Intro to Cultural Anthro Midterm #1

What is associated with specific evolution (and what is it)?

-Julian Steward -societies progress through certain stages, but look at human-environmental interactions

Body Rituals of the Nacerima (Minor): Who are they

Americans

ethnography and culture (Spradley)

How to Analyze Another Culture -Step 1: Reject "naive realism": the notion that all people throughout the world define the world of objects, events, and concepts the same way -Step 2: Understand three fundamental aspects of human experience: --> cultural behavior --> cultural artifacts (stuff we make) --> cultural knowledge (explicit/implicit)

language

-system of communication consisting of sounds, words, and grammar

examples of "Old School" approach

-"The Neur" -"The Sherpas" -"The Tikopia" -particular groups of people "The Sherpas" -economy, kinship, marriage, political organization, religion, moral concepts

a problem of language: gas barrels

-"empty" drum has fumes - people lit cigarettes around it -language influences our perception of the world!

are "modern" societies peaceful?

-Americans have guns, weapons, involved in 140 countries w/ military presence

etic perspective

-an outside observer's view on a culture

method of ethnology (person)

Franz Boas, 1858-1942 -father of American anthropology -physicist turned geographer (Berlin) -developed interest in studying culture -first Prof. of Anthropology, Columbia U, 1899 -helped develop anthro as methodologically rigorous discipline (proponent of first-hand fieldwork, rejected arm-chair approach) -critiqued grand theories on race, social evolution, and cultural determinism

how is value created?

Neoclassical and Formalist -by competition between buyers and sellers Substantivist -by cultures and social institutions Marxist -by exploitation of labor (class and power)

Spirits of Resistance (Ong): modes of production (nonindustrial vs. industrial capitalism)

Nonindustrial Societies -labor given as social obligation (reciprocity and redistribution) -relatively small socioeconomic divide (ex: Ongka doesn't have much more than his neighbors) Industrial Capitalism -money buys labor -relative large socioeconomic divide

Julian Steward's Cultural Ecology (Ch. 2): case study - Shoshone of Great Basin (arid region)

Pine nuts as winter food source: -unsustainable resource conservation when all together -disperse to reduce competition and over exploitation of resource Socially fragmenting effect of cultural ecology -reconstructive system (not fully established) -family level of social organization due to pursuit of highly dispersed food source (family units, not villages) -"first come, first served" rights to resources" -cooperation and leadership emerge only in limited contexts (communal hunts)

the gift as social obligation

The obligation to give -create/elevate relationship -establish giver as generous and worthy of respect The obligation to receive -acknowledge, show respect to the giver The obligation to reciprocate -maintain relationship, demonstrate honor

types of data

1. Quantitative -numbers -data that is measured (weight, speed, number, age, volume, percent, etc.) 2. Qualitative -descriptions -data that is observed (texture, smell, appearance, feeling, etc.)

What do anthropologists produce? (definition, 2 approaches)

Ethnography -an account of a particular society, community, group, or organization -based on long-term, first-hand fieldwork "Old School" -highly descriptive and holistic account of a society at a particular point in time -no longer done Contemporary -"problem oriented" -less holistic and more focused on a single issue -emphasis on intersection of local and global

distinction between anthro and everything else

Macro-scale research -researcher hires others to gather data/analyzes existing datasets -sociologist looks at large scale unit of analysis (all of STL region) Micro-scale research -researcher personally gathers data at research site (surveys, interviews, participant observation) -ex: look at Soulard, live there, study education/religion, markets, Mardi Gras, festivals

Symbols are...

Verbal or Nonverbal -images, etc. Arbitrary -symbol in US differs from symbol, image, behavior in another context -"S" is "sss" sound and has 2 curves -red means stop in US Developed Meaning by Convention -THIS is what [x] means Direct Transmission -you are taught language Symbols Provide Order -stop sign, traffic, map (need to know what symbols mean to provide order) -winking vs. twitching vs. spasm (symbolic expression, need context, what came before/after, intent?, socially appropriate?, shared system of communication) Learned through Enculturation

agency

** EXAM QUESTION ** -the capacity of human beings to affect their own life changes [what's possible in your life] and those of others and to play a role in the formation of the social realities in which they participate -individual actions and decisions

Spirits of Resistance (Ong): Spirit Possession (1980s)

-"... 8000 hours of production were lost b/c someone saw a ghost..." -why were young women who had moved to factories for work suffering from spirit possession? -they were malingering? They were stressed out b/c difficult to work 10 hours a day? They were not used to working? -spirit possession provided a culturally appropriate way for Malay women to rebel against male authorities and factory conditions. The devil made me do it! (culture of spirits possessing people is common)

#Adulting and the Disordered State of American Adulthood (J. Hill): media

-"Adulting School" -TV show in Mumbai: "Adulting"

clothing and nonverbal communication: t-shirts and bumper stickers

-"I listen to Bob Marley" -I <3 Paris = I've been there -Greenpeace: I support them and I want you to know that I support them -bumper stickers: religious or nah (Christian vs. believing in evolution)

How to Find Mongo (Nagle): Nagle's agency

-"I was working behind a garbage truck so that I could better understand some of the human costs and labor requirements of garbage" -mostly men, blue collar, tell dirty jokes, whistle at women -Robin Nagle, PhD, white collar -needs to sling garbage -in contemporary society, we generate an enormous amount of waste, yet turn a blind eye on those who dispose of the waste (stigmatized - to characterize or mark as disgraceful - job)

examples of Contemporary approach

-"Only Hope" -"Illegality, Inc." -"AIDS Doesn't Show Its Face" "Only Hope" -single setting (urban) -narrow topic focus -study of children's experiences growing up only-children in urban China -focus on economic change, global aspirations, and educational pressures "Illegality, Inc." -multiple settings (migration routes and places of entry) -not focused on one society -explores how Europe's increasingly powerful border regime meets and interacts w/ its target = the clandestine market

Ecosystems Approach (Roy Rappaport) Ch. 4: Rappaport's Lasting Contribution

-"Ritual actions do not produce a practical result on the external world - that is one of the reasons we call them rituals" (Homans): FALSEEEE -rituals have measurable effects in ecosystems. They can regulate domestic animal populations, frequency of warfare, ratio of land to people, distribution of food, etc.

Bronislaw Malinowski (1884-1942) (what he wrote, where he trained, who he studied, why he went there, what he found)

-"Subject, Method, and Scope" -Polish by birth, physicist/math person -trained and taught at London School of Economics -library-based study of Australian Aborigines -"exiled" to Melanesia during WWI (couldn't be in London as Polish person) -Trobriand Islands (1914-1918), longer fieldwork than any predecessor -Argonauts of the W. Pacific as landmark: participant observation as key method, early contribution to economic anthropology -Aborigines and his armchair study: thought to be primitive and promiscuous, but they have a family structure (convinced him that anthro needed scientific discipline)

previous methods of anthropological research (armchair, what the problem was)

-"armchair" scholars: derived theories by reading accounts of missionaries and colonial officials -problem: colonial administrators and missionaries ignorant of native culture; ethnocentric attitudes and highly biased accounts

participant observation

-"disciplined hanging out" -learn norms, values, beliefs, and behaviors -learn daily routines -join in daily activities -systematically document daily life

Spiritual Ecology Ch. 13: layers of understanding modern vs. traditional

-"modern": forests protect watersheds, help clean the air -"traditional": natural areas inhabited by spirits that can help or harm humans, hunting/destroying forests offends spirits -potential consequences: loss of prosperity (i.e. economic productivity), negative impacts on health, diminishing social disharmony (economic, health, social) -tangible effect: mitigating human impacts on the natural environment

ex: fieldwork in immigration and identity (how they express affiliation and belonging) Video Clip: LatinX (Hispanic? Mexican? Latino?)

-"not from there, not from here", trying to blend into American culture Research Questions 1) What identities are important among recent immigrants to the US from Central America? (diff. labels people use - American, Indigenous, Latino, Maya, Central American, Hispanic, refugee, immigrant, Guatemalan/Honduran/Salvadoran, etc. 2) Why and when are these different identities important? -participant observation is crucial to answering these questions

rapid appraisal

-"parachute ethnography" -researcher drops in for a few weeks to collect data

"You Are How You Eat" (Eugene Cooper): "... the degree to which a Chinese practices the rules of etiquette marks his class position... " (what this means, little boy, southern woman, delivery man)

-"proper" table etiquette can be a marker of social class -slouching, clutching fork, elbow on table = slob, parents didn't teach him -banquet, fundraiser, dinner party = class status -delivery guy = slob, burps

enculturation through direct transmission

-"that's not how you do things", "chew with your mouth closed"

Stalking with Stories (Basso): words, places, actions

-"the land is always stalking people" -"we know the names of the places where everything happened. So we stay away from badness"

Biodiversity and Health Ch. 11: continuing importance of ethnoecology

-"traditional environmental knowledge is a body of knowledge that is extensive, observationally grounded, and complementary to scientific knowledge"

Eating Christmas in the Kalahari (Lee): main point

-"why did you tell me the black ox was worthless?" -"arrogance... We refuse one who boasts, for someday his pride will make him kill somebody" (pride will kill him) -one ox does not erase your manipulation of gifts to fulfill your research goals -everybody needs to practice humility and generosity

culture influences, but...

-... but does not determine, the behaviors of individuals -cultural anthropologists are not cultural determinists -does not determine what you're going to do today -culture is used actively and creatively by individuals

Population and Environment Ch. 10: when it started

-1960s-1990s: growth in concern over population growth, set to double by 2050

The "Religion of Thinness": sacred images (and enculturation)

-20th century transformation of feminine beauty ideals -thin, young, white, rich image of feminine perfection becomes aspirational norm -enculturation starts early: ideal body image associated with wealth, happiness, popularit, etc. (Barbie)

AAVE

-African American Vernacular English -a distinct dialect of English w/ its own phonological rules and syntax; in some contexts, has less cultural capital than SE (standard English) (and vice versa for other contexts) -burden of code switching on marginalized populations -users regularly engage in code switching -inability to code switch can limit financial and education opportunities in contexts where AAVE is stigmatized or not accepted -in other words, society's failure to accept AAVE can impede financial and educational success of those who commonly speak it

Thinking with Pigs: why is pork consumption prohibited in two major world religions? (Islam, Judaism): Marvin Harris

-American anthropologist -cultural materialism: the material world, and especially resource availability and constraints, shapes and culture -environmental conditions didn't make sense for people to herd pigs bc too costly -do not chew the cud, humans have to share food resources w/ the pigs -pigs are an inefficient source of protein for people living in arid environments

It Isn't Easy Being Green Ch. 12: Seal Hunts

-Animal Rights groups oppose all seal hunting (cruelty to animals) w/o distinguishing between species or contexts -seal hunting integral part of Inuit culture, religion, society, and identity -hunting forms bonds between people, sharing meat still key part of reciprocity -traditional technologies replaced by modern ones -the ban on seal hunting is harming culture

"Mothers and Children in Bali" (1936-1938)

-Bateson and Mead, "Childhood Rivalry in Bali and New Guinea" -older child pulls invading baby (borrowed from neighbor) from mother's breast -child carries the baby around and brings it back to his mother -America: our bond w/ caregiver is sacred and unique -Balinese mother: we belong to the whole society, mother to all the children in the society, teaching the child that he is also part of the society -enculturation differs based on values, meanings of that particular culture

standards of beauty have changed over time

-Birth of Venus by Alexandre Cabanel (1863): pale, plump -supermodels: skinny, pale (now more body types)

anthropology w/ Boas vs. today

-Boas did physical, cultural, linguistic, archaeology -now different branches, separate domains that don't always overlap

1900s: natural sciences (people, what they thought)

-Boas, Malinowski, Radcliffe-Browne -strong inclination to make first-hand observations, test hypotheses, and generate new theories

Who is associated with historical particularlism?

-Boas, Mead, Benedict

Thinking with Pigs: why is pork consumption prohibited in two major world religions? (Islam, Judaism): Mary Douglas

-British anthropologist, structuralism and symbolic anthropology -structuralism: people make sense of the world through binary opposition -ex: woman vs. man, nature (no human interference) vs. culture (human action), inside vs. outside (public vs private clothing/speaking), sacred vs. profane, edible vs. inedible -sacred = edible, profane = inedible

Fieldwork in the Colonial Era - Anthropology and Colonialism

-British conquest of Sudan (Neur unknown and antagonistic, killed the District Commissioner in 1928) -Pritchard didn't want to study Neur (stay in Azande!) -financed by government of Anglo-Egyptian Sudan -goal: reveal Neur system of governance so they can be better controlled

BBC video explaining early anthropological ideas

-British empire expanded, more interactions -Brits collected objects to make sense of human variety -Victorians viewed the makers of the objects as savage (performed magic, tattoos, promiscuous sex, at the mercy of their emotions) -study of savages = anthropology -respected men ("armchair" anthropologists) studied from a distance, wrote letters to get accounts from missionaries/travelers -theory: savages were "primitive", opposite of Europeans

Thinking with Pigs: why is pork consumption prohibited in two major world religions? (Islam, Judaism): symbolic anthropology (person, what is it)

-Clifford Geertz -culture is expressed through symbols and symbolic actions -food is symbolic, used to provide order and generate meaning

Interpretive Theory of Culture

-Clifford Geertz (1926-2006) -culture is embodied and transmitted through symbols -people express culture in everything they do -all human action is symbolic -you can interpret everything people are doing and find meaning

Complex Societies (Ch. 6): Kohistani niche

-Dardic language, agro-pastoral, live uphill -driven from lower valley by Pathan (some have Pathan ancestry) -single annual crop plus transhumance (herding animals) -exploit both agricultural land and highland pastures

1800s: historians and philosophers

-Frazer, Morgan, Tylor -no need to make first-hand observation ("but heaven forbid!" -Sir James Frazer) -Morgan did interact w/ Native American communities

Shakespeare in the Bush: cultural belief of the Afterlife

-Hamlet's conversation with father's ghost -Tiv? Tiv elders say it was a zombie, but you CAN touch zombies (unlike the ghosts that Hamlet cannot touch) -elders get mad and say that there are witches everywhere and only elders know how it works

Shakespeare in the Bush: marry dead husband's brother?

