The first part of the course focuses on the development of economic anthropology from the perspective of anthropological approaches, which are inspired by the work of Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim and Max Weber. These scholars’ work is grounded in the contestation of the view that self-interest is rooted in human nature. In relation to this issue, the course examines the basic approaches of the “economics” concept. The course also presents, through a critical lens, anthropological theories on exchange, gift and barter. It aims to enable students to understand that familiar practices and notions are foreign to other societies where access to goods and services is not mediated by money, but depends on
belonging to groups, which are formed on the basis of kinship, religion, locality etc. As far as money and exchange are concerned, the course provides an analysis of the views of Simmel and K. Marx, as well as anthropological approaches of money -its morality and symbolism. In the part of the syllabus dealing with consumption, the course turns to how certain commodities are viewed as necessary or desirable and are placed high on a hierarchy with reference to their value and attributed meaning in diverse social contexts. At the same time, current approaches are examined, which recognize the active role of consumers in the production of culture.
The second part of the course includes special issues/themes, which are intended to provide an understanding of the following theories and related concepts: modernization, development and the world system. All along, emphasis is attributed to processes of socioeconomic transformation and, especially, to the approach of the anthropological political economy.