ANT 200 Exam #1

Write a 4-sentence holistic description of a dorm at Berry College, incorporating the factors of economics, gender, age, and environment.

The Mary dorms in Ford are less expensive than others, so those students with less money would live there. Mary is a girls' dorm, so only girls would live there. Typically, Ford is for freshman, so younger people would live there. The environment is isolated but aesthetic, so those who like to be separated and value beauty would live there.

Compare one of Haines' industrialism examples with the Gebusi lifeway. How do their social arrangements (organization by age, gender, kinship, location, skill) differ?

-China: overpopulation due to migrants, location based on class, specialized skills -Gebusi: small population, clans, value kinship ties, less focused on skill specialization

Give four reasons why anthropologists argue that races are not biologically real categories, but rather are culturally constructed.

-Environmental influences predominate (dark skin in widely-separated groups) -Non-concordance of traits (nose shape, hair texture, etc are inherited separated) -The visible traits used to categorize 'races' are biologically insignificant. -Groups haven't been isolated long enough to become genetically distinct

What are the three ethical obligations of anthropologists to the people they study?

-Ethical obligation #1: Get informed consent from people whose lives you want to learn about -Ethical obligation #2: Protect participants' wellbeing -Ethical obligation #3: Protect the privacy and dignity of participants and their communities in writings/films

What methods do cultural anthropologists use in their research? Give an example of two methods you could use in studying a group in the Amazonian rain forest, and then two methods for studying US teachers.

-Interviews (Structured & Unstructured) -Genealogies -Censuses -Key consultants ('informants' or 'respondents') -Life histories -Mapping space, Photographing

Why might anthropologists usually conduct field research for at least a year?

-Long-term interaction reduces changed behavior of participants because locals get used to the researcher being around and go back to their regular activities

How do Sterk and the authors in Small's article use the concept of cultural relativism for their research? How is Sterk NOT a moral relativist?

-Sterk didn't judge/blame based on the circumstances of the prostitutes -Small revealed this idea from the perspective of different mothers all over the earth because their environments are different (holism) -moral relativism: there is no right/wrong/ethical code that a person might be inclined to stick to (ex: Sterk did not believe in/advocate for the prostitutes' actions- NOT moral relativism)

Which 5 questions of Haines' '9 Questions' in the adaptation framework do you feel provide the best insight into Gebusi society?

-What is the typical division of labor (e.g., gender, age, and specializations)? -What kinds of kin ties and groups exist, and which ties are most significant? -What ways of resolving conflicts are used typically in the society? -How much equality exists between members? -What types of religious beliefs are common in the society (e.g, nature-based,...)?

Why is direct interaction important to anthropological research (give two reasons)?

-able to learn from locals' personal experience -able to integrate and experience things for yourself to gain better understanding

Haines' adaptation framework emphasizes the material aspects of culture. How do industrialism and agriculture differ in how people get their necessities? How are those differences reflected in the adaptations' social organization and 2 questions from Haines' "9 Questions"?

-agriculture: people produce more crops/etc by increasing the amount of labor (work) they put into growing them -industrialism: people produce more crops/etc by innovating their technology

Knauft describes the Gebusi as more isolated and yet still connected to the outside world in 2013. Why is that? What impacts does he see due to the changes between 1998 and 2013?

-airstrip closed but Exon gas pipeline offer -reemergence of culture and decrease in modernization (no school, ragged clothes)

Applied anthropology, the fifth subfield... give two examples of current social or economic problems which anthropology can help to explain or solve.

-applied anthropology: the application of anthropology to the solution of human problems -ex: ethnographic research on teenage cocaine problems; helping medical personel

In Sterk's research, she describes several phases in the research process (entry, developing rapport, etc). How do those phases show up in Knauft's Gebusi research?

