COURSE DESIGN:This course is designed for graduate students in Anthropology, History, and related fields, including area studies, with a strong interest in non-western historical traditions-how they are produced, what they tell us about culture (especially in situations of contact, colonialism, and political marginalization), how they function, what media are employed in producing and relating them, and most importantly, how they are best approached and analyzed in the pursuit of anthropological goals. Each student should have familiarity with a specific world area and one or more native historical traditions pertinent to that area.

COURSE DESCRIPTION:This seminar explores anthropological approaches to ethnohistory from the perspective of a truly ethno-history, investigating non-western "theories of history" or "historicities." Ethnohistory is represented in various media, including rituals, landscape, and material objects, but is best approached via narratives that relate events of the past: the native historical traditions. The course introduces anthropological methods for analyzing historical traditions and discusses major issues concerning their interpretation within anthropology. These include the contentious dichotomies of "hot" and "cold" societies, the assessment of "myth" versus "history," and more broadly the impact on modes of history of the colonial and post-colonial situations within which most recorded historical traditions were and are produced. Examples are drawn primarily from Latin America, as well as Oceania, Africa, and other areas.

This course on the anthropology of history does NOT deal with the following topics: Western historiographical methods (source criticism, paleography, etc.), historical anthropology, social history, writing, literary criticism, folklore, the cognitive aspects of history and memory, or the performative aspects of the production of history.

COURSE OBJECTIVES AND STUDENT GOALS: Students should become well grounded in anthropological debates and approaches concerning history and narrative (especially the difference between paradigmatic and syntagmatic structuralist analyses), the importance of narrative histories to anthropological concerns, and the various media and functions of native traditions. Each student will complete a major analysis of a non-western native historical tradition.

COURSE FORMAT: This seminar combines lecture with class discussion and student presentations, both as individuals and as panels. All students are expected to be prepared to discuss the readings each week and to participate actively in the discussion.

REQUIRED READINGS: Three textbooks will be used: Islands of History by Marshall Sahlins (1985), Rethinking History and Myth edited by Jonathan Hill (1988), and Culture Through Time: Anthropological Approaches edited by Emiko Ohnuki-Tierney (1991). Many other readings will be drawn from book chapters and journal articles. The specific reading assignments are posted on the web page version of this syllabus. One copy of each week's set of readings (other than the textbooks and those that can be downloaded via the Library) will be placed in the Anthropology Lounge (B332 Turlington) for students to borrow and read or photocopy. Please sign out the readings if you take them out of the room, and don't keep them for more than a few hours. You are advised to organize into study groups in order to share the readings and prepare yourself for the discussion.

CLASS PARTICIPATION AND ATTENDANCE POLICY: Attendance is taken every class period, and together with class participation counts towards 20% of the final grade. Consistent absences, failure to be prepared, and failure to participate will result in a substantial drop in the final grade.

OTHER COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
Panel Presentations: Students will be organized into panels (of 3-4 persons) to present information to the class relating ethnohistory to topics of specific interest to them. The following topics are proposed for these panels: 1) Archaeology and Ethnohistory; 2) Historical Narratives and Ethnogenesis; 3) Historical Traditions in Social-Political Movements; and 4) Oral Historical Traditions. Other topics may be proposed by students.

Narrative Analysis: Each student will conduct a significant, original analysis of one or more native historical traditions from a world area of interest to them. It will be presented in both preliminary and final form to the entire class, as well as in a finished paper. The analysis must reflect the comprehension of the major issues and methods presented during the course of the semester, and will be evaluated on that basis. More information on the paper requirements will be provided at a later date.

GRADES: The components of the final grade are as follows:

• Class participation: 20%
• Paper presentation: 10%
• Panel presentation: 10%
• Final paper: 60%

COPYRIGHT INFORMATION: The contents of the syllabus, lectures, lecture outlines, and any handouts for this course are copyrighted, intended for the private use of students registered in ANG 6930. They may not legally be reproduced or used for other purposes.

ACCEPTANCE OF COURSE REQUIREMENTS: By remaining registered in this class, you agree to accept the course requirements and expectations as stated in this syllabus. These are in addition to other general University requirements and codes of conduct as stated in official documents.

All students must fill out the back page of this syllabus and return it to the professor by the end of the third week of class. This is a course requirement.

