Exam 1 Cultural Anthropology Chapter 1,2,3,4,6,7 and Townsend 1-14

Harold Conklin's Ethnoecological Approach to Shifting Cultivation (Swidden, "Slash and Burn") Context: Reversing the Equation: 2 Examples:

Context: development in the Philippines, denigration of swidden agriculture. Reversing the equation: The problem is not swidden cultivators' lack of knowledge about the environment. The problem is our lack of knowledge of swidden cultivators They were ignorant of what these people knew, they were critiquing it Ex: breast feeding, ideal timing, problem our biomedical models of research, about how you ask the questions ex: Swidden agriculture - forest, grass, bush fallow - need a lot of land but you rotate the land

Conklin's Swidden Studies: Empirical research: documental botanical knowledge: Documented soil knowledge:

Empirical research revealed detailed, nuanced environmental knowledge. Documented botanical knowledge (local knowledge of plants exceeds scientists' taxonomic knowledge). Documented soil knowledge (10 basic and 30 derivative soil categories; plus familiarity with which crops grow best in different soil types).

Fredrik Barth's Plural Society (studies 8 different societies) Niche concept: Clip:

Niche concept: the place of a group in the total environment, its relations to resources and competitors. Extending it to different ethnic groups can fill specialized economic roles within the same ecosystem. Groups remain separate yet inter-dependent. Studied ecological relationships of ethnic groups in Swat, North Pakistan Malala was from the Swat Valley Clip: Barth's fieldwork in Swat - fascinated with theme of boundaries Three distinct ethnic groups, three different strategies, separate yet interdependent

Complex Societies (Chapter 6):

Recognition that "isolated" communities (e.g., Rappaport's study) are not so isolated. Have to understand in relation to groups, and need historical approach to appreciate change over the long term Connected with larger systems through markets, resource sharing, state interventions, etc. Barth's ecological niches (finish)

Researching Adulting (gone international) Are you an adult in the biological and social sense?

Research among under-employed recent college graduates. Interview Question: "Are you an adult?" Yes, in biological sense. No, in terms of social adulthood (being a legitimate, 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).

Markers of Social Adulthood

Respectable job/career, good income, house ownership (mortgage), marriage and children

#Adulting and the Disordered State of American Adulthood - J. Hill

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 but necessary tasks." Popular among those transitioning to life independent (more or less) from parents

A Complex Adaptive System: Temples: Cycles: Synchronizing irrigation system: Upstream and downstream farmers:

Temples regulate planting, irrigation, and harvesting cycles of surrounding fields (subak). Cycles coordinated with upstream and downstream subaks. Network of interacting agents [farmers]. Each seeks to maximize crop yield. Synchronizing irrigation and harvesting is mutually beneficial. Upstream farmers: keep more water, Downstream farmers - fine we won't harvest at the same time as you, then pests will multiply

Ecosystems Approach (Chapter 4) Roy Rapport:

The study of interactions within a community of species (including humans) and the biophysical environment Roy Rapport: build impact on the field want to: Went to Paupa New Guinea Tracking flows of information, energy, and matter through the system. Initial focus on isolated, closed feedback systems in equilibrium. Self-regulating, sustainable systems.

Gujar Niche (Indic lang.) (Pastoralist)

Transhumance in symbiotic relationship with Pathans. Use Pathans' crop residues to feed animals. Herd Pathans' animals since Pathans consider herding a low status activity.

violations are conveyed through: How do we learn nroms of personal space? direct transmission or observation?

Violations conveyed through gestures and movements. learn through observation!

Spirit Possession

" ... 8,000 hours of production were lost because 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? They were not used to working? NO! Spirit possession provided a culturally appropriate way for Malay women to rebel against male authorities and factory conditions. The devil made me do it! Using it as a culturally acceptable way to protest!

culture

". . . 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."

Bourgois's Analysis

"... in the United States ... discussions of poverty tend to polarize immediately around race and individual self-worth." What about the cultural and economic systems of which individuals are a part?

what were the Previous Methods in anthropology? and what problems did this cause?

"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

what is participant observation?

"Disciplined hanging out" Learn norms, values, beliefs, and behaviors Learn daily routines Join in daily activities Ex: birthdays, religious services Systematically document daily life

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) Very wrong as Rapoport showed, rituals had major effects on ecosystem Rituals have measurable material effects in ecosystems. They can regulate domestic animal populations, frequency of warfare, ratio of land to people, distribution of food, etc.

