The Cultural Science of Politics

Labor, Anarchism, and the Political Imaginary, Theoretical Approaches in Political Anthropology

Abstract

This study presents post-structuralist propositions within the field of political anthropology, focusing on the productive recovery of the works of Max Weber and Bronisław Malinowski—particularly their contributions to "the theory of action" and "cultural change"—through the lens of the political game/match thesis. It proposes a Foucauldian approach (in reference to Michel Foucault) to anthropological inquiry by emphasizing the multiple modalities of power and their role in shaping and producing cultural forms. This perspective necessitates a redefinition of the core subject of anthropology -namely, culture- through the analysis of political processes and the various pressures they encounter, including international influences within the framework of "power equations," globalization, and the institutions of global power.

At the same time, the study insists on the importance of not overlooking local cultural specificities and contexts, which manifest through ethnic and religious affiliations. In this regard, the study calls for an openness to phenomenology and meaning-centered approaches, particularly in relation to the concept of the "political imaginary." It reconceptualizes anthropology’s central object -culture -within the context of political studies, coining the term “the cultural science of politics.” This redefinition expands the concept of culture to include various processes of cultural production and transformation that are typically excluded from anthropological inquiry outside the political domain.

The study suggests viewing culture as an institution that continuously enacts a self-sustaining symbolic economy. This economy is driven by what the study terms "cultural distinction," a sense that underpins the processes by which sectarian and religious affiliations are stripped of their original identities and reconstituted as elements within the political imaginary. The study demonstrates how cultural visions and practices perform an affirmational function, just as political leaders and organizations carry out instrumental actions. Ultimately, the boundaries of the “political sect” are shown to receive constant internal reinforcement.