) reflecting on the address(es) you watched that relates them to the course material. For example, you might find it interesting to consider how the speaker(s) framed or discussed class in material and cultural terms. Or, you might focus on how a notion of "the economy" is constructed and measured. Or, you might consider the issues of financialization, shareholder value, and employment - how were they discussed? Or, you might consider how the address(es) did or didn't relate economics to race, gender, region, religion, or other dimensions of our experience. What you discuss is up to you; just be sure to relate the address(es) substantively to something we've been exploring in class lectures, discussions, or readings.

January 31 (W): Homo Economicus?
Read: Malinowski, "Kula" (Moodle article)

February 2 (F): Substantivist and Formalist Approaches to Analyzing Economic Behavior
Read: Polanyi, "The Economy as Instituted Process" (Moodle article)
Sahlins, "The Original Affluent Society" (Moodle article)

February 5 (M): Discussion
Writing Assignment #1 due by email before class to Professor Leshkowich

Optional Extra Credit Lecture: February 5 (Monday), 4:00pm, Rehm Library: "Two Ethnographies by Holy Cross Students -- Volunteer and Nonprofit Work in Worcester: Does it Help the Socially Marginalized?" Professor Susan Rodgers, Martina Umunna '18, and Katelyn Lyons '18.

 

Agriculture: Households, Morality, Globalization, Fair Trade

In rural areas, economic activities such as agricultural production are often handled by entire households. What kinds of social, economic, and cultural features are associated with peasant or household agricultural production? What is the connection between economics and morality in agricultural systems of production, particularly as these transform into industrialized modes of production in a globalized context? Is contemporary Fair Trade in fact fair?

February 7 (W): Peasant and Household Modes of Production
Read: Besky, The Darjeeling Distinction: Labor and Justice on Fair-Trade Tea Plantations in India, introduction

February 9 (F): Moral Economies
Read: Besky, The Darjeeling Distinction: Labor and Justice on Fair-Trade Tea Plantations in India, chapter 2

February 12 (M): Tea Histories: Production and Consumption
Read: Besky, The Darjeeling Distinction: Labor and Justice on Fair-Trade Tea Plantations in India, chapter 3

February 14 (W): Fair Trade?
Read: Besky, The Darjeeling Distinction: Labor and Justice on Fair-Trade Tea Plantations in India, chapter 4

February 16 (F): Discussion
Writing Assignment #2 due by email before class to Professor Leshkowich

 

Exchange

Building on ethnography by Malinowski and others, Mauss formulated a theory of gift exchange as the defining element of "primitive" societies. What are the conceptions associated with the exchange of gifts in these societies? What relationships between people does exchange establish? What does Mauss mean by a "total social fact"? What are the advantages and disadvantages of his analytical approach? How does Mauss use his account of gift exchange to critique contemporary society? Why have his ideas been so influential in anthropology?

February 19 (M): Kula, Potlatch, and Mauss's Theory of the Gift
Read: Mauss, The Gift, Introduction, Chapter 1

February 21 (W): Gifts, Commodities, and Gender
Read: Mauss, The Gift, Chapter 2

February 23 (F): Movie: Ongka's Big Moka
Read: Mauss, The Gift, Chapter 4

February 26 (M): Discussion: quiz show kula
Writing Assignment #3 due by email before class to Professor Leshkowich

 

The Morality of Capitalism

Max Weber presents a cultural account of the rise of capitalism in Western Europe. What, in his opinion, are the defining economic, social, and cultural features of capitalism? Is capitalism a cultural phenomenon? Does capitalism have its own morality? Is it the same everywhere?

February 28 (W): The Protestant Ethic
Read: Weber, Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, chapters 1 and 2

March 2 (F): The Morality of Money
Read: Weber, Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, chapter 5

March 5 (M) - March 9 (F): No class, Spring Break.

March 12 (M): Discussion
Writing Assignment #4 due by email before class to Professor Leshkowich

March 14 (W): Midterm Exam Review Session

March 16 (F): MIDTERM

 

The Beginning of Globalization and the Spread of Capitalism

The societies which early anthropologists studied for clues about "stone age economics" and "primitive production" had in fact already begun to experience transformations as a result of the spread of capitalism. How have capitalist modes of production, exchange, and consumption gained traction around the world? What relations of dependency are involved?

