School of Social Sciences

Mahatma Gandhi University

M A Programme (Anthropology)

SSS 548: ANTHROPOLOGICAL THEORY AND METHOD IIFaculty Deepu Thomas

Course ObjectiveThe course seeks to expose the student to concepts and theories of Anthropology.Course Contents

Unit 1: Structural School: Elements of Social Structure- A.R. Radcliff Browns Theory of Social Structure- Nadels Contribution to Structural-Functional School- E.R Leachs Views on Structural-Functionalism- Claude Levi Strauss-Emile Durkheim-American Structural-Functional School-Mayer Fortes Views on Functionalism-Talcott Parsons Views on Functionalism.

Unit 2: Cultural and Personality School: Meaning and characteristics of Personality- Determinants of Personality- Influence of Psychodynamics on the study of Culture- Ruth Fulton Benedicts concept of Culture-Pattern and National Character- Margaret Meads contribution to the study of National Character.Unit 3: Theories of Society and Culture: Concept of Culture and Society- General Meaning of Culture- Anthropological Meaning of Culture- Attributes of Culture- Components of Culture- Paradoxes of Culture- Theories of Culture Growth- Acculturation- Man as Creator of Culture.Unit 4: Theories of Civilization and Civilizational Study: Theories of Civilization- Differences between Culture and Civilization according to Maclver and Page- Differences between Simple society and Complex Society- Characteristics of Folk Societies, Robert Redfields concept of Folk-Urban Continuum- Redfields concept of Peasant Society- Great and Little TraditionsReferencesMalinowski. B.1994:A Scientific Theory of culture. Chapel Hill

University of North Carolina

1922:Argonauts of Western Pacific NY, Dutton.

1926:Crime & Custom in Savage Society. London, Kegan Paul.

1929:Magic, Science and religion

Radcliffe Brown1952:Structure and Function in Primitive Society, London, Oxford University Press.

Ruth Benedict1934:Patterns of culture. New York, Houghton Mifflin

Mead, Margaret1953:National Character in Kroeber's (edited). Anthropology Today.

Mead, Margaret1955:Cultural patterns and Technical change; New York, Mentor.

Clinton, Ralph1945: The Cultural background of personality. New York. Appleton.

Kardiner, Abram1936: The Individual and his society, New York, Columbia University press.

Jha, Makhan 1983:An Introduction to Anthropological Thought, New Delhi: Vikas Publishing House

Kapadia K.M. 1971 :Marriage and Family in India. Calcutta: Oxford

University Press.

Lowie, R.H. 1971 :Social Organisation. London: Routledge and

Kegan Paul Ltd.

Murdock, G.P. 1965 :Social Structure. Illinois: Fress Press, Glencoe.

Radcliffe-Brown, A.R 1973 :Structure and Function in Primitive Society. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul Ltd.

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