Three questions Essays

This essay is worth 40% of my final marks and it is ESSENTIAL it is written to best of standards. Please only assign someone who has experience writing Anthropological essays and capable of writing 4th year university student essays. There are 3 questions I have stated in the instructions document. Please choose ONLY ONE out of the three. This is a 1500 word essay so please do not go below 1375 words and above 1500 words - word count DOES NOT include titles, subheadings, references and in-text citations Use 8 ACADEMIC sources (no wikipedia, sparknotes, etc). All sources you use must be referenced and cited. Use HARVARD referencing. Essay Instructions: I have listed 3 questions but please ONLY choose ONE to write the essay on. Each essay question has been provided with useful reference sources so feel free to use them BUT please also undertake some independent research – anthropological literature, public/popular texts (as empirical examples), and/or documents and films. You need to have AT LEAST 8 ACADEMIC sources for the essay (avoid sites like Wikipedia, sparknotes, etc). Please use HARVARD REFERENCING. Please note that this is 1500-word essay so please stick between 1375 words to 1500 words, this is EXCLUDING reference list and in-text citation. Question 1. Critical comparison of Matriarchy vs. Patriarchy. Outline the social and cultural organisation of the Mosuo of Yunnan province, China. Is this matrilineal society a matriarchy (you should distinguish between matrilineal and matriarchy)? Is matriarchy simply the opposite of patriarchy (you should define patriarchy). Why does Goettner-Abendroth (2018) argue that modernisation is threatening the Mosuo matriarchal way of life? Readings: Besides the textbook (esp. Chapters 7 and 8) of The textbook Hylland Eriksen, T. (2015) Small Places, Large Issue: An Introduction to Social and Cultural Anthropology, (4th. ed.) there are several other references that you will find very useful: Goettner-Abendroth, Heide. 2018. ‘Re-thinking Matriarchy in Modern Matriarchal Socities using two examples: The Khasi and the Mosuo’ in Asian Journal of Women’s Studies, 24: 1, 3-27. (You might wish to consult earlier work by Goettner-Abendroth). Peletz, Michael. 1995. 'Kinship Studies in Late Twentieth Century Anthropology' in Annual Review of Anthropology, Vol. 24. (This is a more complex read than Stone, but a good source and one that will also introduce you to the annual review series). Stone, Linda. 2014 [2009]. Kinship and Gender: An Introduction. Boulder, CO: Westview Press (Primarily the first chapter, pp. 5-23, which includes a great guide to kinship codes - see p. 7. Available as an ebook from the library). Question 2: Gifts and Commodities in Contemporary Society. How is the distinction between ‘gifts’ and ‘commodities’ articulated in everyday economic practice in late modern consumer capitalism? Is there such a thing as a ‘pure gift’ or a ‘pure commodity’? In your answer you should engage with the extensive literature discussing Mauss’ conceptualisation and draw upon specific examples or case studies that clarify or complicate the distinction between gifts and commodities. Besides the textbook (especially Chapter 12) of The textbook Hylland Eriksen, T. (2015) Small Places, Large Issue: An Introduction to Social and Cultural Anthropology, (4th. ed.), there are several other references that you will find very useful: Key Readings: Benson, M. and D. Carter. 2008. “Introduction: Nothing in Return? Distinctions between Gift and Commodity in Contemporary Societies”. Anthropology in Action, Vol. 15: 3, pp. 1-7. (This is the introduction to a special issue exploring this topic and the other contributions in the journal make excellent case studies). Other Readings: Mauss, M. 1990 [1925]. The Gift. London: Routledge (One of many translations). Gregory, C. 1982. Gifts and Commodities. London: Academic Press. Laidlaw, J. 2000. “A Free Gift Makes No Friends”. The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, Vol. 6: 4, pp. 617-634. Carrier, J.G. 1995. Gifts and Commodities: exchange and Western capitalism since 1700. London: Routledge. Question 3: What is Ethnography? A critical reflection. Eriksen (2015) claims that: Anthropology distinguishes itself from the other social sciences through the strong emphasis placed on ethnographic fieldwork as the most important source of new knowledge about society and culture (p. 32). Start your essay by defining Ethnography and outlining the key elements of Ethnographic research/fieldwork. Then provide some critical reflection on the methodological and epistemological strengths and limits (weaknesses) of this approach. It will be good to refer to particular ethnographic work to support your reflection. Readings Besides the textbook (especially Chapter 3) of The textbook Hylland Eriksen, T. (2015) Small Places, Large Issue: An Introduction to Social and Cultural Anthropology, (4th. ed.), there are other references that you will find very useful: Hammersley, M. 2018 ‘What is Ethnography? Can it Survive? Should it?’ Ethnography and Education, 13:1, pp. 1-17 (there is a strong focus on the field of Education, but this article provides you with a number of reference to definitions of ‘what is ethnography?’, hence links to other sources which might be useful). Shah, A. 2017. ‘Ethnography? Participant observation, a potential revolutionary praxis’, HAU Journal of Ethnographic Theory, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 45-59 If you choose this question, please look at the 2 sources of particular examples. If you want to use this example, USE ONLY 1 OUT OF 2 BELOW. The recommended structure for the Essay: Introduction (100-150 words). Body of the Essay: This section can be broken into sub-section, depending on the topic. I recommend the use of sub-headings as these will guide you as the writer and the marker as the reader (1100-1300 words). Conclusion (100-150 words). Keep in mind that you should never introduce new material in the conclusion. Please ignore “Kinship diagram (q1)”.