-Hamlet: King dies, father's brother marries the mother (NOT GOOD) -Bohannan: inappropriate to marry brother's widow, inappropriate for widow to marry quickly (she married her dead husband's brother) -Tiv Elders' Interpretation: "he did well." Your father's brother can become your father. Where were the other wives of the dead chief?

gender enculturation (direct transmission, observation, lessons from birthday parties)

-How do boys and girls learn what constitutes proper behavior for their respective genders? Direct Transmission -"that's not a toy for boys" Observation -what do men do? What lessons do children learn from birthday parties about expected gender roles? -Sweet and Sassy: focusing on their appearance (mirrors, runway) -Paintball, Go-Kart: boys learning how to shoot, drive, violence/aggression

Population and Environment Ch. 10: model

-IPAT -the impact of any human group on the environment is product of number of people (pop. size), average person's consumption of resources (more affluence = more consumption), the environmental disruptiveness of the technologies that produce the goods consumed

Population and Environment Ch. 10: Population growth and environmental degradation in Honduras (William Durham)

-IPAT is too simplistic -need to account for structural causes of environmental destruction (political ecology!) -"the impact of human populations upon environments is mediated by cultural and political economic forces that do not act as simple multipliers and multiplicands" -people in power come in and displace poor people, increase inequality

Complex Societies (Ch. 6): Gujar niche

-Indic language, pastoralists -transhumance in symbiotic relationship with Pathans; use Pathan's crop residues to feed animals; herd Pathans' animals since Pathans consider herding a low status activity

Complex Societies (Ch. 6): Pathan niche

-Iranian language, intensive agriculture, lowlands, can irrigate -multi-cropping (2/year) essential to support social organization: surplus required for specialization; occupational groups exchange services for food, surplus required for organizing men's houses with potlatches to attract followers -niche limited to relatively low-lying areas where multi-cropping is possible

food preferences and taboos (3 religions)

-Islam: Halal (permissible) and haram (forbidden) -Judaism: Kosher (fit to eat) -Hinduism: Ahisma (nonviolence toward all beings)

Ongka's Big Moka (overview): highland Papua New Guinea

-Kawelka tribe, leader's name is Ongka -assembling pigs, birds, motor bike for neighboring tribe -receiver from neighboring tribes -only 1 of 4 Ongka's wives looks after pigs for him -expect repayment years later w/ interest -demonstrate generosity, gratitude, political status/authority

Collaborative Ethnography (Lassiter): Lassiter's Kiowa Research

-Kiowas leery of anthropologists: slighted by lack of recognition for previous collaboration, insulted that Kiowa knowledge was passed as the anthropologist's, careers built on Kiowa-supplied knowledge -"Don't be an 'expert' at the expense of the Kiowas"

Thinking with Pigs: why is pork consumption prohibited in two major world religions? (Islam, Judaism): why not eat pork?

-Leviticus: 4 legs, cloven (split) hooves, but do NOT chew cud (regurgitate and then redigest) -pigs do not fit into the cultural categories that define what is edible -pigs defy symbolic boundaries between "clean" and "unclean" (profane, inedible b/c they are not "inside" the same group as cows) -eating pork would defy symbolic boundaries between religious adherents and those outside the religious community (inside religion vs. outside religion) -food prohibitions are a symbolic way to demonstrate and maintain community (whether you belong or not)

Does your language shape how you think? (Deutscher)

-Linguistic categories and conventions INFLUENCE how we perceive reality -and, the knowledge that language shapes our perception is used intentionally and strategically in advertising, politics, etc.

Spirits of Resistance (Ong): Aihwa Ong

-Malaysian-American anthropologist -fieldwork in East and SE Asia and the US -"Spirits of Resistance and Capitalist Discipline" (1987) -critical and cross-cultural perspective on globalization, migration, and citizenship

linguistic diversity

-Mali: 80+ languages -India: 400+ -Papua New Guinea: 850+ -Brazil: 150+ -over 7000 languages globally

semantics shape perceptions: laws

-NCLB, ACA, Patriot Act (if you're against this, are you not a patriot?), Defense of Marriage Act (restrict to heterosexual couples)

do no harm: precedents

-Nazi Experimentation (1930s and 1940s, medical and psychological experiments) and Doctors' Trial (Nuremberg trials where all medical experiments took place in Nazi Germany) -abusive medical research by US institutions (Tuskegee Syphilis experiments 1932-1972 --> AA men in South who had syphilis and other STIs, knowingly allowed infections to continue w/o treating them to see what syphilis does to human body) --> JH and US Public Health Service -Guatemala (US infecting them in 1940s-1950s): infecting people with syphilis

Jaevli Utlending

-Norwegian for "foreign devil" -when they call you that, it's a sense of acceptance

How is globalization linked to increasing environmental and health problems? (Welsch and Vivanco)

-OK Tedi Mine improves the lives of some while creating immense problems for others

Shakespeare in the Bush: Polonius

-Ophelia is his daughter (she is Hamlet's girlfriend) -Polonius is killed by Hamlet

transitory experience vs. lived reality

-Pastor Lyle doesn't really know what it's like to be broke and homeless (voluntary, short-term 5 days) -Childs doesn't really know what it's like to be disabled (involuntary, short-term 6 weeks) -nevertheless, lived experience is the basis for empathic understanding -doesn't replicate other people's experiences

cultural capital (who thought of this, definition, how to make cultural capital)

-Pierre Bourdieu (Practice Theory) -cultural assets that afford a particular social status, and may be converted to economic gain -value of languages, dialects, and speech styles varies (some provide access to resources, some are stigmatized or considered markers of inferiority) -skillful code switching can be converted into economic benefits

Practice Theory

-Pierre Bourdieu [French anthropologist] -look at everyday practices to see how they shape culture -individuals within every society have different motives and intentions and degrees of power and influence (agency) -culture shapes and constrains the thoughts, actions, and behaviors of the individual -the agency of individuals transforms culture in subtle yet cumulatively importantly ways

Julian Steward's Cultural Ecology (Ch. 2): specific evolution: from nuclear family to band

-Shosone predatory bands rise in response to white encroachment -the horse was initially food, then a means to raid encroachers, developed more complex social organizations for strength and numbers to resist

misplaced matter (Cindy Godden-Bryson)

-Stung Meanchey Garbage: Dump Phnom Penh Cambodia -dirty, flies everywhere -children playing games, little girl holding flowers -a place where "those without jobs, education, or homes have come to make their livelihood"

"Raising the Curtain" (Childs): importance of Tashi, gov't official fight

-Tashi Dondrup (after living with children in the house of the lama) Key Cultural Consultant -fictive kinship relationship (ajo/nuwo) -social link to others -insights on local life -research facilitator -friend and companion Gaining Rapport (similar to Geertz) -encounter w/ gov't official -said Childs didn't have permit -natives thought Childs was actually gov't official wanting to steal old artifacts, so they were amused when he was fighting the gov't official -"we're pretend you are a monk and hide you" -long-term residence on their terms leads to respect and acceptance Joking Relations -"save a few [lice] for me!" -"Are you now Tashi's servant?" -"you two need a wife"

Working at a Doner Kebab Shop (Oguz Alyanak): Research agenda

-Turkish scholar studying Turkish migrants -morality, masculinity, and urban space among migrants in Strasbourg, France -Doner Kebab shop as site of participant observation -empathic understanding of work routines -conversations lead to insights on work, family, leisure, etc.

performative speech acts (definition, criteria, example)

-a change in status is affected via an utterance -ex: "I now pronounce you husband and wife" (single to married); "I find the dependent guilty" (ordinary citizen to criminal) -direct and immediate relationship between utterance and effect providing all social and linguistic conventions are met (right conventions, context, and authority) What happens when things go awry? -ex: Presidential Oath 2008 -the transformation in status may not actually occur!

symbolic interactionism

-a theory that seeks to explain human behavior in terms of meanings 1. humans act towards things on the basis of the meanings that the things have 2. meaning is derived from the social interaction that one has with one's fellows 3. meanings are handled/modified through an interpretive process used by the person dealing with the things he encounters

Food and the City (Wegerif): research methods

-actor-oriented ethnography in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania -start w/ eater, follow food back to the source

Benjamin Whorf

-actuary, assesses risk b/c early career w/ insurance company as fire prevention engineer -later, comparative studies of Native North American languages

How is culture integrated?

-all aspects of our daily experience are shaped by culture -if one part of the system changes, other parts cahnge as well

heliocentric diffusion

-all cultural traits originate from a single source (ex: ancient Egypt) -Mayan Pyramids had to have been inspired by Egyptians, couldn't have invented it themselves, somehow Egyptians had contact with the New World

unilineal evolution (trajectory)

-all societies follow the same evolutionary trajectory (economics, political/social institutions, religion, rationality, etc.) -European societies represent the pinnacle of social evolution; all others are on the same trajectory (but are lagging behind) -"primitive" people are equivalent to the most ancient ancestors of "civilized" people (Europeans are the most powerful, ethnocentric)

The Original Affluent Society (Sahlins): amount of work/rate of hunger vs. "development", main causes of hunger

-amount of work and rate of hunger increase as economies become more "developed" -main causes of hunger: unequal resource distribution, conflict (wars, violence), deforestation (from agriculture and logging), drought, climate change, disease (due to climate change and lacking healthcare) -UN Path to Zero Hunger by 2030

Ethnographic Seduction (Osburg): fieldwork, ethnography, and power

-anthropologists have traditionally studied people with less political and economic resources than the anthropologists had themselves -Osburg's informants were wealthy, professional, politically powerful -anthropologists are good at studying inequality, resistance, and social movements from "grassroots" perspective (build trust, rapport) -anthropologists are not good at studying systems of power, domination, and inequality from the perspective of the power holders -doing research with and writing about groups who have more political and economic resources involves: 1. key obstacles: access and methodology 2. getting beyond "official" storylines (tell more than what's on the website) 3. at times, taking a critical stance that implicates one's informants (moral relativism)

Working at a Doner Kebab Shop (Oguz Alyanak): video

-anthropology of escapes, where do we go to find solace? -Strasbourg, took him to Mosques, casinos, car rides, the men were NOT at home -3 areas: workspace, home, leisure places (constructing meaning in the every lives of migrants)

participant observation and problems when studying those who hold power

-anthropology's prototypical methodology "does not travel well up the social ladder" -when studying corporate and political elites, what are you observing? Where? How do you gain access?

The Original Affluent Society (Sahlins): his argument

-argues against formalist position, is a substantivist -American anthropologist -fieldwork in the Pacific -"Stone Age Economics" (1972), a classic ethnology: build up argument and compare/contrast the ethnographies -uses ethnographic data to critique mainstream theories about "rational" economic behavior

Moral Dilemmas and Ethical Controversies (Kirsch) (what Diamond said): professional ethics and do no harm (what he should have done)

-assume that research publications will be read by research subjects -protect and preserve records: anthropologists must protect info, depending on potential risks and subjects' expressed desires

ethnocentrism

-assuming one's own way of doing things is correct, while simply dismissing other people's assumptions as wrong or ignorant

negative reciprocity

-attempt to get something of greater value than what you give through barter or other means of exchange, still need to maintain relationship -guarantee future business if the seller discounts tomatoes -just got a job in France, sell car "Ok, I'll give you $200 for it" -flattery (relatively cheap) in exchange for promotion of salary raise (tangible economic value)

reciprocity in research: issue of giving back

-avoid unauthorized advocacy -only help if you're asked or given authority -unfilled promises lead to cynicism -when should one be permitted to intervene or act on behalf of another person or group?

participatory action research

-based on the idea that marginalized people can and should do much of their own investigation, analysis, and planning

AAA Statement on Ethics (2012)

-basic principles to guide interactions with other people, 7000-8000 members, mostly from US 1. do no harm 2. be open and honest 3. obtain informed consent and necessary permissions 4. weigh competing ethical obligations 5. make results accessible 6. protect and preserve records 7. maintain respectful and ethical professional relationships

does it matter who you are? (and what skills can hinder info received)

-because all data are filtered through the lens of the individual researcher, it is important to understand: --> How your personal attributes "situate" the anthropologist within the research setting? --> How do your personal attributes help or hinder the research process? -acceptance, rapport, and access to information can be facilitated or inhibited by personal characteristics of the ethnographer: these can be invariable (citizenship), change during fieldwork (linguistic), or change over a career (age) -age, gender, linguistic skills, education level, ethnicity, citizenship, personality, skills -ex: important for people to know Thomas was married, she got access to other married women

Eating Christmas in the Kalahari (Lee): why make fun of the ox?

