Anthropology, the study of humankind, naturally has developed close ties to history due to the fact that most histories focus on the behaviour of humans and events that have (mostly entirely) involved humans. Few histories have no focus on humans, and those that do often inadvertently involve humans due to the ever-spreading influence of humankind upon the natural world. Despite this, history has certainly been influenced by anthropology; particularly as allowing the historian to see history as a continuous and gradual development over time rather than a date specific chain of fast events. Literary theory such as Marxist or feminist theory has been heavily applied to various research to gain a better understand of a given topic. Along with this, more specific examples of what would be traditional literary theory (such as the literary and philosophical theory of idolatry as seen in a society, for example) has also helped to understand and compare histories more deeply. In this essay, I will give examples of how both anthropology and literary theory have influenced historical study and given greater understanding of a given field of research.

Wilson D. Wallis has articulated well the influence that anthropology has had upon history, by stating “From anthropology more than from any other quarter… Has come the conception of history as a continuous development”.¹ Traditional historians of an earlier era were often quick to pin a specific date to an event, for example stating that the French Revolution started in 1789. Anthropology however has lent itself to history by allowing the historian to view events of the past as a more gradual process; many modern historians, therefore, would not be quick to name a year that the French Revolution “began”. Rather, they would look at factors that built up over time in the previous decades or even centuries in French society, as would be done in the field of anthropology. The politicization behind music in 20^th century Mexico is a more specific example of anthropological gradual change seen in historical research. Rubenstein's research on the actor and singer Pedro Infante looked at the Mexican government's censorship of music being played on the radio, gradually demanding that music took an apolitical and inoffensive stance and fitted a traditional “Mexican” archetype. An arguably anthropological topic placed in a piece of history research, this showed how gradually the Mexican government become more authoritarian in general, with gradual media censorship existing as a great example.² The focus of Rubenstein's research however was Pedro Infante, and literary theory was (and can be) applied well to Infante's rather unique character and presence. A Marxist theory lends itself perfectly; the riot at Infante's funeral following his untimely death, according to Rubenstein, is “symbolic of working class fury” in mid-twentieth century Mexico.³ Literary theory often takes symbolic themes from a specific event; Infante's funeral clashes between mourners and police, as well as his corpse being taken away rapidly to the rich suburbs exists as a perfect metaphor for working class oppression and dissatisfaction in 20^th century Mexico.⁴

Literary theory was also applied well in Manzano's study of the symbolic meaning given to blue jeans in Argentina, in the 1960s and 1970s. She documented how blue jeans gradually “cemented a generation” from the 1960s, and were given various symbolic meanings such as masculinity or rebelliousness.⁵ Not only is the symbolic meaning given to a particular item, such as an item of clothing, associated with literary theory, but the study of fashion trends is much more traditionally tied into anthropology than history. Despite this, the research is certainly historical, and gives key insight into developing politicization of youth in Argentina as well as gender issues. Manzano notes that blue jeans became a “uniform of struggling” in Argentina for young men and women; she also provided evidence that young women received more flirtatious approaches when wearing blue jeans than miniskirts.⁶ Literary theory (of feminism and symbolism) in particular influenced this piece of historical research, and showed the gradual politicization of youth in Argentina in the 20^th Century and the meaning behind a simple item of clothing for many young people. Overall, this is symbolic of what anthropology and literary theory has done for history as a whole: allowed a deeper and more specific understanding of various time periods.

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Bibliography

Wallis, Wilson (1917) “The Influence of Anthropology upon History”, The Scientific Monthly, Vol.5, No. 5 (American Association for the Advancement of Science)

Rubenstein, Anne (2001) “Bodies, Cities, Cinema: Pedro Infante's Death as Political Spectacle”, Fragements of a Golden Age: The Politics of Culture in Mexico Since 1940 (Duke University Press)

Manzano, Valeria (2009) “The Blue Jean Generation: Youth, Gender, and Sexuality in Buenos Aires, 1958-1975”, Journal of Social History , Vol.42 No. 3 (Oxford University Press)

1Wallis, Wilson (1917) “The Influence of Anthropology upon History”, The Scientific Monthly, Vol.5, No. 5 (American Association for the Advancement of Science) pp. 434

2Rubenstein, Anne (2001) “Bodies, Cities, Cinema: Pedro Infante's Death as Political Spectacle”, Fragements of a Golden Age: The Politics of Culture in Mexico Since 1940 (Duke University Press) pp. 210

3Ibid, pp. 219

4Ibid, pp. 223

5Manzano, Valeria (2009) “The Blue Jean Generation: Youth, Gender, and Sexuality in Buenos Aires, 1958-1975”, Journal of Social History , Vol.42 No. 3 (Oxford University Press) pp. 657

6Ibid, pp. 657