Discussion thread on the Boundaries of Europe, especially pertaining to Turkey

The following long thread appeared in late April and early May of 1997. It began as a discussion of films to include in the Society for the Anthropology of Europe filmography and developed through a series of sub-threads into a discussion of how we might think about the boundaries of Europe, both for practical (i.e. limiting the filmography) and theoretical purposes.


Date: Thu, 24 Apr 1997 16:05:06 +0000

Subject: REPLY: Films in general

Since the subject of films has come up, I'd like to again solicit suggestions for films for the SAE filmography project. For those of you as yet unfamiliar with this, I am putting together a guide to films useful for the teaching of the anthropology of Europe. Progress has picked up lately and it looks like this thing will actually happen. But, I would like to hear what people think about feature films. Do you have any suggestions for ones that you feel are especially good related to your areas of study? Some that have been suggested so far are 'Bread and Chocolate' for Italy, 'Samie and Rosie Get Laid' for Britain, 'Il Postino' for Italy, 'Heimat' for Germany..... I am keeping the feature films limited to 10-15 per country/region, so I am looking for truly the best of the best and the most ethnographically useful (and they need to be readily available in North America).

And on that note, if there are any that are rather popular, but you feel are of limited value, let me know. It is helpful to know specific ones to avoid, as well as ones to include.

I have received many helpful suggestions for documentary films over the past few months, and will continue to welcome those. And finally, I have to decide whether or not to include Turkey in the project. I do have this country in my data base, but am concerned with keeping the project compact. On the other hand, some people have voiced strong feelings that Turkey should be included. This is not just a logistical issue, but raises an interesting topic for debate, should anyone care to comment on the list.

You can send your suggestions to me directly, if you wish. Thank you all.

Mary Nolan Dept. of Anthropology Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX 75275 tel: (214) 768-2684 fax: (214) 768-2906 e-mail: marysn@post.smu.edu


Date: Fri, 25 Apr 1997 08:09:42 +0000

Subject: REPLY: Films in general

As someone who has served as an advisor to this project for several years I would like to urge people to respond to Mary Nolan's request for information on ethnographically useful films on Europe, both documentary and feature. On the issue of films on Turkey, I will weigh in on the side of exclusion, not because I work in Greece and have any prejudice against Turkey, but, as I have argued with Mary in the past, we have to establish boundaries that are logical and consistent. In a recent review of Sara Delamont's book, APPETITES AND IDENTITIES: AN INTRODUCTION TO THE SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY OF WESTERN EUROPE [JRAI, 2.3. (Sept., 1996): 571-2], I criticized the author for the willy-nilly character of her "Directory of Research Sites" which listed sites in Malta and Morocco, but only one for all of "Yugoslavia" and none for virtually all of eastern Europe. Europe is Europe and Morocco and Turkey are not Europe. It is true that a small corner of the European continent is part of Turkey, but this does reflect on the history, language, and culture of Turkey and the Turkish people. To me, a far more relevant question is whether or not to include Russia and some of the former Soviet republics like the Ukraine. Of course, this may be a moot question in that there may not be any films available on these cultures, but if there are, then I think the debate should be focussed in that direction.

Peter Allen pallen@GROG.RIC.EDU


Date: Fri, 25 Apr 1997 11:13:09 +0000

Subject: REPLY: Films in general

_Breaking the Waves_ Director Lars Van Trier: perhaps the best film on the clash between modernity and indigenous culture from Europe: filmed in the Orkneys and Hebrides.

_Cinema Paradiso_: expertly documents how local cultural reappropriates transnational media.

_Bread and Chocolate_ is on video.

Rembetiko( on urban Greek music: _Landscape in the Mist_: Angelopoulos (sp?) Greece: great allegory on immigration and deculturalization under center/periphery/transnational conditions.

_The Draughtsman's Contract_:Historically contextualized but thoroughly up-to-date engagement with modern canons of representation and truth.

_Padre Padrone_ ( of course).

_1900_.

_The Return of Martin Guerre_ .

_Shadows of Forgotten Anecestors_ ( Carpathian Mountains) -- fictive but structured like an epic ballad.

_Trainspotting_ ( For post Thatcherite UK working class consciousness).

Allen Feldman <feldndri@panix.com>


Date: Fri, 25 Apr 1997 11:15:36 +0000

Subject: REPLY: Films in general

I would like to recommend a few recent feature films on the Balkans, which I believe are not only useful ethnographically, but some of the best films I have seen in recent times.

First is the Albanian/Italian film _L'America_, which is a stunning portrait of capitalism in post-communist Albania, as well as a fascinating examination of memory and identity. It has made it onto my all-time favorite film list.

Another fascinating examination of identity and boundaries is the Romanian film _The Unforgettable Summer_, set during the Balkan wars concerning a Romanian officer and his British wife (Kirsten Scott-Thomas) at a border outpost, faced with the dilemma of executing some Bulgarian (?) peasants as a reprisal for attacks by Macedonian (?) revolutionaries.

I also recommend very highly Atom Egoyan's film _Calendar_, about religion, identity, migration and loss, set in Armenia and Canada. A short film, and structurally experimental, with many stunning images.

Finally, do I need to mention Milko Manchevsky's "Before the Rain"? I have not seen a better film capturing the paradoxes of renewed nationalism in a transnational world.

Clearly the "Balkans" are leading the way in European culture.

Best,

David Sutton St. Peter's College Oxford david.sutton@spc.ox.ac.uk


Date: Fri, 25 Apr 1997 11:17:16 +0000

Subject: REPLY: Films on Guest Workers

Yes, _Bread and Chocolate_ is readily available in the US from Baker & Taylor Entertainment (800-775-2600 in the East, 800-755-3300 in the West) and Facets Multi-Media, Inc. in Chicago @ 800-331-6197. It retails for $59.99.

Margaret Dew SMU-Center for Media Dallas, TX 75275 <mdew@mail.smu.edu>


Date: Fri, 25 Apr 1997 13:35:03 +0000

Subject: REPLY: Films in general

A suggestion for Russia:

_A Window on Paris (Okno v Parizh)_ dir. Yuri Mamin (1992 Fr/Russia) on contemporary Russian fantasies of the West. Distributed on video in USA with English subtitles.

There are a lot of other p Another obvious one: _Little Vera (Malinkaya Vera)_ dir Vasily Pichul (1988 USSR) on plight of young working class woman.

Possibilities of course but relatively few in Western video distribution

George Wheeldon Faraday <gfaraday@acpub.duke.edu>


Date: Fri, 25 Apr 1997 13:35:03 +0000

Subject: REPLY: Films in general

A suggestion for Russia:

_A Window on Paris (Okno v Parizh)_ dir. Yuri Mamin (1992 Fr/Russia) on contemporary Russian fantasies of the West. Distributed on video in USA with English subtitles.

There are a lot of other p Another obvious one: _Little Vera (Malinkaya Vera)_ dir Vasily Pichul (1988 USSR) on plight of young working class woman.