-because oxen are important goods associated with wealth and prestige, acknowledging the gift would have filled Lee with arrogance

empathic understanding

-being aware of, sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experiences of another -comes through common experience -goal of anthro that is achieved through fieldwork -ex: Rev. Willie Lyle lived for 5 days as homeless man -ex: Griswold Award movie, Childs fell onto driveway and broke pelvis, navigated WashU while injured

purist ideology (and Cavanaugh's argument against this)

-belief that mixing languages in an inferior mode of communication, as compared to using a "pure" language Cavanaugh and Cross-cultural Perspective -there are no "pure" languages! -there is no "correct" way to speak a language!

combining approaches (bioculture, example of bioculture)

-biocultural approaches study relationship between culture and human biology Adaptation -the processes by which organisms cope with environmental stresses -can have biological and/or cultural dimensions -ex: high altitude populations: control fire and learn about clothing (need cultural adaptations) before moving to high altitude and physiologically adapting

kinesics: definition

-body movements, postures, expressions, and gestures as forms of communication -ex: enlarged pupils, "sparkle" in the eye

practicing anthropology

-broadest category of anthropological work -anthropologist performs research and gets involved in the design, implementation, and/or management of some organization, process, or product

cultural "tunnel vision"

-can lead to ethnocentrism -unquestioned tacit meanings and perspectives drawn from our own culture that prevent us from seeing and thinking in terms of another culture's tacit meanings and perspectives -need to accept that people's reactions make sense in terms of their own culture -other people have tunnel vision too (think their ways are best)

Ecosystems Approach (Roy Rappaport) Ch. 4: critiques of Rappaport

-closed system is unrealistic assumption (geographic perspective) (exchanging meat with neighbors) -homeostasis assumption is problematic due to short time frame (historical perspective) Response -shift from studying systems in equilibrium to systems in flux -more attention to long-term historical processes (historical ecology)

coffee in Papua New Guinea

-coffee introduced as cash crop by Australian officials What effects did this have on highland society? -technological changes have wide impacts -organize your household differently when growing coffee for market vs. growing what your family needs -access to cash in an egalitarian society [everyone has same stuff] based on gift-giving -some people getting money so they can buy stuff, some people not growing coffee and have less stuff -young people with high social status in society where elders had been revered

Collaborative Ethnography (Lassiter): Hunt and Boas, Fletcher

-collaborated on Kwakiutl research for decades (1890s-1933) -Boas acknowledged George Hunt throughout the work -La Fesche insisted on co-authorship of the book written by Alice Fletcher (1911), it worked

ethnohistory

-combines historical and ethnographic approaches to understand social and cultural change -important for non-literate communities that have few written historical documents

philology

-comparative study of ancient texts and documents

longitudinal data

-comparison across time Ex: looking at changes in education migration in Nubri

what is multi-sited ethnography?

-conducting participant observation in many different social settings

Karl Marx

-conflict of increasing wealth of capitalists (Bourgeoisie) at expense of working class (proletariat) -feudalism --> capitalism --> communism

Grimm's Law

-consonants in the original language shift to make new languages

Ethnoecology (Ch. 3): Harold Conklin's (cronk... Emperor's New Clothes... silly... swidden) ethnoecological approach to shifting cultivation (swidden, "slash and burn")

-context: development in the Philippines, denigration of swidden agriculture -reversing the equation: problem is not swidden cultivators' lack of knowledge about the environment, problem is lack of knowledge of swidden cultivators -ex: Milk with Altitude, accusations that women don't know about knowledge, it's our lack of knowledge about what they now

Shakespeare in the Bush (Bohannan) (core question, who she worked with)

-core question: is "human nature" the same everywhere? -"I was quite sure that Hamlet had only one possible interpretation, and that one universally obvious" -working with Tiv people in Africa

culture and body image

-cultural concepts about the body shape daily behaviors and domestic organization (Miner) -cultural concepts about maintaining ideal body generate religious-like behaviors (Lelwika) -cultural notions of beauty change over time and vary cross-culturally (proportions, skin tone)

tacit cultural knowledge

-cultural knowledge that is implied, that people lack words for, or that lies outside our explicit awareness -something you feel is the right way of doing things, really hard to explain -ex: personal space and distance, depends on context, how well you know them

Shakespeare in the Bush: political leadership

-cultural norms and expectations of a European King? A Tiv Chief? -anthropology provides a cross-cultural perspective

functionalism (Malinowski and Radcliffe-Brown)

-cultural practices and beliefs serve important purposes for society, such as explaining how the world works and organizing people into roles so they can get things done -cultures are closed, stable

diffusion

-cultural traits originate in one area and then spread to other areas -migration and diffusion thus explain cultural similarities found in different societies -ex: cell phones diffuse around the world -ex (culture): people migrate, trade, interact, exchange ideas/technology -further split into heliocentric diffusion and culture circles

culture circles

-cultural traits originated at multiple sources -diffusion from multiple sources (Societies A, B, C interacting with each other) -much more realistic idea

Shakespeare in the Bush: key points

-culture shapes how we interpret experiences and events -provides a context for interpretation

reciprocal relationship between culture and individual

-culture shapes individual, individual shapes culture

culture and natural processes (like death)

-culture takes natural biological urges we share with other animals and teaches us how to express them in particular ways Ex: death, moving about, eating -every being experiences death -humans permeate death with cultural customs -Christian (ritual to say goodbye, container for corpse, vehicle for corpse, monument to mark final resting spot) Culture Influences Behavior -need to wear black suit -ex: ice cream truck in a hearse - not appropriate or what we expect

culture and food: expressing hunger

-culture teaches us how to express a natural biological urge (ex: hunger) in particular ways -what/when/where/with whom/how you should(n't) eat -ex: fried chicken vs. roaches (since a roach ≠ food, is it tacit or explicit? could be both)

symbols

-culture uses symbols -signs that have no necessary or natural connection to the things they stand for or signify -symbols endure through time -ex: heart = love

historical particularism (Boas) (definition, general theories POV, unique, inner/external developments, what he advocated for)

-cultures can only be understood in reference to their particular historical developments -no general theories (evolution, diffusion) can explain process of cultural change -every culture is unique and must be studied in terms of its uniqueness -each cultural group has its own history of change driven by inner developments (changes that occur from within like new adaptations, innovations, changing norms) and external influences (contact w/ other groups but then changes change forms/meanings as they are mediated and adapted through existing cultural norms) -advocated for detailed, culturally specific investigations that can eventually lead to theory building

What is the connection between skin tone and perceptions of beauty?

-darker = more attractive Ex: tanning ad -your life, your style, your image -choice of Hollywood celebrities, irresistibly enticing, exclusive image NOT a human universal -India, lighter = more attractive -"Fair and Handsome" -skin tone and social class (doorman/gardener/painter = darker; suit/two-women = lighter) Spectrum -to be good looking, popular, successful, happy, etc. (can become either lighter or darker depending on the society)

key points from Alyanak, Childs, Lassiter

-deep and complex relationships with research subjects yield meaningful insights about everyday life (Alyanak) -ethnographic research and analysis involve a robust combination of methodologies (Childs) -collaborative ethnography is an ethical approach that can make research more meaningful for those being studied (Lassiter)

agriculture

-defined by a set of processes that intensify production and increase yields: -preparing the soil (tilling, turn it over, don't have machines/animals to break up land in horticulture) -use of simple and/or complex technologies -use of larger labor force (complex social organization to manage the herd, workers involved in system so need to have complex social organization), including domesticated animals (oxen, cattle, mules) -water management (canals, ditches) -modifying plants and soils -fertilizer enrichment through manure, dung -rear animals for rice cultivation -terracing (ton of labor to prepare the land)

pastoralism

-dependence on herds of domesticated animals (goats, cattle, other camels) -heavy reliance on animal products for food and clothing, supplemented by foraging and trade (w/ agriculturalists) -involves practices of animal husbandry (breeding and care)

U.S. dialects (Pittsburg video)

-dialects = variation of language (like English) -Dennis Preston sat on train and asked people to identify where least correct English was spoken (mostly the South) -ex: Yins (Pittsburg; = Youins which is a plural of "you")

Douglas Blurs the Distinction (1921-2007)

-dieting goals resemble moral salvation (an ontological value - saving yourself from social unacceptability) -dieting creates or reflects a worldview and an embodied sense of self-definition -religious function of dieting: a way to seek meaning and fulfillment in life

How is non-western environmental knowledge similar to/different from science? (Welsch and Vivanco)

-different: interconnection between natural world, human activities, and spirit world -similar: knowledge of water sources and glacial conditions, understanding dangers posed by climate change

The "Religion of Thinness": rituals

-disciplined, routine, and repetitive behaviors designed to foster bodily transformation -weighing food, counting calories, focus on not overeating

Complex Societies (Ch. 6): Barth's observations

-distributions of ethnic groups related to ecological niches that each group exploits -different ethnic groups can coexist in stable relationships, if they exploit different ecological niches, then they can (and often do) establish symbiotic economic relationships

Thinking with Pigs: why is pork consumption prohibited in two major world religions? (Islam, Judaism): Douglas vs. Harris

-do humans always choose the most adaptive and efficient life ways? (no, ex: climate change) -do humans live in a purely symbolic world where ecological conditions and material resources do not matter? (nah) -we're somewhere in between

Ethics in Wartime (Gusterson): ethical concerns (bad things)

-do no harm: gathering intelligence to support military objectives could lead to research subjects' death/imprisonment (main criticsm) -obtain informed consent: not freely given if you're surrounded by guns -putting other anthros at risk around the world

What should you do when trying collaborative ethnography?

-do research that the community, not just the anthropologist, thinks is important -seek comments and direction from subjects throughout the research process ("it would be really helpful for us if you studied __" -dialogic technique: use conversations between anthropologist and collaborators to illustrate how cross-cultural understandings emerge in fieldwork

Political Ecology Ch. 7: Ok Tedi Mine "Reverse Anthropology" (Kirsch)

-downstream impacts: Fly River -initial center on rituals/sorcery -changed to focus on political ecology -change in river system/fish, water flowed upstream, couldn't collect prawns/crayfish, sacco palm died, tailings dumped into the river

How did anthropology begin? (3 reasons)

-early 1800s -also theory of evolution 1. industrialization -rapid social changes prompts new questions about society 2. colonialism -encountering and governing other people provides incentive to study them -salvage paradigm: preserve traditions 3. academia -various theories develop to explain human differences

The Potlatch (Harris): is amassing food stocks and material goods an economically irrational drive for prestige and status?

-early explorers thought so -why would people give all the stuff away/burn things?? -ethnocentric perspective persisted -Canadian gov't banned potlatch in the late 1800s

what was better than the armchair approach?

-early fieldworkers: journeyed to societies they studied, but brought informants to own camp for interviews in non-native languages ("interviewing on the veranda")

The Original Affluent Society (Sahlins): substantivist position

-economic activities are embedded in social institutions and cultural practices -H/G societies are organized around different values and institutions rather than capitalist economies! -value is placed on mobility, autonomy, and egalitarianism rather than on accumulation

the substantivist position

-economic activities are embedded in social institutions and cultural practices (can't apply universal theories) -relativist position: each society's economy based on different logical principles -economic activity is not governed everywhere by the same logic of "rationality choice" (i.e. varies cross-culturally)

economic anthropology summary

-economic anthropology examines both macro and microeconomic phenomena -basic principle: all economic activity is embedded in social and cultural practices -economic anthropology attends to the diverse rationalities, logics, values, and norms that structure economic systems -economic anthropologists examine how inequalities emerge from economic systems, and how power and inequality shape economic practices and decision-making

Political Ecology Ch. 7: Ok Tedi Mine positive national and local impacts

-economic development, employment, infrastructure. downstream impacts (Stuart Kirsch) -chemical pollutants destroy fish and wildlife (creates biologically "dead" river) -chemical pollutants cause health problems -mine tailing and excess sedimentation overflows banks, destroys forests

Moral Dilemmas and Ethical Controversies (Kirsch) (what Diamond said): ethical criticism

-either fabricated data or misused data in order to construct a compelling account that justified his theory (ex: New Guinea) -published names of people involved in violent acts, thereby exposing them to possible retaliation and criminal charges (people accused of murder)

norms (encourages what, definition, pressure to what, depends on what, example)

-encourage conformity -typical patterns of behavior, often seen as the rules of how things should be -carry pressure to conform -depend on social context -ex: business norms (handshake greeting, attire hairstyle) vs. punk rock band norms

summation of environmental anthropology

-environmental anthropology is part of (robust dimension) cultural anthropology -a useful toolkit for gaining key insights on human-environmental interactions -problem-oriented, social scientific approach -collaboration across disciplines (biologists, ecologists, economists, demographers) -contributes important insights on human-environmental interactions

do no harm: National Research Act of 1974

-establishment of federal Office for Human Research Protections and Institutional Review Boards at research institutes and universities -Human Research Protection Office (WashU): detail the risks, questions asked making sure that you give informed consent

collaborative ethnography emerges from...

-ethical concerns within discipline -pressure from people being studied ethics -> collaborative ethnography <- research subjects

culture and food: eating with hands

-ethnocentrism: you don't eat food with your hands! What's wrong with this kid?? -culture defines how you should eat: learned behavior that varies cross-culturally

intersubjectivity and collaboration (and Nubri example)

-ethnographic research is inherently collaborative -knowledge about Nubri society emerges from relationships between the anthropologist and community members (Lama Gyatso, Rigzen Dorje, Tashi Dondrup, Tubten and Purgu, etc.)

Edward Burnett Tylor (1832-1917)

-evolution of religious thought and systems -as humans evolve, they become more rational -built theories based on reports and descriptions by missionaries, merchants, and colonial administrators ("armchair" method) -people would send him descriptions/reports to compare *Theory of Religion* -animism (spirits), polytheism, monotheism, atheism (1870s, as society evolves humans to become more "rational")

Lewis Henry Morgan (1818-1881)

-evolution of social and political institutions (e.g. marriage, governance) -gathered some of his theories by himself, especially from Ely Parker -Iroquois Nation (present-day Aurora, NY) *Natural and Necessary* Unilineal Evolution Process -savages = promiscuity -barbarism = polygamy -civilization = monogamy

culture and food: which foods for which age groups

-ex: Fruit Loops -when it should be eaten -who is supposed to eat it (adults vs. children)

make results accessible: issue of impacts of publishing (Chagnon)

-ex: Napoleon Chagnon and the Yanomamo: The Fierce People (1968) (argument that they were naturally violent "burly, naked, filthy, hideous men staring at us down the shafts of their drawn arrows" -unfairly stereotyped Amazonian people -women selecting to reproduce w/ the most violent/aggressive men (so they're fierce) -ignored the hammocks, tug of war, chewing coca leaves -violence = defining feature -stereotypes about natives living in Amazon basin as barbaric and uncivilized -misrepresented them as "isolated" ("no contact w/ outside world until I show up") -IGNORES the fact that foreigners gave them metal axes/blades/shotguns to that Europeans could take over the land -ignored his own role in arming villagers (repay them through axes, shotguns) -may have helped to justify gov't policies aimed at their removal

reciprocity (Marshall Sahlins)

-exchange between people of similar social standing who have close (ish) personal ties (through kinship, marriage, friendship) 1. how closely related are the exchanging parties 2. how quickly and unselfishly are gifts reciprocated? -social distance (distant to close); trust (low to high) - negative, balanced, generalized reciprocity

values (definition, example, ideal vs. real, changing values)

-express intrinsically desirable principles or qualities -ex: "mom" and values of motherhood -ideal culture: what is expressed through values -real culture: what people actually do and say -values change (slowly), and there may be opposing or conflicting values with a given society

cross cultural variation of body types

-fat = healthy and prosperous -"My goodness, you are fat" (Tibet) -"You look fresh and fat today"

anthropological demography

-fertility, mortality, migration (NOT DEMOGRAPHIC ANTHROPOLOGY) -the simultaneous use of ethnographic and demographic concepts and methods to analyze population processes (fertility, morality, and migration) in small-scale societies -can outmigration have a positive impact on fragile Himalayan environments?

backlash from research subjects: "Sherpas of Nepal" (Furer-Haimendorf)

-few Sherpas could read English in 1964 -1999: "The Sherpas" by Sherpa Thupten Lama: said the 1964 book was false, representations were false

primary materials

-fieldnotes from someone with direct personal knowledge of the people

video: dumpster diving and trash picking

-find items discarded that had value, resell them

proto-language

-first language

Ethnoecology (Ch. 3): realities about swidden farming

-follows a locally determined, well-defined pattern and requires constant attention throughout most of the year -when possible, people prefer to make swidden fields in second-growth forest (rather than in primary forests)

value is in the eyes of the beholder (waste vs. value)

-for most people, garbage is waste: value of item has expired or is too minimal to keep -for some people, garbage has value: ore - items that can be mined and sold by weight; treasure - items with alternate value

correlates of food production: low to high labor intensity

-foraging -horticulture -agriculture

correlates of food production: population density

-foraging -horticulture -agriculture

The Original Affluent Society (Sahlins): nasty, short, brutish liveis?

