Anthro Exam 1
SENSE OF PLACE
Author - Basso cultural experience local knowledge embedded in places meaning and importance shared in community
PSYCHIC UNITY OF MANKIND
Author - Edward Tylor Definition - states that all human beings, regardless of culture or race, share the same basic psychological and cognitive make-up; we are all the same kind Relevance - relates to tylor on evolution and complexity. This line of thought is a lense through which an anthropologist can look while studying a culture in order to separate the human being themselves from the culture and civilization in which they live and were raised in. In-text examples - "mankind as homogeneous in nature" (32)
HOPI - HABITUAL THOUGHT AND BEHAVIOR:
Author: Benjamin Whorf Definition: Nouns are individual and they do not containerize. There are no spatial metaphors or objectification. Focus more on preparation, and desire and thought. Each speaker has a thought world internalized inside them. Relevance: Relevant because linguistic patterns suggest ways of thinking. This difference between SAE and HOPI could be predictive of the HOPIs' environment and its harshness. So they way our language acts reflects its use and the values of society. in-text examples: how do other cultures not objectify subjects? Main idea questions-- grammatical use of words Calendar is imaginary space to explain time; this is what we (average european) do, hopi don't do this (they don't have an imaginary space) Hopi-- no imaginary space contracts SAE-- containerizing idea: SAE= Standard Average European
HASHTAG ETHNOGRAPHY
Author: Bonilla Definition: The use of different social media platforms as a field site to do research. Relevance: "is the study of an event through social media a return to a previous era of "armchair anthropology"? Or is hashtag ethnography the next logical step in an anthropology of the 21st century " Its is relevant because of the new possibilities #Ethnography can be used to study. It very well could be a new place where anthropologist can study and do real research on a set of people. Although despite this possibility there are some downsides to #Ethnography. For example the difference between active and passive data gathering, and the authenticity of people and their words. in-text examples: "an instance of a "virtual world" (Boellstorff 2008), with its own set of socialities and forms of engagement" (Bonilla, 5) kinda like armchair anth-- researching research #FERGUSON- arguing it's like a space, a space anthropologies can do research different than physically being in Ferguson missouri-- it's everything and more about the idea of Ferguson: police brutality, anti black lives matter ( positive and negative information just from #)
DIGITAL ACTIVISM
Author: Bonilla Definition: Activism using social media as your platform to gather a group of people towards a common goal. Calls attention to a problem and can be a lasting focus or can be very quick. Relevance: activism happening on digital platforms; it's very intertwined with physical real world activism. Is it better for the cause or not? in-text examples: Activism that happens in social media platforms work with real world activism
PERFORMATIVITY THESIS
Author: Butler Definition: Gender is an unconscious performance, sex, sexuality and gender equals what you do(not what you are). Relevance: in-text examples: Gender is a performance, and it is socially validated Gender as (largely unconscious) performance, gender ( and sex and sexuality)= what you do and what you are Credibility- social recognition
TRAVESTI SEX AND GENDER
Author: Don Kulick Definition: Biologically Travestis are male. However they are not men. In their idea of gender there are men and not men (which includes women, homosexuals, and Travestis). If a man has been penetrated they are no longer men. Relevance: Relevant because it supports an idea similar to Butler's performativity thesis. Whereas gender is determined by your performance rather than your birth. in-text examples:
CONSTRUCTIVE ESSENTIALISM*
Author: Don Kulick Definition: Having both essentialist and constructivist views such as with the travesti. Travesti have an essentialist view of sex, if you are born male/female than you can never be the opposite sex. But they view gender in a constructivist way where what you do in society or how you act will determine your gender or sexuality. If you take the penetrated role then you are either a not-man(if you are a male) or a woman(only if you have a buceta/born female). Relevance: To an anthropologist, shows the truth of gender fluidity despite what say, American culture, believes. Shows how the views on sex and gender are taught through specific cultures. in-text examples: How the travesties view gender, sex, and sexuality.