Possibilities of course but relatively few in Western video distribution

George Wheeldon Faraday <gfaraday@acpub.duke.edu>


Date: Fri, 25 Apr 1997 16:59:02 +0000

Subject: REPLY: Films on Guest Workers

Yes, _Bread and Chocolate is on video and available for purchase for $44.77 from Critics' Choice Video, PO Box 749, Itasca, IL 60143-0749 or 1-800-367-7765.

Peter Allen pallen@GROG.RIC.EDU


Date: Fri, 25 Apr 1997 17:00:40 +0000

Subject: REPLY: Films in general

As one of the folks who studies the "peripheries" of Europe, I would argue strongly for the inclusion of Turkey in the list (as well as the inclusion of Russia and Ukraine) because the history of Eastern Europe is so deeply connected with the history of Turkey, and because the question of Turkey is so central to definitions of what is "European" and what is not. Wasn't it Metternich who claimed that the Rennweg in Vienna marked the real end of Europe and the beginning of Asia? Better to err on the side of inclusion.

Krista Harper <kmharper@cats.ucsc.edu
>UC Santa Cruz


Date: Sun, 27 Apr 1997 09:20:16 -0600

Subject: REPLY: Europe is Europe? (spin-off from "Films in General")

I don't have any particular suggestions about which films to include and which to exclude in this project, but I would like to question some of Peter Allen's clear and distinct, "logical and consistent" categories:


>On the issue of films on Turkey, I will weigh in on the side of
>exclusion, not because I work in Greece and have any prejudice
>against Turkey, but...[because] we have to establish boundaries that
>are logical and consistent.


>Europe is Europe and Morocco and Turkey are not Europe. It is
>true that a small corner of the European continent is part of
>Turkey, but this does reflect on the history, language, and
>culture of Turkey and the Turkish people.

Certainly from a cartographic standpoint, Turkish Anatolia is separated from Europe by the Dardanelles and the Bosphorus, and Morocco by the Straits of Gibraltar. On the other hand, there is no such clear cartographic dividing line between Western Europe and Eastern Europe or between Europe and Russia, so the decision to include or exclude films about them must rest on historical and cultural grounds and on the utility of those films for the purposes of the project. I would suggest that in order to be "logical and consistent" the decision to include or exclude films on Turkey and Morocco should be made, not on the basis of cartography, but on the same grounds of history, culture, and utility.

I've always been perplexed by 19th century maps and travel guides which describe the Ottoman territories in the Balkans as "Turkey in Europe". They seem the ultimate in denial that the Turks were in fact in Europe and had been for 500 years. Instead they insist on characterizing "Turkey" as an alien intrusion, and hopefully a temporary one. Even now Peter Allen denies the relevance of "the small corner of the European continent" that the Turks still control.

As for "the history, language, and culture of Turkey and the Turkish people," I don't think anyone would want to deny their lasting affect on the peoples and polities of Southeastern Europe. There is a similarly strong link between the Iberian peninsula and the peoples of NW Africa. And there is no use pointing to Islam as a fundamental dividing line between them. Islam is part of Europe's past, and increasingly part of Europe's present and future as well.

It seems to me that countries included in the anthropology of Europe must either be defined so narrowly (England, France, Italy, maybe Germany) as to be unsatisfactory to practically everyone, or much more inclusively and unfortunately, Peter, messily. As Krista Harper noted, the more inclusive collection would at least allow one to consider the question of "what is "European" and what is not."

Personally, I think it is time we shook off Herodotus's division of the world into three continents--Europe, Asia, and Africa--with the Greeks surrounded by barbarians on every side.

Toby Baldwin Department of History The University of Chicago Email: t-baldwin@uchicago.edu


Date: Sun, 27 Apr 1997 09:23:07 -0600

Subject: REPLY: Europe is Europe? (Spin-off from Films in general)

Let me agree with those who are in favour of including Turkey in the study of European Anthropology. As Krista Harper argued "the history of Eastern Europe is so deeply connected with the history of Turkey and the question of Turkey is so central to definitions of what is European" that it is not possible to exclude Turkey from the discussion. In any case, including the study of Turkey in European Anthropology does not mean that Turkey should be excluded from studies of Muslim societies. In a similar way, anthropological studies of Italy may be classified in "European" as well as in "Mediterranean" Anthropology. The use of such categories should not take an exclusive form.

Georgios Agelopoulos (avgiagel@compulink.gr)


Date: Sun, 27 Apr 1997 15:13:41 -0600

Subject: REPLY: Films in general

Thanks to everyone for all the recommendations. I have received almost as many sent directly to me as posted on the list; my days are happily occupied with tracking down distribution information and journal reviews, and my nights with really good movies.

Thank you, too, for the emerging discussion on what constitutes 'Europe' and what should, therefore, be included in the filmography. When I first began working on this project last fall, I had a few private conversations with people on the matter indicating to me it was an issue destined for a more public debate. Personally, I have to say that I am inclined to keep Turkey AND Eastern Europe (i.e. the former Soviet Union). Their cultural and historical (and in the case of Eastern Europe, geographical) European-ness seems powerful enough to warrant the pages they will occupy. Turkey's role as a major source for migrant labor in contemporary Europe adds to arguments that it should be included. But this is not necessarily a decision to be made on my own, so I hope the discussion continues.

Ironically (but not surprisingly), for all the concern with the peripheralization of the East, the majority of recommendations I have received have been for Eastern European films (I am none-the-less grateful for them, and certainly don't have "too many"). I haven't received any for Turkey, other than those concerned with migrant workers. If anyone can suggest movies (and documentaries) about/set in Turkey itself, this would be very helpful. Part of the problem here would be that the Turkish cinema is a great unknown to American audiences, and I am smack in the middle of that unknowing throng.

Conversely, I am having difficulties with areas I am much more familiar with because there are so many feature films to choose from -- Italy, Spain, France, the UK, Germany -- and I am getting remarkably few suggestions that will help me to narrow the options down. As is often the case with anthropologists, we are overlooking 'the center' in our quest to give voice to 'the periphery'. Germany may be my biggest problem because Germany is my own area of study. I have my personal list which exceeds the 10-15 feature films per country limit. I would like to hear from those of you who have been working in, and teaching classes on Germany for a while. Also of concern here is that there are a great many documentaries related to the Nazi period and the Holocaust, so I would like to limit inclusion only to the best. Guidance will be extremely helpful.

Please do continue to feed me suggestions for all areas and thanks again.

Mary Nolan Dept. of Anthropology Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX 75275 tel: (214) 768-2684 fax: (214) 768-2906 e-mail: marysn@post.smu.edu


Date: Sun, 27 Apr 1997 19:52:25 -0600

Subject: REPLY: Europe is Europe?