March 19 (M): Economic Development, Globalization, and the Spread of Capitalism
Read: Mintz, Sweetness and Power, chapters 1 and 2

March 21 (W): Dependency and the World System
Read: Mintz, Sweetness and Power, chapters 4 and 5

March 23 (F): Discussion
Writing Assignment #5 due by email before class to Professor Leshkowich

 

Resistance and Possession: Moral and Gendered Responses to Capitalist Transformations

As capitalism spreads throughout the world, its form and content vary according to pre-existing social and cultural conditions. In this unit, we will explore reactions to economic development from two perspectives: morality and gender. What happens when new modes of production conflict with a community's values? What alternative views of the economy emerge as a result? What strategies do peasants and workers employ to adapt to or resist large-scale social and economic transformation? Are tradition and modernity really so distinct? Are men and women affected differently by these changes? What role do different conceptions of gender and gendered divisions of labor play in the development of market economies?

March 26 (M): Use Value, Exchange Value, and Commodities
Read: Taussig, The Devil and Commodity Fetishism in South America, chapters 2, 5, 6, and 7

March 28 (W): Commodity Fetishism and Transactional Orders
Read: Taussig, The Devil and Commodity Fetishism in South America, chapters 8, 12, 13, 14, and conclusion

March 30 (F) and April 2 (M): No class, Easter Break.

April 4 (W): Discussion
Writing Assignment #6 due by email before class to Professor Leshkowich

April 6 (F): The Impact of Economic Development on Women
Read: Ong, Spirits of Resistance, chapters 1, 5, and 6

April 9 (M): Women's Resistance to Capitalism
Read: Ong, Spirits of Resistance, chapters 7, 8, 9, and conclusion

April 11 (W): Class canceled due to illness

April 13 (F): Discussion
Writing Assignment #7 due by email before class to Professor Leshkowich

 

Entrepreneurial Subjectivities

As Weber argued, capitalism requires that one develop a particular orientation to the world that prizes efficient and sustained work to accumulate surplus. How have the qualities associated with entrepreneurship given rise to particular forms of subjectivity, or forms of understanding of the self that relate to gender, family, class, and morality? We will explore these questions in two settings: Vietnam and Barbados.

April 16 (M): Socialism, Market Socialism, Gender, and Social Relationships
Read: Leshkowich, Essential Trade, introduction, chapters 2 and 4

April 18 (W): Discussion
Writing Assignment #8 due by email before class to Professor Leshkowich

Optional Extra Credit Lecture: April 18 (Wednesday), 4:30pm, Smith Labs 154: "Adam Smith and Benjamin Franklin: Two Strangers and the Spirit of Capitalism," Professor Geoffrey Kellow, Carleton University

April 20 (F): Market Practices and Neoliberal Self-Making
Read: Freeman, Entrepreneurial Selves, Introduction, chapter 2

April 23 (M): Affective Labor
Read: Finish Freeman, Entrepreneurial Selves, chapters 4 and 5

April 25 (W): No class, Academic Conference Day

Optional Extra Credit Opportunity: April 25 (Wednesday) and April 26 (Thursday), all day: Attend three oral presentations as part of the College Academic Conference. At least two of those presentations should be ones that Prof. Leshkowich highlighted in the progam as relevant to our class.

April 27 (F): Discussion with Carla Freeman (via Skype). Please come to class prepared with questions to ask Prof. Freeman.
Writing Assignment #9 due by email before class to Professor Leshkowich

 

The Culture of Capitalism

We began this course by looking at how "the economy" has emerged historically. With our reading of Weber, we considered how the capitalist economy is connected to specific cultural and moral values. This week, we turn our ethnographic gaze directly on the center of capitalist economics: Wall Street. What cultural values and social norms shape the conduct of economic activity at the most powerful site of commerce? How can ethnography help us to understand the current state of our economy, what has caused it, and what we can do about it?

April 30 (M): Does Wall Street Have Culture?
Read: Ho, Liquidated, introduction, chapters 1 and 2

Optional Extra Credit Opportunity: April 30 (Monday), 3:30-4:30pm, Beaven 125, "Fun, Freedom, and Muslim Femininity: Islamic Education and Ethical Learning in Urban Indonesia," Dr. Claire-Marie Hefner, Manhattanville College

May 2 (W): Ethnographies of Capitalism
Read: Ho, Liquidated, chapters 3, 5, and 7

May 4 (F): Discussion
Writing Assignment #10 due by email before class to Professor Leshkowich

 

Conclusion

May 7 (M): Economics and Culture in an Age of Neoliberalism

 

Wednesday, May 9 at 10:30 AM: Optional Final Exam review session in Beaven 118

Friday, May 11, 3:00-5:30 PM: Final Exam in Beaven 118