AANB11042U Organizational Anthropology

One of the key components of anthropology is analyzing ways of organizing society. Organizations of various kinds, such as transnational corporations, international institutions, states, as well as local and global NGOS play a vital role in shaping people’s lives and communities around the world. This course focuses on anthropological perspectives on organizations in their various forms. The aim is to investigate concepts of organizations from anthropological perspectives to understand: how these organizational forms are manifest in different social, cultural and historical contexts; how they are (or are not) connected via material, social, and cultural patterns and flows; and the impact of globalization on their missions, strategies and practices. We will begin with a historical overview of the role of anthropologists in studying organizations, including business in the early 20^thCentury; we also pay attention to their counterparts in sociology and management in studying organizations. We will then review both applied and academic research on organizations throughout the 20^th century; we will focus on the ways increasing numbers of anthropologists were hired by transnational corporations, NGOS, the state, and international institutions.

We will conclude by reviewing contemporary ethnographic works on organizations in subfields within the discipline including: the anthropology of business and organizations, particularly in Europe including Denmark, and the US; the anthropology of global governance; the anthropology of finance; and the emerging field of the anthropology of global foresight. Particular issues to be address include: the anthropology of vs for business; and the business case for gender equality; applying theory to business and organizational practice.