The move in anthropology away from "Mediterranean" studies and the privileging of "European" studies was at least partly justified by opposition to the alleged exoticism and orientalism in considering the "Mediterranean" as a culture area. One of the consequences of this shift is, it appears, the exclusion from consideration of neighbouring peoples critical in the history and culture of Europe but not sufficiently "genuino" to be considered European. As a student of southern Europe in general, and Sardinia in particular, I find the disapprobation of the Mediterranean as a focus of study and the imposition of water-tight boundaries around "Europe" unrealistic and counterproductive. It makes more sense to me to think of culture areas as cores (chosen by whatever criterion is useful for the study at hand) in wider fields which meet and overlap the fields of other culture cores. Relevance should be left to be demonstrated in each case, rather than imposed beforehand by procrustean criteria.

Philip Carl Salzman <SALZMAN@LEACOCK.Lan.McGill.CA
>Department of Anthropology McGill University 855 Sherbrooke Street West Montreal, QC Canada H3A 2T7

Home telephone: 1, 514, 451-4583 Home fax: 1, 514, 451-4140


Date: Sun, 27 Apr 1997 19:54:29 -0600

Subject: REPLY: Films in general

The feature film, TIME OF THE GYPSIES by Emir Kusturica concerning a young Rom <Gypsy>, his sister, and grandmother living in Yugoslavia <now Croatia>, is a beautiful film that tells the story of a young Rom's forced apprenticeship in a Romani <gang>, working a series of con-acts in Italian cities, when he tries to earn the money necessary to recompensate the head of group for the leg-operation his sister was supposed to have undergone. However, I recommend this film for teaching only if the professor is able to supplement the film with readings and lectures, since the film assumes quite a bit of prior knowledge about Romani culture<s>.

Hope this helps with the compilation of the filmography.

Elizabeth Noznesky


Date: Sun, 27 Apr 1997 19:56:34 -0600

Subject: REPLY: Films in general

Speaking of Romanian films, has anyone ever seen the film entitled THE OAK/LA CHENE? I saw it a few months ago and was absolutely baffled. I gathered that it was a parody of communist Romania under Ceaucescu <sp?>, but if anyone can help me unravel it some more, I would appreciate it.

Thanks, Elizabeth Noznesky Noznesky@astro.ocis.temple.edu


Date: Sun, 27 Apr 1997 20:03:56 -0600

Subject: REPLY: Films in general

Below I have taken the liberty of combining two more messages from Elizabeth Noznesky. T.G.

Does anyone know if the group of people depicted in Dusan Makavejev's film MONTENEGRO corresponds to a specific minority ethnic/social group in Montenegro?

By way of explanation, my interest in this dialogue on films stems from my interest in visual anthropology. If there is anyone else out in cyberspace who does/ is interested in visual anthropology, I would love to hear from you.

=======================================

Alaina Lemon's film !T'AN BAKHTALE: ROMA IN RUSSIA is a good documntary on Roma in post-Soviet Russia, and focuses on those Roma affiliated with the Roma theatre in Moscow. The film looks at stereotypes of Roma in Soviet society/discourse amongst other things. You can rent/purchase it from Documentary Educational Resources in Boston, MA.

Thank you, Elizabeth Noznesky Noznesky@astro.ocis.temple.edu


Date: Mon, 28 Apr 1997 07:02:47 +0000

Subject: REPLY: Europe is Europe?

I applaud this point of view (as expressed by Salzman, yesterday), especially the concentration on cores rather than on the demarcation of boundaries. The very idea of a Europe came home to me as silly this evening, listening to some 15th C French music and realizing how much of it was "Middle Eastern".

The Mediterranean, as a kind of core, is a classic (no pun intended) example of the confluence of cultural influences. One can pick many such cores; indeed, there are an infinite number within the flow and crossflow of cultural influences across geographical space and across time. The task of the student of culture is to understand the influences at any point in space and time, not to argue about boundaries, and least of all to be caught up in political rhetoric about privileging this or that. What should be privileged is the immediate focus of empirical interest. Understand THIS, in THIS SPACE and in THIS TIME. That was, in the words of one astute scholar, the historian's task. It is also the ethnographer's task.

Gene Hammel

Prof. E. A. Hammel Department of Demography University of California Berkeley CA 94720 (510) 642-1256, -9800 voice (510) 643-8558 fax e-mail: gene@demog.berkeley.edu web page: http://demog.berkeley.edu/~gene


Date: Mon, 28 Apr 1997 09:55:57 +0000

Subject: REPLY: Europe is Europe?

To Krista Harper, Toby Baldwin, Philip Carl Salman and Gene Hammel:

Of course you are all right in your argument about boundaries. They are vague, especially at certain peripheries. But where do you stop? Yes, Turkey and the Ottoman Empire were intimately involved in "Europe", but the Arabs were intimately involved in Iberia and southern France for many years. Do we then include all of North Africa and the Middle East? Where do we stop? These are important issues and there are fora where they should be debated, but we are dealing here with a practical matter - the compilation of a guide to films on "Europe". There are several good guides to films on the "Middle East" and North Africa which include films on Turkey and Morocco and other "Middle East" and North African countries. We are, after all, the Society for the Anthropology of _ Europe_. In this context "Europe" is officially undefined and there are people who are members who study Turkey and other traditionally non-European countries. But if we decided to design a film guide that encompassed all their interests, then we would have to include most of the world (look at the influence of Europe in Latin America, for example). So where do we draw the line? I suggest that we observe the traditional geographic boundaries of Europe and leave other countries to other sub-sections when it comes to such practical matters as compiling a film guide.

Peter Allen pallen@GROG.RIC.EDU


Date: Mon, 28 Apr 1997 09:57:24 +0000

Subject: REPLY: Films in general

Mary Nolan wrote -


>I am having difficulties with areas I am much more familiar with
>because there are so many feature films to choose from -- Italy,
>Spain, France, the UK, Germany -- and I am getting remarkably few
>suggestions that will help me to narrow the options down.

For Italy have you considered "L'albero degli zoccoli" ("The Tree of Wooden Clogs"), a beautiful, poignant film that follows a year in the life of a Piemontese family around the turn of the century. I saw it in Italy about 15 years ago, but it had at least a limited run in the United States, too. I thought it was great at the time, but I haven't seen it since.

Toby Baldwin Department of History The University of Chicago Email: t-baldwin@uchicago.edu


From galta@gbms01.uwgb.edu Wed May 28 11:27:24 1997 Date: Mon, 28 Apr 1997 09:59:39 +0000

Subject: REPLY: Films in general

There is a very active discussion list for visual anthropology moderated by Jay Ruby of Temple U. The address is viscom@vm.temple.edu

Peter Allen pallen@GROG.RIC.EDU


From galta@gbms01.uwgb.edu Wed May 28 11:27:24 1997 Date: Mon, 28 Apr 1997 10:07:30 +0000

Subject: REPLY: What is Europe, why are we here? (Spin-off of Europe is E

I. Europe and the filmography:

While I too prefer a focus on cores and contexts when doing ethnography, I don't see that it helps us greatly in the context of this discussion--which nation-states to include in a list of films constructed to aid teaching and research by members of the SAE. The list is to stand as a general reference and it needs some boundaries.

