27309 - Social Anthropology (1) (M-Z)

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course students will have mastered the main lines of the history of social anthropology thanks to a critical knowledge of the anthropological paradigms relevant to studying social relations in towns. They will apply such knowledge to the anthropological study of migratory phenomena and acquire the methodological tools needed for ethnographic research in towns. Students will be able to apply the main models of critical analysis to cultures, ethnic populations, gender and generations, and be able to focus on socio-cultural issues to do with migratory processes, globalization and the knowledge society. They will have learnt to listen, understand and debate respectfully with different viewpoints, and acquired judgment on a professional, human and ethical level.

Course contents

This course aims to chart out an anthropological analysis of our late-capitalist present to reflect on the connection between structural transformations and ways of life. Drawing on a series of ethnographies and literary narratives, we will explore how large-scale socioeconomic phenomena—such as deindustrialization, the growing influence of financial markets and institution, and the shift toward a service-based economy—intertwine with the ways in which we speak, experience time, and imagine the future. The goal is to understand how new modes of organizing work and consumption—based on global supply chains—affect our daily lives, transforming our senses, our desires, and our social relationships.

Unlike 20th-century systems of capitalist accumulation based on assembly lines, large-scale production, and the rationalization of the production process, the new forms of post-Fordist capitalism focus on control over digital and material infrastructures and on the central role of inventory management, giving rise to new forms of division of labor and alienation. To understand these transformations, we will begin by examining some fundamental mechanisms of late-nineteenth-century capitalism and the social relations it generated. We will then move on to reflect on contemporary forms of the information economy, the logistics industry, and platform capitalism. We will explore the evolution of U.S. capitalism by tracing the intersection between railroads, the meat-packing industry, and real estate speculation in order to understand the illogical logic of profit and capital’s relentless struggle against the tyranny of fixed costs (D’Eramo). We will examine the ways of life and the exist strategies adopted by undocumented immigrants and misfit veterans who roam the forests of Oregon in search of prized matsutake mushrooms to resell in Japan, where these delicatessens have disappeared due to the ecological transformations of the Anthropocene (Tsing). We will then move on to an analysis of migrant labor to explore the forms of exploitation and the relationship between the need for a compliant, low-cost workforce, the spread of racist ideologies and the racialization of migrant workers. These themes will be explored through ethnographic studies conducted in the agricultural sectors of Ragunese (Sanó) and Agropontino (Omizzolo) and at the Amazon hub in Piacenza (Delfanti). The final part of the course will be devoted to reflecting on how capitalist transformations of labor and ways of life have been represented in a series of postwar literary works: from Bianciardi to Volponi, from Perec to Latronico, from Nata to Leonetti. This exploration of the connection between literature and capitalism aims to prompt a reflection on the relationship between the fictional and documentary representational tools provided by literature and ethnography (respectively), and thus to discuss the possibility of describing the link between the macro-level of institutional transformations and the granularity of everyday life.

This course exclusively—and without exceptions—devoted to students whose last names begin with a letter between M and Z.

Classes will be held during the second semester and will begin on Monday, April 6, 2027.

Readings/Bibliography

Although not a mandatory requirement, attending class is highly recommended. This said, there is no difference in the reading list for attending and non-attending students.

 

One text to choose between:

· D’Eramo, Marco. 2020. Il maiale e il grattacielo. Chicago: una storia del nostro futuro. Feltrinelli.

· Tsing, Anna Lowenhaupt. 2021.Il fungo alla fine del mondo: la possibilità di vivere nelle rovine del capitalismo. Keller.

 

One text to choose among the options below:

· Delfanti, Alessandro, 2023. Il Magazzino: Lavoro e Macchine ad Amazon. Codice Edizioni. 256 pp.

· Omizzolo, Marco. 2019. Sotto padrone. Uomini, donne e caporali nell'agromafia italiana. Feltrinelli. 176 pp.

· Sanó, Giuliana. 2018. Fabbriche di plastica. Il lavoro nell'agricoltura industriale. Ombre corte. 235 pp.

 

One novel to choose among the options below:

· Bianciardi, Luciano. [1962] 2026. La vita agra. Feltrinelli. 208 pp.

· Perec, Georges. [1965] 2011. Le cose. Una storia degli anni Sessanta. Einaudi 168 pp.

· Volponi, Paolo. [1989] 2020. Le mosche del capitale. Einaudi. 400 pp.

· Nata, Sebastiano. [1995] 1997. Il dipendente. Feltrinelli. 160 pp.

· Leonetti, Francesco. 1995. Piedi in cerca di cibo. Lupetti. 140 pp.

