Anthropology and Asian Philosophy
(Organised by William Matthews – w.matthews@ucl.ac.uk)
WHERE
AND WHEN: Alternate Wednesdays, 4-6pm,
Room 129
FIRST
MEETING: Wednesday 17th October, Room
129, Anthropology
MOODLE DETAILS: https://moodle.ucl.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=20400
Whilst anthropology as a discipline is concerned with alternative ways of seeing the world, it remains theoretically very much in the tradition of Western philosophy. Major figures in Western philosophy are often brought to bear on anthropological discussion as theoretical authorities; when non-Western thinkers are involved in analysis, it is all too often as ethnographic examples rather than as theorists operating on the same level of analytical abstraction as their Western counterparts. This group aims to look at how anthropology can be approached from the ontological perspectives of non-Western philosophical positions, and the implications this can have for ethnography and theory. The focus will be primarily on East and South Asian philosophy, such as Daoist and Buddhist intellectual traditions, but will also welcome discussion of non-Western thinkers more generally. Discussions will be based initially on classic philosophical texts and, where possible, ethnographies influenced by these perspectives, but it is hoped that the direction of the research group will be influenced by the suggestions and research interests of participants.