The argument that inclusion in the filmography should be decided on the basis of entanglement with or influence on "European" countries does not seem to resolve the problem. It still presumes a core Europe whose boundaries need definition. And while it might be useful in the case of contiguous countries, I doubt that many would want to apply it more broadly. Europe has had a profound influence on Polynesia, but I wouldn't include films on life in Europe in a film list for the Pacific, nor films on the islands in the European list. The US has had a profound effect on Europe, but I wouldn't include films on the US (vs on the influence and interaction) in the SAE filmography.

Perhaps self-definition is the more releveant factor here. Do some or many citizens of the country consider themselves European? Does the state want to be part of European organizations? Do anthropologists working in that country affiliate with the SAE? On bases such as these, I would probably include Turkey and exclude Morocco, given that the list is being constructed in 1997.

II
>To be or not to be: Europe and the SAE:

If the notion of Europe is silly, as suggested by Gene Hammel, is there a point to an organization and list devoted to its anthropology? Some have argued there isn't, but I assume most members find value in the organization and in the comparisons and community that panels and publications ordered on that basis provide. I agree that Europe is more a state of mind than a place on a map, but it is a concept accepted in the self-definition of the people and places we study. It is also a concept used by our funders and employers--interesting to speculate on how much our identity is shaped by powerful outsiders, and compare our dynamic to those of other groups which have felt marginalized within their larger society.

If I have a point here, it's that the need for boundaries is also generated by context, and that the context of doing an ethnography is often different from the context of getting a job or creating reference materials. This seems to suggest a dissonance between the structures and the goals of our discipline, something to ponder another day.

Thanks to all for the interesting discussion.

Diane orourke@wjh.harvard.edu (Diane O'Rourke)


From galta@gbms01.uwgb.edu Wed May 28 11:27:24 1997 Date: Mon, 28 Apr 1997 10:09:06 +0000

Subject: REPLY: Films on Guest Workers

Here's another film to add to the list, if more are needed -- a wonderful film called "La Promesse," Belgian, made in 1996 by Luc & Jean-Pierre Dardenne. It tells the story of a teen-age boy who works with his father in Brussels in the business of trafficing in illegal immigrants. A police raid at the broken down building where they house the immigrants results in the accidental death of an African man with whom the boy has become friends. Before he dies the man asks the boy to look after his wife and baby, while the boy's father simply covers up the death and tells the man's wife that her husband has disappeared. The rest of the film follows the boy's struggle re: what to do, and eventual decision to follow through on the promise he made the dying man.

Beth S. Epstein <bqe2718@is.nyu.edu>


From galta@gbms01.uwgb.edu Wed May 28 11:27:24 1997 Date: Mon, 28 Apr 1997 10:15:12 +0000

Subject: REPLY: Films in general (also relevant to migrant workers)

You should also add to the migrant worker list the Italian neo-realist film _Rocco and his Brothers_, which is about southern Italians in Milan or Turin (it has been a long time since I've seen the movie) and is a classic of the Italian cinema. I know it is widely available because I have even seen it for rent up here in northwoods video shops.

Tony Galt galta@uwgb.edu


From galta@gbms01.uwgb.edu Wed May 28 11:27:24 1997 Date: Mon, 28 Apr 1997 10:40:33 +0000

Subject: REPLY: Europe is Europe?

It is true that Turkish films would also be included in a filmography of the Middle East-- but would they necessarily be the same films we would include in a filmography of Europe? Might we each be guided by our focal interest in our respective core even while we include the same subject (i.e. Turkey)?

Donna Birdwell-Pheasant Professor of Anthropology Lamar University Beaumont, Texas birdwell@sal.lamar.edu

On Mon, 28 Apr 1997, TONY GALT wrote:


>To Krista Harper, Toby Baldwin, Philip Carl Salman and Gene Hammel:
>
>Of course you are all right in your argument about boundaries. They
>are vague, especially at certain peripheries. But where do you
>stop? Yes, Turkey and the Ottoman Empire were intimately involved in
>"Europe", but the Arabs were intimately involved in Iberia and
>southern France for many years. Do we then include all of North
>Africa and the Middle East? Where do we stop? These are important
>issues and there are fora where they should be debated, but we are > dealing here with a practical matter - the compilation of a guide to
>films on "Europe". There are several good guides to films on the
>"Middle East" and North Africa which include films on Turkey and
>Morocco and other "Middle East" and North African countries. We are,
>after all, the Society for the Anthropology of _ Europe_. In this
>context "Europe" is officially undefined and there are people who
>are members who study Turkey and other traditionally non-European
>countries. But if we decided to design a film guide that encompassed
>all their interests, then we would have to include most of the world
>(look at the influence of Europe in Latin America, for example). So
>where do we draw the line? I suggest that we observe the
>traditional geographic boundaries of Europe and leave other
>countries to other sub-sections when it comes to such practical
>matters as compiling a film guide.


From galta@gbms01.uwgb.edu Wed May 28 11:27:24 1997 Date: Mon, 28 Apr 1997 13:03:09 +0000

Subject: REPLY: Films in General

Peter Allen noted the difficulty of including Russia and former republics of the Soviet Union in the film list. Even when films are available, they are not always subtitled and video quality varies. A recent film with great ethnographic details is "Musulmanin" ("Muslim," Russia 1995--available on video in Russia, but I don't know about its availability in the U.S.). The main character--a young man who became a Muslim during his service in Afghanistan--faces the ire of fellow villagers who are rediscovering their Orthodox Christian roots by reviving their parish church (and priest) as a source of "traditional authority." Religious, national, ethnic, and village identity overlap with dangerous consequences for the hero and his fellow villagers.

Some older films offer ethnographic details in the background, particularly those of the 1930s countryside (e.g., "Traktoristy"--"The Tractor Drivers"--directed by Ivan Pyrev) if you can look beyond the obvious propaganda. Richard Stites has reviewed a new video collection of pre-1917 Russian films readily available in the U.S.--with English intertitles--in RUSSIAN REVIEW 53, no. 2 (April 1994): 285-95. Many of these silent films have ethnographic details of great value.

I can also think of a number of Finnish movies which also would be useful in the classrooms. But the Finnish participants on the list undoubtedly would be better sources of this information.

Chris J. Chulos (chulos@helsinki.fi University of Helsinki, Renvall Institute P.O. Box 59, 00014 Helsinki University, Finland


From galta@gbms01.uwgb.edu Wed May 28 11:27:24 1997 Date: Tue, 29 Apr 1997 15:09:01 +0000

Subject: REPLY: Europe is Europe?

I would like to participate in "the ends of Europe" debate with a brief comment: first, let me note that I agree with commentaries on behalf of including Turkey and other un-proper European countries in our film list. My reaction is to the curious way that Turkey is left out of anthropological classification schemes. Both European and the Middle Eastern anthropology uneasily (or rather conveniently) leaves out Turkey as a component of their agenda. Europeanists suggest that it to be included in the Middle East while the anthropologists of the Middle East seem comfortable with classifying Turkey as the far eastern edge of Europe, in other words, as non-Middle-Eastern. Though I understand the practical concerns about duplication, I would urge SAE to break this double marginalization implicit in our classificatory exercises.

