94110 - Anthropology and Ethnography of Social and Educational Services

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student will be socialised to the main anthropological paradigms in the study of policies, organisations and institutions. She will know also the theoretical and methodological challenges of cultural anthropology when appled to social educational and welfare policies. She will be able to translate the anthropological reflections towards ethnicity, nation, religion and culture into a careful project elaboration within multicultural societies. She will be able to champion the anthropological (theoretical as much as methodological) perspective also in the critical evaluation of projects for the socio-educational contexts. She will be better able to communicate her or his (often comparative) readings of contexts within her o his working groups. She will be able to refer to ethnographic approaches to enhance her or his ablity of listening and interpreting communication in different working environments. Finally, she will be able to expand autonomously her or his analytical perspective in the exploration of the anthropological knowledge when applied to socio-educational policies

Course contents

To sit and follow the course it is compulsory to have previously studied and taken the exam of Cultural Anthropology. Through a training path characterised by a pro-active and participatory approach from the students, the course wants to provide an introduction to the anthropological approaches to welfare policies with the aim at facilitating the practical translation of ethnographic skills into the social and educational work. With intermittent theoretical lectures and weakly participatory workshops, we will be exploring different ways with which policies, organisations and institutions respond to and construct social and educational problems and needs. On the one hand we will interrogate ethnographically social and cultural dynamics informing institutional projects and practices; on the other hand, the anthropological perspectives will provide a critical lens to recognise contradictions and organisational changes of bureaucratic and institutional structures. Both processes will enhance the understanding of exclusionary practices and unequal access to social rights. During the course students will engage in weekly individual or collective presentations and discussions on the potential use of anthropological skills in the analysis of specific socio-educational fields (migrants reception policies, homelessness, health, etc.)

Readings/Bibliography

Riccio B., Tarabusi F. Antropologia ed Etnografia per i servizi socio-educativi, Junior, Reggio Emilia, 2024

Gallotti C., Tarabusi F. (a cura di), Antropologia e servizi: intersezioni etnografiche fra ricerca e applicazione, Ledizioni, Milano, 2024

One volume among the following:

Reader available on the platform Virtuale

Castellano V. Revolving door. I servizi sociali e la riproduzione delle disuguaglianze a New York, Junior, Reggio Emilia, 2018

Dubois V., Il burocrate e il povero. Amministrare la miseria, Misesis, Milano, 2018

Herzfeld M., La produzione sociale dell'indifferenza. Esplorando le radici simboliche della burocrazia occidentale, Franco Angeli, Milano, 2022

Ong A., Da rifugiati a cittadini, Cortina, Milano. 2005

Rimoldi L., Pozzi G. (a cura di), Pensare un'antropologia del welfare. Etnografie dello stato sociale in Italia, Meltemi, Milano, 2022

Porcellana V., Antropologia del welfare. La cultura dei diritti sociali in Italia, Licosia, Olgiastro Cilento, 2022

Some further readings

Basile D., Viazzo P. (a cura di), Alta tensione. Spazi di confronto tra antropologia e istituzioni, Unicopli, Milano, 2023

Douglas M., Come pensano le istituzioni, Il Mulino, Bologna, 1990

Fassin D., Ripoliticizzare il mondo: studi antropologici sulla vita, il corpo e la morale, Ombre corte, Verona, 2014

Graeber D., Burocrazia. Perché le regole ci perseguitano e perché ci rendono felici, Il Saggiatore, Milano 2016

Minicuci M., Pavanello M. (a cura di), “Antropologia delle istituzioni”, Meridiana. Rivista di storia e scienze sociali, 68, 2010

Palumbo B., Classificare, agire, disciplinare. Riflessioni critiche su alcune tendenze dell’antropologia politica contemporanea, in “Illuminazioni”, n. 11, 2010

Porcellana V., Dal bisogno al desiderio. Antropologia dei servizi per adulti in difficoltà e senza dimora a Torino, Franco Angeli, Milano, 2017

Quaranta I., Ricca M., Malati fuori luogo, R. Cortina, Milano, 2012

Severi I., Tarabusi F. (a cura di), I metodi puri impazziscono. Strumenti dell’antropologia e pratiche dell’etnografia al lavoro, Licosia, Olgiastro Cilento 2019

Tarabusi F. Dentro le politiche. Servizi, progetti, operatori: sguardi antropologici, Guaraldi, Rimini, 2010

Tarabusi F., Zinn D. (a cura di), Antropologia e politiche pubbliche: ricerche e prospettive, Rivista di Antropologia Contemporanea, 2, 2023

Zinn D., Migrants as metaphor. Institutions and integration in south tyrol's divided society, CISU, Roma, 2018

Teaching methods

Lectures, weekly indiuvidual or collective presentations and discussions, workshops

Assessment methods

Oral exam aiming at evaluating the acquired knowledge and understanding of the topics trated in the course

Teaching tools

Lectures Ppt, articles, reports and other teaching material available on the platform virtuale

Office hours

See the website of Bruno Riccio