Ateneo - UPO

The contents of the module will be focused on one hand to grasp some aspects of the "body" as a cultural construction (starting in particular from the concepts of body history and anthropopoiesis, etc.), on the other hand to analyze some specific cases of disease typical of the Italian popular tradition, analyzing some classics of anthropology, such as eg. “La terra del rimorso. Contributo a una storia religiosa del Sud” by Ernesto de Martino (1961) and “L'arco di rovo. Impotenza e aggressività in due rituali del sud” by Alfonso Maria Di Nola (1983). The theme of the family and the processes of building kinship as cultural entities will also be studied in depth.
The cultural construction of the body is increasingly involved in phenomena that pervasively affect and characterize living in contemporary society: the spread of tattoos, the spread of piercing, the search for virtuous food models that are transformed into new forms of "global religion".

A. The slides projected during the course and available in the DIR area.
B. Readings provided by the teacher and available in the DIR area.
Further recommended reading:
- DE MARTINO Ernesto, La terra del rimorso. Contributo a una storia religiosa del Sud, a cura di Marcello Massenzio, Torino, Einaudi, 2023 (ed. or. 1961).
- REMOTTI Francesco (2013), Fare umanità. I drammi dell’antropo-poiesi, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2013.

Introduce students to the critical knowledge of some basic concepts of cultural anthropology and, more specifically, of medical anthropology. To develop the ability to interpret and critically position some traits of anthropological culture. Knowing how to communicate the acquired knowledge critically using an appropriate terminology.

General culture knowledge deriving from high school.

Lectures with the help of slides and ethnographic videos.
Seminar reading of some essays on the themes of medical anthropology and anthropology of the body (es. tattooing in contemporary society; female genital mutilation / excision; the cultural context of obesity).

The slides and other materials will be made available in the Dir area of the course.
Students are required to register on the DIR website (www.dir.uniupo.it).
Students with physical disabilities, Learning Disabilities or Special Education Needs can request specific services and tools via the Staff Sviluppo e Coordinamento Carriere e Servizi alle Studentesse e agli Studenti, consulting the University webpage: https://www.uniupo.it/en/services/services-students-physical-or-learning-disabilities
Students with disabilities, learning disabilities or special education needs, once they have contacted the University Staff, can refer to the tutor in charge of the course to define the examination modalities, concerning academic aspects.

The course program will be evaluated with a written test (multiple choice test with 30 questions). The time allowed to complete the test is 30 minutes, within the exam of the integrated course of Human Sciences.

Basic concepts of medical anthropology.
The body as a cultural construction.
The anthropopoiesis.
Family and kinship, with particular attention to the gender dimension.
The treatment of the disease in the Italian folk tradition: tarantism and the arch of the bramble.

The student must acquire the skills of:
a. understands some basic concepts of medical anthropology;
b. analyze and formulate judgments on the concepts learned;
c. communicate the acquired knowledge using an appropriate terminology;
d. ability to deepen independently the topics covered during the course through bibliographic and terrain research.