And a note on a lighter side: Aside from being a member of NATO, European Council, European Custom Union, and a potential member of the EU, Turkey is one of the lucky countries to take part in the greatest pop music festival in Europe, EUROVISION (if I am not mistaken, along with Morocco and Israel).

Levent Soysal <levsoy@wjh.harvard.edu
>Department Of Anthropology Harvard University


From galta@gbms01.uwgb.edu Wed May 28 11:27:24 1997 Date: Tue, 29 Apr 1997 19:52:27 -0600

Subject: REPLY: Films in general (Italian)

Toby Baldwin wrote: >For Italy have you considered "L'albero degli zoccoli" ("The Tree of >Wooden Clogs"), a beautiful, poignant film that follows a year in the >life of a Piemontese family around the turn of the century.

I wonder whether feature films may be used in teaching, without being deeply aware of the history and trends of cinema in the different countries. For instance, "L'albero degli zoccoli" mentioned by Toby Baldwin might be considered much more a kind of "manifesto" of this director's peculiar Catholicism than a document on life in Piedmont around the turn of the century.

Anyway, about Italian cinema, one should mention at least the first, outstanding films of Visconti: besides "Rocco e i suoi fratelli" suggested by Tony Galt, "La terra trema" (1948), on the life of fishermen in a Sicilian village, interpreted by people of the village. Directors such as Rossellini and Pasolini cannot be forgotten, while the film "Pane e cioccolata" - mentioned some days ago - is not worth being included, in my view. Also Bertolucci's "Novecento" (1976) is a great representation of life, social change and political struggles in the region of Emilia before, during and after World War I and II.

However, Italian filmography is so wide that I wonder whether a meaningful list of films of interest for anthropologists can be realized without the help of our colleagues who teach history of cinema.

Tullia Magrini Professor of Anthropology of Music University of Bologna - Italy magrini@biblio.cib.unibo.it magrini@muspe1.cirfid.unibo.it http://gotan.cirfid.unibo.it/M&A/M&A_main.htm


From galta@gbms01.uwgb.edu Wed May 28 11:27:24 1997 Date: Tue, 29 Apr 1997 19:58:14 -0600

Subject: REPLY: Europe is Europe?

I too thought of the EUROVISON song contest in reading this debate, although for different reasons. If we are interested in films which somehow represent Europe, than the EUROVISON song contest should be included--not just for its list of participants, but for its performances. I also thought of the film "Cannibal Tours" which depicts European tourists in Papua New Guinea and the film "First Contact" which shows "Europeans" entering the New Guinea Highlands for the first time. I am not sure if these films have been nominated already.

Perhaps, the problem with defining "Europe" for this film list is not one of inclusion or exclusion, but subject matter. We should leave the politics of inclusion to Brussels (and EUROVISON!). Constructions of Europe in film (or television) are, nonetheless, compelling and abundant. My suggestion, therefore, is that only films which are explicitly about the category "Europe" should be included, but that this definition should remain loose. The film "Europa, Europa," for example, might fall easily in this category or it might not, ironically. Only a discussion could yield an answer to that. One thing is clear, however, the country in which these films are made should not be relevant, as films about Europe can be made anywhere. Europeans are, after all, just about everywhere. Choosing these films should be a way to think about the category "Europe" not an exercise in European gatekeeping, or gate opening for that matter.

I think this suggestion shortens the list and opens up possibilities for other lists. As someone who conducts fieldwork in Bologna, I would be interested in a list of films just concerned with representations of Italy. Such a list could include "A room with a view" (and English film, adapted by an Indian producer which depicts Italy) or "Stealing Beauty" (American money, Italian director about Brits and Americans in Italy, probably made with German and Japanese equipment).

I would also suggest that--whatever its outcome--the ANTHROVISON European Film list be presented at the AAA for discussion.

Jeffrey Feldman jdf4e@faraday.clas.virginia.edu University of Virginia


From galta@gbms01.uwgb.edu Wed May 28 11:27:24 1997 Date: Wed, 30 Apr 1997 09:59:52 +0000

Subject: (Fwd) Re: REPLY: Europe is Europe?

On Tue, 29 Apr 1997, LEVANT SOYSAL wrote:

>[SNIP] first, let me note that I agree with commentaries on
>behalf of including Turkey and other un-proper European countries in
>our film list.

Fine, but where would you draw the line? There are practical considerations in compiling a list of films for classroom use and a list such as the one you suggest would be endless.


>My reaction is to the curious way that Turkey is left > out of anthropological classification schemes. Both European and the
>Middle Eastern anthropology uneasily (or rather conveniently) leaves
>out Turkey as a component of their agenda. Europeanists suggest that
>it to be included in the Middle East while the anthropologists of
>the Middle East seem comfortable with classifying Turkey as the far
>eastern edge of Europe, in other words, as non-Middle-Eastern.

What is your basis for this statement? I teach courses on the Middle East and virtually every text book I know of (Bates, Eickelman, Patai, Shiloe, Sweet, etc.) give turkey plenty of coverage and seem perfectly comfortable with Turkey as part of the Middle East. It is only those who write about the Arabs (Morroe Berger, Bernard Lewis, Philip Hitti, etc.) who exclude much mention of Turkey since the Turks are not Arabs.


>Though I understand the practical concerns about duplication,
>would urge SAE to break this double marginalization implicit in our
>classificatory exercises.

Again, I ask, to what limits would you take it?


>And a note on a lighter side: Aside from being a member of NATO,
>European Council, European Custom Union, and a potential member of
>the EU, Turkey is one of the lucky countries to take part in the
>greatest pop music festival in Europe, EUROVISION (if I am not
>mistaken, along with Morocco and Israel).

So, do we includce Morocco and Israel?

I really do think this is more a matter of economy and lack of duplication. There are several excellent guides to films on societies and cultures that adjoin "Europe" and I recommend that those who are interested in films on these areas consult: 1) CRITICAL GUIDE TO DOCUMENTARY FILMS OF THE ISLAMIC WORLD compiled by Ellen-Fairbanks Bodman (Westview Press, 1997) 2) WORLD OF ISLAM: IMAGES AND ECHOES also compiled by Ellen-Fairbanks Bodman (ACLS, 1980) and THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA ON FILM: AN ANNOTATED FILMOGRAPHY compiled by Marshs Hamilton McClintock (Garland, 1982).

Peter Allen pallen@GROG.RIC.EDU


From galta@gbms01.uwgb.edu Wed May 28 11:27:24 1997 Date: Wed, 30 Apr 1997 10:25:16 +0000

Subject: REPLY: Europe is Europe?