-arrives for the first time (very uncertain) -makes friends/relationships -learns/participates in practices which strengthens relationships -difficult goodbye

In the 1990s, the Gebusi were increasingly involved in the wider nation of Papua New Guinea. Name three activities which demonstrate that they increasingly identified as members of a nation. [Hint: think about things such as school, government, leisure activities, and the Independence Day celebrations]

-attending Catholic church (world religion) -participating in Independence Day celebrations (making fun of past culture) -'disco' dances -soccer games (world sport)

How do Gebusi understandings of illness and death in the 1980s reflect other aspects of their society, such as kinship, marriage, economic livelihoods, and religion? Make a case that the changes in their belief about illness by 1998 reflect changes in two of these areas of social organization.

-believed it was caused by sorcery -created tension/revenge dynamic between family groups -changes in 1998 --> Christianity and no homicide

How did Gebusi marriage practices change between 1980 and 1998, and how did those changes reflect changes in other parts of their society, such as religion, economic livelihood, and aspirations to be modern?

-more love marriages (no more sister exchange) -women have more power --> economic place in the market --> aspirations to have money/buy cash crops

How do a researcher's traits (gender, age, marital status, parental status, class, ethnicity, ...) influence the data obtained? Give examples from two readings.

-can make it easier/more difficult to integrate themselves which affects the amount/extent of information received -ex: Sterk (white woman) easier to integrate into prostitution as opposed to if she were a man; Knauft, as man, was able to receive more information from Gebusi men than women while it was easier for his wife to speak to women

Name two challenges to learning about a society through doing field research rather than by using the experiment model of research. Now, name two advantages to learning about a society through fieldwork.

-challenges: getting used to a different culture (uncomfort), possible language barrier, exposure to disease -advantages: personal experience and greater understanding

How is the concept of cultural relativism important for anthropology?

-cultural relativism: the idea that a person's beliefs and practices should be understood based on that person's own culture -leads to understanding/less stereotyping/takes holism into account

The Powerpoint "Key Concepts..." has a definition of culture in it. Demonstrate each underlined part of that definition with an example from The Gebusi.

-culture is practices and beliefs learned, shared, and enacted with a group -practices: gathering plants, rituals, seances, etc. -beliefs: sorcery, hospitality -learned: from previous generations then westerners -shared: with Knauft and other Gebusi -enacted: with Knauft and other Gebusi

Analyze your dorm/housing and show how culture, human biology, and physical environment interconnect in how the building is set up.

-culture: common room/lobby for socialization -human biology: bathrooms in the halls/room size to accommodate human growth/size -physical environment: large expanse = large building

How does The Gebusi show the uses of emic and etic analyses? "Our Babies..."?

-emic: Knauft participating in Gami's council -etic: Knauft comparing initiation to an American wedding or Exon gas line

Define ethnocentrism. Give an example of how it can cause problems between groups in a society or nations. How does it differ from racism?

-ethnocentrism: the notion that one's own culture is superior to any other -lead to pride/misunderstandings/stereotypes -based on culture/beliefs rather than skin color/inherited characteristics

Knauft describe the Gebusi as subsisting through several adaptations: foraging, horticulture, and a bit of industrialism. Which elements of foraging (as a way of 'producing' goods) were shown in 1980 and 1998?

-felling trees -harvesting starch -searching/coming across plants to eat in the forest -lots of movement

In the last chapters of the book, how does Knauft help the Gebusi keep their cultural and social autonomy?

-gets involved in mapping land for Exon gas line to make sure they are preserved/treated fairly -engaged anthropology

Define holism. Why is it important to anthropology (2 reasons and examples)?

-holism: considers all the aspects of human beings and in a society; looks at how all those pieces in a social system interact with and influence each other -important because: leaves little room for assumptions and stereotypes/creates a full picture and deeper understanding -examples: Dutch community tight knit --> babies being left alone (Small); interact with elders verbally --> connect with independence (Ojeda)

How do Gebusi combine local beliefs/practices with foreign ones in the 1990s and on? Give examples from economic activities, religion, gender relations, and music.

-incorporating fake rituals into celebrations -horticulture --> selling in markets (economics) -value music but now in a Christian setting

Reflecting on fieldwork... using Knauft as an example, how does the researcher's 'positioning' (individual characteristics and perspective) influence the research process? What makes anthropological findings still scientifically valid?

