Social and Cultural Anthropology subject report · November 2014

November 2014 extended essay reports Page 1 SOCIAL AND CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY Overall grade boundaries Grade: E D C B A Mark range: 0 - 7 8 - 15 16 - 22 23 - 28 29 - 36 The range and suitability of the work submitted This November session has given examples of essays at varying levels of achievement. Many candidates were successful in framing their arguments by referring to anthropological concepts, readings or sources and applying appropriate methodologies. Framing a precise research question which lends itself to investigation in the su bject is of paramount importance to accomplish this. As often proves to be the case, candidates who are familiar with the subject tend to do well and achieve the higher marks, whereas those candidates who seem to have submitted essays in Social and Cultura l Anthropology without any experience in the discipline tend to produce weaker outcomes. Some examples of successful essa ys included ethnographically grounded investigations on migration from the perspective of the material culture of a festivity; on youth , ethnic identity and language fluency in a multicultural context; on the relationship between political identity and the construction of collective memory in an educative institution, or on the medical discourse on anorexia. Also, other essays focused on theoretical discussions such as the debate on secularization, or the use of the concept of 'habitus' in anthropological productions. These essays were successful not because they simply poured ethnographic content into established theoretical moulds, but b ecause they showed initiative in demonstrating how topics of interest to candidates might be anthropologically approached. Also, these candidates were successful because they produced balanced, nuanced arguments, bringing critical perspectives to bear. The least successful candidates were those who did not refer to anthropological concepts, readings or sources, nor make reference to methodological issues of any kind. Some candidates seemed to assume that anthropological relevance inheres in a