Business Anthropology

by

Marietta L. Baba

Introduction

Business refers to the buying and selling of goods and services in the marketplace, and the organized economic activities attendant to those practices—for example, product and service design, industrial manufacturing and supply chain logistics, consumer marketing, advertising, and branding. In the broadest sense, business anthropology is inquiry or practice within the business domain that is grounded in anthropological epistemology, methodology, and/or substantive knowledge. In the early decades of the 20th century, anthropologists’ research and problem-solving interests focused primarily on the industrial manufacturing dimensions of the business domain, and they were influenced by the traditions of other disciplines such as industrial psychology through the Human Relations School, a theory of organizational management that posits a direct relationship between worker satisfaction and productivity. After World War II, anthropological research on industry experienced fragmentation into several streams of literature, including neo-Marxian approaches and studies of industrialization in non-Western societies. Since the end of the Cold War, anthropological studies of business have been reinvigorated as increasing numbers of academic anthropologists have acknowledged the contemporary marketplace and its attendant activities as worthy of serious inquiry. At the same time, anthropological epistemology and methods have been assimilated into major corporate venues as more anthropologists become practitioners in the private sector, stimulating self-reflection on our discipline’s relationship with business. One consequence of anthropology’s nearly century-long involvement with business is that the landscape of the field has become increasingly complex, with linkages to several other disciplines and traditions. Another result of this involvement is that our disciplinary perspectives gradually have shifted. While business once was viewed primarily as an external and potentially hostile “other,” with which anthropologists had only arm’s length relationships, contemporary views are more varied and nuanced, and they include those that conceptualize business as an institutional field in which anthropologists may hold engaged positions. Due to this evolving situation, the worlds of business are recognized as deserving of our understanding, interpretation, and critical assessment; yet, this dawning awareness brings its own quandaries with respect to positionality and ethics. Accordingly, items have been selected for inclusion here on the basis of three criteria: understanding the context for the historical development of business anthropology as one of the institutional anthropologies (i.e., business as a social institution); gaining an overview and an in-depth perspective on the major dimensions of the field; and providing access to literature reflecting empirical research and practice conducted by anthropologists in the business domain.

Textbooks

Business anthropology has emerged only recently as a professional subfield that joins together several different streams of literature related to multiple dimensions of the business enterprise. Few textbooks provide an even-handed coverage of the entire field. Jordan 2003 provides a general overview of the field of business anthropology that is suitable for undergraduate classes, with an emphasis on consumers and marketing research. Sunderland and Denny 2006 introduces advanced undergraduates and beginning graduate students to the ethnography of consumer research, arguing for the value of anthropological analysis in ethnographic approaches to understanding consumer behavior. Arnould, et al. 2003 provides an interdisciplinary perspective on consumer theory and practice from the standpoint of the marketing field. This book could serve as a useful desk reference for instructors as it includes references to other literature and cases. Ferraro 2010 provides an anthropologically oriented introduction to the value and role of anthropology in international marketing and management, suitable for undergraduates.

• Arnould, Eric, Linda Price, and George Zinkhan. 2003. Consumers. New York: McGraw Hill.

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  This is an undergraduate textbook that integrates concepts and approaches from anthropology and marketing to provide a unique perspective on consumer behavior and consumption. The textbook is deliberately multidisciplinary and it is focused on consumers as cultural, social beings in a global marketplace.

• Ferraro, Gary P. 2010. Cultural dimensions of international business. 6th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

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  The focus of this undergraduate text is on the relevance and value of anthropological theory and substantive knowledge for international marketing and management. Individual chapters treat anthropological concepts, language, nonverbal communication, values, cross-cultural negotiation, and culture shock.

• Jordan, Ann. 2003. Business anthropology. Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland.

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  This textbook familiarizes undergraduates with the concepts and methods of business anthropology, emphasizing the anthropological way of knowing the business world. The text provides an overview of the field, including its history, methods, ethics, and subfields such as marketing, design, organizational studies, and approaches to globalization.

• Sunderland, Patricia, and Rita M. Denny. 2006. Doing anthropology in consumer research. Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast.

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  A case study approach is taken to bring together the realms of consumer research and anthropological inquiry. Rather than a “how-to” guide, the text compiles first-person examples intended to explain why ethnographic methods alone are not sufficient to acquire an understanding of consumer behavior—cultural analysis is crucial.