Kinship and Marriage: ANT3711 WF: 10-11:30 OA2020
Instructor: Melinda Vandenbeld Giles
Expanded Course Description:
This course will explore kinship, marriage, sexuality and love within the context of political economy, culture and society. Beginning with an exploration of kinship structures and breaking down biological or preconceived ideas of sexuality, gender or family, we will then continue to explore such constructs within a global neoliberal framework. In what ways are families, marriage, sexuality and gender being reconstituted differentially as a result of altering political- economic and affective needs and desires.
Course Requirements:
1. Attendance and participation in class discussions. Students are expected to attend lectures and to have readings completed by the assigned dates so they will be able to actively participate in group work. 10% of final grade will be based on participation. 2. A one-page term paper proposal outlining concepts and references to be used. This will be worth 15% of final grade. 3. 12-page term paper based on topic of choice related to the concepts of kinship, marriage, sexuality and love and pre-arranged through paper proposal. Five references are required at minimum. Term paper will be worth 40% of final grade. 4. 3-minute elevator pitch describing term paper topic worth 10% of final grade. 5. Cumulative final exam. Exam will be worth 25% of final grade.
Evaluation:
Attendance and participation: 10% in class, bi-weekly
One-page term paper proposal: 15% in class, Oct 21
12-page term paper: 40% in class, Nov 18
3-minute elevator pitch: 10% in class, Nov 23, 25, 30
Final exam: 25% in class, Dec 2
Required Text (Available at Lakehead University Bookstore and in Lakehead Libary in Orillia and Thunder Bay)
Vandenbeld Giles, Melinda. Ed. 2014. Mothering in the Age of Neoliberalism. Ed. Melinda Vandenbeld Giles. Bradford, ON: Demeter Press.
Additional readings will be made available as PDFs on D2L.
Schedule of Topics and Readings:
WEEK 1: KINSHIP
Sept. 7 Introduction: The Anthropology of Kinship
Sept. 9 What Is Kinship?
“New Directions in Kinship Study: A Core Concept Revisited.” S. Franklin & S. McKinnon. Current Anthropology vol. 41 (2), 2000. Pages 275-279
WEEK 2: FAMILY, WOMEN AND PROPERTY
Sept 14 Understanding Family
The Gender/Sexuality Reader: Culture, History, Political Economy. Eds. Roger Lancaster and Micaela di Leonardo. Chapter 4. Pages 71-81 . Is There a Family? New Anthropological Views. Jane Collier, Michelle Rosaldo, and Sylvia Yanagisako.
Sept 16 Women and Property
Women, Culture and Society. Eds. Michelle Zimbalist Rosaldo and Louise Lamphere. Chapter 11. Pages 207-222. Engles Revisited: Women, the Organization of Production, and Private Property. Karen Sacks.
Wayward Women. Holly Wardlow. Chapter 3. Pages 99-133. I am Not the Daughter of a Pig!: The Changing Dynamics of Bridewealth.
WEEK 3: DOMESTICITY AND GENDER
Sept 21 Domestic Relations
Women, Culture and Society. Eds. Michelle Zimbalist Rosaldo and Louise Lamphere. Introduction. Pages 1-15. Michelle Zimbalist Rosaldo and Louise Lamphere. Chapter 5. Pages 97-112. Strategies, Cooperation, and Conflict among Women in Domestic Groups. Louise Lamphere.
Sept 23 Gender Roles
Mothering in the Age of Neoliberalism. Ed. Melinda Vandenbeld Giles. Chapter 6. Pages 133-147. Negotiating Identities: The Case of Mompreneurs in Trinidad and Tobago. Chapter 15. Pages 279-296. “Who Is in Charge of the Family?”: Religious Mothering, Neoliberalism, and REAL Women of Canada.
WEEK 4: A HISTORY OF MARRIAGE
Sept 28 The Institution of Marriage
Marriage, a History: How Love Conquered Marriage. Stephanie Coontz. Chapter 1. Pages 15-23. The Radical Idea of Marrying for Love. Chapter 2. Pages 24-33. The Many Meanings of Marriage.
Sept 30 The Idea of Romance Marriage, a History: How Love Conquered Marriage. Stephanie Coontz. Chapter 9. Pages 145-160. From Yoke Mates to Soul Mates: Emergence of the Love Match and the Male Provider Marriage.
WEEK 5: AN ANTHROPOLOGY OF LOVE AND CAPITALISM
Oct 5 Marriage and Modernity
Modern Loves: The Anthropology of Romantic Courtship and Companionate Marriage. Eds. Jennifer S. Hirsch and Holly Wardlow. Introduction. Pages 1-31. Jennifer S. Hirsch and Holly Wardlow.
Oct 7 Love and Gender Inequality
Modern Loves: The Anthropology of Romantic Courtship and Companionate Marriage. Eds. Jennifer S. Hirsch and Holly Wardlow. Chapter 6. Pages 135-153. Love and Risk of HIV: Courtship, Marriage, and Infidelity in Southeastern Nigeria. Daniel Jordan Smith. WEEK 6: KINSHIP AND GLOBALIZATION
Oct 19 The Political-Economy of Love
Film: Love under Cuban Skies
Love and Globalization: Transformations of Intimacy in the Contemporary World. Eds. Mark Padilla, Jennifer Hirsch, Miguel Muñoz-Laboy, Robert Sember, and Richard Parker. Introduction. Pages ix-xxxi. Cross-Cultural Reflections on an Intimate Intersection. Mark Padilla, Jennifer Hirsch, Miguel Muñoz-Laboy, Robert Sember, and Richard Parker.
