Chapter 16 Short Answer

Briefly discuss what Alma Gottlieb concluded about Beng communities and interdependence training.

Alma Gottlieb found that the childrearing practices had the social goal to promote interdependence over independence. Beng babies are made to feel "constantly cherished by as many people as possible". Individual security comes through the intertwining of lives, collectively sharing joys and burdens. Beng babies are held by an array of caregivers in order to develop a variety of social ties and emotional attachments and appear generally free of stranger anxiety.

What is anorexia nervosa and with what countries is it associated?

Anorexia nervosa is an obsession to remain thin, evidenced in self-starvation that may result in death. Anorexia manifests itself in Western consumer societies where a growing percentage of the population is overweight or obese.

Provide two examples for name-changes among minorities hoping to avoid racial discrimination or ethnic stigmatization in the United States.

As part of the assimilation processes of American Indian families, many agreed or were compelled to have their indigenous names translated into English. For example, an Osage names He-lo-ki-he became Long Bow. It was not uncommon for Jewish immigrants and their U.S.-born children who were trying to succeed in the entertainment industry to change their names. Comedian Joan Molinsky became Joan Rivers. Many African-Americans who became members of the Nation of Islam, rejected their slave names and adopted Islamic names - Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali.

When do Aymara Indians in the village of Laymi in Bolivia name a child?

Aymara Indians in the village of Laymi in Bolivia name a child when they begin to speak the Aymara language when they are around the age of 2. The child is not considered truly human until they are given a name.

What is bakla?

Bakla is a word the Tagalog-speaking people in the Philippines give to refer to a man who views himself "as a male with a female heart." The individuals cross-dress on a daily basis and often become more "feminine" that Phillipine women. They are often drawn to heterosexual men.

If you lived in Iceland, what would your last name be?

If I lived in Iceland, my last name would be Gerharddottir - my father's given name and the suffix dottir because I am a girl.

How did R.K. Williamson explain the attitudes of the Christian Church and the Native American view of s/he's gender identity?

In Native American societies, intersexed or transgender individuals are viewed in in a positive and affirming light. It was a gift to have a greater strength than most girls will know, and a gentle tenderness boys will never know. However, Christian Euramerican society has a fixed negative view. It was seen as the work of Satan.

When might matronyms be used in Iceland?

Matronyms are used in Iceland when a boy or girl has a mother who remains unmarried, is divorced, or simply prefers her own name identifying family status.

What is the role of naming for a social group and what kinds of things can a name reveal?

Personal names are important devices for self-definition in all cultures. Through naming, social group acknowledges a child's birthright and establishes his/her social identity. The rules of naming individualize a person and identify one as part of a group. Names express and represent multiple aspects of one's group identity - ethnic, gender, religious, political, or even social rank, class, or caste. Without a name, an individual is anonymous and has no social identity.

What did Ruth Benedict say was the main purpose of anthropology?

Ruth Benedict said the main purpose of anthropology was "to make the world safe for human differences."

How many genders do the Bugis acknowledge? What are they?

The Bugis acknowledge five genders: oroane (masculine male), makunrai (feminine female), calabai (feminine male), calalai (masculine female), bissu (neither female nor male). Bissu are traditionally high-ranking celibate intersexuals.

What does the book suggest is the core value held in highest esteem by North Americans of European descent?

The core value held in the highest esteem by North Americans of European descent is rugged individualism. Each individual is supposed to be able to achieve anything he or she likes, given a willingness to work hard enough.