TRAVESTI AGENCY: ch 3 pg 112
Author: Don Kulick Definition: It is the Capacity to exert power (in this case the Travesti's power over their boyfriends) Relevance: The Travestis hold the power in their relationship with their boyfriends because of the way they support their boyfriends with money and other gifts. Supports the theory of gift exchange in which the people who give have a sense of dominance over the people who receive. Travesti's have little agency in their work and in the way they are stereotyped by society. in-text examples:
STRUCTURAL VIOLENCE
Author: Don Kulick Definition: The way social systems exert oppression. Supported by society usually without most people knowing it exists. Relevance: The "violence of everyday life" as Nancy Scheper-Hughes called it, is something an anthropologist must take into consideration when working with a group like Travestis, whose experiences with everyday violence are caused by stereotypes and prejudices around them, including even police hostility. in-text examples: face physical violence, disease, and suffering( more than other people)... but why? Because of Racism, poverty; they don't get to decide if they live in a racist environment or not. Systematic-- it's the system not a person -- paris is burning and Travesti Structural Violence: controlled by socially constructed ideas-- the way we have organized society; result of social structure; higher rate of something bad happening to you based on social prejudice Everyone in society contribute to structural violence: victims and perpetrators How does everyone participate in this? Everyone has some sort of social contribution they can add to social violence Construct of gender Subject to violence from police brutality
TRAVESTI BOYFRIENDS
Author: Don Kulick Definition: They are men who are usually young, very physically fit, and attractive. They are never penetrated by the Travestis (or anyone else) because that would make them not male-homosexual. The moment a boyfriend assumes the penetrated role or acknowledges the travesti's penis is considered moment of truth). Relevance: Represents the view of gender in Travesti society that there are males and not males and the difference depends on sexual action rather that biological features. Agency among travestis in these relationships. in-text examples: Travesties are very particular about their boyfriends. There is a specific type of men that Travesti tend to be attracted to. Travesties are always penetrated by their boyfriend, and if the boyfriend acknowledges the Travesties penis, then the Travesti breaks up with them There is a very specific line between the way Travesti act towards their boyfriends, and the way they act towards their clients as prostitutes
ARMCHAIR ANTHROPOLOGY
Author: Edward Tylor Definition: it's secondary sources that you're using and synthesizing the information to back up your theory. This is not field work Relevance: It was important because it established Anthropology as a science and a humanity, and established how we need to study other cultures. It was originally what people did and established anth. Then people realized that we needed to shift and do field work.... That said there are still armchair anthropologist today. in-text examples: conducting anthropology without doing your own ethnographic field work: gathering different accounts from different people and comparing the information to find similarities: ex. on page 32 and 33 of Tylor's work ..... to clarify=(anthropological research through secondary sources) Edward Burnett Tylor, radically progressive thinking of his time, (1832-1917)-- he pointed out that there are differences how people look throughout the world. He also saw equal intelligence and potential between each culture, but there were some more complex and less complex societies-- these had the potential to become more european ( the complex society): this was his fight against Degeneration ( degeneration believed that there was no potential to become as complex as europeans and evolved backward hence DEgeneration) Tylor defines culture as "Culture, or civilization, taken in its broad ethnographic sense, is that COMPLEX whole which includes: knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, customs, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society Influential early English anthropologist (aka Armchair Anthropologist) Theory of cultural evolutionism (CE means that human culture has potential to change, and is always changing) Armchair Anthropology: in modern day this is a nontraditional way of anthropological research.
DEEP PLAY
Author: Geertz Definition: The stakes are too high to be rational when both parties are in over their heads. All on the table, make bets on your kin group even if a win is not possible Relevance: Symbolic relationship, shows that even though money is valuable and finances are vulnerable in this deep play, the status that winning/losing gets you is even more important to these people. in-text examples: Page 72 Makes matches more interesting, debt is a form of a social relationship, you want obligation to someone who's close to you. Pardon-me bets are signifying a hostial relationship. All bets have social meaning to express rivalries. You bet according to your kin groups, and the social status of each kin group is at stake within each game.
