South American Ethnography: ANTH 348

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COURSE SYLLABUS
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ANTH 348
South American Ethnography
Class meets: Edward Abse
Hibbs 440 School of World Studies
MWF 11:00am – 11:50am 14 N. Laurel St. Rm 3004
Telephone: 804-827-1143
emabse@vcu.edu
Office Hours: Mondays 3:00-4:00pm & by appointment
Course description: The course focuses upon the comparative ethnography of a number of indigenous societies
of South America, including contemporary cultures of both the highland Andean region and the lowland
Amazonian region, as well as providing some historical background regarding the pre-Hispanic era to the time of
Conquest and a look at cultural transformations of indigenous identity in the modern era.
Required Texts (available in the Barnes & Noble/VCU Bookstore on W Broad St):
(1) Catherine J. Allen (2002) The Hold Life Has: Coca and Cultural Identity in an Andean Community. 2nd edition.
Smithsonian Institution Press. NOTE: Make sure to get the 2nd edition. It contains important new material!
(2) Kaj Arhem (1998) Makuna: Portrait of an Amazonian People.
Additional reading assignments: Chapter and article readings will be made available through Blackboard.
Unless otherwise noted, all readings on the syllabus are required readings. I reserve the right to make changes
and/or modifications to the listing of required reading assignments. Of course, any modification will be
announced in advance either via e-mail or in class.
Anthropology - Foreign Languages - International Studies - Religious Studies

SWSAdvising@vcu.edu Walk-In Hours: Mon 9-11, Tue 12-2, Wed 1-3, Fri 9-11 - Lafayette Hall, 312 N. Shafer
BLACKBOARD: I will occasionally e-mail important class information and assignments to you using the email
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correct. If your email information is not correct, then I cannot contact you with class information and updates
and you will miss assignment information.
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READING ASSIGNMENTS: You should have your reading assignment completed by the day it is listed on the
syllabus. The films you will be seeing and class activities are keyed to the sequence of readings and will be much
more intelligible if the relevant chapter(s) and/or article(s) have been read in advance. Most class activities will
assume knowledge of that day’s reading assignment, so keeping up with the readings will be crucial to the class
participation component of your final grade, and—equally if not more important—to group discussion!
“Assessment” Papers. Assessments are open-book, open-note, take-home exercises designed to allow the
instructor to assess each student’s understanding of material in assigned readings and class discussion. Each
assessment has 2-4 questions which together should require 3-4 pages (word-processed, double-spaced) to
answer.
Percentage Course Grade of each assignment: There are 3 pre-scheduled writing assignments for the course.
In addition, there will also be a few brief writing assignments on the reading for that day as well as occasional in-
class Quizzes on the scheduled readings for the day of the quiz in class.
Class Participation, Quizzes & occasional brief writing assignments 25%

Inca paper 15%
Andes Assessment 30%
Amazonian Assessment 30%

POLICIES:
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Attendance Policy: Good attendance gives you the maximum opportunity to strengthen your ideas, writing, and
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 Adhere to the Honor System policy and its procedures;
 Report any suspicion or knowledge of possible violations of the Honor System;
 Answer truthfully when called upon to do so regarding Honor System matters;
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More information can be found at in the VCU policy library: http://www.policy.vcu.edu/
You are encouraged to study and work together with your classmates. Your graded work, however, must be your
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For more information on how to help, see http://www.thewell.vcu.edu/sexual-violence/how-to-help-others/
The Policy on Sexual Misconduct/Violence and Sex/Gender Discrimination, can be found in the VCU policy library:
http://www.policy.vcu.edu/sites/default/files/Sexual%20Misconduct%20Violence%20and%20Sex%20Gender%20Disc
rimination.pdf
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What to Know and Do To Be Prepared for Emergencies at VCU:

1. Sign up to receive VCU text messaging alerts at http://alert.vcu.edu/signup/index.php. Keep your
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4. Know where to go for additional emergency information (http://www.vcu.edu/alert).
5. Know the emergency phone number for the VCU Police (828-1234). Report suspicious activities and objects.
6. Keep your permanent address and emergency contact information current in eServices.