On Tues April 29 Jeffery Feldman wrote:


>I too thought of the EUROVISON song contest in reading this
>debate, although for different reasons. If we are interested in
>films which somehow represent Europe, than the EUROVISON song
>contest should be included--not just for its list of participants,
>but for its performances. I also thought of the film "Cannibal
>Tours" which depicts European tourists in Papua New Guinea and the
>film "First Contact" which shows "Europeans" entering the New
>Guinea Highlands for the first time. I am not sure if these films > have been nominated already.

Mr. Feldman has raised some interesting issues, but, on the basis of my extensive experience with compiling lists of films (including an intimate involvement in this particular project), I believe that his suggestion would in fact _expand_ the list rather than shorten it. As a previous commentator pointed out, the EUROVISION contest included Israel and Morocco. If this guide is to be useful, it has to be consistent and should aim toward economy (i.e., exclusion) rather than inclusion, especially with regard to films that are adequately described and listed elsewhere, such as in Heider and Hermer's very useful FILMS FOR ANTHROPOLOGICAL TEACHING. Feldman's suggestion that "First Contact" be included struck me as particulary wrong-headed. On what basis are Australians to be considered European? By that definition, a considerable portion of both North and Latin American culture would be "European"! As Diane O'Rourke pointed out, we are the "Society for the Anthropology of _Europe_" (my emphasis). Despite the insightful comments of various scholars in the past couple of days on this list, there is an entity generally recognized as "Europe" and for the purposes of a film guide, I believe it makes good sense to keep to the traditional boundaries (as have others who have compiled filmographies on other parts of the world!

Peter Allen pallen@GROG.RIC.EDU


From galta@gbms01.uwgb.edu Wed May 28 11:27:24 1997 Date: Wed, 30 Apr 1997 10:54:50 +0000

Subject: REPLY: Europe is Europe?

I have been reading the discussion on boundaries with interest but increasing exasperation. Focussing on boundaries is a common preoccupation, from collecting butterflies to marginalizing genders, ethnicities, religions, you name it, we do it.

The world is not a world of boundaries or of entities but of flows. Few barriers are impermeable, although some are more permeable than others. It is only the crudity of the scale of perception that allows us to distinguish one "object" from another. Consider human bodies. At the atomic level, who could tell the difference between where one ended and another began?

Cultural anthropologists interested in geographical distributions should be interested more in the layout and movement of institutions than in the distribution of whole cultures or of culture areas. An interest in such large clumps of institutions (which have remarkable ragged edges anyway) only makes analysis the slave of political classification and current convenience. Even a modest look at life on the ground before and after major changes in political organization would show that. Try Bosnia in 1878 or 1908 or 1914 or 1918 or 1942 or 1945 or 1996.

Gene

Prof. E. A. Hammel Department of Demography University of California Berkeley CA 94720 (510) 642-1256, -9800 voice (510) 643-8558 fax e-mail: gene@demog.berkeley.edu web page: http://demog.berkeley.edu/~gene


From galta@gbms01.uwgb.edu Wed May 28 11:27:24 1997 Date: Wed, 30 Apr 1997 15:18:40 +0000

Subject: REPLY: Europe is Europe?

With all due respect, Gene, what has this got to do with a discussion that is trying to set some parameters, however artificial they may be, for a compilation of film titles that will be useful to scholars teaching courses related to an entity that, for better or worse, is called Europe by most of the world? Of course, you are right in an intellectual and perhaps a real sense, but that is _not_ the issue that is being addressed in this discussion (at least the discussion that set off these responses). What do we include in the guide and what do we exclude?

Peter Allen pallen@GROG.RIC.EDU


From galta@gbms01.uwgb.edu Wed May 28 11:27:25 1997 Date: Wed, 30 Apr 1997 15:50:56 +0000

Subject: REPLY: Europe is Europe?

This whole discussion is getting silly and repetitive. Both sides (i.e pro-boundaries and pro-processes) have their strengths and weaknesses, both intellectually and for the particular task, i.e. establishing guidelines for a Europen filmography. Might I suggest that the compilers go by the rule-of-thumb suggested by former US Supreme Court justice, Potter Stewart, when speaking about obscenity: "you know when you see it." Thus, for the filmography it matters not if the particular film subject matter is set w/in Europe or another world area though with a suggestion of European influence. What matters is substance. Is the film of sufficient quality and ethnographic import for advancing an understanding of European society and culture? If so, put it in. If not, don't. Substance and quality ought to be the only criteria.

David Kideckel KIDECKEL@CCSUA.CTSTATEU.EDU


From galta@gbms01.uwgb.edu Wed May 28 11:27:25 1997 Date: Wed, 30 Apr 1997 18:38:26 -0600

Subject: QUERY: EUROVISION

A couple of people have discussed the EUROVISION song contest as worthy of inclusion in the filmography of Europe. Sounds very interesting for following transnational trends in popular music. Does anyone know how to get a hold of it?

Jackie Urla <Urla@sarsf.org>


From galta@gbms01.uwgb.edu Wed May 28 11:27:25 1997 Date: Wed, 30 Apr 1997 18:40:12 -0600

Subject: REPLY: Europe is Europe?

Dear Peter,

I take you point about the practical issue at hand. Nevertheless, I think it important, in assembling any set of materials about "Europe" to stress the connectedness of Europe to other regions rather than its separateness from them. It would be useful to include films that "showed" how similar some aspects of life were.

Gene

Prof. E. A. Hammel Department of Demography University of California Berkeley CA 94720 (510) 642-1256, -9800 voice (510) 643-8558 fax e-mail: gene@demog.berkeley.edu web page: http://demog.berkeley.edu/~gene


From galta@gbms01.uwgb.edu Wed May 28 11:27:25 1997 Date: Thu, 01 May 1997 07:14:11 +0000

Subject: REPLY: EUROVISION

Eurovision has a web site which might be of help:

http://www.eurovision.ie/

Ireland seems to be cursed with repeatedly winning it, and thus having to host it (at a cost of millions of pounds for the three-hour show).

-Steve Coleman scoleman@midway.uchicago.edu Dept. of Anthropology St Patrick's College, Maynooth Ireland


From galta@gbms01.uwgb.edu Wed May 28 11:27:25 1997 Date: Thu, 01 May 1997 07:16:53 +0000

Subject: REPLY: EUROVISION

The EUROVISION song contest is one of those yearly (I believe) events that gets very little scholarly attention. I am more familiar with the Austrian and German participants in the event. Each country holds a competition to determine the national entry, and all the winning national entries are then brought together for a final festival/competition which is broadcast on television throughout Europe. It is probably more commercially successful for those who win the yearly contest, primarily the Scandinavians, if my memory serves me correctly. I don't know if it is possible to "get hold of" the song contest.

