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

 

Assignment Objectives

Learning economic anthropology requires practicing two different, but closely related skills: 1) defining and analyzing theoretical models for relating the economy to social institutions and relationships, political systems, individual identities, and cultural values; and 2) constructing a project and methodology that will provide information to address these concerns. Short written assignments will give you the opportunity to develop and practice both of these skills.

While the assignments vary from analytical to ethnographic exercises, each asks you to relate your ideas or findings to the readings for that week. For each assignment, make sure that you formulate a thesis statement, present it in the introductory paragraph, and use it to guide your arguments in the body of your paper. These assignments are the only papers you will write for this class, so use them to hone your skills in formulating and supporting anthropological arguments; you'll need these skills for the midterm and final as well.

 

Arguments and Thesis Statements

Response papers are relatively short, but they each require you to reflect critically on the course's material, themes, and modes of inquiry. Each paper MUST have an introductory paragraph with a clearly articulated thesis that states the argument that the rest of the paper will advance. A thesis statement is not a declaration of fact, a broad claim, or an obvious assertion. A thesis statement is an interesting and specific contention about which one can reasonably debate and disagree. A thesis statement also serves to orient the reader by highlighting the major themes that will be discussed in the rest of the paper. Each of the assignments below poses questions that are intended to guide you in formulating a provocative and insightful thesis.

Examples of thesis statements:

BAD: Economics plays an important role in the world today. (This statement is both obvious and general; nobody would be likely to disagree.)

BETTER: As part of contemporary processes of globalization, economics has played an important role in bringing the world together. (This statement claims that economics is important to globalization, but it doesn't specify economics' role and hence can't easily be contested. The reader has no clue as to the impact of economics, how it brings people together, and why it might be important.)

GOOD: In contemporary discussions of globalization, the increasing dominance of one specific economic system -- Western European and North American-style capitalism -- has often been interpreted as a sign that economic and cultural distinctiveness is disappearing. Moving beyond the rhetoric, however, a concrete examination of how different parts of the world have responded to capitalism suggests an opposite conclusion: the spread of capitalism has not been uniform, and globalization does not necessarily lead to economic, cultural, or social homogenization. (These sentences introduce a specific characterization of the relationship between economics and globalization to make a clear, but arguable statement as to the nature and/or significance of this relationship.)

 

Paper Requirements and Grading

The specific assignments for each unit are listed below. Unless the assignment indicates otherwise, each paper should be 2-3 double-spaced pages (Times New Roman 12-point font, 1-inch margins on all sides) and in MS Word format. Please name your document lastname#.docx; for example, Sue Smith's paper for assignment 4 would be named smith4.docx. Assignments are due by email to Prof. Leshkowich before class on the dates indicated below. There are ten assigned papers, of which you must complete six. Each paper will be graded according to a five-point scale, for a total of 30 points toward the final course grade. A seventh paper can be completed, in which case the highest six grades will count. Late papers will not be accepted. For more info on grading standards, click here.

NOTE: Several of these papers require you to complete a specific ethnographic field exercise. These papers require advance preparation, so be sure to select your sites or arrange for interviews well in advance of the due date.

 

Assignment 1: Popular Conceptions of Economics (due February 5)

This assignment asks you to explore how economics is talked about in the US today and how this relates to the anthropological perspectives on economics introduced in lecture and readings. Find a magazine or newspaper article from a reliable source that explicitly mentions "economics" and relates this in some ways to culture (possible topics include the spread of global capitalism, the economic situation in the US, US voting patterns, how environmental concerns are affecting consumer behavior, or global tourism). What conception of the relationships between economics and culture does the article's discussion suggest? How does this compare to the anthropological understandings of economics explored in class? What, in your opinion, are the significant issues raised by this comparison? Why are they significant?

 

Assignment 2: How Fair is Fair Trade? (due February 16)

How Fair is Fair Trade? Besky writes, "...[T]he inclusion of Darjeeling plantations in the fair-trade market has not only not brought workers any closer to justice, it has actually undermined non-market mechanisms for ensuring workers' well-being" (27). What evidence leads Besky to make this claim? Do you agree with her assessment? What is the significance of her argument? To address these questions, pick two concrete examples of workers' experiences and points of view that Besky uses to analyze the impact of the fair-trade movement. Be sure to include a clear thesis statement presenting your own argument about the strengths, weaknesses, and importance of Besky's analysis that you will develop in the body of your paper.

 

Assignment 3: Exchange and Culture (due February 26)

A central argument of Mauss's book is that there is no such thing as a free gift: all gift exchanges involve the unspoken rules of giving, receiving, and reciprocating. This assignment requires you to test this theory by interviewing someone about his or her giving practices. When and to whom does your interviewee give gifts? What are the expectations involved? Have there been times when these expectations were not met? What happened? Have your interviewee's giving practices varied over time? Use the paper to summarize your findings and suggest the ways in which your interview might lead you to re-evaluate Mauss.