-foraging/hunting and gathering stereotypically characterized as: -people barely getting by -brink of starvation -limited leisure, having to get by through sustenance -absence of surplus -incessant quest for food -meager resources

culture and food: organizing ourselves

-formal seating arrangement reflects social hierarchy -children's table at Thanksgiving -varies cross-culturally (ex: round Chinese table vs. rectangular American table)

big fight (in economics anthropology)

-formalists vs. substantivists

Boas marriage example

-found is (almost) all societies -if you have polygyny in 2 societies, does it mean... 1. they are at the same stage of societal evolution? (unilineal POV) 2. the custom spread from one society to the other? (diffusion POV) 3. the societies independently arrived at the same marital arrangement? (historical particularism: Boas)

Active Participation and Social Roles (Johnson et al): criteria to consider

-freedom of movement in/out of social circles -access to information -type of informant relations -type of information that can be accessed -need for specialized knowledge -neutral status ability -information reliability -power and autonomy: don't just make friends with the boss, otherwise employees won't talk to you -entrance probability -accessibility to organizational sectors

participant observation is used for...

-gaining a basic understanding of a way of life -knowing what is important and formulating hypotheses about how and why -gathering data that, in conjunction with other data, can be used to generate insights

Active Participation and Social Roles (Johnson et al): Strength of Weatherford's role

-gatekeeper = observe large range of activities -neutral, trusted position = rapport (he would also lie to researchers) -contrast with reporters and survey researchers: limited opportunities to observe (time and space), lack of trust and rapport compromises data reliability

cross-sectional data

-gathered at one point in time Ex: 1997 Nubri -migration for education (ages 10-19, living outside natal home) -39.2% male, 11.2% female, 24.2% total Ex: 2013 Nubri -migration for education (ages 10-19, living outside natal home) -73.7% male, 71.5% female, 72.6% total

Moral Dilemmas and Ethical Controversies (Kirsch) (what Diamond said): scholarly criticism and counter-examples

-get your facts right, don't generalize -inaccuracies, using single anecdote to generalize -Kirsch's counter examples: New Guinea man who forgoes revenge against killer of his father; Chinese doctor who didn't avenge those who tormented him during Cultural Revolution

Ongka's Big Moka: the value of the gift (what giving gets you)

-gift-giving is a way of achieving status, solidifying limited political power, and encouraging economic productivity -political power on his ability to persuade through his speeches -encourages them all to work on the moka -"need pigs for everything" (marriage, kids) Generalized Reciprocity -Ongka's relationships to wives and children involve the exchange of labor and food Balanced Reciprocity -Ongka trades labor w/ fellow villagers -"If I throw this big party for you, you will throw one for me later on" -if everyone helps with moka, we all win

balanced reciprocity

-giving entails expectation that something of equal value will be returned (immediately or in future) -stranger does favor for you? Reciprocated with verbal gesture "thank you" -some verbal gestures require immediate return, violation is awkward -return can be delayed "I'll get the next round" (person who fails to reciprocate in balanced manner? moocher, freeloader, parasite, sponger) -everyday life: what "currency" do you use to reciprocate a favor from a friend? Neighbor? (ex: AUS beer given as currency)

generalized reciprocity

-giving something without the expectation of an immediate return -uninhibited giving such as between parents and children, spouses, close kin -giving = expression of personal relationship -an unwritten social contract? parents may expect "return", but not well-defined and could include social or material benefits -educating you as generalized reciprocity (do your parents count the money they devote to your education and expect an equal return? - your happiness/support in old age/family status associated with your success?)

The "Religion of Thinness": salvation stories

-glimpses of human fulfillment that is associated with social approval from weight loss -ex: Biggest Loser 1. lose weight (Sonya) -social approval; still part of social group (the weight loss team) 2. didn't lose weight (Lori) -disapproval; threat of ostracism from group -"the journey is not done. I need to fight to stay here" 3. salvation (Tanya) -weight loss odyssey linked to forgiveness, freeing oneself from emotional baggage

gender and language (masculine/feminine)

-grammatical genders can shape the feelings and associations of speakers toward objects Fork -le fourchette: feminine, French -el tenedor: masculine, Spanish

Ethics in Wartime (Gusterson): "Human Terrain, 2010" video

-have military and local populations operating in conjunction - this is a seductive idea -but actually... the military wants help finding enemies

Indonesia swidden farming video

-headman distributes land equally -leave fallow period for 9 years, plant rice and millet -Garo community -digging stick and seeds, low tech approach, no terracing -use profits for school fees

language and identity: Boston video

-heavy accent -say "bro" all the time -dropped R's, know tons of places

Ethics in Wartime (Gusterson): "National Geographic Explorer 2010" video

-helicopters sweeping the road to avoid the truck getting shot by Taliban -none of the local officials want to meet with them (anthros) bc they think they'll get killed

Boas POV: unilineal social evolution

-historical changes in cultural life follow definite laws which apply to every society Boas: -unproven/unproveable hypothesis -cultural similarities can arise through diffusion, adaption to similar environments, and/or independent invention

Active Participation and Social Roles (Johnson et al): Christine Avenarius

-how do you study a "community" of immigrants that lives dispersed across a major metropolitan area? -study of people from Taiwan living in LA -multiple sites of active participant observation: optometry shop (might have to volunteer there 3 hours/day, 3 hours/week, tell customers you're a researcher, not taking their job), dance group, university campus, church, choir, Daoist organization -Avenarius needed to occupy multiple ACTIVE social roles in order to gather sufficient data to understand a dispersed community -all the social roles were important

speech and social stratification

-how one speaks is an important and meaningful marker of place and identity -people with certain speech patterns have more cultural capital than others -cultural capital translates into economic gain -over time, patterns of inequality emerge

language and social status (how do you learn language, how is social status related to language)

-how one speaks is the result of enculturation into a particular social class (socioeconomic status, race, gender, ethnicity) -the social status attached to a particular way of speaking depends on the social context (ex: mayor of Boston doesn't say "bro" every sentence --> implies that his language will be devalued in South Boston)

proxemics: definition, variations of it, how violations are conveyed

-how people react to and use distance as a form of communication -personal space: varies cross-culturally/contextually, can expand/contract depending on your relation w/ the person -violations conveyed through gestures and movements (KLM airlines - business class = more space)

make results accessible: issue of impacts of publishing (Osburg)

-how will your publications influence the way others perceive the subjects of study? -ex: Osburg, Anxious Wealth (Chinese businessmen)

morphology

-how words are formed into meaningful units

syntax

-how words are strung together to form sentences and more complex utterances, such as paragraphs

language, thought, and culture: Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis

-idea that we can't think of certain things if it's not in our language -linguistic relativity: people speaking different languages perceive or interpret the world differently because of differences in their languages

language ideology

-ideologies that people have about the superiority of one dialect or language and the inferiority of others -shapes our image of who we are and where we belong

anthropology at a distance

-if country is in war or political repression, can interview the natives who are living in your country

metaphor

-implicit comparison of words or things that emphasize the similarities between them, allowing people to make sense of complex social relations around them -ex: "food for thought", "chew on this"

Hopi grammar

-in the grammatical structure of Hopi language, assertion categories are marked as well as tense Assertion Categories -reporting of a fact (He ran. He is running.) -declaration of expectation (He is going/was going to run away) -statements of general truth (he runs when he sees storm clouds - assertion that this will happen no matter what)

the object of fieldwork

-increases the likelihood that a researcher can get a sense of how others understand their own lives -seeing the world from an emic perspective (POV of those being studied), don't just assume categories on them

collaborative writing

-integrate responses so that consultants shape representations and interpretations -write clearly so community members understand how they are represented

what does an ethnographer do?

-intensive fieldwork involves acquiring "the feeling" for proper behavior -getting to know daily routines (the "imponderables of everyday life"), contextualizing people's behavior -getting to know subjects of research as companions and informants -establishing trust and rapport -developing empathic understanding of native life

The Potlatch (Harris): conspicuous consumption

-intent to impress others by accumulating material goods (ex: car, clothes) -different from potlatch (which also has a redistribution aspect)

interviewing

-interviewing and participant observation are the two most common methods for gathering data in cultural anthropology -structured interview = data-based

Is participant observation enough?

-is the evidence from participant observation sufficient to understand the relevance of different identity categories for your informants? -P.O. establishes contexts and gathers info about how people identify across time/place -maybe, but it would only tell part of the story... Need: -interviews (why do you identify the ways that you do?) -life histories (how do people understand their identities to have changed over time?) -triangulation: comparing data collected via several different methods; if data obtained via several different methods point to the same conclusion, you have a strong argument ^ participant observation, interviews, surveys

Ethics in Wartime (Gusterson): ethical considerations (good things)

-isn't a more culturally informed and sensitive military good? -idea that we'll reduce the number of innocent people killed, bolster humanitarian efforts of the military -why not use anthropology to make war more humane?

protect and preserve records: issue of protecting sources

-keep information confidential -carefully store data -invent place names? pseudonyms? (are these measures realistic? What do your informants want/suggest?)

intersubjectivity

-knowledge about other people emerges out of relationships that individuals (the researcher and the informants) have with one another -interpersonal relationship, looks different based on who you are/who your research subjects are

Language and New Media (Cavanaugh): language and culture

-language links place, identity, and social status in powerful ways -language ideologies can be used to justify social stratification and inequalities -anthropology offers a cross-cultural perspective that values linguistic diversity

systematic sketch

-look for, and document, order and structure where others see disorder and chaos

Biodiversity and Health Ch. 11: medicinal plants and health

-loss of biodiversity = loss of medicinal plants -loss of indigenous peoples = loss of plant knowledge (ethnobotany) -many potential (and unknown) pharmaceuticals lost through destruction of tropical forests

general evolution

-macro scale -increase in scale and complexitiy (ex: economic production and social organization)

Crack in Spanish Harlem (Bourgois): culture of terror, why people actually can't make it up to the top

-mainstream US culture has left many immigrants groups and people of color on the outside and without opportunities -poverty is not the result of the "faulty culture" of poor people; it is the result of a mainstream cultural and economic system that actively excludes certain groups: many barriers for people to pull themselves up -formal, legal employment is a context of discrimination and is emasculating; embarrassing to hang out with Ronald McDonald all day

Evans-Pritchard

-major figure in British anthropology -research focus on kinship as a basis for political organization -fieldwork in Africa during height of British colonialism

Clifford Geertz (1926-2006) (who he was, his goals)

-major proponent of interpretive anthropology Goals: -to demonstrate how seemingly irrational institutions and practices actually have a cultural logic -to provide reader with an "empathic understanding" of another society -theme from Malinowski and Evans-Pritchard

How to Find Mongo (Nagle): entering the field

-maneuver through "gatekeepers" (sanitation officials) to gain access -"... are the most important uniformed force in NY, but the larger public knows little about them, and they deserve far more respect..."

Population and Environment Ch. 10: flowchart Durham's Political Ecology of Deforestation in Latin America

-market demand drives commercial production and deforestation -deforestation leads to impoverishment, reduced production, migration -migration into cheap labor, population increases

utility

-measure of usefulness that consumer obtains from a good (can be enjoyment, security, health benefit, etc.)

secondary materials

-media clippings, gov't reports, scientific studies, institutional memos and correspondence

subsistence

-meeting basic nutritional needs -vs. something like Schnucks = surplus

"You Are How You Eat" (Eugene Cooper): symbolic gestures

-messages about your gender, age, social status, ec. 1. indicate interest -accept rice bowl with 2 hands -bring bowl to mouth while eating 2. express deference -allow elders to eat first -offer to others before self -share common foods -sterilize foodware with hot water -morning food not a meal b/c no rice -someone pays the whole tab (validates superiority, reciprocity will probably be achieved) -festivals: ignore frugality and indulge (ts'ai first, then rice)

specific evolution

-micro scale -evolution is multilinear (each society takes its own course) rather than unilinear (Boas' camp, each society develops in unique ways) -"cultural adaptation", focus on process rather than outcome

euphemism

-mild/indirect expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing -ex: alternative facts (lies), collateral damage (civilians killed/wounded during war), enhanced interrogation techniques (torture), tender age shelters (detention facilities for undocumented migrants under 12)

Ongka's Big Moka: mode of production

-mixed strategy 1. horticulture -cultivating yams for people and pens 2. pastoralism -herding pigs 3. agriculture -has surprising amount of money in savings at bank -growing coffee as a cash crop 4. market exchange -for coffee

cultural relativism is NOT...