Week One: Introductions / Beginnings
1/13 (M) Introduction to the Course
1/15(W) The Origins, Historical Depth, and Complexity of Amerindian Cultures

Charles Mann (2005) “Holmberg’s Mistake: A View from Above” in 1491: New Revelations of the Americas before
Columbus: 3-30
1/17(F) Correcting Mistakes & Misunderstandings about “Savages” & “Civilizations”

Charles Mann (2005) “Holmberg’s Mistake: A View from Above” in 1491: New Revelations of the Americas before
Columbus: 3-30 [continued]
Week Two: The Historical Background of Highland Andean Societies: The Incas
1/20(M) Martin Luther King Day – University closed!
1/22(W) Preconquest Incas

Alan Kolata (1992) “In the Realm of the Four Quarters”: 216-247
1/24(F) Preconquest Incas (cont.)

Alan Kolata (1992) “In the Realm of the Four Quarters”: 216-247
FILM: “The Incas Remembered” or “The Empire of the Incas”
* Writing assignment on the Incas distributed/DUE Monday February 3rd
Week Three: A Contemporary Way of Life in the Andes
1/27(M) Fieldwork in Andean Peru  Cosmology

Catherine Allen (2002) The Hold Life Has: Coca and Cultural Identity in an Andean Community, Introduction and
Ch. 1: 1-48
1/29(W) Complementary Opposition & Exchange

Catherine Allen (2002) The Hold Life Has, Ch. 2: 49-74
1/31(F) Community / “Ayllu” & History / “Timpus”

Catherine Allen (2002) The Hold Life Has, Ch. 3:75-101
Week Four: A Way of Life in the Andes (cont.)

2/3(M) FILM: “Ausangate”
 Writing assignment on Incas DUE today at the beginning of class!
2/5(W) Chewing Coca

2/7(F) Drinking Chicha


Week Five: A Way of Life in the Andes (cont.)
2/10(M) FILM: “Carnival in Q’eros”
2/12(W) Ritual and Society I: Household Rites

2/14(F) Ritual and Society II: Ayllu Rites and Pilgrimage

Catherine Allen (1988) The Hold Life Has, Ch. 7-8: 150-183
Week Six: A Way of Life in the Andes (cont.)
2/17(M) Conclusions re: Pilgrimage in Andean Cultures

FILM (excerpt): “Quechua” or “In the Footsteps of Taytacha”
2/19(W) Coca and Cultural Identity

Catherine Allen (1988) The Hold Life Has, Chapter 9: 184-195
2/21(F) Modernity, tradition and change

Catherine Allen (1988) The Hold Life Has, Epilogue & Afterword: 196-247
Week Seven: Transformations of A Way of Life in the Andes
2/24(M) Indigenous popular movements in the Andes

Marisol de la Cadena (2010) “Indigenous Cosmopolitics in the Andes: Conceptual Reflections beyond ‘Politics,’”
Cultural Anthropology 25: 334–370.
2/26(W) Traditional Coca vs. Cocaine Narcotraffiking

FILM: “Snow of the Andes: Bolivia’s Cocaine Dilemma” (AlJazeera, 2017)
2/28(F) Final reflections / discussion of highland Andean societies

*Assessment Questions on Andean cultures distributed/DUE Monday, March 16th
Week Eight: Introducing Amazonian Societies
3/2(M) FILM: “Lost Cities of the Amazon”
3/4(W) The Prehistory of Indigenous Amazonian Societies

Charles Mann (2005) “Amazonia” in 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus: 280-311
3/6(F) Fieldwork in an Amazonian Society

Napoleon Chagnon (1997) Yanomamo 5th Edition, Prologue and Chapter 1“Doing Fieldwork among the
Yanomamo” Yanomamo: 1-43
FILM: “How cultures are studied” [Chagnon and Yanomamo]