· Latronico, Vincenzo. 2022. Le perfezioni. Bompiani. 144 pp.

Teaching methods

Teaching will be performed through frontal lectures. Occasionally the instructor will use audiovisual material to give more tangibility to the topics under discussion. Students will be encouraged to ask questions and open up debates on the issues addressed in the course.

· A syllabus detailing the topics covered in each of the 15 classes will be made available on VIRTUALE a few weeks prior to the beginning of the course.

Assessment methods

Assessment will be performed through oral exams, held periodically throughout the academic year. At the end of this section is provided a tentative exam schedule for the 2026-2026. Students may sign up for an exam session on ALMAESAMI where they may also check that their status is up to date and that they have all the prerequisites to undertake the exam. Please be reminded that in order to ensure an efficient management of the exam logistics and to the preemptive scheduling of individual exam times, registration closes 7–10 days before the exam date.

During the exam, students must demonstrate their ability to present the content of the texts they have studied and discuss them in a dynamic dialogue with the instructor. To successfully pass the exam, you must read the books and not limit yourself to consulting summaries or notes available online. A thorough and in-depth reading of the assigned texts is necessary to be able to sustain an articulate and mature discussion of the texts. The exam is not an oral version of a multiple-choice questionnaire, but a dynamic conversation between the instructor and the student. This means being prepared to answer open-ended questions, propose lines of reflection, make connections between the various books that make up the syllabus, be prepared to critically reflect on the texts and discuss them in an original way during the exam, and occasionally be prepared to express doubts or articulate theoretical or methodological reservations about the texts you have read.

Put differently, you should not aim at to mechanically memorizing simplistic summaries prepared by others. Rather, you should aim for a careful and in-depth reading of the texts, selecting passages that have struck you and that you are interested in reflecting on. If you wish, you may bring along your annotated texts, your notes, or specific quotations you wish to discuss during the exam. The ability to identify common themes that connect the various texts, to highlight connections or contrasts between the positions and methodologies of different authors, as well as the ability to contextualize the readings in a historical perspective and to reflect on the links between theory and specific ethnographic cases will be highly valued. Furthermore, students must be able to communicate in the course’s medium of instruction: Italian.

The exam consists of one question for each volume on the syllabus.

An exam in which the student demonstrates the ability to discuss, using appropriate language, the themes covered in the exam texts, establishing connections among them, will result in a grade of excellent/very good.


An exam in which the student demonstrates the ability to summarize the topics covered in the exam texts using acceptable language will result in a grade of “sufficient” or “good.”

Failure to meet the minimum standard of a courseIf, demonstrate adequate mastery of the “knowledge and skills to be acquired” specified as learning objectives, or inability to master the academic register and/or the Italian language, will result in a failing grade.

Also, the exam entails a question on each of the items of the exam's reading list. Failure to answer even one of the four exam questions, will result in a failing grade and will require re-taking the exam at a later date.

Students with special needs are encouraged to contact the instructor to determine the assessment method best suited to their needs.


For information on exam dates and to register for exams, please refer to the Almaesami schedule at the following URL [http://www.unibo.it/Portale/Guida/AlmaEsami.htm].


The exam procedures are the same for both attending and non-attending students.

For the 2026–2027 academic year, oral exams will be held with exam sessions scheduled in the months of

April,

May,

June,

July,

September,

December,

and February.

The exact date of each exam session will be published at least one or two months in advance on Almaesami. Registration typically closes 7–10 days before the exam session may last several days, depending on the number of students who sign up.


NOTE on the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence

AI can be a useful tool to support independent study by providing in-depth analysis, summaries, and self-assessment exercises. However, with regard to assessment, the use of AI is prohibited during exams. Any use constitutes a violation of academic integrity.

Teaching tools

The instructor will occasionally use audio-visual sources (documentaries, maps and photos)

Students who attend class are requested to subscribe to the following mailing list (“Teachers-students” distribution list) through which they can receive any urgent communications about changes to the timetable or location of the lectures:

aurora.donzelli.Social_Anthropology

To register: go to https://www.dsa.unibo.it/default.aspx
Go to SDA, log in and look for "teacher-student lists" on the left drop-down list, then write aurora.donzelli.Antropologia_Sociale and register

 

Inclusivity and Reasonable Accommodation

Students with learning disorders and/or temporary or permanent disabilities: please, contact the office responsible (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students ) as soon as possible so that they can propose acceptable adjustments. The request for adaptation must be submitted in advance (15 days before the exam date) to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of the adjustments, taking into account the teaching objectives.

Office hours

See the website of Aurora Donzelli