-moral relativism (anything goes, whatever happens in the world is part of some culture, so it's ok) -need to understand the culture before morally judging

Swidden agriculture

-most common form of horticulture -also called "slash and burn" -clearing of plots for cultivation, then long periods when old plots lie fallow -once soil is depleted those nutrients in the soil, then move on, can return and let the old plot grow back

garbage and value

-most treat garbage as unusable/unwanted items -others find value by extracting recyclable items -"waste had turned from a single, dangerous entity to be avoided in all circumstances to an alluring mixture of objects, things, and matter of potential value" -for rural to urban migrants, opportunity to make more than they could farming -fewer hours and better wages than factory work with more flexibility

nomadism (pastoralism)

-movement of entire group throughout the year (no permanent settlements)

Malinowski's New Standard

-must spend sufficient time "in the field" (one year minimum, preferably two) -must live among subjects of the study -must communicate in their language -must study entire culture and social life --> not as emphasized today

Hopi notions of time

-native Hopi speakers use two markers of tense that refer to whether: 1) something has already happened (past) 2) something is in progress (present but also future): -the future is in progress -is something is going to happen, it's already in motion right now

The Original Affluent Society (Sahlins): the institution of scarcity (and what formalist economics assumes is the human condition)

-neoclassical economics (formalist) assumes that scarcity defines the human condition: -resources are limited -we want more than we can have -every gain is also a loss of opportunity: competition

from horticulture to agriculture

-new labor requirements and more work hours -requires complex social organization of labor -land used intensively and continuously -higher yields than horticulture, but decreasing marginal returns (more time, not getting same rate of return)

Complex Societies (Ch. 6): Fredrik Barth's Plural Society

-niche concept: the place of a group in the total environment, its relations to resources and competitors -different ethnic groups can fill specialized economic roles within the same ecosystem -groups remain separate yet interdependent -ecological relationships of ethnic groups in Swat, N. Pakistan (where Malala Yousafzai was born)

are creations of values mutually exclusive?

-no -cell phone video: -competition between buyers and sellers (neoclassical): 1. consumer demand for low prices can generate labor exploitation 2. but exploit of labor (minerals mined in poor countries) 1. cultures and social institutions (concern for human rights can moderate labor exploitation [cultural notions about what concerns fair labor] --> exploitation of labor)

"Notes on a Balinese Cockfight" (Geertz)

-nonpersons, invisible men -need to cross "moral or metaphysical shadow line" between being ignored (non-person) and accepted (a member of society)? -attended cockfight and ran away like everyone else w/ police raid (demonstrating solidarity) -natives explained to the police exactly who Geertz/his wife were (weren't actually invisible like they had thought) -dramatic event allowed Geertz to establish the "mysterious necessity of anthropological fieldwork" = rapport = relation, especially one that is harmonious or sympathetic -teasing = marker of rapport and acceptance into Balinese society

Buzzfeed "Worth It" clip

-not about equality and humility -masculinity, steak, bourbon -not attempting to hide how much the steak is worth ($72) -rituals: salting, aging, chef talking about the flavors the mold gives (cultural capital)

does participant observation result in objective data?

-not exactly -the researcher collects data through routine and repeated observation and can test assumptions -but, it matters who the researcher is -and, the data collected depends on the research process (what spaces you are in, who you hang out with) -anthropologists don't claim that it is objective

The Original Affluent Society (Sahlins): cultural vow of poverty? Poor but happy?

-not exactly... "it is not that H/G have curbed their material 'impulses'; they simply never made an institution of them." -never had values that demanded that they have a lot of stuff -not in poverty wanting more, no religious commitment

protect and preserve records: issue of protecting sources (Thomas in Guatemala)

-not paying taxes, not reporting things to gov't, labor practices that are not necessarily correct -"How do you want to be represented?" -debated whether to use the name of the town, informants said that it's fine bc everyone knows what they do

waste as "ore"

-objects transformed from one with a purpose (water bottle) to one with an essence (plastic): gather enough water bottles, you have economic value -dumpsite as place to extract raw resources. Like a gold mine, a potential source of wealth

field notes

-observe, participate, document! -notes made during participant observation -notes made at the end of each day or after a shorter period of participant observation -includes specific details, timelines, reflections, further questions (ex: kinship relations)

When does enculturation occur?

-occurs within generations, occurs across generations -ex: parenting with the French method vs. something else

Political Ecology Ch. 7: OK Tedi Mine background

-one of the world's largest open pit copper mines (located in Papua New Guinea) -joint effort: int'l corporations and PNG gov't, lifespan: 1980s-2025

The Potlatch (Harris): More than Harris's Materialism

-only focuses on social/economic benefits and efficiency Also... -way of passing down history and tradition -a ritual that marked special occasions -symbolic expression of Kwakwaka'wakw identity

Food and the City (Wegerif): what to learn

-opportunity to learn from East African context about food practices that many people WANT to have in the US! -ex: US Farmers' Markets

How do people secure an environmentally sustainable food supply? (Welsh and Vivanco)

-organizing into small bands to minimize impact on resources (Steward's Shoshone example) -exploiting different niches and trading goods/services (Barth's Swat example) -coordinating via ritual (Rappaport's New Guinea example; Lansing's Bali example)

weighing ethical obligations: issue of brokerage

-others might want your data (ex: public health people) -when or when not to share? 1) are their interests benign? 2) how will interpret the data? 3) how will they use the info? 4) will it be in line w/ research subjects' needs and desires? professional ethics?

How is culture a dynamic process?

-our taken-for-granted notions, moralities, and behaviors are always shifting in relation to experiences, contacts, and connections [across society and world]

transhumance (pastoralism)

-part of group moves with herd, part stays in village (agro-pastoral subsistence strategy)

Active Participation and Social Roles (Johnson et al): the point

-participant observation involves strategic choices to occupy specific social roles -good choices facilitate rapport, neutrality, access to information, and data reliability -bad choices compromise the validity of a study (and your relationships)

How is participant observation useful (LatinX video)

-participate in various daily activities and routines to find out when identifying as "latina" vs. "Guatemalan" matters -document social factors, contexts, and dynamics that influence how people identify -formulate hypotheses about the differences: when someone is interacting w/ gov't official vs. families, they identify as [x]

traditions (definition, example, recency, kilt)

-passed down and protected -enduring and ritualized aspects of a culture -ex: holidays -people are often very concerned with defending and protecting their traditions -traditions are often recent inventions that assume are ancient -we think they have been around forever -ex: kilt - ancient symbol of clan identity or industrial uniform and marketing gimmick? --> late 1700s, factory worker dressed them in plaid skirts, became popular w/ other industrial workers --> now this is what is means to be Scottish

Active Participation and Social Roles (Johnson et al): How do you fit in?

-people are in many ways defined by their social roles - their cultural "place" in society - including: the type of work they do, job title, kinship status, gender role, educational status and training, etc. -fish camp in Alaska -red light district in D.C. -immigrant community in SoCal

How is culture shared?

-people make sense of the world through their participation in social groups -culture is not an individual attribute -psychological or biological explanations are not sufficient for understanding human experience -can't focus on individual minds/bodies -not written into your genes/brain -part of your life as a social being

kinesics and proxemics in political performance

-performing to potential voters live audience, TV, media Clinton -move to opponent's side = power move; refusing handshake = snub, no respect Trump -walk closer, hovering (intimidation); moving to opponent for final handshake relinquishes power, reclaims it with elbow grab -red tie = "power tie" to convey strength, authority, dominance within professional world

Climate Change Ch. 9: consequences of retreating glaciers

-photos from 1956-2012 show glaciers retreating, lakes forming -glacial runoff is critical for irrigated agriculture in arid areas of the world, receding glaciers = less water -receding glaciers creates unstable lakes; series risks downstream from catastrophic Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF)

example of how people use language to shape the way others view the world

-politician's apology used to gain sympathy

the formalist position

-premise: there are universal rules/economic reality that explain economic behavior -concepts and methods of neoclassical economics can be applied to all societies -goal of economic actor is to maximize utility -rational choice: continually weigh costs and benefits in order to maximize utility (drive to work - get there fast vs. get some exercise --> cultural notions: value of time/fitness, time is money) -rational (economic) actor continually weighs costs and benefits in order to maximize utility

weighing ethical obligations: primary obligation

-primary obligation is to your research subjects (not your research goals)

how Savages were viewed

-primitive people are living fossils; relics of human march toward civilization

Whither collaboration? (why do people not want collaboration)

-professionalization creates need to demonstrate scholarly ability and independent? How does it look if a PhD depends on uneducated "others" for data/analysis? -too much focus on theory, less on "native point of view" (Radin made this argument, ignored until 1970s; he himself gave full credit in "Autobiography of a Winnebago Indian" where he studied individuals)

Ethics in Wartime (Gusterson): Human Terrain System

-program established by US military in 2007 after invasion in Iraq/Afghanistan -social science support for wars, fighting the Taliban for the good of the Afghani people -need cultural and linguistic knowledge to support military objectives -get genealogical relationships and development info

The Original Affluent Society (Sahlins): 21st century foragers

-pushed to geographical and societal margins by agricultural and industrial societies -how would their livelihoods look today if they lived in more suitable environments?

Ecosystems Approach (Roy Rappaport) Ch. 4: the Pig Equation

-raise pigs, tubers -convert pigs to meat when the pigs become too numerous (systemic integration) -human-environment equilibrium reestablished by slaughtering pigs (ecological dimension) -"ritual in the ecology of a New Guinea people" (subtitle) -temporary cessation of warfare for feasting and exchange (social dimension) -coordinated through ritual activities (religious dimension)

Food and the City (Wegerif): feeding people in Urban Tanzania - challenges

-rapid population growth -climate change -pressure on natural resources -income inequality

misconception about anthropology: anthropologists only work in the world's most remote areas among people who have little contact with outsiders

-reality: an anthropologist can study people in any society (rural, urban) in a country

misconception about anthropology: anthropologists are only interested in studying "primitive" societies

-reality: anthropologists are very interested in change (ex: impacts of globalization) -anthropologists often study transnational processes (ex: those that involve migration and the flow of goods/information)

misconception about anthropology: anthropologists observe the societies they study in a detached and unobtrusive manner ("fly on the wall")

-reality: anthropologists become integrated in the communities they study -good data is contingent on rapport; rapport contingent on acceptance -yet must remain somewhat detached in order to retrain objectivity -"going native" is not a good option

misconception: anthropologists only work alone, never in teams of researchers

-reality: team research is not the norm, but it is possible and frequent -ex: Milk with Aptitude (biological samples, in-depth interviews, cooks)

Crack in Spanish Harlem (Bourgois): the work of selling crack in East Harlem (what mainstream practices think, personal search, model of masculinity)

-rebellious practices and opposition to mainstream society not b/c they are stubborn, but rather b/c mainstream society is discriminatory -rejection of racism and marginalized -personal search for dignity -models of masculinity premised on earning "respect" among peers, involving violence, substance abuse, and anger

Complex Societies (Ch. 6): background and examples

-recognition that "isolated" communities (ex: Rappaport's study) are not so isolated -connected with larger systems through markets, resource sharing, state interventions, etc. -ex: Barth's ecological niches, Lansing's Balinese agriculture

Complex Societies (Ch. 6): Stephen Lansing: Balinese agriculture background

-recognition that rituals can have regulatory functions (idea from Rappaport) -focus on how water is regulated -analysis of how multiple actors coordinate activities in mutually beneficial ways -volcanic lakes in middle of Bali provide water for island

anthropologists and cultural relativism

-recognize the value of cultural beliefs and practices to a community, but this does not preclude taking a moral or political stance -examine power differences, ask questions about agency -understand that cultures are always changing and include conflicting values

Crack in Spanish Harlem (Bourgois): searching for "respect"

-regular displays of violence are about maintaining credibility, protecting the market, and protecting one's assets -aggression and violence are understandable postures on the streets (cultural and economic context needs to change)

Childs: video on social relationships, getting lay of the land in Nepal, visiting cultural sites

-reincarnated lama arriving, 2-3 out of maybe 12 children surviving, dirty water -drink alcohol (arak) to adapt to local norms -Nepal SEEDS to provide healthcare

Ethics in Wartime (Gusterson): ethical concerns - anthropology's past and present (gov't and anthropologists relationship)

-relationships between anthropologists and gov'ts are not new (Evans-Pritchard went to Nuerland on behalf of British colonial gov't to gather info) -think: colonialism, development, policy work

Political Ecology Ch. 7: definition

-relationships between humans and their environment cannot be understood without considering inequalities of power and wealth [Karl Marx] produced by the global economy -most widely used approach in environmental anthropology since the 1990s -proponent: Eric Wolf

Food and the City (Wegerif): symbiotic food system

-reliable provision of diverse foods based on trust, collaboration, and reciprocity rather than price-based competition and unbridled profit-seeking (and no corporate structures) -importance of ethnography for understanding how this system emerged from particular history and core cultural norms and values (can be used to reshape food systems in US)

#Adulting and the Disordered State of American Adulthood (J. Hill): researching adulting

-research among under-employed recent college graduates -interview question: "Are you an adult?" Yes, in a biological sense; No, in terms of social adulthood (being a legit, fully mature member of a society) -"to 'adult' is to behave like an adult in spite of the disorder" (of yet to be fulfilled aspirations and expectations)

action research

-research committed to making social change -offer to help disenfranchised communities in solving their problems

Who controls the fieldwork?

-researchers want to maintain control over their fieldwork -need to recognize what's at stake for informants (want informants to have some say in the research you're doing) -don't want informants to take over (ex: make you traffick goods) -important question regardless of the political and economic status of the research subjects -the best anthropology takes account of the needs, interests, and status of informants (agency, lack of agency)

Spiritual Ecology Ch. 13: definition

-researching links between religious beliefs/practices and the environment -terms used to describe research on the connection between religious beliefs/practices and the environment -indigenous peoples often have beliefs, practices, and cultural mechanisms that help protect the environment -what are some of those beliefs? How do they mitigate human impacts on the environment? Are they useful in the context of modern environmental protect movements? -are indigenous peoples "natural" environmentalists? Or do they just lack the technology and capital to exploit the environment in more damaging ways?

