Duration
30h Th
Number of credits
| Master in anthropology, research focus | 5 crédits |
Lecturer
Language(s) of instruction
French language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the first semester, review in January
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
This course will begin by providing an historical overview of the different ways in which anthropologists have taken an interest in 'objects' in ethnographic practice and conceptualised their use and meanings in the societies concerned. The theoretical frameworks within which objects have been thought of analytically will also be considered, thus highlighting their influence on ways of understanding material culture - for example by classifying objects into 'systems' of thought and action, or by studying their 'social life'. The study of objects will also be linked to the study of practices - with an emphasis on the articulation of objects with know-how and technical processes - as well as to anthropological theories of art and museology. In particular, a critical approach will be developed to the way in which objects have served certain representations of the cultures of 'others', paying attention to the controversies and power dynamics involved (for example, in relation to North/South relations - colonisers/colonised - including indigenous peoples on the American continent).
In the second part of the course, the focus will be on certain more recent approaches to the study of material culture, which pay more attention to the way in which objects (and the practices articulated around them) contribute to the definition of individual subjectivities and collective belonging, thus crossing the techniques of the body with the technologies of the self. In this context, the agentivity of the material on the body will also be highlighted. These approaches will be applied as part of an empirical project, the details of which will be worked out in class, with the aim of 'making certain objects speak' and reconstructing these narratives.
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
At the end of this course, students will be able to understand the evolution of anthropological approaches to objects and their meaning, analyse the theoretical frameworks influencing the study of material culture, and develop a critical reflection on the dynamics of power in cultural representations. They will apply recent approaches in empirical work aimed at reconstructing narratives from the objects studied. The results of this work will be brought together in an evolving digital archive of ethnographic research and analyses of material culture through the history of objects, created and maintained by the students.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
A knowledge of written English is required to read English texts.
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
The course will combine lectures with student presentations (on articles and fieldwork). The course will also include a guided visit to the Musée de la Vie Wallonne (or another museum), and a lecture by researchers from the MàP - Matière à Penser group.
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Face-to-face course
Further information:
This course is exclusively face-to-face. Please contact the teacher if you have any constraints, particularly work-related.
Course materials and recommended or required readings
Platform(s) used for course materials:
- MyULiège
Further information:
The readings will be indicated during the course and available via MyULiège. Some of these readings are compulsory and necessary for class discussions.
Exam(s) in session
Any session
- In-person
written exam ( open-ended questions )
Written work / report
Continuous assessment
Further information:
Assessment will include active participation in class (5 points - 25%), fieldwork aimed at collecting and reconstructing the 'social life' of an object (5 points - 25%), and a written examination on the course content (10 points - 50%).
Work placement(s)
Organisational remarks and main changes to the course
The course takes place on Mondays in the first semester (timetable and room on Celcat).
Contacts
Elsa Mescoli
E.Mescoli@uliege.be
Chargée de cours en Anthropologie des migrations
CEDEM - Centre d'études de l'ethnicité et des migrations
LASC - Laboratoire d'anthropologie sociale et culturelle
Université de Liège, Faculté des Sciences Sociales
Place des orateurs 3 (Quartier Agora), bât. 31, bte 24
4000 Liège - Belgique
Tél. : 00 32 4 366 30 51
https://www.cedem.uliege.be/cms/c_5198178/fr/cedem-elsa-mescoli
https://www.lasc.uliege.be/cms/c_3366094/en/mescoli-elsa https://orbi.uliege.be/simple-search?query=mescoli
Modalité de contact: par email (avec possibilité de fixer un rendez-vous).