The following information is included to conform with University Policy:
1) Students seeking modification of due dates for assignments and exams for religious reasons (e.g., holiday observance) should feel free to contact the Professor and request this modification. 2) Students seeking any classroom accommodation to facilitate their education must first register with the Dean of Students Office. The Dean of Students Office will provide documentation to the student, who must then provide this documentation to the Professor when requesting accommodation. 3) The University reminds every student of the implied pledge of Academic Honesty: on any work submitted for credit the student has neither received nor given unauthorized aid. This refers to cheating and plagiarism. Students should consult the Student Guide at www.dso.ufl.edu/stg/ for information. For more information about what plagiarism is and how to avoid it and its dire consequences, visit www.csubak.edu/ssric/Modules/Other/plagiarism.htm
 

Bibliography: Oral Historical Traditions

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D = can be downloaded
T = textbook

Topics: Development of the field of ethnohistory, relationship to anthropology, definitions, emphasis on historical method; native historical traditions and the difficulty of distinguishing "history" from "myth"

A. The Discipline of Ethnohistory

Cline, Howard F.
1972 Introduction: Reflections on Ethnohistory. In Handbook of Middle American Indians, vol. 12, Guide to Ethnohistorical Sources, Part 1, ed. by Howard F. Cline, pp. 3-16. Austin: University of Texas Press.

D Carmack, Robert M.
1972 Ethnohistory: A Review of Its Development, Definition, Methods, and Aims. Annual Review of Anthropology 1:227-246.

D Krech,III, Shepard
1991 The State of Ethnohistory. Annual Review of Anthropology 20:345-375.

Barber, Russell J., and Frances F. Berdan
1998 The Scope of Ethnohistory. Chapter 1 (pp. 5-32) of The Emperor's Mirror: Understanding Culture Through Primary Sources. Tucson: University of Arizona Press.

B. Contrasting Approaches to Native Historical Traditions (Myth vs History)

D Carmack, Robert M., and John M. Weeks
1981 The Archaeology and Ethnohistory of Utatlan: A Conjunctive Approach. American Antiquity 46:323-341.

D Graulich, Michel
1981 The Metaphor of the Day in Ancient Mexican Myth and Ritual.Current Anthropology 22:45-60.

T Leach, Edmund
1990 Aryan Invasions over Four Millennia. Chap. 8 in Culture Through Time

Topics: A rethinking of what ethnohistory should entail: "ethno-" as in indigenous forms of history? "ethno-" as in "ethnicity" as grounded in historical circumstances? Contemporary approaches to indigenous "historicities" or "modes of historical consciousness."

Fogelson, Raymond D.
1974 On the Varieties of Indian History: Sequoyah and Traveller Bird. Journal of Ethnic Studies 2:105-112.

D Fogelson, Raymond D.
1989 The Ethnohistory of Events and Nonevents. Ethnohistory36:133-147.

Gillespie, Susan D.
1989 An Introduction to the Analysis of Aztec Historical Traditions. Chap. 1 of The Aztec Kings: The Construction of Rulership in Mexica History. Tucson: University of Arizona Press.

Schieffelin, Edward, and Deborah Gewertz
1985 Introduction. In History and Ethnohistory in Papua New Guinea, ed. by Deborah Gewertz and Edward Schieffelin, pp. 1-6. Oceania Monograph No. 28. Sydney: University of Sydney.

Parmentier, Richard J.
1987 Introduction (pp 3-15 only) in The Sacred Remains: Myth, History, and Polity in Belau. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

T Turner, Terence
1988 History, Myth, and Social Consciousness among the Kayapó of Central Brazil. Chap. 9 in Rethinking History and Myth. 

D Bloch, Maurice
2001 The Ethnohistory of Madagascar. Ethnohistory 48:293-299.

D Lambek, Michael
2001 Reflections on the "Ethno-" in Malagasy Ethnohistory. Ethnohistory 48:301-308.

T Burke, Peter
1990 Historians, Anthropologists, and Symbols. Chap. 10 in Culture Through Time.

Recommended:
T Fernandez, James W.
1990 Enclosures: Boundary Maintenance and Its Representations over Time in Asturian Mountain Villages (Spain). Chap. 4 in Culture Through Time