The Audible Anthropologist
By Dr Nicholas Herriman
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Description
Anthropologists study human culture and society. They ask “what it is to be human?”. Anthropologists answer this question by analysing diverse societies to find out what all humans have in common. To undertake this study, anthropologists have a ‘kit’ full of conceptual tools. Join the Audible Anthropologist (aka La Trobe University’s Nicholas Herriman) as we describe some of these tools and put them to use.
| Name | Description | Released | Price | ||
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1 |
CleanLife and Death | Anthropology shows us that while the definition of “alive” is culturally specific, one commonality many cultures appear to share is two concepts. | 6/20/2013 | Free | View in iTunes |
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2 |
CleanMind and Matter | According to a modern world view, things exist which can be measured in terms of weight, length, volume, time, temperature, etc.. A spoon or a stone has all these qualities. We call such things “matter” and we have made “science” the proper stud | 5/30/2013 | Free | View in iTunes |
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3 |
CleanModernity | So what is 'modernity'? In this episode, we cover the basics. I divide the modern era into three periods: mercantile (or early modern); modern; and late-modern (or post-modern). | 5/23/2013 | Free | View in iTunes |
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4 |
CleanNation and Nationalism | Many of us, whether from Macedonia or Malaysia, Mexico or Madagascar, identify strongly with our nation. | 5/14/2013 | Free | View in iTunes |
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5 |
CleanThe Unconscious Mind | The ideas associated with Freud have impacted strongly on anthropology. The main point is that we have an unconscious mind. | 5/8/2013 | Free | View in iTunes |
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6 |
CleanHuman Rights | According to 1948 UN declaration all humans have rights to life, liberty and security, law and trial, asylum etc. This created a new kind of right. | 4/28/2013 | Free | View in iTunes |
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7 |
CleanPatron and Client | When anthropologists come across close intimate and hierarchical relationships of mutual obligation, we use the term “patron client”. | 4/15/2013 | Free | View in iTunes |
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8 |
CleanLife Cycle | Life cycle is the process of change and development of a person. These are often marked by rituals (such as “baby shower” and birthday parties) or rites-of-passage (such as a stags’/bucks’ night). | 4/8/2013 | Free | View in iTunes |
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9 |
CleanCommunity and Society | What is the difference between England 1200 and England 1900? Tonnies’ made the most basic distinction in sociology and anthropology; between community (Gemeinschaft) and society (Gesselschaft). | 3/27/2013 | Free | View in iTunes |
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10 |
CleanSocial Construction | The idea of social construction is scary. It implies you don’t own your own experience—it is determined by society/the system. | 3/18/2013 | Free | View in iTunes |
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11 |
CleanMoral Economy | The concept of "moral economy" describes our perception of how people in our economy should behave. | 2/25/2013 | Free | View in iTunes |
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12 |
CleanStructure | “Structure” refers to the way humans organise themselves economically, socially, and politically. It also refers to the way language and thought is organised. | 2/18/2013 | Free | View in iTunes |
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13 |
CleanHistory | When we talk about the spread of world religions, like Christianity or Islam, we tend to assume a one-way process: the world religions simply replace indigenous religions. In fact, the process is often more interesting. | 2/11/2013 | Free | View in iTunes |
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14 |
CleanSyncretism | When we talk about the spread of world religions, like Christianity or Islam, we tend to assume a one-way process: the world religions simply replace indigenous religions. In fact, the process is often more interesting. | 2/4/2013 | Free | View in iTunes |
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15 |
ExplicitGender | Notions of gender are culturally specific. Until recently, at least, Western societies tended to define sexuality (ie. homo-, bi-, and hetero-sexuals) in terms of sexual orientation or attraction. | 1/29/2013 | Free | View in iTunes |
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16 |
CleanCulture | Of all the living organisms in the world, plant and animal, humans start life least equipped. We have almost no instincts for survival, such that most of what we know and do, we need to learn. | 1/21/2013 | Free | View in iTunes |
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17 |
CleanRationality - What it is to be Modern | What is rationality and why is it important? According to Weber, the most rational actions are scientific ways of achieving scientific ends. You and I act according to scientific means and ends, and this defines us as modern. | 1/14/2013 | Free | View in iTunes |
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18 |
CleanCommodity, Use and Sentimental Value | Commodity value is the most beautiful and metaphysical product of the capitalist market and our imagination. Few things could be more supernatural than this value; it makes a pound of gold appear ‘naturally’ more valuable than a pound of steel. | 1/8/2013 | Free | View in iTunes |
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19 |
CleanThe Symbols of Christmas, Part 2 | What is the hold that Christmas has on so many people? Maybe we all share an unconscious symbol of two births—spirit and body. Perhaps the nativity and passion story follows a set of universal structures. | 12/18/2012 | Free | View in iTunes |
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20 |
CleanThe Symbols of Christmas, Part 1 | I Googled “Christmas” plus “time of reflection” and got literally hundreds of direct hits. We all know the internet can’t be wrong, so I guess for many of us, Christmas is a time of reflection about what is most important in our lives. | 12/10/2012 | Free | View in iTunes |
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21 |
CleanReciprocity - When a Gift Isn't a Gift | How does gift-giving create ties between us? We tell ourselves that gift-giving is a true act of selfless generosity, but anthropologists argue that reciprocity is often characterised by strict rules and deep obligations. | 12/3/2012 | Free | View in iTunes |
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22 |
CleanModes of Adaptation | We often take the way we live for granted. Living in a home with our family and working for a salary can seem like the normal way to do things. Anthropology teaches us that this arrangement is the exception, rather than the rule. | 11/26/2012 | Free | View in iTunes |
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23 |
CleanRites of Passage | Rites of passages are a form of ritual: a ritual process which initiate a person into a new position in society, such as “married”, “adult”, “club member” etc.. Involving pain, fear and, humiliation, rites of passage are often intentionally | 11/19/2012 | Free | View in iTunes |
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24 |
CleanRitual | What is difference between drinking to a toast (say, to the bride’s health at a wedding) and drinking a Coke in McDonald’s? | 11/12/2012 | Free | View in iTunes |
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25 |
CleanMagic | Belief and practices associated with “magic” conjure up, for some people, images of backward tribal peoples or kooky contemporary eccentrics. | 11/6/2012 | Free | View in iTunes |
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26 |
CleanWhat is Anthropology? | Anthropology is the study of human culture and society. It asks what it is to be human? Socio-Cultural Anthropology, the approach of this lecture series, studies different contemporary societies to answer this question. | 10/29/2012 | Free | View in iTunes |
| 26 Items |
Customer Reviews
Great Podcast
I just discovered this pod cast, and have in front of me the pleasure of going backward and listening to the earlier casts.
I recommend it to anyone interested in anthropology.
- Free
- Category: Courses
- Language: English
- © Copyright 2012 La Trobe University, all rights reserved