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79516-01 - Practical course: What Would Mary Douglas Do? (3 CP)
| Semester | fall semester 2026 |
| Course frequency | Irregular |
| Lecturers | Michael Stasik (michael.stasik@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | This course offers an introduction to the work of Mary Douglas, one of anthropology’s most original, extravagant and strangely undervalued thinkers, whose influence extends well beyond the discipline. Why do some things feel out of place? Why do societies draw such fierce boundaries between clean and dirty, safe and dangerous, citizen and stranger? And why do conflicts over such boundaries so often become politically explosive? These, Douglas would insist, are moments of symbolic order breaking down. Starting from ‘Purity and Danger’, her most celebrated work, and moving through select other writings on the body, risk, institutions, home and consumption, we will read her closely and think with her boldly. In so doing, we bring Douglas’s thinking to bear on present-day conflicts and contradictions in politics and society – over identity, migration, religion, gender, property and climate risk. No prior knowledge of Douglas is required; only curiosity and a willingness to think anthropologically about contemporary categories and life, our own categories very much included. |
| Comments | Participants are encouraged to set digital devices (laptops, tablets, phones) aside during sessions, except when needed for accessibility or specific assignments. |
| Admission requirements | The number of participants is limited to 25 people. The places are assigned according to date of enrollment and subject of study. Priority will be given to the subjects listed under "modules". |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Wednesday | 12.15-14.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
Dates
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday 16.09.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Wednesday 23.09.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Wednesday 30.09.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Wednesday 07.10.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Wednesday 14.10.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Wednesday 21.10.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Wednesday 28.10.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Wednesday 04.11.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Wednesday 11.11.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Wednesday 18.11.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Wednesday 25.11.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Wednesday 02.12.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Wednesday 09.12.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Wednesday 16.12.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Modules |
Modul: Aufbaustudium Religionskomparatistik und Religionstheorie (Bachelor's degree subject: Study of Religion) Modul: Transfer: Europa interdisziplinär (Master's degree program: European History in Global Perspective) Module: Basics: Social Anthropology (Master's degree program: African Studies) Module: Fields: Knowledge Production and Transfer (Master's degree program: African Studies) Module: Research Skills (Master's degree program: African Studies) Module: Topics and Theories of Social Anthropology (Bachelor's degree subject: Social Anthropology) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | as often as necessary |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Fachbereich Ethnologie |