 

Assignment 4: Capitalism and Morality (due March 12)

Over a century ago, Weber wrote in The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism that the pursuit of money in the United States had become stripped of its former moral and religious associations and had instead become a kind of sport. Do you think this is true today? Pick a newspaper article, magazine feature, film, or television show that profiles a wealthy individual or family. What role does morality play in the lives of the individuals described or in the presentation of those lives? Is morality mentioned or implied at all? What does your example suggest about Weber's argument about the relationship between money, capitalism, and morality?

 

Assignment 5: Demand and Consumption (due March 23)

Mintz argues that the demand for sugar is not a natural quality of humanity, but a historical condition that has been created and increased over time. This assignment asks you to analyze your own demand and consumption patterns in light of Mintz's argument. For one week, keep a spending diary of everything that you purchase and consume. Once you have finished the diary, rank the items in terms of their importance to you personally. Then, re-rank the items in terms of their necessity to you as a physical, biological organism. Pick one item which is much more important in personal terms than in biological ones. Following Mintz's example, speculate about why this item might be so important to you. What do you think are the historical, cultural, social, and economic conditions that have created your desire for it? What does your discussion suggest about Mintz's argument about the creation of demand? Be sure to include your diary and rankings with your paper.

 

Assignment 6: Religion as Resistance to Capitalism (due April 4)

Taussig's book analyzes different religious beliefs and practices as a kind of critique of capitalism. Earlier, we explored Weber's argument that capitalism in the US used to be intimately connected to religion, but has since become completely secular. To what extent is religion in the US today opposed to capitalism? This assignment asks you to address this question by observing a worship service, preferably in a religion that you personally do not practice. Take detailed fieldnotes about the rituals, the officiants, and the congregation. Feel free to speak to different participants about why they attend worship services. What kinds of statements about money and capitalism are offered or implied during the service? What do your findings suggest about Taussig and Weber's arguments?

 

Assignment 7: Spirits of Economic Development (due April 11)

Ong opens her book with the following question: "Why are Malay women workers periodically seized by spirit possession on the shopfloor of modern factories?" (xiii). What is her answer to this question? Do you find her argument convincing? Why or why not?

 

Assignment 8: Market Socialist Subjectivities (due April 18)

Leshkowich argues that the business activities of women cloth and clothing traders in Ben Thanh market have been fundamentally shaped by the interaction between socialist and market socialist economic and political structures, on the one hand, and traders' experiences of gender, kinship, social relations, and class, on the other. Traders, in turn, sometimes perform particular gender, family, social, and class identities strategically in order to increase their profits. Yet, Leshkowich argues, these strategically mobilized identities are not simply superficial; they are also deeply felt components of traders' subjectivities, often connected to their visions of how to be a proper, moral person in a highly competitive market environment. Pick one concrete example from the book and explore how it reveals a relationship between business strategy and individual subjectivity or morality. Based on this example, what do you see as the strengths, weaknesses, or significance of Leshkowich's argument as an economic anthropological approach to the development of a market economy in contemporary Vietnam?

 

Assignment 9: Neoliberal Subjectivities (due April 27)

Carla Freeman argues that entrepreneurship in Barbados is "a new way of being in the world that signifies not just a particular path of income generation and consumption, but also a new way of living and feeling that is shaped by and simultaneously giving new expression to gendered, classed, and racialized subjectivities" (9). She argues that this entrepreneurial conception of selfhood is apparent in family relationships, leisure activities, spirituality, bodily treatment (including exercise), and self-help. For this assignment, interview an entrepreneur (i.e., someone whose work is focused on the generation of profit). First, ask your subject about work: what are your subject's daily activities like? The goal of work? Then, ask your subject the same questions about a non-work aspect of life, such as family, religion, leisure, or exercise. What does this interview suggest to you about the broader significance of Freeman's claim that entrepreneurship is a generalized way of thinking and feeling that has fundamentally shaped how people view themselves?

 

Assignment 10: Wall Street Culture and Economic Distress (due May 4)

Although many people casually blame the "culture" or "greed" of Wall Street for aspects of ongoing economic distress in the US, what exactly is the culture of Wall Street? To what extent is it responsible for recent developments? Imagine that you are Karen Ho, and you've been asked to write an op-ed piece for the New York Times that addresses these questions. How might she argue that a cultural perspective is necessary for us to understand capitalist markets? (Hint: pay particular attention to the final chapter of Ho's book.) Finally, be sure to use this essay to evaluate the strengths, weaknesses, or significance of Ho's perspective. You might be able to do this within the op-ed piece, or you could add a brief discussion at the end in the form of a letter to the editors that explains your views.

 

For more information, contact:  aleshkow@holycross.edu