ANTH4019

The term “symbol” comes from the Greek word for a shard of pottery. The ancient Greeks entered a pact by breaking a pot in two, each partner keeping a shard as a material proof of their bond. The fit of the two halves was to authenticate the validity of the bond at a future time. The early Christians adopted this Greek idea of symbol for their own purpose. They made the Greek symbol – a “shard” – serve as a material, external proof for the Promise that the Savior will return. Why did they need a material proof? It was because during the most trying times of persecution, their subjective convictions alone were not enough; they needed a material, objective reminder of their own convictions. With this symbol, the Christians reassured themselves of their own unshakable faith in redemption, resilience, and hope even in the darkest of the times.

How may we apply this Greek idea of symbol to our own ordinary lives? Consider the Internet meme “#MeToo.” The power shown by this meme-symbol resembles the power the early Christians saw from the Greek symbol. For the Christians, the fact that the Greek symbol was only the “half” of a missing whole stood for what they themselves became after the Fall: half the persons. Likewise with the meme-symbol #MeToo. For its creator, the meme initially stood for what the meme-creator felt that she became after a sexual violation: half the person she used to be.

But the Greek symbol had another power both for the Christians as well as for the global community which came to rally around #MeToo. As hinted already, the Greek symbol for Christians also stood for their own unfailing resilience and hope while enduring the state of the Fall. Likewise, the meme-symbol #MeToo stood for, for the community of victims of violation ignited by the meme, their own resilience and unshakable resolve to pursue redemption/justice.

How might anthropologists use this idea of symbol in their research? Anthropologists would be especially drawn to how the Greek symbol connects the material world with that of the subjective (as in “subjective conviction”). From this angle, they would ask questions such as: How do social and material environments of a person influence the person’s mental and bodily health? The healing power shown by #MeToo for the affected community justifies such a question. Anthropologists would also inquire about the flipside of the Internet phenomena like #MeToo: how does the algorithm and AI-driven world of the Internet and social media harm a person? More generally, what is the mechanism through which humans interact with tools and technological devices? This class samples the anthropological works which address such questions.

OPT - Student Option

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Periodic Fall