Professor Ann Marie Leshkowich
Beaven 231
793-2788
aleshkow@holycross.edu
Office Hours: M 2-4, W 11-12, F 11-12

Course Description

Shiny glass and steel high-rises suddenly appearing on Bangkok's congested skyline. Filipina domestic workers flooding Hong Kong. The collapse of the Thai baht sending shockwaves through international markets. Allegations of corruption and sexual misconduct among high-ranking officials in Malaysia. Student protesters causing the collapse of Suharto's New Order government in Indonesia. Mobile phone-wielding investors vying for position in the frontier economies of Shanghai and Ho Chi Minh City.

Each of these conflicting images captures some aspect of contemporary economic, political, and social life in Asia. Once touted as "economic tigers," the rapidly developing economies of East and Southeast Asia now seem under siege by the very forces of change that created their earlier prosperity. Taken together, the processes associated with these changes -- urbanization, mechanization of agriculture, industrialization, and globalization -- comprise the phenomenon of economic development.

This seminar provides an in-depth exploration of the ways in which anthropologists research, write, and theorize economic development. Focusing on the social and cultural transformations associated with different types of development in Asia, we will pay particular attention to how these changes affect women, gender and family relations, and cultural conceptions of men and women's roles. A major theme emerges from these accounts: what seems a straightforward, government-directed process of economic growth is actually embedded in social, political, and historical contexts which are fundamentally shaped by conceptions of appropriate gender roles. Our examination of the impact of economic development on women in Asia will be simultaneously concrete and theoretical. Concrete, in that we will explore how ethnographic methods can be used to identify, document, and analyze specific changes in women's lives and activities. Theoretical, in that a gendered perspective will enable us to question the assumptions of both economic development models and academic debates about the relationships between individuals, social structures, and economic activities. Combining classic works of social scientific analysis, recent contributions in gender theory, and contemporary ethnographies of Asia, this seminar will focus on four topics: gendered divisions of labor, household economies, factory work, and market exchange.

 

Class meetings

The class meets one time per week and follows a seminar format. Students will be expected to attend all class meetings (attendance will be taken), to complete the readings as scheduled on the syllabus, and to come to class prepared to engage in a focused discussion of the issues raised by the readings. Most weeks, students will write a brief response paper (2-3 pages) on an assigned topic. 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 advanced seminar promotes an active approach to learning. Not only are you required to attend all class meetings, but you will be expected to engage actively in group discussions in ways which demonstrate your critical reflection on the readings. You will also be required to explore the themes of the course by conducting research on an independent topic. The final class session will be devoted to presentations of these final research papers, and these presentations will be taken into account in calculating participation grades. Because involvement in class activities is so important, more than one unexcused absence during the semester will result in the lowering of your participation grade by two percentage points for each additional class missed.

2. Response papers (25%)

In preparation for most class meetings, you will be asked to write either a short response paper on an assigned question related to the readings or a report on an independent ethnographic exercise. These papers require you to reflect on the readings, either by developing your own insights or by evaluating the methods used by their authors. Nine assignments will be given, and each student must complete at least eight. Each of the eight assignments will be worth three points, for a total of 25% of your course grade. A ninth paper can be completed for extra credit up to a maximum of 25 points. Late papers will not be accepted.

3. Two 5-7 page essays (25%)

In weeks 6 (October 4) and 10 (November 1), you will be asked to submit a 5-7 page (double-spaced) essay on an assigned question. These essays will require you to make a critical, insightful, and compelling argument that synthesizes issues raised by readings from the previous weeks. Each paper will count for 12.5% of your course grade. Papers will be due at the beginning of the class meeting. Unexcused late papers will be penalized one portion of a grade (e.g. an A becomes an A-) for each day late.

4. Final Paper (35%)

At the end of the semester, you will complete a final paper (15-20 pages), either an extended treatment of one of the topics raised in the seminar (with additional outside reading) or a research paper relating the issues explored in the course to an independent topic of your choosing. Paper topics must be approved by the professor, with proposals due in week 8, and abstracts/ bibliographies due in week 11. Final papers will be due on Monday, December 4 by 5 p.m. Unexcused late papers will be penalized one portion of a grade (e.g. an A becomes an A-) for each day late.

 

Grade Calculation

The 5-7 page essays, final paper, and course grades will be calculated according to a 100-point scale. The grading scale is as follows:

A, 93 and above	C+, 77-79
A-, 90-92	C, 73-76
B+, 87-89	C-, 70-72
B, 83-86	D+, 67-69
B-, 80-82	D, 60-66
	F, 59 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.

 

Course Website (http://college.holycross.edu/faculty/aleshkow/anth390.html)

The website for this course is a center for important information: syllabus, writing assignments, study guide questions, essay questions, 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

The following books (marked with ** on the reading list) are available for purchase:

Durkheim, The Division of Labor in Society. 1997. Free Press. ISBN: 0684836386
Boserup, Woman's Role in Economic Development. 1995. Earthscan Pubns Ltd. ISBN: 1853830402.
Moore, Feminism and Anthropology. 1989. Univ of Minnesota Pr. ISBN: 0816617503
White, Sarah C. Arguing With the Crocodile: Gender and Class in Bangladesh . Zed Books, 1992. ISBN: 1856490866
Salaff, Working Daughters of Hong Kong. 1995. Columbia Univ Pr. ISBN: 0231102259
Kondo, Crafting Selves. 1990. University of Chicago Press. ISBN: 0226450449
Foucault, Discipline and Punish. 1995. Vintage Books. ISBN: 0679752552
Ong, Spirits of Resistance and Capitalist Discipline. 1987. State Univ of New York Pr. ISBN: 0887063810
Brenner, The Domestication of Desire. 1998. Princeton Univ Pr. ISBN: 0691016925
Constable, Maid to Order. 1997. Cornell Univ Pr. ISBN: 0801483824

All other readings are on reserve at Dinand.