Crack in Spanish Harlem (Bourgois): cultural reproduction theory

-resistance to assimilation leads to economic failure (poverty, crime abuse) (refuse to speak proper English, get a good job --> this is b/c of discrimination) -economic success contingent upon rejecting ethnic identity and cultural dignity -so, it's the poor person's fault? Blames the poor person -does Bourgois agree with this theory? HELL NAH.

do no harm: informed consent

-review and disclosure of known and potential risks to research subjects -written or oral consent given to participate

Julian Steward's Cultural Ecology (Ch. 2): his school of thought

-revival of grand theories (rejected since time of Boas) -economic and social organization results from using specific technology to exploit particular environment -importance of the natural environment in shaping core features of culture -the environment subsistence strategy --> social and economic organization --> kinship system, religious ideology, etc. (trajectory going upwards)

"You Are How You Eat" (Eugene Cooper): rice and dishes in China

-rice (fan) is personal, dishes (t'sai) are shared -need to sit in specific seat

Spirits of Resistance (Ong): factory work and cultural change

-rural village to global factories -distance from family members -ability to resist parental authority -limited economic independence -ethnic divisions on the factory floor: Chinese-Malaysians and other groups -feelings of dehumanization at the hands of factory managers, not treated well

"Gender, Power, and the 'Religion of Thinness'": Geertz's Dichotomy (1926-2006) (Interpretive Theory of Cutlure)

-sacred (religious fasting): ontological values (moral purity, spiritual insight) -secular (dieting): worldly values (health, beauty, social acceptance)

surveys (and Nepal example)

-same question asked of everybody (same neutral tone of voice) -answers can be categorized or quantified: how old are you? D, R, I, other? How would you rate your health 1-5? Do you think this course is great, good, average, poor, terrible? Ex: surveys in Nubri -how old are you, animal sign to match the actual age, married to?, school?

The Original Affluent Society (Sahlins): means and ends (what Sahlins argues about the state of being)

-scarcity is NOT a state of being, but a relationship between means and ends How does one satisfy "wants"? -by producing a lot? buy more. -by desiring little? not wanting a lot of stuff.

Geertz's Impact (from his narrative)

-self-reflexive style of ethnographic writing was uncommon at the time -the "ethnographic vignette" becomes standard formula for starting an ethnographic account -look at "informal logic of everyday life" (tacit rules which people live by)

Evans-Pritchard and the Neur

-servants from other groups hesitant to work among their former enemies (servants were terrified of the Neur) -sabotage an inquiry -Neur refused to reveal location of nearby camps -treated with suspicion (but eventually was accepted as a guest) -always had people in his tent as part of custom -communication issues (lacked interpreter; had to learn difficult language)

Language and New Media (Cavanaugh): language ideology

-set of beliefs about the superiority of one language or dialect over others that are considered to be inferior -serves to justify the dominance of people who speak one language or dialect over people who speak others

Language and New Media (Cavanaugh): ideology

-set of beliefs promoted by a powerful group in order to justify that group's power over another group -ideologies are considered by the holders to be important truths

#Adulting and the Disordered State of American Adulthood (J. Hill): "adulting"

-shortlisted by Oxford Dictionary for its 2016 Word of the Year designation -"the practice of behaving in a way characteristic of a responsible adult, especially the accomplishment of mundane by necessary tasks" -popular among those transitioning to life independent (more or less) from parents -social maturity linked to work and career

food production: horticulture

-small plots cultivated for household consumption (subsistence agriculture) -no intensive usage of land, labor, or machinery (means of production) -simple technology (hoe, machete)

Food and the City (Wegerif): feeding people in Urban Tanzania - solutions

-small-scale farms -low external inputs -wide crop variety -low prices (few intermediaries) -sales on credit (help income inequality) -flexible quantities -collaboration > competition -individual autonomy for farmers/vendors -little reliance on supermarket chains (not much concentration of wealth in the supermarket owners) -low waste (use every part of animal)

Climate Change Ch. 9: Hildegard Diemberger

-snow line disappearing -indigenous knowledge and observations are important for assessing impacts of climate change -connecting indigenous knowledge (small scale) with scientific knowledge (large scale) can help people adapt to rapidly changing environment

Social Darwinism

-some societies are more fit than others -justification to dominate other societies (a moral imperative), our right to dominate others, we're doing them some good

does the language we speak shape the way we perceive the physical world?

-some ways of thinking are guided by the language we use, others are not

key cultural consultants ("key informants")

-somebody with especially good knowledge about a particular aspect of life -interviewed in-depth and repeatedly -Amji Dorje (village leader, made herbal medicines, key cultural consultant) --> don't ask about farming practices, ask about village taxation and legal systems --> conduct a review to record number of fields, people, animals, etc. (reduce tax obligations on elderly)

weighing ethical obligations: ethnography for whom? (and skills to make it better)

-students? university? research subjects? -collaborative ethnography: Francis La Flesche and Alice Fletcher -dialogic technique -collaborative writing

Ethnographic Seduction (Osburg): "Anxious Wealth" background

-study of gender and masculinity in elite male network (businessmen, underground, politicians) in "mafia boxes" -fieldwork in places where elite males socialize and solidify relationships to facilitate business (office buildings, restaurants)

Ethnoecology (Ch. 3): definition

-study of knowledge and beliefs about nature that are held in a particular culture -ethnobotany (indigenous knowledge of plants) -ethnozoology (indigenous knowledge of animals) -methodology focuses on taxonomies, the ways people name/classify plants, animals, medicinal substances, soils, etc. -but also more analytical:

Active Participation and Social Roles (Johnson et al): Jeffrey Johnson

-study of migratory commercial fishermen -what social role in the fishing camp maximizes chances to collect data from all sectors of the community? Roles -cook: talk to people as they move through the line -crew member: don't interact with other crews, crews organized by ethnicity -captain: other crew members won't talk -carpenter: best opportunity for data collection, social movement, access to diverse information, neutral status, high rapport bc he's working --> not a boss or subservient --> everyone relies on their labor, not above/below anybody --> participant! Doing the work

Active Participation and Social Roles (Johnson et al): Jack Weatherford

-study of urban red light district -pornography store: site of... legal activities (adult novelty sales) and illegal activities (prostitution, gambling, drug sales) -didn't tell anyone he was a researcher (unethical) -What position maximizes access to diverse people and knowledge of diverse activities? --> store operator: best opportunity for data collection, social movement, access to diverse, detailed, and reliable information -sex workers and clients, gamblers/drug dealers, other researchers and reporters (people would lie to them), policemen, customers (peep shows)

savage vs. civilized

-superstitious vs. rational -promiscuous vs. monogamous -nomadic vs. sedentary

How to Find Mongo (Nagle): establishing rapport

-suspicion of motives based on interactions with journalists (looking for sensationalist story): sexist, not doing routes on time -gaining rapport by learning how to "fit in": speech pattern (blue collar, not academic), attitude (non-judgmental, tolerant of blue humor), behavior (appreciation for "finding mongo", valuables among the trash")

Ethnoecology (Ch. 3): myths about swidden farming

-swidden farming is a haphazard procedure involving little planning or knowledge -usually, and preferably, swiddens are cleared in virgin forest (rather than in areas of secondary growth), result = tremendous loss of valuable timber

proxemics: Spradley flowchart

-tacit cultural knowledge about personal space leads to: --> interpreting experience: how you interpret space, someone too close = suspicious --> generating behavior: discomfort, anxiety, dirty looks, movement to reestablish space

Complex Societies (Ch. 6): Subak complex adaptive system

-temples regulate planting, irrigation, and harvesting cycles of surrounding fields (subak) -each community has own temple/farms, all temples coordinate field growing activities so everyone can benefit -cycles coordinated with upstream and downstream subaks -no synchronize: upstream keeps water, downstream doesn't harvest at same time = pests multiply and spread (go from up to down areas) -synchronize: give up some water upstream, downstream harvest at same time = yields maximized

Is culture natural? Artificial?

-the "natural" is artificial -culture is something that is constructed (social/cultural construction) -ex: Central Park is not natural (feels like nature... but it's actually constructed artificially)

Body Rituals of the Nacerima (Minor): Belief system

-the body is ugly -tendency to debilitate and decay -ritual behavior to combat ugliness and decay

Spiritual Ecology Ch. 13: Tibetan Buddhist Concepts

-the container (environment) and its contents (living beings) -physical and cultural realms are inseparable -physical and cultural realms interconnected, connection between environmental health and individual/community well-being -Green laws (ngotrim): stipulate where and in which months people can graze their livestock, fell trees, etc. -sealing decrees (shagya): issued by lamas to make certain areas off-limits to human activities ^ wrap trees w/ orange cloth to protect them -Khenpo Gyaltsen (high up Buddhist): take down lives of wild animals = social disharmony

What is fieldwork?

-the defining methodology of cultural anthropology -living among the subjects of research (participant observation) -conversation with varying degrees of formality (from information conversation to formal interviews)

The Potlatch (Harris): Harris's Interpretation

-the drive for status among NW Coast Leaders served social and economic functions Competition through redistribution 1) ensured production/distribution of wealth in non-centralized political system (encouraged to work together) 2) brought multiple villages together in an exchange network that encouraged long-term social ties 3) spurred others to work harder to produce more than required for subsistence 4) important for cultural revitalization of NW Coast people

cultural determinism

-the idea that all human actions are the product of culture, which denies the influence of other factors like physical environment and human biology on human action

point about language and perceptions

-the knowledge that language shapes perceptions is used intentionally and strategically in politics and advertising

language and identity

-the language we speak - and how we speak it - is important to our sense of self and is one way we express group membership (identity) -the way we speak ties us to a particular community, place, and set of traditions

linguistic determinism: definition, is it true?

-the language we speak determines the way we think -false: the language we speak does not limit or constrain perception -language is not the only determining factor in how we classify or understand the world. Linguistic categories and conventions INFLUENCE how we perceive reality -and, the knowledge that language shapes our perception is used intentionally and strategically in advertising, politics, etc.

cultural relativism

-the moral and intellectual principle that one should seek to understand cultures on their own terms and withhold judgment about seemingly strange of exotic beliefs and practices -behavior in one culture should not be judged by the standards of another culture

How to Find Mongo (Nagle): fieldwork and data quality

-the more familiar the researcher becomes with linguistic and behavioral norms, the better access she gains -result = better, more reliable data -took less than an hour to win matcho guy over in Staten Island (vs. New York City)

value

-the relative worth of an object or service

enculturation

-the social process by which culture is learned and transmitted (within generations, across generations, or across societies) -process of passing information from generation to generation -how you become part of a particular culture -ex: parents to children, older to younger generations

phonology

-the structure of speech sounds -occlusion (stop the airstream), accents

linguistic anthropology

-the study of how people communicate verbally and non-verbally, and how language usage shapes group membership and identity

biological (physical) anthropology

-the study of human and primate evolution and physiological adaptation over space and time

anthropology (definition by Welsch and Vivanco)

-the study of human beings, their biology, their pre-history and histories, and their changing languages, cultures, and social institutions

Ecosystems Approach (Roy Rappaport) Ch. 4: definition

-the study of interactions within a community of species (including humans) and the biophysical environment -tracking flows of info, energy, and matter through the system -initial focus on isolated, closed feedback systems in equilibrium -central highland of Papua New Guinea

archaeology

-the study of past societies by uncovering and analyzing the remains they left behind Prehistoric -transition from H/G to agriculture -rise of cities and states Historical -studies the material remains of societies that also left behind written and oral histories (past 500 years)

sociolinguistics

-the study of the relationships between social variations (ethnicity, status, gender, etc.) and linguistic variations (dialect, slang, tone, vocab choices, etc.)

cultural anthropology

-the study of the social lives of -living- communities -economic transactions, religious rituals, political organization, families, environmental change and agriculture

economic anthropology (definition and basic tenet)

-the sub-discipline concerned with how people make, share, and buy things and services -basic tenet: all economic activities are shaped by social hierarchies and relationships

culture (class definition)

-the taken-for-granted notions, rules, moralities, and behaviors within a social group that feel natural and the way things should be -shared meanings, feelings, behaviors

ethnocentrism

-the tendency to apply one's own cultural values in judging the behavior -this often implies viewing one's own culture as superior -we think the way we do things is the best way -ex: what is a family? mom, dad, kids --> anything else is not a "proper" family = ethnocentrism

cultural artifacts

-the things people make and use -books, tickets, billboards, newspapers, steel printing press, bark from trees for paper

environmental anthropology (definition and social science vs. humanities)

-the use of anthropology's methods and theories to contribute to the understanding local or global environmental problems -social science, NOT humanities (overlaps w/ modern sciences), empirical approach

The Original Affluent Society (Sahlins): why so few material possessions?

-they spend so much time foraging that no time remains for the provision of others goods? NOPE. -"his wants are scarce and his means (in relation) plentiful." -able to get everything they need b/c they don't want a lot of stuff

The "Religion of Thinness": moral teachings

-thinness is evidence of restraint and self control -overweight signals lack of self control -what/how much to eat has moral significance

Culture is...

-transmitted through learning -shared among members of the same cultural group -not static -not something that people "have" or "carry" with them (not a toolkit, can't just define a person and say "this is your culture) -a dynamic process that influences and is influenced by human action

culture...

