Stories Told Through Art: An Anthropological Perspective

The course is for anyone who is interested in finding out what Anthropology can contribute to our understanding of the way stories are told through art. The only requirement is that you are open-minded, prepared to contribute to discussion, and interested in people and their ideas.

Anthropologists take a holistic view of human development and diversity. They gather evidence from many sources including popular culture – art, films, literature, magazines, music, galleries, museums, the internet - as well as from direct observation and academic texts. They use this evidence to compare the ways people in different communities behave and the beliefs underlying that behavior. One important and interesting area of study concerns the stories told through visual art. What similarities and differences do we find in different cultures across space and time? What is the effect of those different traditions? What happens when those traditions change – whether through drift or intent? What about the values involved?

By the end of the course you should be able to:

• Use examples to compare the way visual art is used to tell stories in different cultures.

• Analyse at least two examples of stories in art from different cultures.

• Evaluate the usefulness of anthropology in understanding the stories told through visual art.