Anthropology essay?

Question

I am writing an essay for university in a course called introduction to anthropology. I just got my essay plan back (which was assessed) and I am at a complete loss. Apparently I haven't used enough journal articles and a lot of my references aren't relevant. I am discussing religion in terms of works such as Ernest Becker's Denial of Death and Escape from Evil. How can I narrow this theme down so it fits in with anthropological research?

Answer 1

Anthropology (from Greek: ἄνθρωπος, anthropos, "human being"; and λόγος, logos, "speech" lit. to talk about human beings) is the study of humanity. Anthropology has origins in the natural sciences, the humanities, and the social sciences. The term was first used by François Péron when discussing his encounters with Tasmanian Aborigines.Ethnography is both one of its primary methods and the text that is written as a result of the practice of anthropology and its elements.

Since the work of Franz Boas and Bronisław Malinowski in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, social anthropology has been distinguished from other social science disciplines by its emphasis on in-depth examination of context, cross-cultural comparisons (socio-cultural anthropology is by nature a comparative discipline), and the importance it places on long-term, experiential immersion in the area of research, often known as participant-observation. Cultural anthropology in particular has emphasized cultural relativity and the use of findings to frame cultural critiques. This has been particularly prominent in the United States, from Boas's arguments against 19th-century racial ideology, through Margaret Mead's advocacy for gender equality and sexual liberation, to current criticisms of post-colonial oppression and promotion of multiculturalism.

Answer 2

You know what, I typed "the Denial of Death" Google scholar and found more than one thousand people citing the book. Here is what I do if I were you.  click on this link, http://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Deni... and then search for related articles. You will find enough info. also narrow down the topic to the denial of death lets say among  urban middle class Americans.

Answer 3

Well, if you don't have it already, I would pick up a copy of Death and Denial: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on the Legacy of Ernest Becker by Daniel Liechty. Have you checked for articles in databases such as EbscoHost and Academic Search Premier? Your university librarian will be able to assist you in research.

Answer 4

that's a complex topic for an intro course. Along the same lines as denial of death, you could take the evolutionary psychological approach to religion. Pascal Boyer wrote a book on it called Religion Explained, and there was an article in the Economist about a month ago, as well.  Any sort of case study, or observation, will qualify as anthropological research.