-transmitted through learning (enculturation) -relies on symbols -influences thoughts and actions -helps us make sense of the world

The "Religion of Thinness": beliefs and example

-unchallenged acceptance that thin people are happier, more successful, more beautiful, and healthier -ex: Jenny Craig (losing weight makes you more confident, socially active, and energetic; a better mom, wife, and person)

cultural appropriation

-unilateral decision of one social group to take control over the symbols, practices, or objects of another -domination and subordination between social groups

dialogical writing technique (and where is it emphasized)

-using conversations between anthropologists and collaborators to illustrate how ethnographic understandings emerge in fieldwork -an approach emphasized in collaborative ethnography

sociolinguistic discrimination

-using linguistic features as evaluators of competence

foraging (hunting and gathering)

-using those that are available on the landscape -now practiced mainly in areas where food production is difficult Correlates of foraging: -small-scale society -mobility -egalitarian (minimal social stratification --> social distinctions based on age

Ethnoecology (Ch. 3): Conklin's swidden studies

-varied landscapes (bush fallow, etc.) -empirical research revealed detailed, nuanced environmental knowledge -documented botanical knowledge (local knowledge of plants exceeds scientists' taxonomic knowledge) -documented soil knowledge (10 basic, 30 derivative soil categories plus familiarity with which crops grow best in different soil types)

Language and New Media (Cavanaugh): national language of Italy (and why)

-variety of Italian spoken by upper class in Florence made national language in 19th century -process of national unification

kinesics: hand gestures

-vary cross-culturally, part of our divergent cultural heritages -learning gestures through observation? (middle finger learned through road rage) -thumbs up in US = good vs. Russia = up yours -hand up in US = stop vs. Greece = go to hell

kinesics: monitoring and modifying behavior

-we regularly monitor nonverbal communication in others and adjust our behaviors accordingly -nonverbal signals to demonstrate that one is "tuned into" speaker vs. not -how does a speaker interpret/react to those cues? Make a joke, yell, etc.

"Gender, Power, and the 'Religion of Thinness'": Lelwika's Thesis

-weight concerns and dieting are pervasive in US society -dieting and pursuit of thinness have religious-like dimensions and functions -women who want to be thin are not a religious group, but it's like religion

Stalking with Stories (Basso): stories like arrows

-western Apache people -"if someone stalks you and tells a story about what happened long ago... you're going to know he's aiming that story at you!" -telling moral tales is a way of indirectly calling someone out for behavior that violates cultural norms ("remember what happened at Big Cottonwood Trees... ?) -people who have been "shot" with stories ideally experience remorse for their bad behavior. Healing the "wound" occurs as they conform to the social norms of their community. (trying to fix their behavior, words are powerful moral agents) -point: metaphors ("stories are arrows") powerfully shape how we experience the world (used to prevent young ones from being too white)

gift exchange, capitalist exchange

-what are the differences in how money, prestige, and status are acquired in economic systems based primarily on gift exchange vs. economic systems based primarily on capitalist exchange (intense competition)?

giving directions and language perception

-what does language oblige us to convey to others and pay attention to in our daily lives? -ex: after traffic lights, take first left, second right, you'll see a white house (we think about our position in space relative to ourselves, we are center) -ex: after traffic lights, drive north, see white house directly to east, ours is southern door (relative position to sun/stars, cardinal directions)

cultural knowledge

-what people know -ex: grammar rules, left to right

Active Participation and Social Roles (Johnson et al): social roles and fieldwork

-what social role will you assume in fieldwork? -how will that role affect rapport? access to information? nature of interactions with subjects? -note: "researcher" may not be the ideal social role for the ethnographer

code switching

-when individuals switch language usage, dialect usage, or speech style according to the social context

Collaborative Ethnography (Lassiter): the big question

-when we write, to whom are we ethically responsible? -readers? -research subjects? (YES!!) -colleagues expecting a certain type of analysis? -employers who want good publicity?

The Original Affluent Society (Sahlins): diminishing returns

-why make substantial houses if you will soon abandon them? -why collect goods and materials when it is a burden to transport them to the next camp? -mobility - not productivity or acquisition - influences material acquisitions for H/G

Body Rituals of the Nacerima (Minor): "listener"

-witch doctor can take out the devils inside the heads of bewitched people -parents bewitch their own children (mothers especially)

Collaborative Ethnography (Lassiter): Lewis Henry Morgan

-work on Iroquois Nation, dedicated to Ely Parker -BUT this wasn't collaborative bc we don't know what Parker actually contributed

Crack in Spanish Harlem (Bourgois): black and latino residents, key question

-working conditions in El Barrio: substances abuse, mental illness, unhealthy environment, anxieties related to violence and legal risks, social antagonism, and racism -key question: Why are people so poor? Why do poor people stay poor?

Active Participation and Social Roles (Johnson et al): What would a less active ethnographer look like?

-wouldn't get to know a wink vs. a twitch

Can norms of enculturation change?

-yes, they change -ex: spanking child vs. sitting/talking with child for discipline

proxemics: is personal space "in our nature"?

-yes, this is culturally learned (not natural bc everyone has a different version of personal space)

the origins of fieldwork (2 people, key developments, weaknesses)

1. Franz Boas to Baffin Island (1883-1883) -went as geographer, but was interested by their interpretation of their land 2. Alfred Haddon to Torres Strait (1898-1899) -documenting rituals, how they make fire -understanding the everyday life Key Developments -anthropology becomes full-time profession -fieldwork becomes essential Weaknesses -short-term fieldwork = superficial observations -lack of language acquisition limits understanding and analysis

evolutionary theories: biological (3 people)

1. Jean Lamarck (1744-1829) -geographic or climate changes pressure life forms to adapt -climate changes, organisms also change 2. Charles Darwin (1809-1882) -natural selection -some variations are more beneficial for survival and reproduction than others (long-term adaptation, becomes dominant over time) -interests social scientists 3. Herbert Spencer (1820-1902) -societies, like organisms, develop from simple to more complex and heterogeneous types -biological analogy

Lelwika's Assessment (what is dieting...?)

1. a means for women to negotiate gender ideals by dissociating from food production, preparation, and serving? 2. a means for women to assert a level of self-determination usually reserved for men? (ex: "Diet like a Man") 3. perpetuate women's subservience to the dominant social and religious order where her "salvation" depends on sacrifice and submission?

the 4 subfields of anthropology

1. biological (physical) anthropology 2. archaeology 3. linguistic anthropology 4. cultural anthropology

summary of culture and bodies

1. culture influences how we perceive our bodies and natural abilities -ex: grooming rituals, skin color/body shape and perceptions of attractiveness 2. culture takes natural processes and teaches us how to express them in particular ways -ex: death, eating, table manners

How to explain human differences? (2 perspectives and subgroups, type of explanation they provide)

1. degenerationism (religious explanation) -we were all once civilized, but after dispersing (Tower of Babel incident), degenerated while others remained civilized (b/c of hubris) 2. progressivism (scientific explanation) -human history is characterized by advances from "primitive" to "civilized" -diffusion (heliocentric and culture circles) and unilineal evolution

Why does culture feel static and stable?

1. enculturation 2. symbols are warehouses of meaning 3. values conserve ideals (ex: "ideal" mother)

adaptive strategies: How do people acquire food? (2 major categories)

1. foraging -hunting and gathering (using those that are available on the landscape) 2. food production (actively engaging with plants/animals that renders resources) -horticulture, agriculture, pastoralism

person-centered interviewing

1. interviewee asked about generally held cultural ideals, beliefs, and practices (what they are expected to do): cultural ideals 2. asked about own experiences, beliefs and behaviors (what they actually do, actual practices, contrast with cultural ideals) Ex: 1) in your village, how should adult children treat their elderly parents? -encourage to eat/drink -make bed at night, empty bedpans -don't ask them to do work they can't physically do -speak to them respectfully and in a soft voice -give them some pocket money Ex: 2) Do your own children treat you this way? Yes; no, those rotten @#$%^ (probe into why, say that they would ask them to do physically-demanding work) --> cultural ideal: What causes intergenerational conflicts within households?

course objectives

1. introduce basic concepts of anthropology 2. introduce basic methodologies used by anthropologists (how we gather data) 3. increase your understanding of and appreciation for cultural diversity 4. provide some analytical tools for understanding behaviors 5. know how anthropologists and anthropological knowledge can have positive impacts in the world

Ongka's Big Moka: how is labor organized?

1. kinship -reliance on wives and children to contribute to feeding pigs and raising crops 2. reciprocity -enlisting fellow villagers to contribute to moka 3. redistribution -gifts given at the moka ensure fair distribution of resources within and across villages, assemble all of the yams/pigs and distribute to other communities

clothing and nonverbal communication (Nepal: apron, monk, adornments)

1995 --> 2015 -girl w/ no apron --> girl w/ apron = married Monk -robe = celibate monk vs. lay clothing (red, ritual robe and adornments) Social Status for Women -same blouses and aprons -more adornments (ex: z-stones) during festivals = more wealth

shifting views of "Primitive Man"

Age of Exploration (1600s-1700s) -fanciful and uninformed travelers' tales emphasizing the exotic -portrayal of others as more akin to animals than humans (impoverished, violent, lawless, irrational, lacking religion/morality) Colonialism (1800s) -more detailed accounts by colonial administrators and missionaries, but still with an agency -"noble savage" portrayal (gentle, peaceful, communalistic, but bound by custom and dominated by religious beliefs and rituals) -basis for early studies of social evolution (Morgan, Tylor)

The Original Affluent Society (Sahlins): efficiency?

Agriculture -8-10 hours per day of hard labor, surplus food and material possessions Foraging -2-3 hours per day of moderate labor, no surplus food and few material possessions, more time for leisure

using your cultural knowledge for... (French Video)

Assessing -place (language, environment) -time period (building, artifacts) -social status (clothing, demeanor) Interpreting -relationships (friends; father/son?) -actions/intentions (whistle of distract; sweep to divert) -behavior (gambling, pranks) and associating it with age and gender (young males) Judging -character (who is gullible? instigator?)

assumptions/steps of The Comparative Method

Assumptions 1. psychic unity of mankind: humans everywhere think alike 2. all societies undergo parallel but independent evolutionary stages (at different times) Steps 1. place all societies on a scale from "primitive" to "civilized" 2. analyze "living fossils" (primitive societies) as exemplars of earlier evolutionary stages 3. compare institutions (e.g. political systems, kinship, religion) to understand evolutionary trajectory from primitive to civilized

ethnography for whom? (and their response)

Backlash from research subjects -respond forcefully to interpretations they perceive to be unfair, malicious, or wrong -offer own interpretations that differ from the ethnographer's -Evans-Pritchard: no Nuer could read English, no criticism -now people are more educated and can scrutinize researchers

Language and New Media (Cavanaugh): YouTube

Bad News -videos perpetuate stereotypes about Bergamasco speakers just wanting soccer stadium (McCain/Obama dub) Good News -videos link an endangered language to popular figures and new media -videos include language mixing that reflects everyday usage rather than purist ideology (disrupting purists)

Crack in Spanish Harlem (Bourgois): are East Harlem drug dealers just urban entrepreneurs? Pursuing the American dream?

Bourgois comes to see the dealers as: -rugged individualists -private entrepreneurs -after their piece of the pie -underground economy as the most realistic route to upward mobility -choosing dignity and autonomy over humiliation and dependence on others

Marx: capitalists, proletariat, surplus value

Capitalists -own the means of production Proletariat -must sell their labor in exchange for money in order to subsist in capitalist economy Surplus Value -the difference between the value of what people produce and what they are paid for their labor -the stuff you make is worth more than what you are paid

What makes cultural anthropology unique? (psychologists, economists, sociologists, and political scientists also study human societies)

Combination of... 1. approach (holistic) 2. focus (cultural) 3. scale of the unit of analysis (small scale) 4. method (participant observation) Holistic = economy, social organization, demography, religion/ideology, politics

The Potlatch (Harris): Kwakuitl Potlatch (context, event)

Context -competition for prestige among leaders in order to solidify their rank and ensure followers Event -at a large festival, the leader displays enormous food stocks and other goods then redistributes them to people in his/other communities

evolutionism and the roots of anthropology (McGee and Warms) context and 3 questions

Context: European global expansion, contact with other societies 3 Questions: 1. How to explain cultural differences between groups of humans? (cultural) 2. How to explain the biological origin of humans and other species? (biological) 3. How to understand human antiquity based on old artifacts? (archaeological) ^ all anthropological questions

culture is NOT...

Culture is NOT Society -culture = distinctive ways of life of a group of people (shared values and meanings) -society = group of people who interact more with each other than with others Culture is NOT Identity -identity = a person's (or group's) sense of self and way of expressing affiliation and belonging -identity = "woman", but "woman" is not my culture

combining research methods (Childs): methods used

Demographic survey -quantifying fertility and mortality Structured interview -demographic survey to provide empirical perspective on infant mortality Participant observation -first-hand witness to demographic events (births, deaths) as they unfold In-depth interviews -explore cultural perspectives on what demographic events (death) mean in the eyes of the actors themselves History/geneology -reveals the importance of lineage; helps explain social importance of ill son Archival research -studying the ritual text provides insights into local conceptions of illness and healing

anthropological demography: "From a Trickle to a Torrent"

Demography -surveys: household demographic surveys to quantify magnitude and direction of outmigration Anthropology -in-depth interviews, participant observation (look at parents, young peoples' motives) -environmental impacts (fields not being plants, wild animals eat crops)

Moral Dilemmas and Ethical Controversies (Kirsch) (what Diamond said)

Diamond's Argument -geographer, claims he's an anthro -2 stories of vengeance (2 stories): father-in-law hands over murderer to authorities in West; New Guinea man organizes an attack to avenge the killing of his uncle --> conclusion: the state suppresses desire for revenge (strong legal system); no such constraints exist in non-state societies

anthropology and colonialism (Lee, "Christmas in the Kalahari")

Documenting foodways about interfering -but by being there, anthros cause interference -he literally buys an ox to feed people Image of African groups as static and unchanging -promoting stereotype of African peoples bc he makes it seem like they've always procured food like -in reality, they adapt to social systems and environmental changes (some foraging, some intensive agriculture)

how culture is learned

Enculturation -direct transmission -observation

studying the Chinese underworld (Osburg)

Ethnographic Seduction -"Once I was introduced to Fatty, my problem quickly became not how to deepen my relationship with his group, but... how to maintain distance" (Fatty = the "Godfather") -mob moss is very politically connected -Osburg didn't want to traffick goods back and forth -How to maintain objectivity and an analytic, even critical, eye? 1. illegal actors can be victims and perpetrators of violence 2. illicit actors might be skilled at building their own forms of rapport with anthropologists

How to Find Mongo (Nagle): ironic stigma

Front-line guardians of public health -but no one likes seeing them there Capitalist economy depends on the continuous consumption/disposal -can't throw out stuff?there's no room for new stuff Quotidian velocity: speed of everyday life facilitated by ability to discard goods -use things, throw it out immediately after -without actively participating, Nagle wouldn't have been able to do the work she did

2 senses of culture

General -possession of a generalized capacity (or necessity) to create, share, pass on their understandings of things through culture Particular -people live their lives within particular cultures or ways of life

social science or humanities?

