ANT3147 11FEB2016

Student Presentation:

Bloch, M. ‘Where did anthropology go?’

● addresses the assumption that anthropology has important insights into the
nature of humanity
● Bloch describes how tribal people ask the same questions ‘what does it
mean to be human?’
● anthropology has lost itself - many studies have a narrow Focus and don't
address the big questions
● the charts different anthropological paradigms evolutionism- diffusionism
● ( diffusionism brought into question human nature as a viable subject -
human experience is to too varied/complex)
● diffusionism suggests generalizing theories are inappropriate
● our way forward? a return to functionalism?
● functionalism can rise above evolutionism/diffusionism antagonism
● anthropology appears reluctant to admit that can explore Human Nature
● if we don't established general laws how do we know what we are studying?
● His previous interest was in marxist anthropology but shifted to more
Cognitive psychological approaches
● evolutionism is often disregarded - but other disciplines can use the
evolutionary paradigm e.g. biology
● Bloch would say although humans/ cultures are different some aspect of
evolutionism can be useful
● nature vs. nurture - a key question
● durkheim believed study of society was a science others see anthropology
as a morer literary discipline
● Bloch believes that anthropology should recognise the need to study human
nature