Ed Larkey larkey@umbc.edu Edward Larkey Associate Professor of German University of Maryland Baltimore County Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics 1000 Hilltop Circle Baltimore, MD 21250-5398 Tel: 410-455-2109 (Dept.) 410-455-1025 (fax) 410-664-7704 (home)


From galta@gbms01.uwgb.edu Wed May 28 11:27:25 1997 Date: Thu, 01 May 1997 11:28:33 +0000

Subject: REPLY: EUROVISION

I don't think tapes of this contest, which I believe is held every year and widely broadcast on television throughout Europe and possibly elsewhere, are readily available in the states. This raises another issue which I believe has already been addressed and I am a bit loath to bring it up lest it spark another round of controversy, but one of the criteria for inclusion in the list being compiled is that the film/tape be in current distribution in the US. There are too many reasons for this for me to elaborate here, but unless the EUROVISION tapes are available from a US distributor, then their inclusion in the guide is not an issue.

Peter Allen pallen@GROG.RIC.EDU


From galta@gbms01.uwgb.edu Wed May 28 11:27:25 1997 Date: Thu, 01 May 1997 11:30:45 +0000

Subject: REPLY: Europe is Europe?

Unfortunately, Gene, such a statement does not really help in the compilation of such a list since "connectedness" is a rather vague concept. Furthermore, I disagree with the implicit assumption of your statement that a list of films limited to those dealing with peoples and cultures within the conventional geographical boundaries of "Europe" would somehown "Stress...the separateness" of Europe from other areas. What makes far better sense to me is to compile a list limited to films and tapes on the peoples and cultures within the geographical boundaries of Europe and then provide references to other film guides, such as the ones I listed for the Middle East, North Africa and Islam (the latter of which probably lists films on Islamic Bosnia which is European by my standards) in a previous message. This is a more economical way of dealing with things and gets us off the hook of trying to figure out where to stop. We are already dealing with several hundred titles and by drawing rather rigid boundaries we can at least have limit the final total and protect ourselves somewhat from those who might feel slighted if X, Y or G "marginal" area were excluded.

Peter Allen pallen@GROG.RIC.EDU


From galta@gbms01.uwgb.edu Wed May 28 11:27:25 1997 Date: Thu, 01 May 1997 11:50:42 +0000

Subject: REPLY: Europe is Europe?

-Dear Peter,

Anything that works is OK with me. Besides, I'm not doing the compilation.

Gene Prof. E. A. Hammel Department of Demography University of California Berkeley CA 94720 (510) 642-1256, -9800 voice (510) 643-8558 fax e-mail: gene@demog.berkeley.edu web page: http://demog.berkeley.edu/~gene


From galta@gbms01.uwgb.edu Wed May 28 11:27:25 1997 Date: Thu, 01 May 1997 11:49:45 +0000

Subject: REPLY: EUROVISION

Having grown up in Europe, I would suggest to consider "Eurovision" as a quintessential trans-European tv-experience rather than trying to include it in a film listing; at least in our family, this was a kind of dreaded Saturday Night TV-evening not to be missed, as the commentary was usually laced with nationalistic bile, cross-national stereotyping (and channel switching between German, Austrian and Swiss commentary tended to be highly entertaining as well), and classist commentary on popular music tastes. I recall the event to have been categorized as between music and politics, and the Swiss commentator for years was someone who otherwise did international political reporting for the radio, and there were usually political ambassadors in attendance (which lead to some Oscar's style reporting). Since the competition is about the best song, an extravagant overinterpretation might see this as a kind of reenactment of Herder's "voices of peoples in song"; I think the song had to be in the native language--a condition which might have been lifted; the last time I remember seeing this was when ABBA won, which should date me nicely...

It does not compare to the kind of competitive flair in evidence during ski racing season or soccer championships. There are other transnational music tv contests/ events in the realm of folk music, probably more focused on Central Europe, though.

-- Regina Bendix Dept. of Folklore and Folklife University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA 19104-3325 (215) 898-5826 (rbendix@mail.sas.upenn.edu)


From galta@gbms01.uwgb.edu Wed May 28 11:27:25 1997 Date: Fri, 02 May 1997 07:03:04 +0000

Subject: REPLY: Europe is Europe?

Hello everyone,

I am going to add my two cents. I think that, as anthropologists focusing on Europe, if you think any films shot in Turkey, Egypt, Morocco, etc... are of importance to European anthropology, they should be included within the SAE filmography. Why limit films to those actually filmed within Europe? There aren't many anthropologically relevant films as there is, why be so exclusive?

Thanks, Elizabeth Noznesky noznesky@astro.ocis.temple.edu


From galta@gbms01.uwgb.edu Wed May 28 11:27:25 1997 Date: Fri, 02 May 1997 09:52:00 +0000

Subject: REPLY: European feature films

On the subject of feature films on Europe: I'm sure you've already got these listed, but _Pelle the Conqueror_ gives a vivid (albeit rather grim) picture of the old Danish agricultural estates, and _Babbette's Feast_ gives a lovely (if sometimes inaccurate) picture of ascetic religious communities in northwestern Denmark. I've used them in classes, and gotten a good response.

Best regards,

Andy Buckser

bucksera@sri.soc.purdue.edu Assistant Professor of Anthropology Department of Sociology and Anthropology Purdue University West Lafayette, IN 47906-1365


From galta@gbms01.uwgb.edu Wed May 28 11:27:25 1997 Date: Fri, 02 May 1997 10:37:49 +0000

Subject: QUERY: Use of Feature Films in Class

I am curious to know how people use feature length films of two hours or more in class. Do you show it over two days? Do you schedule extra classes, perhaps in the evenings? In other words, how do you accommodate the 50 minute or hour and twenty minute schedule most of us are under?

Caroline Brettell cbrettel@post.cis.smu.edu


From galta@gbms01.uwgb.edu Wed May 28 11:27:25 1997 Date: Fri, 02 May 1997 14:29:45 +0000

Subject: REPLY: European feature films

Another great film: the Italian film _Padre, Padrone_. A biography of a Sardinian shepherd growing up in the 1950s and 60s to become a linguist. Excellent to show in class with references to Mediterranean kinship, economy, migration.

Regards, Bojka Milicic bojka.milicic@anthro.utah.edu


From galta@gbms01.uwgb.edu Wed May 28 11:27:25 1997 Date: Sat, 03 May 1997 08:38:53 -0600

Subject: REPLY: Europe is Europe?

Editorial comment: Peter is right -- the horse is pretty much dead and beaten. It would be more useful to direct this discussion, if anyone wants to go on with it, toward the more general problem of european boundaries, and away from the compilation of the filmography. Thanks. T. Galt, Editor ==============

I think we have beaten this horse to death by now, but I would like one last shot in response to the latest suggestion. First of all, there are, in fact, quite a few films shot in Europe on Europeans, especially if you start including feature films as we have, for better or worse. Secondly, the list is being compiled by a graduate student who does not have a whole lot of extra time. One thing she cannot not do, nor can anyone else, is get a hold of all the relevant films and view them to determine if they contain relevant information. By limiting the list to films shot within Europe, we establish a standard and within that standard can be fairly exhuastive. To include other films, like "First Contact" as one list member suggested, opens up a real can of worms. As I have said int he past, there are many other film lists and guides and members should be encouraged to consult them for other films. And finally, what criteria to you use to determine if films are "of importance to European anthropology"? I suspect that virtually every member of the SAE would have a different list, resulting in a very unwieldly and not very useful list.