 

Course Schedule

Week 1: August 30
INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW OF THE THEMES OF THE COURSE

 

TOPIC ONE: DIVISIONS OF LABOR

The seminar will begin by exploring the content and significance of gendered divisions of labor. How do these ideas shape notions of gendered individuals and their roles in society? What kinds of cultural value and prestige are assigned to different economic activities? How do industrialization and the mechanization of agriculture affect these activities and notions?

Week 2: September 6
DIVISIONS OF LABOR
Readings: **Durkheim, The Division of Labor in Society (pages 1-30, 68-87, 179-225, 269-288, 291-328)
Aron, Main Currents of Sociological Thought, Volume 2 (pages 11-24)
Ortner, "Is Female to Male as Nature is to Culture?" in Woman, Culture, and Society
Writing: Theoretical Essay #1

Week 3: September 13
GENDERED DIVISIONS OF LABOR AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Readings: **Boserup, Woman's Role in Economic Development (entire book)
Beneria and Sen, "Accumulation, Reproduction, and Women's Role in Economic Development: Boserup Revisited" in Signs 7(2):279-298
**Moore, Feminism and Anthropology (pages 12-46)
Writing: Methods Assignment #1

 

TOPIC TWO: GENDER AND HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTION

In this section, we examine the household as a unit of agricultural production. What does it mean to talk about a household as a social and economic unit? How are households treated in economic development policies? What are the roles of women within households? How are resources distributed? What kinds of conflicts and inequalities exist, and how are these related to economic development policies?

Week 4: September 20
PUBLIC AND DOMESTIC PRODUCTION
Readings: Engels, Origin of the Family, Private, Property, and the State (pages 94-146)
Sacks, "Engels Revisited" in Woman, Culture, and Society
**Moore, Feminism and Anthropology (pages 46-54; 89-116)
Writing: Theoretical Essay #2

Week 5: September 27
WOMEN, FARMING, AND RURAL HOUSEHOLDS
Readings: **White, Arguing with the Crocodile
Wiegersma, "Peasant Patriarchy and the Subversion of the Collective in Vietnam" in Review of Radical Political Economics 23(3&4):174-197
**Moore, Feminism and Anthropology (pages 116-127)
Writing: Methods Assignment #2

 

TOPIC THREE: FACTORY WORK

We will explore two different phenomena associated with factory production: 1) the impact of this work on female laborers' lives, families, and social status, and 2) the organizing and regimenting of workers' bodies which occurs on the factory floor. Does wage labor in a factory or office increase women's independence and autonomy? What is the relationship between the organization of specific women's bodies in the workplace and the "female body" as a social construct? How does the spread of women's factory labor alter existing power relations? How do notions of the body and gender identity seem to be changing in specific parts of Asia as a result of economic development processes?

Week 6: October 4
WORKING DAUGHTERS|
Readings: **Salaff, Working Daughters of Hong Kong (entire book)
ESSAY #1 DUE THIS WEEK

Week 7: October 11
ENGENDERING SELVES IN THE FACTORY
Readings: **Kondo, Crafting Selves (entire book)
Writing: Methods Assignment #3

Week 8: October 18
THE DISCIPLINED BODY (1)
Readings: **Foucault, Discipline and Punish (pages 3-31, 135-228)
Writing: Methods Assignment #4
FINAL PAPER PROPOSAL DUE THIS WEEK

Week 9: October 25
THE DISCIPLINED BODY (2)
Readings: **Ong, Spirits of Resistance and Capitalist Discipline (entire book)
Writing: Theoretical Essay #3

 

TOPIC FOUR: MARKET EXCHANGE

The seminar to this point has focused on economic development primarily as a transformation in the organization of production. In the marketplace, economic development also entails increased circulation of commodities and people to meet changing consumer and labor demands. This circulation today occurs as much between different cultures as within a single place -- giving rise to the notion of global culture. This final section examines three aspects of this issue: the increasing importance of economic exchange and money, the ways in which ambivalence or hostility to these changes are reflected in debates about women's roles in economic exchange, and the commodification of women's labor -- all processes which highlight gender as a contested area.

Week 10: November 1
MONEY, EXCHANGE, AND MORALITY: THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES
Readings: Marx, Capital Volume 1, pages 125-244
Parry and Bloch, Money and the Morality of Exchange: "Introduction" and Carsten, "Cooking Money"
ESSAY #2 DUE THIS WEEK

Week 11: November 8
GENDER, MODERNITY, AND DESIRE
Readings: Nguyen Huy Thiep, "The General Retires" in The General Retires and Other Stories
**Brenner, The Domestication of Desire (entire book)
Writing: Methods Assignment #5
FINAL PAPER ABSTRACT AND BIBLIOGRAPHY DUE THIS WEEK

Week 12: November 15 (note: needs to be re-scheduled)
WOMEN AS COMMODITIES
Readings: Irigaray, "Women on the Market" in This Sex Which is Not One
**Constable, Maid to Order (entire book)
Writing: Theoretical Essay #4

Week 13: November 29
No readings this week. ***Student Presentations on Research Projects***

Monday, December 4
FINAL PAPERS DUE by 5 p.m. in Professor Leshkowich's office (Beaven 231).

 

For more information, contact:  aleshkow@holycross.edu