-individually different life/culture than Gebusi, so he will never be able to completely grasp the culture -findings are valid because of immersion/time spent there allowed him to become a part of society and obtain accurate info

What information could we learn from Sterk's research which we could use to understand and solve a social issue? Name 2 issues to which it could be applied.

-integrate yourself/interact and don't judge/building relationships is important -could be used for drug use, prostitution, homelessness etc

What new insights did Richard Lee gain into !Kung society from offering a cow for the Christmas feast? How did he obtain that new information?

-learned about the Kung's opinions on pride/arrogance through being the punchline of a joke/prank

Haines divides culture into three aspects (material, social, and ideational). Give an example for each aspect, each example drawn from a different reading.

-material: Gebusi axes/tools for harvesting starch -social: Tokyo factory owner/neighborhood hierarchy (Bestor) -ideational: Kung beliefs on pride

How might each of these three aspects be evident in your dorm/housing?

-material: air conditioning/microwave/refrigerator -social: hall organized into groups of roommates -ideational: meaning attached to hall activities

Haines divides culture into three aspects: material, social arrangements, and ideational. Name Gebusi practices which fit into each category.

-material: axes/starch compacter -social: family clans/groups/marriage -ideational: attach meaning to red bird of paradise/the color yellow

Haines suggests that we think of culture as a buffer between human biology and the environments in which people live. Give two examples of this idea, one from Lee's article about !Kung culture and one from The Gebusi.

-need to eat food [cultural views on pride] cattle in the environment -biological aging [initiation ceremony] forest lands/longhouses in environemnt

Knauft sees the possibility of a natural gas pipeline crossing Gebusi territory as presenting both opportunities and dangers to Gebusi people. Why and how?

-opportunities: money -dangers: environmental damage/culture loss/exploitation

Name four research techniques which Knauft used to obtain data.

-participation-observation -interviews -genealogies -photos

Define a rite of passage and do a holistic analysis of the Gebusi initiation in the 1980s. How did that event reflect their economic livelihood, gender roles, and kinship system?

-rite of passage: a ceremony performed to facilitate or mark a person's change of status upon any of several highly important occasions, as at the onset of puberty or upon entry into marriage or into a clan -initiation ceremony -enforces higher status for men and shows social interaction between clans during preparations

Define a ritual and give an example from the Gebusi which helps you understand something about them at the point of time when that ritual occurred.

-ritual: an act of social practices that are repeatedly performed but are not always associated with religious beliefs or practices -male insemination or bird of paradise dance

Holistic analysis... How did Gebusi society change between Knauft's first visit in 1980-2 and his return visits? Discuss economic activities, social organization such as households and marriage, religion, gender relations, and rituals.

-schooling, Christianity, higher status for women, no homicides -markets, love matches, church services

Which elements of a horticultural adaptation were visible? How did their practices change between 1980 and 1998, and why?

-some control over environment, some complex organization, some movement necessary -changes: more movement and control, larger population

Give examples of ethnocentrism from "Growing up American" and "Our Babies..."

-the way children treat their parents/discard their food -Gusii mothers disagreeing with American "cry it out" method

Why has money become more important to the Gebusi since the 1980s? How does this shift connect with other changes in their livelihoods and sources of prestige?

-they want to be modern/buy modern things -leads to schooling/markets -more value placed on materials like boomboxes/cash crops

By the 1990s, Gebusi were more involved in a cash economy and their aspirations had changed. How did gender influence their economic activities, and how did those activities link to elements of social organization beyond economics?

-women hold more power because of their place in the market

List specific research situations in which each obligation would apply, one example each from course readings and one from scenarios you can imagine in US society.

1- Bestor permission to film in Tokyo 2- Sterk protecting women from the drug dealers/pimps 3- Sterk changing names in her writing

What is an ethnography?

an in-depth description and analysis of an aspect of a group of people, either written or in film

What are the four sub-fields of anthropology?

biological, cultural, linguistic, archaeology