Psychological and Phenomenological Anthropology

Catalog description

Examines a subfield of anthropology whose conceptual frameworks rely on traditions of phenomenology, psychoanalysis, and psychology. The course focuses on the emergence of this subfield, its texts and discourses, and its importance for anthropological inquiry. It also explores the themes it foregrounds, including medicine, the body, the imagination, existence, therapeutic worlds, addiction, gender and sexuality, religious traditions, shamanism, and colonialism. Throughout our readings we also consider the deep affinities between anthropology, phenomenology, and psychoanalysis, how they have historically intersected, and their relevance for contemporary anthropological analysis.