SEMIOTIC (SYMBOLIC) VIEW OF CULTURE
Author: Geertz Definition: small symbols represent what is valued in a culture. Culture is experienced through a public -web of meaning, and can define the difference between a wink and a blink. Relevance: small facts to speak to larger issues, as was the case with Balinese cockfights. By taking something that is seemingly simple, part of everyday life, is actually elaborate representation of issues. Opposite to functionalism. in-text examples: Cocks actually represent masqulinity, it becomes somewhat of an art form. It is expressive and nonfunctional. (i.e. winner eats losers cock) "The poet's job is not to tell you what happened, but what happens: not what did take place, but the kind of thing that always take place."(84). Nomic- how things really are Substance of of cultural forms and their web of meaning
PLACE-MAKING
Author: Keith Basso Definition: taking the physical place and making it meaningful and significant which is part of telling the stories and remembering the memories Relevance: construct a place world as place making: a community has to do this together by creating significance from stories-- place names are always tied to stories about the past, and those stories are shared over time. The story told by the people to the people: the idea of the story will always be the same idea but the details might change because it's all an oral tradition based on memory and imagination and coming up with a plausible account of the past Place world is a physical place, it's also the stories that happened there in that place, and it's a moral message and the message is how to be a moral person in the western apache community in-text examples: Bassos article: "We are, in a sense...( 7) in slideshow Moral message of police man-- relates to the hair curlers: remember that story about the police, well you are a part of the western apache and your hair is inappropriate: police and the girls with curlers both trying to act like white people-- they are trying to identify with white people against identifying with the western apache and going against their own culture-- putting the interest of white people above the western apache* people *western apache people live in Cibecue, AZ-- they are real people A place world is where all the place-making is collected together to form its own world. It's the collection of stories creating a general place.
STALKING WITH STORIES
Author: Keith Basso Definition: When Western Apache tell stories, there is typically an audience member the storyteller is directing the story at. Relevance: stories change the way we interpret things / how we act / how we think Power to change people's ideas in-text examples: hair curlers
HISTORICAL TALES
Author: Keith Basso Definition: about the person to whom the story is told (can be told in group settings, still about an individual in the group), morality element. Criticizes social delinquents. Opens and closes with a place name. Relevance: indirectly comment on the violation of norm that happened but also tells about the Apache society as a whole. Give rise to place worlds that have a meaningful history to a group of people. in-text examples: Begin with the place name, and end with the place name. story about the place name "man stand above here and there" example of historical tale: moral meaning?-- what are our values and identity
REIFICATION OF CULTURE
Author: Lila Abu-Lughod Definition: Taking something abstract and making it real. For example love, we express love through actions or gifts but it isn't a concrete physical thing. Relevance: Abu-Lughod argued against the reification of culture. Stressed the importance of Cultural relativism after the 9/11 attacks when people were seeking to understand a culture they didn't understand. Important not to reify ideas or objects like the veil as it leads to an ethnocentric idea of that object. in-text examples: After 9/11, reporters were asking Abu-Lughod "Do Muslim women believe "x"? Are Muslim women "y"? Does Islam allow "z" for women?" (Abu-Lughod, 784)
CULTURAL RELATIVISM
Author: Lila Abu-Lughod and Edward Tylor (two different articles) Definition: The belief that someone's culture isn't better/worse than another (we are all equal, relative to one another) Relevance: Destroys the problem of Ethnocentrism; any culture should be accepted even if it "moves" in a different direction than ours -- trying to put the Europeans in place when it comes to their cultural "superiority" in anthropology. in-text examples: "relativism that says it's their culture and it's not my business to judge or interfere, only to try to understand, " (Abu-Lughod, 786) Let's assume there is a logic and a meaning until we hear otherwise * cultural aspects are relative to their beliefs * consider a "why" within culture and no imprint from your own * strange familiar/familiar strange Consider values from other cultures, while not judging from your own
GATED COMMUNITIES
Author: Low Definition: Embodiment of a society's social values. Relevance: Who gets to use certain places, what are the politics of fenced locations? Keeping certain people in or out, and the conclusions we can draw for society. Social control based on status. Gated communities indicate fear. In anthropology we can look at the use of gates in a community pertaining to functionalism. They serve our need for "safety," is what Malinowski might think. in-text examples:
CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS
Author: Low Definition: Study of the discourse amongst people in a community. meaningfulness in community. What is true or not of meaning in the community. Relevance: Here's whats happening and heres the meaning with people. looking at give-and-take of language and culture, by using this language of safety as coded about race, etc. is continuing the same ideas. Through critical discourse analysis an anthropologist can learn about topics that are socially or psychologically unacceptable to discuss. Disclaiming statements in the discourse give clues as to what people in the community really think of "others." in-text examples: Class exclusion etc. (388) Urban fear-social construction of discourse of class, race, and ethnicity.
