ANTH/WMNS 326 Issues in the Anthropology of Kinship
Winter 2018

CHILDREN AND DESCENT
Jan. 19:  Genealogy and our interest in our past
Required reading: Cannell, Fenella (2011) “English ancestors: the moral possibilities of popular genealogy.”  Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute. 17(3):  462–480.

Cannell’s topic: Why do people in specific societies spend their time and energy researching their genealogy? What does it mean in these cultural contexts?

Is genealogical research popular? (That is, is this a worthwhile area of research?)

    What is the television show, “Who do you think you are?” (A Canadian version, produced around 2007-08) http://www.cbc.ca/whodoyouthinkyouare/episodes.html
    http://www.cbc.ca/whodoyouthinkyouare/2012/09/measha-brueggergosman.html

    Genealogical websites: e.g. http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/

On what evidence does Cannell base her argument?

What is her argument? Why do the East Anglian amateur genealogists research their ancestors?
    Why might this differ from amateur genealogists in other societies (e.g. France, the U.S.)?

What are other positions in the intellectual discussion about kinship/genealogy that Cannell is addressing?

How does Cannell’s argument relate to the tension between kinship as practice and kinship as formal structure that Miller discusses?

- are you interested in uncovering your family genealogy? Why or why not? How do these reasons relate to cultural understandings in your society?

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