ETHNOGRAPHIC FIELD SCHOOL IN MAURITIUS JULY 13-31, 2015

LEVEL: BA/MA, 10 ECTS

LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION: English

COURSE PROVIDER: Aarhus University, Department of Culture and Society

LOCATION: Pointe aux Piments, Mauritius

INSTRUCTOR: Dimitris Xygalatas, and a number of Mauritian and international lecturers

EMAIL: xygalatas@mac.com

�1

COURSE DESCRIPTION This course will provide empirical training in ethnographic fieldwork through immersion into the field and engaging in qualitative as well as quantitative field studies involving a variety of methods such as participant-observation, interviews, surveys, and behavioral and biometric measures. The course will also examine key methodological, epistemological, and ethical issues pertaining to the study of culture and working with human subjects. Furthermore, it will involve a series of field trips and lectures on Mauritius, its diverse culture, and its fascinating history.

Mauritius is a small tropical island nation in the Indian Ocean which lies between places and traditions. Geographically, it belongs to Africa while located 1500 miles from the continent. Historically, it has been colonized by the Dutch, French, and British, each of whom has left their mark on the local culture. And demographically, it is one of the most diverse societies in the world. Its inhabitants draw their ancestries from various places in Asia, Africa, and Europe; they speak a great variety of languages, including English, French, and the Mauritian Creole; and they practice a multitude of religions and

perform a variety of fascinating rituals. Such diversity makes Mauritius an ideal “natural laboratory” for the study of culture.

OUR LOCATION Although we will explore several parts of the island, our base will be at the village of Pointe aux Piments, located on the Northwest coast of Mauritius. Students will have the opportunity to rent rooms in local houses at very low prices. In addition to lowering costs, this will also help support the local community and provide a unique chance to experience authentic Mauritian culture and hospitality!

�2

INSTRUCTION The course is taught by Dr. Dimitris Xygalatas and a team of Mauritian and international lecturers. Learning will be interactive and experiential. It will include lectures and workshops as well field trips, group projects, and hands-on empirical work. Students will be encouraged to interact with the local people and to use diverse forms of representing their ethnographic experience, such as photography, videography, blogging, narrating, and writing.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES In this course, you will acquire skills related to:

•Conducting ethnographic research

•Key methodological and epistemological issues in the study of human culture

•Designing, conducting, and reporting a field study

•Ethical issues in working with human subjects

•A basic knowledge of Mauritian culture and history

COURSE MATERIAL Readings and all other course material can be found on the Blackboard system online. Check the system regularly for updates and announcements.

EVALUATION Evaluation is based on a final paper due on August 15 (10 pages for BA / 15 pages for MA), using at least 5 titles that are not part of the syllabus and showing new perspectives on the chosen areas of analysis. There will also be quizzes and assignments during the school. You will be encouraged to use your own skills in exploring topics and developing their project. If you are good at filming, editing, blogging; if you are a good listener or like interacting with people; or if you are passionate about the arts,

environmental conservation or charity, we will find a way to put those skills to use!

�3

COURSE SCHEDULE Week 1 Mon July 13 Morning: Welcome, introduction to the course, and practical arrangements Afternoon: Introduction to Mauritian culture Readings: Miles 1999; Younger 2010

Tue July 14 Morning: What is ethnography? Afternoon: Diversity in Mauritius Readings: Eriksen, 2001 ch 3; Murchison 2009, ch 1

Wed July 15 Morning: Participant observation Afternoon: Topics in Mauritian history Readings: Bernard 2011, ch 13; Bernard 2011, ch 15

Thu July 16 Field trip: L’ Aventure du Sucre: How sugar shaped Mauritian history

Fri July 17 Morning: The ethnographic process Afternoon: Getting started with research projects Readings: Murchison 2009, ch 3-5 Evening: Movie night

Weekend Time for project preparation

Week 2 Mon July 20 Morning: Student presentations Afternoon: Research ethics Readings: Berreman 2010; Fetterman 2011, ch 7

Tue July 21 Morning: Cognition and Culture Afternoon: Religion and cognition Readings: Pyysiäinen 2012; Sperber & Hirschfeld 1999