DISCLAIMING STATEMENTS
Author: Low Definition: When sentiment becomes too real so one disclaims placing physical distance between self and others. Relevance: when you study something familiar you already have assumptions, so you need to question them as an anthropologist. in-text examples: Low says class and race are difficult in America to talk about. Inner city (space) and the attitudes baises around the space. Objects and places associated with certain places. Disclaiming people made it clear they knew what they were doing, e.g. of course statements, Im just joking, thats not what I meant, or no offense. woman's child is afraid of workers because of race (of course, disclaiming what they didn't mean.. After the fact will say "no offense")
FUNCTIONALISM
Author: Malinowski Definition: Functionalism = everything in society has a function: Nutrition Reproduction Bodily Comfort Safety Relaxation Movement Growth (All of these things are transformed into secondary social needs) Relevance: according to Malinowski institutions formed to fill human needs in-text examples: Argonauts of the western pacific emphasised the system (institution) of exchange and patterns of boats served economic purposes, which was fundamental to the way people expressed themselves and values. In Subject Method Scope, culture is governed by general laws and rules- you can't just ask what general rules and institutions govern the culture, therefore you must go and investigate through fieldwork.
IMPONDERABILIA
Author: Malinowski Definition: The "flesh and blood" of a culture. These are the things that are subtle in a culture that contribute to everyday life. studying the unknown, constantly changing things, Relevance: intimate details of everyday life. By observing what makes everyday life functional, one can grasp what the bigger meaning is. in-text examples: "imponderabilia of everyday life" , off the veranda, the flesh and thick of culture, the minute details of culture
INSTITUTION
Author: Malinowski Definition: a group of people united for a purpose (to fulfil a basic/social need) Relevance: part of the Fundamentalist approach. Everything serves a purpose in forming culture in-text examples: Trading alliances, hierarchy, family order, etc.
CULTURAL LABORATORY
Author: Margaret Mead Definition: anthropology as a natural science, and therefore the use of the scientific method is necessary. This includes having controlled experiment, variables and constants. The cultural laboratory involves living with and in the culture you are trying to study. Relevance: in order to understand culture one must understand it can be understood through scientific data. Compare and contrast societies. The importance of living within a culture you are trying to study, because what is ideal-to take babies and study them under different controlled conditions throughout their entire lives- is inhumane. in-text examples: "Make a study of human beings under different cultural conditions" (7)
CULTURE AND PERSONALITY MOVEMENT
Author: Margaret Mead Definition: the interaction between the psychology of individuals and the overarching culture, socialization creates personality patterns. "The personality of culture" Relevance: established connection between anthropology and psychology and the importance of socialization in culture in-text examples: Culture as, "patterns of learned behavior" Samoan girls coming to age vs American girls coming to age
VENUS XTRAVAGANZA
Author: Paris Is Burning Definition: Transgender living in New York, wanted to be a woman but was murdered because she was a transgender Relevance: She wanted a sex change; Xtravaganza didn't present the role of gender in a way that society would recognize so she was murdered-- structural violence. As a society as a whole the surpress transgender suggests that there are gender norms created by a hierarchy in society (Butler) Fear that people are challenging and resisting hierarchical power. Boys and girls period. in-text examples: Paris is Burning: young blond girl who was murdered: example of structural violence, died of homophobia-- strangled to death passing -- success as passing as a women; could go home on a subway with passing as a women and not experience violence from homophobic
ETHNOCENTRISM
Author: Tylor Definition: Idea that your own culture is superior or better than others. Relevance: this was a big problem of early anthropology, and a major critique of Tylor. His view that the final evolution of culture was Europe was Eurocentric and not at all empirical. As Anthropology grew this idea of ethnocentrism dissipated and the idea of cultural relativism took hold(All beliefs are relative, need to consider beliefs/ practices relative to that culture). in-text examples: -the belief that one's own culture or way of life is normal, natural; better than others. Example: AMERICA ('MURICA) Judge other values and beliefs of a different culture based on the values and beliefs of your own cultures which normally results in negativity Muslim culture
SURVIVALS