Peter Allen pallen@GROG.RIC.EDU


From galta@gbms01.uwgb.edu Wed May 28 11:27:25 1997 Date: Sat, 03 May 1997 08:49:11 -0600

Subject: REPLY: Use of feature films in the classroom

Tullia Magrini wrote:

>I wonder whether feature films may be used in teaching, without being >deeply aware of the history and trends of cinema in the different >countries. .... Italian filmography is so wide that I wonder whether a >meaningful list of films of interest for anthropologists can be realized >without the help of our colleagues who teach history of cinema.

Excellent point. I recently (here in Italy) saw the aforementioned film _L'America_ and was rather shocked at the comments that the film provoked from several Italians regarding Albanians -- comments such as: in fact, "Albanians will steal anything," and much worse comments that I will not repeat here. The point I wish to make is that while the film attempts to show the economic and political connections between Italy and Albania, it appears to validate certain negative stereotypes of Albania and Albanians now in circulation in Italy. As we compile the list of final films, might we include ideas for addressing such issues? What do our colleagues who teach cinema have to say about it?

On a different note, during my fieldwork here in Tuscany, in a former sharecropping zone that is now heavily industrialized, I collect titles of popular films (this is NOT the focus of my research, however, so I do not pretend to be any specialist in the field of film studies). It seems to me that in terms of teaching culture we might also include several of these classic yet hardly intellectual films on our list. I am thinking, for example, of Franceso Nuti's _Caruso Paskowski_, in which through comedy we see revealed attitudes toward sexuality, gender relations and madness in contemporary Italian society; Roberto Benigni's _Il Piccolo Diavolo_ also offers very spcecific religious satire. There are many others to be sure (even _Il Ciclone_ provides insight into local Tuscan attitudes and realities). I suggest these films because I think we cannot forget the powerful effect of pleasure as an instructive tool.

It's my sense (and I'm sure it's been said before) that one does not really understand a society until one understands its humor.

Betsy Krause betsy@fol.it


From galta@gbms01.uwgb.edu Wed May 28 11:27:25 1997 Date: Sat, 03 May 1997 08:51:58 -0600

Subject: REPLY: Europe is Europe?


>
>I too thought of the EUROVISON song contest in reading this
>
>debate, although for different reasons. If we are interested in
>
>films which somehow represent Europe, than the EUROVISON song
>
>contest should be included--not just for its list of participants,
>
>but for its performances. I also thought of the film "Cannibal
>
>Tours" which depicts European tourists in Papua New Guinea and the >
>film "First Contact" which shows "Europeans" entering the New
>
>Guinea Highlands for the first time. I am not sure if these films
>
>have been nominated already.
>A category of films focusing on European cultures outside of Europe is quite relevant for the film project, in my opinion. Here we are touching on the history of anthropology and so the category could get way too big, but as a way to problematize this controversial thing called Europe, a category of 10 classic first-contact type of films could be quite instructive for teaching purposes.

RE: Peter Allen's comment: "Feldman's
>suggestion that "First Contact" be included struck me as particulary
>wrong-headed. On what basis are Australians to be considered
>European? "

As I read him, Feldman did not say Australians should be considered European. He was trying to get us to think about connections beyond territorial boundaries and key moments in the flow/clash of cultures. As the Society for the Anthropology of Europe, are we not also interested in the hegemonic spread of European culture and capital, or are we only interested in European culture within the physical territories of Europe? Given the flow of peoples and capital in the world today, I think we need to be more fluid, more relational in our conceptions.

Elizabeth L. Krause


From galta@gbms01.uwgb.edu Wed May 28 11:27:25 1997 Date: Sat, 03 May 1997 16:37:03 -0600

Subject: REPLY: Europe is Europe?

Well..ll..ll. If the film compilation horse is dead, let's go for a gallup on the boundaries one. It would be really interesting to have a discussion on those institutions and cultural features thought to be at the "core" of what we have usually thought of as "Europe". Then we could ask what were their distributions in time and space, and how our notions of "Europe" in space had varied over time, and conversely how our notions of Europe over time had varied in space. If you start this discussion at the Magdalenian-Mesolithic boundary, things get very interesting indeed.

Then, about a decade later as the discussion was dying down, we might have an interesting upper division course on our hands.

The prototypical example of this kind of mapping is of course plow types, if anybody is into that ball of wax. A very good example of how ethnocentric definition of institutions can warp our understanding is in the distinction between "nuclear", "stem", and "joint" families.

See you on the urnfields.

Gene

Prof. E. A. Hammel Department of Demography University of California Berkeley CA 94720 (510) 642-1256, -9800 voice (510) 643-8558 fax e-mail: gene@demog.berkeley.edu web page: http://demog.berkeley.edu/~gene


From galta@gbms01.uwgb.edu Wed May 28 11:27:25 1997 Date: Sat, 03 May 1997 20:10:21 -0600

Subject: REPLY: Use of feature films in the classroom

I am replying to Caroline Brettell's question:

>I am curious to know how people use feature length films of two >hours or more in class. Do you show it over two days? Do you schedule >extra classes, perhaps in the evenings? In other words, how do you >accommodate the 50 minute or hour and twenty minute schedule most of >us are under?

In one graduate seminar at the Unversity of Arizona, Ana Alonso's Nationalism, Ethnicity, Gender, Sexuality: The Intimacy of Power, we watched feature-length films approximately once a week (along with reading one major text and other articles or book chapters each week) by having potlucks at someone's house each week. Students in the seminar agreed to this format. It was not imposed upon us. It actually worked quite well.

I can think of solutions for large undergraduate classes but I won't mention them because the above speaks to something concrete that actually worked.

Betsy Krause betsy@fol.it


From galta@gbms01.uwgb.edu Wed May 28 11:27:25 1997 Date: Sun, 04 May 1997 07:04:00 -0600

Subject: REPLY: Use of feature films in the classroom (fwd)

As to making the viewing of feature films work in large undergraduate classes (and graduate seminars, for that matter) I wonder if they might work as 'reading' assignments, i.e. not viewed during class time, but as an outside assignment about which a report would have to be written. That could be especially feasible if there were a number of film options the students could choose from all on the same or similar topics or about the same region (deals with the problem of a class load of kids all clamoring to watch the same movie at conflicting times and creating a bottle neck of desperate students at the uni media center and local video store). Feature films, however, often require a relatively sophisticated level of thoughtful critique and analysis and might, therefore, be best suited to upper division classes.

A film course I once sat in on (in an English department) had scheduled evening viewings as part of the course hours. This wouldn't work for a course that isn't centered on the media, but that is one way to deal with restricted class time.

Mary Nolan marysn@post.smu.edu