--SPRING BREAK--
Week Nine: The Yanomamo
3/16(M) Yanomamo Cosmology & Myths

Napoleon Chagnon (1997) Yanomamo (5th Edition): Ch.3: 99-112
FILM: “The Myth of Naro”
 Assessment Questions on Andean cultures DUE today in class!
3/18(W) Yanomamo Shamanism & Sorcery

Napoleon Chagnon (1997) Yanomamo (5th Edition): Ch.3:112-119
AND
A.k.a. “Jungleman” (1996) excerpt from Spirit of the Rainforest: 21-26
AND
Napoleon Chagnon (1977) Yanomamo: The Fierce People (2nd Edition): “My Adventure with Ebene: A ‘Religious
Experience’” 154-162
3/20(F) FILM: “Magical Death”
Friday March 20th Last day to withdraw from a course with a mark of “W”
Week Ten: From the Native’s Point of View: Yanomami Shaman
3/23(M) Davi Kopenawa / Bruce Albert (2013) The Falling Sky: Words of a Yanomami Shaman: Chapters 1-4:
17-74
3/25(W) Davi Kopenawa / Bruce Albert (2013) The Falling Sky: Words of a Yanomami Shaman: Chapters 5-8:
75-151
3/27(F) TBA
Week Eleven: Northwest Amazon: The Barasana and Makuna
3/30(M) The Barasana: Myth, Sacred Geography, and Ritual

FILM: “Ancient Voices, Modern World: Colombia & the Amazon”
4/1(W) Makuna: Regional and Historical Context

Kaj Arhem (1998) Makuna: Portrait of an Amazonian People Ch’s 1-2, “Coming Home” and “The Makuna World,”
pp. 2-38
4/3(F) Environment and Perspectivism

Kaj Arhem (1998) Makuna: Portrait of an Amazonian People Ch. 3, “The Land” pp. 40-63

Week Twelve: The Makuna (cont.)
4/6(M) The Maloca as Communal Dwelling & Temple/Model of the Cosmos

Kaj Arhem (1998) Makuna: Portrait of an Amazonian People Ch. 4, “The Longhouse” pp. 64-93
4/8(W) Resource Management: Practical Knowledge & Cosmological Belief

Kaj Arhem (1998) Makuna: Portrait of an Amazonian People Ch. 5, “Making a Living,” pp. 94-122
4/10(F) Varieties of Collective Ritual & Cosmological Reproduction

Kaj Arhem (1998) Makuna: Portrait of an Amazonian People Ch’s 6-7, “The Dance of the Spirits” and “The
Threat,” pp. 124-162
FILM (excerpt): “Millennium: An Ecology of Mind”
Week Thirteen: The Ge Tribes: Bororo & Kayapó of Brazil
4/13(M) Bororo Ritual Masking: Aroe & Bope

J. Christopher Crocker (1983) “Being an essence: totemic representations among the Eastern Bororos,” in N.
Ross Crumrine & Marjorie Halpin (eds.), The power of symbols: masks and masquerade in the Americas: 154-173.
4/15(W) Kayapó Body Adornment and Construction of the Social Person

Terence Turner (1978) “The social skin” in J. Cherfas and R. Lewin (eds.) Not work alone: a cross-cultural study of
activities superfluous to survival: 112-140
4/17(F) FILM: “The Kayapó”
Week Fourteen: Rainforest Politics of Resistance (Kayapó cont.)
4/20(M) Kayapó (cont.)

Turner, Terence “The Kayapo resistance” In Spradley and McCurdy (eds.) Conformity and conflict: readings in
cultural anthropology: 368-385
OR
Terence Turner (1991) “Representing, Resisting, Rethinking: Historical Transformations of Kayapo Culture and
Anthropological Consciousness” in G. Stocking Jr. (ed.) Colonial Situations: Essays on the Contextualization of
Anthropological Knowledge: 285-313
4/22(W) FILM: “The Kayapó: Out of the Forest”
4/24(F) Final reflections / discussion of lowland Amazonian societies

*Assessment Questions on Amazonian cultures distributed/DUE during Final Exam week, on Wednesday
May 6th
Week Fifteen: Variations across Amazonia
4/27(M) Philippe Descola (2012) “Beyond Nature and Culture: The Traffic of Souls,” Hau: Journal of
Ethnographic Theory 2(1):478-500
 Final Amazonian Assessment DUE Final Exam week on Wednesday, May 6th



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Join the School of World Studies - Make a World of Difference

Office Hours: Mondays 3:00-4:00pm & by appointment

(2) Kaj Arhem (1998) Makuna: Portrait of an Amazonian People.