Author: Tylor Definition: "Processes, customs, opinions, and so forth which have been carried on by force of habit into a new state of society different from that in which they had their original home." Is this from "Science of Cultures"? -Yes Relevance: We can trace back survivals in a culture which will illuminate a lot about that society and force the ethnographer to look into their history since survivals can't be explain through rationality but rather only through past events/history. They are irrational and therefore drive an anthropologist to learn the history and foundation of a culture by searching in the past for what the "survival" meant to the people at one time. They serve as argument against the concept of degeneration as well. Shows cultural evolution kind of like how the appendix is an evidence of human biological evolution. in-text examples: Uses the example of a woman still using a hand-loom because she doesn't know how to use the flying shuttle for weaving. Superstitions are also an example of survivals talked about. "A little birdy told me"
DEGENERATION
Author: Tylor, argued against Definition: Going back in evolution-- unable to progress. It is the idea that some cultures can degress and go backwards and go more towards savagery (reverse evolution). Tyler argues against it saying it's impossible because of cultural evolution. Everyone, and every society has the potential to progress forwards towards civilization (White European) less complex ability and potential to move forward; so going back in evolution. Some people evolved backwards Relevance: argued against it, race and cultures were one and one. Tyler said it's not the case at all shifting is from its previous discourse. Leads to cultural evolutionism. In-text examples: Tylor proved degeneration is not happening because there are survivals (lingering things that kept going through stages of civilization, they are the leftovers) Edward B. Tyler argues against degeneration he was critiquing it-- IT WAS NOT HIS THEORY he was against it. With his theory of psychic theory of main kind Racist, Eurocentric Tylor argued against it Some cultures can digress (go backwards and get more towards savagery) Idea that if you aren't culturally progressive Tylor says that's wrong, he believed in cultural evolution (everyone is always progressing forward towards civilization) Might be in savage culture, but will get to european culture
SAE - HABITUAL THOUGHT AND BEHAVIOR
Author: Whorf Definition: (Standard Average European) in average european english we objectify subjects through the way we use our language "containerizing" Relevance: Saving time, efficiency (since the Industrial Revolution)... objectified time; measuring time to increase productivity (in a capitalist society)(time = money [if you know how to utilize time to your advantage]) → see how this is different from the Hopi's way of Habitual Thought and Behavior in-text examples: Objectifying the subjective- 10 (perceived) men 10 days (mentally constructed) there is the same linguistic pattern for both. The use of objective knowledge to think about abstract. Language only describes one part of reality.
SAPIR-WHORF HYPOTHESIS
Author: Whorf Definition: major first time connection between language and culture The categories and words of a language structure the habitual thought and behavior of its speakers You cannot think outside of your own language. Language becomes the reality. Relevance: Does language= reality? It is more that language becomes the reality. Language is a system of conveying meanings to social groups. Words are shortcuts that are part of cultural knowledge. Because it was the first time a connection was made between culture and language, studying culture expands into linguistics. in-text examples: Empty gasoline drum- when saying it's "empty" doesn't account for vapors, so is it actually empty? The mismatch of language makes us realize there isn't a perfect way to describe the world.
CULTURAL EVOLUTIONISM
Author:Edward B. Tylor Definition: Cultures evolve and they always progress never degenerate. One aspect of a culture will turn into/evolve into another higher form of that aspect of that culture. All cultures progress forwards towards White European civilization. Relevance: This is not a viable concept in modern anthropology because its supports Europeans as the most developed, based on ethnocentrism. ←-No, this is ½ a viable concept. It is true that cultures only progress forward they, they don't degenerate. Tylor lived in an age where white europeans viewed themselves as superior so he thought all cultures evolve in that direction and that part is incorrect/not viable. But Tylor's point of culture evolving and never degenerating is an important concept still acknowledged today. in-text examples: Compares cultural evolution to the evolving changes to guns. flint -lock turns into percussion-lock. Tylor "Cultural evolution" is the idea that human cultural change--that is, changes in socially transmitted beliefs, knowledge, customs, skills, attitudes, languages, and so on--can be described as a Darwinian evolutionary process that is similar in key respects (but not identical) to biological/genetic evolution.