Wed July 22 Field trip: Activist efforts in Mauritius

Thu July 23 Cognitive Anthropology Afternoon: Cultural Consensus Readings: D’Andrade 1995; Dressler et al. 2005

Fri July 24 Morning: Writing up Afternoon: Project preparation Readings: Murchison 2009, ch 12-15 Evening: Movie night

Weekend Time for project preparation

�4

Week 3 Mon July 27 Morning: Student presentations Afternoon: Mixed methods workshop Readings: Xygalatas et al. 2013a Tue July 28 Morning: Experimental Anthropology Afternoon: Experimenting with Ritual

Readings: Bernard 2011, ch 5; Lang et al. 2015; Xygalatas et al. 2013b

Wed July 29 Field trip: Sacred places of Mauritius Thu July 30 Morning: Behavioral ecology Afternoon: Biometric measures Readings: Bird, Smith,& Bird 2001; Winterhalder & Smith 1992 Fri July 31 Morning: Brainstorming on final papers Afternoon: Wrapping up. Competitions for best photo, best video, best blog entry Evening: Farewell party!

LIST OF READINGS

Bernard, H. R. (2011). Research Methods in Anthropology. Rowman Altamira Berreman, G.D. (2010). Ethics versus "Realism" in Anthropology. In A. Robben and J Sluka, Ethnographic Fieldwork. An

Anthropological Reader, Oxford: Blackwell, pp. 298-311 Bird, R., Smith, E., & Bird, D. (2001). The hunting handicap: Costly signaling in human foraging strategies. Beahvioral

Ecology and Sociobiology, 50 (1), 9-19 D’Andrade, R. (1995). The Development of Cognitive Anthropology. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. Dressler, W., Borges, C., Balieiro, M., & Dos Santos, J. (2005). Measuring Cultural Consonance: Examples with Special

Reference to Measurement Theory in Anthropology. Field Methods, 17(4), 331–355. Eriksen, T. H. (2001). Small places, large issues: An introduction to social and cultural anthropology. Pluto Press Fetterman, D. M. (2011). Ethnography: Step-by-Step, 3rd Edition (Applied Social Research Methods). Sage Lang, M., Krátký, J., Shaver, J., Jerotijević, D., & Xygalatas, D. (2015). The Effects of Anxiety on Spontaneous Ritualized

Behavior, Current Biology 25, 1-6 Miles, W. (1999). The Creole Malaise in Mauritius. African Affairs, 98(391), 211–228 Murchison, J. M. (2009). Ethnography Essentials: Designing, Conducting, and Presenting Your Research (Research Methods

for the Social Sciences). Pyysiäinen, I. (2012). Cognitive Science of Religion: State-of-the-Art. Journal for the Cognitive Science of Religion, 1(1) Sperber, D., & Hirschfeld, L. (1999), Culture, Cognition, and Evolution. In R. Wilson & F. Keil (eds) MIT Encyclopedia of the

Cognitive Sciences. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, cxi-cxxxii. Winterhalder, B. & Smith, E. (1992). Evolutionary ecology and the social sciences. In: Smith, E., & Winterhalder, B. (eds.).

Evolutionary ecology and human behavior. Transactional Publishers: New Jersey. Xygalatas, D., P. Mitkidis, R. Fischer, P. Reddish, J. Skewes, A. W. Geertz, A. Roepstorff & J. Bulbulia (2013). Extreme Rituals

Promote Prosociality. Psychological Science 24(8): 1602–1605 Xygalatas, D., U. Schjødt, J. Bulbulia, I. Konvalinka, E. Jegindø, P. Reddish, A. W. Geertz & A. Roepstorff (2013).

Autobiographical Memory in a Fire-Walking Ritual. Journal of Cognition and Culture 13(1-2): 1-16 Xygalatas, D. (2013). Effects of religious setting on cooperative behaviour. A case study from Mauritius, Religion, Brain and

Behavior 3(2): 91-102 Younger, P. (2010). New homelands. Oxford University Press

�5