Anthropology of Corruption

In this course we will explore the wide variety of human exchange practices glossed under the term “corruption”, such as Nigerian e-mail scams to American election financing and petty bribes in North India. We will use classic anthropological theories of bureaucracy, gift exchange, and patron-clientism to understand the ubiquity of these practices, with close attention to how they are related to structures of power. We will also critically examine popular writing about corruption. (Prior coursework in SOAN recommended) 3 hrs. lect./disc. (Anthropology)