Oct 21 Capitalism and Romance
Love and Globalization: Transformations of Intimacy in the Contemporary World. Eds. Mark Padilla, Jennifer Hirsch, Miguel Muñoz-Laboy, Robert Sember, and Richard Parker. Chapter 5. Pages 107-119. The Strange Marriage of Love and Interest: Economic Change and Emotional Intimacy in Northeast Brazil, Private and Public. L. A. Rebhun. Chapter 10. Pages 203-225. Love Work in a Tourist Town: Dominican Sex Workers and Resort Workers Perform at Love.
WEEK 7: NEOLIBERALISM, MARRIAGE AND MOTHERING
Oct 26 The Economics of Marriage and Mothering
Mothering in the Age of Neoliberalism. Ed. Melinda Vandenbeld Giles. Introduction. Pages 1-30. An Alternative Mother-Centred Economic Paradigm. Melinda Vandenbeld Giles.
Oct 28 Mothering, Family and Feminism
Film: The Motherload CBC Doc Zone
Mothering in the Age of Neoliberalism. Ed. Melinda Vandenbeld Giles. Chapter 4. Pages 95-115. Doing It All...and Making It Look Easy!: Yummy Mummies, Mompreneurs and the North American Neoliberal Crises of the Home. Gillian Anderson and Joseph G. Moore.
Chapter 16. Pages 297-314. When Neoliberalism Intersects with Post-Second Wave Mothering: Reinforcing Neo-traditional American Family Configurations and Exacerbating the Post-Second Wave Crisis in Feminity. Lynn O’Brien Hallstein.
WEEK 8: FAMILIES, WOMEN AND MIGRATION
Nov 2 Care-Work and Migration
Film: Chain of Love (Marije Meerman, 2001)
Global Woman: Nannies, Maids and Sex Workers in the New Economy. Eds. Barbara Ehrenreich and Arlie Russell Hochschild. Introduction. Pages 1-14. Barbara Ehrenreich and Arlie Russell Hochschild.
Nov 4 Mothering and Globalization
Mothering in the Age of Neoliberalism. Ed. Melinda Vandenbeld Giles. Chapter 1. Pages 35-49. Multiplying Mothers: Migration and the Work of Mothering in Canada and the Philippines. Catherine Bryan.
WEEK 9: RECONFIGURING KINSHIP
Nov 9 Reconfiguring Marriage
Film: Flying Solo CBC Doc Zone
The New “I Do”: Reshaping Marriage for Skeptics, Realists and Rebels. Susan Pease Gadoua and Vicki Larson. Chapter 1. Pages 8-28. Have We Outgrown Marriage?
Nov 11 Reconfiguring the Family
Film: Paris Is Burning
Urban Tribes: Are Friends the New Family? Ethan Watters. Chapter 1. Pages 15-39. Confessions of a Yet-to-Be-Married.
Families We Choose: Lesbians, Gays, Kinship. Kath Weston. Chapter 1. Pages 1-20. The Monkey Cage and the Red Desoto.
WEEK 10: KINSHIP AND SEX
Nov 16 Sex and Society
The Gender/Sexuality Reader: Culture, History, Political Economy. Eds. Roger Lancaster and Micaela di Leonardo. Chapter 10. Pages 153-168. Sex and Society: A Research Note from Social History and Anthropology. Ellen Ross and Rayna Rapp.
The Transformation of Intimacy: Sensuality, Love and Eroticism in Modern Societies. Anthony Giddens. Introduction. Pages 1-3.
Nov 18 Reconceiving Intimacy
Modern Loves: The Anthropology of Romantic Courtship and Companionate Marriage. Eds. Jennifer S. Hirsch and Holly Wardlow. Chapter 8. Pages 174-192. The Bonds of Love: Companionate Marriage and the Desire for Intimacy among Hijras in Hyderabad, India. Gayatri Reddy.
WEEK 11: PRESENTATIONS (3-minute elevator pitch on term paper topic)
WEEK 12: PRESENTATIONS AND FINAL EXAM
Nov 30 Presentations
Dec 2 Final Exam Three essay choices from which you will choose two. Based on all course material and films.
Class Policies
D2L I will be using D2L to post PDFs of course readings.
Missed Classes Please arrange for notes to be taken by a friend since the final exam will be cumulative. Since films will also be on the exam, you will want to ensure you watch a film if you miss it in class.
Policy on Extensions Extensions will only be granted in emergency situations with appropriate documentation. Late assignments will be penalized 5% per day and you will receive 0% after 7 days unless prior arrangements have been made.
Academic Integrity Academic dishonesty (for instance, plagiarism) is a serious offence. Please see the web site: https://www.lakeheadu.ca/faculty-and-staff/policies/student-related/code-of-student-behaviour- and-disciplinary-procedures/node/1046.
Missed Exams If you are unable to attend class on Dec 2 to write the final exam, please inform me well in advance with written notification for your reason and we can arrange for the exam to be written at another time. Please be aware that you will be given different essay questions than on the primary exam.
On Accommodation The University provides accommodations for students with disabilities in accordance with the terms of the Ontario Human Rights Code. This occurs through a collaborative process and acknowledges a collective obligation to develop an accessible learning environment that both meets the needs of students and preserves the essential academic requirements of the courses and programs. For more information on services and resources available to instructors and students, please see: https://www.lakeheadu.ca/faculty-and-staff/policies/student-related/accommodations- for-students-with-disabilities/node/1045.