Anthropology - Foreign Languages - International Studies - Religious Studies

Class Participation, Quizzes & occasional brief writing assignments 25%

Anthropology - Foreign Languages - International Studies - Religious Studies

Anthropology - Foreign Languages - International Studies - Religious Studies

Students representing the university – excused absences

Military short-term training or deployment

Students with disabilities

Anthropology - Foreign Languages - International Studies - Religious Studies

More information can be found at in the VCU policy library: http://www.policy.vcu.edu/

Anthropology - Foreign Languages - International Studies - Religious Studies

What to Know and Do To Be Prepared for Emergencies at VCU:

Anthropology - Foreign Languages - International Studies - Religious Studies

Week One: Introductions / Beginnings

1/13 (M) Introduction to the Course

1/15(W) The Origins, Historical Depth, and Complexity of Amerindian Cultures

1/17(F) Correcting Mistakes & Misunderstandings about “Savages” & “Civilizations”

1/20(M) Martin Luther King Day – University closed!

1/22(W) Preconquest Incas

1/24(F) Preconquest Incas (cont.)

Week Three: A Contemporary Way of Life in the Andes

1/27(M) Fieldwork in Andean Peru  Cosmology

1/29(W) Complementary Opposition & Exchange

1/31(F) Community / “Ayllu” & History / “Timpus”

Week Four: A Way of Life in the Andes (cont.)

2/5(W) Chewing Coca

2/7(F) Drinking Chicha

Anthropology - Foreign Languages - International Studies - Religious Studies

2/10(M) FILM: “Carnival in Q’eros”

2/12(W) Ritual and Society I: Household Rites

2/14(F) Ritual and Society II: Ayllu Rites and Pilgrimage

Week Six: A Way of Life in the Andes (cont.)

2/17(M) Conclusions re: Pilgrimage in Andean Cultures

2/19(W) Coca and Cultural Identity

2/21(F) Modernity, tradition and change

Week Seven: Transformations of A Way of Life in the Andes

2/24(M) Indigenous popular movements in the Andes

2/26(W) Traditional Coca vs. Cocaine Narcotraffiking

2/28(F) Final reflections / discussion of highland Andean societies

Week Eight: Introducing Amazonian Societies

3/2(M) FILM: “Lost Cities of the Amazon”

3/4(W) The Prehistory of Indigenous Amazonian Societies

3/6(F) Fieldwork in an Amazonian Society

Anthropology - Foreign Languages - International Studies - Religious Studies

Week Nine: The Yanomamo

3/16(M) Yanomamo Cosmology & Myths

3/18(W) Yanomamo Shamanism & Sorcery

3/20(F) FILM: “Magical Death”

Week Ten: From the Native’s Point of View: Yanomami Shaman

Week Eleven: Northwest Amazon: The Barasana and Makuna

3/30(M) The Barasana: Myth, Sacred Geography, and Ritual

4/1(W) Makuna: Regional and Historical Context

4/3(F) Environment and Perspectivism

Anthropology - Foreign Languages - International Studies - Religious Studies

Week Twelve: The Makuna (cont.)

4/6(M) The Maloca as Communal Dwelling & Temple/Model of the Cosmos

4/8(W) Resource Management: Practical Knowledge & Cosmological Belief

4/10(F) Varieties of Collective Ritual & Cosmological Reproduction

Week Thirteen: The Ge Tribes: Bororo & Kayapó of Brazil

4/13(M) Bororo Ritual Masking: Aroe & Bope