Biodiversity and Health (Chapter 11) Continuing Importance of Ethnoecology (Harold Conklin and the Swidden studies)

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

qualitative methods are well suited to understand the...

"why"

Stalking with stories: Author: Research subjects: Key Point:

Basso Western Apache People Key point: Metaphors powerfully shape how we experience the world!

What is cultural relativism?

Behavior in one culture should not be judged by the standards of another culture (understanding why)

example of a shared version of nature we want?

Central Park

what is the present ethnography approach?

Contemporary Approach: "Problem Oriented" research. Less holistic and more focused on single issue. Emphasis on intersection of local and global.

Food and Social Relations: What else do we learn from Lee's account?

o Ritual of food preparation (certain people need to slaughter the ox, everyone gets a fair share) o Equal food distribution

Barth's Observations:

Distribution of ethnic groups related to ecological niches that each group exploits. Different ethnic groups can co-exist in stable relationships. If they exploit different ecological niches, then they can (and often do) establish symbiotic economic relationships. They do not have to compete

The Marxist Perspective

Division of labor creates inequality and conflict. Focus on power, domination, and unequal distribution of wealth. Economic Anthropologists: How does production and trade enforce and maintain social and economic inequality? The Formalist Position

Conspicuous Consumption

(Potlach and Americans do that all the time too) (ex: sport's car, clothes, houses) Intent to impress others by accumulating material goods. How is it different from the potlatch? Not that different, except we are too proud to burn it

example of cultural relativism?

(ex: polygamist family compared to a standard family)

cultural knowledge can be...

(explicit / implicit)

when field notes adds up what happens?

(people get used to field notes) (adds up to make big picture)

what ethical problems did the human terrain system violate?

(used helicoptors, major secruity to talk to people, they were scared to answer because they thought they were going to be killed if they did not say anything) This violates the rule to do no harm! In this situation there is no possibility of informed consent!

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.

Language and Culture: lang links... lang ideologies can be used to justify... anthropology offers a...

***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.

Big question that prompted collaborative research... Who are we ethically responsible?

***When we write, to whom are we ethically responsible? Mostly our research subjects! To readers who believe we are objective? (To research subjects who gave us the information? To colleagues who expect a certain type of analysis? To employers who want good publicity from our research?

Historical particularism

- Franz Boas - cultures can only be understood in reference to their particular historical developments General theories cannot explain processes of culture change Every culture is unique studied in terms of uniqueness

How you eat conveys messages about your

...gender, age, social status, etc.

Chagnon's argument that the Yanomamö were... Clip:

...naturally violent/ primitive and barbaric: (this is not true in the video it said that these people would rather move than fight people) (apparently Chagnon gave his subjects weapons if they agreed to speak to him) Clip: represents Yanomamo people as violent, focused on violent practices when they had a lot of other activities important to their culture

Language influences our...

...perception of the world! Does not determine though!

Interviewing: Cultural anthropology should not just be a one-sided extraction

...relationship, there needs to be a give and take, a social dance, cultural appropriate behavior

Weighing Competing Ethical Obligations: Your primary obligation is to your...

...research subjects

Collaborative Ethnography (develop 1990s)

1. Do research that the community, not just the anthropologist, thinks is important. 2. Seek comments and direction from subjects throughout research process. 3. Dialogic Technique: Use conversations between anthropologist and collaborators to illustrate how cross-cultural understandings emerge in fieldwork. 4. Collaborative Writing: Integrate responses so that consultants shape representations and interpretations. Write clearly (there is an obligation to do so) so community members understand how they are represented.

Why Does Culture Feel Static and Stable? (3)

1. Enculturation 2. Symbols are warehouses of meaning (conserve meaning) (meaning of symbols changes very slowly) 3. Values conserve ideals o Values: express intrinsically desirable principles or qualities Ex: "mom" and the values of motherhood

Culture is . . . (4)

1. Transmitted through learning (enculturation). 2. Relies on symbols. 3. Influences thoughts and actions. 4. Helps us make sense of the world.

how did anthropology begin?

19th century industrialization evolutionary theory colonial contact lead to discipline of understanding how cultures operate and interact

Performative Speech Acts

A change in status is effected via an utterance (just by saying something!) Ex: I pronounce you husband and wife!) (I find the defendant guilty!) Has to be direct and immediate relationship between utterance and effect providing all social and linguistic conventions are met (decided as a society) However need correct place, authority, ceremony

Hectares per person: US: Spain: Vietnam: India

8.4 4.2 1.6 .8

Ethical Issues in Anthropology: main association

AAA (American anthropologic association) Statement on Ethics

Are the differences between studying people who have less political and economic resources than you and studying people who have more?

