300653  Economy Beyond Economics: Anthropological Approaches (MA: Soziologie und Anthropologie der globalen Welt) (S) (WiSe 2026/2027)

This course explores fundamental debates and current issues at the intersection of economics and society from an anthropological perspective. Questions addressed in this course include: In what diverse ways do people secure their livelihoods and basic necessities? What role do values, norms, and symbols play in economic activities? To what extent do global processes affect everyday economic life? How can ethnographic insights help us envision and create economic alternatives for the future?

We begin by examining economic anthropology and its interaction with conventional economic theories. We will then explore classic topics of giving, taking, and exchanging in economic anthropology, especially considering issues of inequality and reciprocity. We will deepen our understanding of “human economies” and how economic processes, from production to consumption, create not only things but also people and their values. We trace anthropological engagements with the world economy in global context, both historically and in the present. Throughout the course and particularly in the final weeks, students will be encouraged to discuss economic alternatives for the future based on their ethnographic insights.