Humanities -empathic understanding -shed light on how others view the world Social Science -provide explanations for why people act the way they do -reveal regularities and generalizations about the human condition Why not both?

strength of humanities and social science appraoches

Humanities -providers readers with an empathic understanding of another society -reduce the perception of cultural differences between "us" and "them" Social Science -provide plausible and reliable explanations of social processes -provide data and perspectives that have tangible applications

main categories in economic anthropology

Macroeconomics -how are production, distribution, and consumption organized in different societies? -focus on systems of behavior and organizations (e.g. Harris, Wegerif, Godden Bryson, Sahlins) Microeconomics -what motivates people in different societies to produce, distribute or exchange, and consume? -focus on individuals who participate in the systems (e.g. Lee, Bourgois, Ong)

why is gift exchange so important?

Marcel Mauss, French sociologist, student of Emile Durkheim -The Gift (1924): an important theoretical exploration of reciprocity and exchange -gift giving entails social and political obligations. Gift object inescapably tied to the giver -giving creates a social bond between individuals and an obligation to reciprocate

"The Sounds of Silence" (Hall and Hall, 1971): when you learn nv communication, when it's used, examples

Nonverbal Communication -first form of communication you learn (enculturation through observation) (learn movements, sounds, ascribe meanings to them) -a form of communication that you use constantly in everyday life -speech, gestures, expressions, movements, clothing, etc. create and reflect cultural similarities, differences, and social positions

spectrum of social sciences and types of data collected

Quantitative -demography, economics Middle -political science, sociology, human geography Qualitative -cultural anthropology

using your cultural knowledge

Recognizing cultural similarities -children at play -humor Recognizing cultural differences -language -clothing

Eating Christmas in the Kalahari (Lee): what else do we learn from Lee's account?

Ritual of food preparation -ox slaughter: particular individuals responsible for killing the ox, meat had to be distributed in a certain way -equal food distribution -values of equality and humility shape consumption and joking relationships

unilinear evolution scale

Savagery -Australian aborigines ... -Native Americans Barbarism -Tahitians ... -Southern Europeans (Italians) Civilization -Northern Europeans

Malinowski's Impact

Shift in Methodology -one of the first to conduct research using local language -one of the first to conduct research while living in community under study Influence on next Generation of Scholars -London School of Economics - trained a generation of anthropologists (ex: Evans-Pritchard) and instilled new methodological rigor

reciprocity in research: Claire Sterk's fieldwork on sex work

Sterk -university educated, white collar work -middle class -foreign, temporary Informants -living on streets, permanent -stigmatized work -poverty and abuse -stuck, hard to get out --> uneven agency, status, and power -Sterk provided childcare, car rides, groceries, housing-cleaning, health info and goods (need to help, can't stop the sex work) -out of the field: Sterk shared her results, maintains ongoing relationships, advocates on behalf of the population she studied, expanded her research to examine and advocate anthropologically-informed policies and programs related to substance abuse prevention and treatment -the women want this to be addressed but don't have the support -important for Sterk to destigmatize addiction (set up an office in the community, they deserve respect and care)

biological analogy for evolution and society

Systems: regulative and sustaining Animals: nervous system (simple to more complex) is regulative, nourishment is sustaining Society: government is regulative, economics is sustaining

Euro-American notions of time

Tenses -past (he ran) -present (he is running) -future (he will run away)

summary of research methods

The way anthropologists gather data has changed -arm chair, short-term visit, long-term fieldwork Since Malinowski... ethnographic fieldwork involves: -long-term residence at site of research -conducting research in local language -building rapport, gaining empathic understanding -systematic data collection using multiple methods (interviews, surveys, participant observation)

example of both humanities and social science: Tamangs of Nepal

Tom Fricke -empirical study of demographic processes and domestic life -scientific method w/ observations, hypothesis, experiments Kathryn S. March -portrait of women's lives -interpreting other cultures -many dimensions of human societies cannot be studied scientifically -stories, songs, conversations

combining research methods (Childs): What kind of research lies behind the writing of this brief ethnographic description?

Tubten and Purgu's First Son -many methodologies Reproductive history survey -Lama Gyatso's family -total fertility rate: 5.3 births/woman (moderated by high frequency of female celibacy - the nun effect), infant mortality rate: 220 deaths/1000 births (30 now, USA is 7.2/1000) Rigzen Dorge with drum and divination manual -using ritual document with drawing to put rice on and determine which spirit is harming the child -one drum suspended, lower drum vibrates, ended up on Mamo (malevolent female deity) -constructing effigy of Mamo that will be expelled beyond borders of village Lama Gyatso as key cultural consultant - religious descent lineage -his eldest son's first surviving son was the one sick, needed to stay alive (but didn't) -could trace Songtsen Gampo Emperor of Tibet died 649 AD, Lama's ancestor -infant death rationalized as the workings at that individual's karma

Tylor vs. Boas: theories

Tylor -theory then data to support Boas -data then theory

semi-structured interviewing

Use of an "interview schedule" -everybody asked the same questions -asking same questions facilitate comparison (e.g. differences by gender, age, wealth?) Guided yet flexible -people express answers in own terms -tangents are often important -don't try to categorize their answers immediately, let them answer on their own terms Ex: n=150, elderly people talking about family-based caretaking and intergenerational relations -same interview schedule (asked the same questions for 150 people)

The Original Affluent Society (Sahlins): misinterpretations

Why do foragers eat rapidly through food supplies?? They must be starving!! -lack of foresight to store supplies for the future? -drive by hunger to gorge themselves? -or, because they are confident of their ability to continually procure food? (they know there will be food tomorrow, can just move on)

the interview continuum

from less structured to more structured... 1. casual conversations: headnotes and jot notes 2. open-ended interview: jot notes and transcription/translation 3. semi-structure interview: jot notes and transcription/translation 4. structured interview: database entries

descriptive linguistics

study of formal structure of a language

culture (Tylor's definition)

"... that complex whole which includes knowledge, beliefs, arts, morals, law, customs, and any other capabilities and habits acquired -by man- as a member of society." (Tylor, 1871)

"You Are How You Eat" (Eugene Cooper): quote

"food habits communicate symbolic messages": -hierarchy: senior patriarch at head of table -inclusion/exclusion (commensality): who can/cannot eat together (ex: children on the side, who we eat with on campus)

Eating Christmas in the Kalahari (Lee): Lee's Christmas gift

-"nothing but a box of bones" -!Kung bushmen -food and culture: what you should/shouldn't eat, when/where/with whom/how you should eat

Stalking with Stories (Basso): why does storytelling involve frequent references to places/features of the landscape?

-"we have maps in our minds" -connecting the stories to a place ensures that the moral is recalled whenever the person passes by -culture is symbolic: features of the landscape are powerful symbols of the Western Apache way of life and moral character

Moral Dilemmas and Ethical Controversies (Kirsch): what happened to Diamond

-$10M libel suit in US courts

early unilineal evolutionary practitioners

-Edward Burnett Tylor (1832-1917) -Lewis Henry Morgan (1818-1881)

clothing and nonverbal communication: brands

-Giorgio Armani, Hermes, Rolex, Louis Vuitton -Aeropostale, Lululemon, Hollister, Abercrombie & Fitch (teens associated certain brands with prestige and popularity)

Julian Steward's Cultural Ecology (Ch. 2): from band to nuclear family

-Trappers and Tappers: adapting to dispersed resources (fur animals, rubber trees) led to more fragmented social organization -fur trapping and rubber trading -French and English fur traders relying on native populations (more efficient if families go to different areas) -rubber tapping: break up b/c trees are dispersed

24 Examples of Filial Piety by Guo Jujing

-Zi Lu carries loads of rice from afar to feed his parents -Wu Meng attracts mosquitoes so his father can sleep

Consumer Cultures Ch. 14: Ecological Footprint

-a quantitative tool that measures what people consume and the waste they produce -includes "hidden costs" like pollution, energy usage -measure of biologically productive land and water needed to support these people

Eating Christmas in the Kalahari (Lee): food is symbolic

-an ox is not just an ox for the people he's working with - important food source, eaten at feasts (social events) -social status, prestige, wealth, generosity, friendship

applied anthroplogy

-anthropological research commissioned to serve an organization's needs

Milk with Altitude

-association between adaptation to a high altitude environment, mother's milk, and infant growth -Nubri Valley, Nepal -200 mothers, 500 children

(types of) statistical data from surveys

-contextual background information -snapshot of present (cross-sectional data) -change over time (longitudinal data) -reveals more about what is happening than about why it is happening -qualitative methods well-suited to understanding "why"

explicit cultural knowledge

-cultural knowledge that people can talk about or communicate with ease -ex: "who's in your family?"

Humans Relations Area Files (HRAF)

-database that collects and finely indexes ethnographic accounts of several hundreds from all parts of the world -kinship system, trading practices

diversity in anthropology includes...

-differences and similarities

the Marxist perspective

-division of labor creates inequality and conflict (how inequality it created a maintained) -focus on power, domination, and unequal distribution of wealth -economic anthropologists: how does production and trade enforce and maintain social and economic inequality?

Body Rituals of the Nacerima (Minor): Purpose

-document unusual magical beliefs and practices of poorly understood group

Body Rituals of the Nacerima (Minor): Society

-highly developed market economy -focus of ritual activity is the body

Boas POV: diffusionism

-historical changes in cultural life are the result of contact between more and less "civilized" peoples Boas: -must assume migration/contact over enormous geographical areas (e.g. Egypt and Mexico 2500 years ago) -ignores possibility of independent invention (but New World IS capable of independent invention)

culture and food: how much to eat

-leftovers (English) = you didn't like my food? -no leftovers (Chinese) = am I not generous?

The Potlatch (Harris): redistribution for Native Americans

-movement of foods to a center, followed by division of goods/services across the group -important way of distributing food and other resources -mode of redistribution common in US? paying taxes!

Body Rituals of the Nacerima (Minor): holy mouth man

-oral fetish: connection between... -mouth and social relationships -mouth and moral characteristics -ritual punishments to correct moral faults (soap in the mouth)

through culture...

-people actively construct a way of life that seems natural, proper, true, and correct

waste as "treasure"

-phones, cash, jewelry, clothing: matter misplaced rather than trash -waste as treasure as opossed to waste as ore -exchanged differently. Holds different personal, social, and spiritual value

issues that ethnographers face

-protecting informant identity -limited First Amendment Protections -accused of spying

#Adulting and the Disordered State of American Adulthood (J. Hill): markers of social adulthood

-respectable job/career -good income -house ownership (mortgage), debt cycle -marriage and children

enculturation happens through observation

-seeing other people chewing with their mouths closed -watching peers in school -watching films, social media

make results accessible (share it with who?)

-share with research subjects, policy makers, general public (ex: John Bowen's "Can Islam be French?" translated into French, published in "Time" magazine)

Malinowski on the Kula Ring

-shells and necklaces passed around, shells clockwise, necklace counterclockwise -ceremonial gift exchange network: items continually passed along, items tie people into during trade relationships -having and giving items enhances status -demonstrated function of what appeared to outsiders as irrational exchange of "worthless items"

unilineal evolution (basic)

-similar customs found throughout the world cannot be the result of diffusion -historical changes in cultural life follow laws that apply to every society -there are laws that explain how everything works

Body Rituals of the Nacerima (Minor): Shrine rooms

-sites of private body rituals -more shrine rooms = higher social status -daily mouth-rite ritual (private)

focal vocabulary (and examples)

-specialized sets of terms and distinctions that are particularly important to certain groups -theatre member: you know words like flyspace -Inuit terms for snow -Mongol terms for horse -chefs' terms for knives -gender color contrast -skiing: wipeout, garage sale, endo, screamer, butt burner, penguin slide, scorpion, tomahawk (spin real fast), eating it

Language and New Media (Cavanaugh): Bergamasco

-spoken in N. Italy -low-status language -associated w/ peasants and working class -seen as old-fashioned -children discouraged from learning/speaking it b/c it doesn't have value outside their community

cultural ecology approach

-study the organization of subsistence production, including division of labor, organization, and timing of work -study how economic behavior and social organization are shaped by and adapted to specific ecological conditions

kinesics: facial expressions

-universal, part of our shared evolutionary heritage (many shared w/ primates): anger, sadness, disgust

studying up/down

-up: people without power studying those with power -down: people with power studying those without power

Evans-Pritchard's major finding

-used genealogical method to reveal kinship basis of Neur political organization -segmentary lineage political organization (call on common ancestors to be allies if there is a fight)

advertising and language

-used vehicles vs. pre-owned vehicles -fruit loops: natural fruit flavors vs. 41.4% sugar and "natural flavor" that mimics fruit taste

cultural behavior

-what people do -ex: reading

nutritional utility and rational choice...?

-when a family shops for groceries: -why do they consider it essential to buy different foods for 3 types of meals/eat something different every day?

food and religion (3 aspects)

1) religion influences/determines what is food (preferences) and what is not food (taboos) 2) religion dictates how we should eat and prepare food and where (food practices) 3) religion prescribes occasions for eating and avoiding food (feasting and fasting)

reciprocity in research: 2 propositions

1) we have no business meddling w/ other societies -old model says that meddling will change society, and that's bad 2) we have an ethical obligation to help