ABSOLUTLEY!

AAA Main Precepts:

Do No Harm Be Open and Honest Obtain Informed Consent and Necessary Permissions Weigh Competing Ethical Obligations Make Results Accessible Protect and Preserve Records Maintain Respectful and Ethical Professional Relationships

Consumer Cultures (Chapter 14) Ecological Footprint

A quantitative tool that measures what people consume and the waste they produce. Measure of biologically productive land and water needed to support those people. Includes "hidden costs" like pollution, energy usage. Varying in acres from different regions

Foraging (Hunting and Gathering)

Adaptive strategy for most of human history. Now practiced mainly in areas where food production is difficult. Correlates of Foraging Small-scale society Mobility Egalitarian (minimal social stratification) (equally sharing resources) Social distinctions based on age - elders know more about hunting and gathering

Agency and Practice Does culture determine your behavior?

Agency: The capacity of human beings to affect their own life chances and those of others and to play a role in the formation of the social realities in which they participate Culture influences, but does not determine, the behaviors of individuals (people can make their own decisions, have own desires)

Efficiency? and differences from agriculture and foraging?

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 (but a lot of surplus time)

Ahiwa Ong

Aihwa Ong: She is well known for her interdisciplinary approach in investigations of globalization, modernity, and citizenship from Southeast Asia and China to the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Her notions of 'flexible citizenship', 'graduated sovereignty,' and 'global assemblages' have widely impacted conceptions of the global in modernity across the social sciences and humanities Article - spirits of resistance

Culture is...Integrated

All aspects of our daily experience are shaped by culture. If one part of the system changes, other parts change as well. Technological changes have wide impacts.

Professional Ethics: violated by diamond

Do No Harm: Assume that research publications will be read by research subjects. Protect and Preserve Records: Anthropologists must protect information, depending on potential risks and subjects' expressed desires

Marshall Sahlins (cross cultural perspective)

American anthropologist Fieldwork in the Pacific Stone Age Economics (1972), a classic ethnology Uses ethnographic data to critique mainstream theories about "rational" economic behavior

Using your Cultural Knowledge to . . .

Assess: place (language, environment), time period (building, artifacts), social status (clothing, demeanor). Interpret: relationships (friends; father/son?), actions/intentions (whistle to distract; sweep to divert), behavior (gambling, pranks) and associating it with age and gender (young males). Judge: character (who is gullible? instigator?) Recognizing cultural universals (children at play, humor) Recognizing cultural differences (language, clothing)

It Isn't Easy Being Green (Chapter 12) Seal Hunts

Animal Rights groups oppose all seal hunting (cruelty to animals) without distinguishing between species or contexts. Roy Rapaport - Indonesia forest fires, illegal ironwood trade Conservation conflicts Seal hunting integral part of Inuit culture, religion, society, and identity. Hunting forms bonds between people, sharing meat still key part of reciprocity. Clip: indigenous groups - importance of seal hunting, wants to pass down Traditional technologies replaced by modern ones

Contrasting Views of "Primitive Man"

Animal: Poverty, violence, fear, individualistic, lawless, lacks religion/morality. Gentle Person: Plenty, peace, security, communalistic, custom, dominated by religious beliefs and rituals.

Anthropologists are good at studying... Anthropologists are not as good at studying...

Anthropologists are good at studying: inequality, resistance, and social movements from a "grass roots" perspective. (field work in struggling areas) Anthropologists are not as good at studying: systems of power, domination, and inequality from the perspective of those who hold power.

what was different about Osburg's work? Fieldwork, Ethnography, and Power

Anthropologists have traditionally studied people with less political and economic resources than the anthropologists had themselves Anthropology's prototypical methodology "does not travel well up the social ladder."

Does it Matter Who You Are? Questions?

Because all data are filtered through the lens of the individual researcher, it is important to understand: o How do personal attributes "situate" the anthropologist within the research setting? o How do personal attributes help or hinder the research process?

what does the young boy learn?

Bali - Young boy learns that his resources are shared - generosity

Stephen Lansing: Balinese Agriculture Clip:

Bali - densely populated, water source - lakes surrounding valcones Like Rappaport, recognition that rituals can have regulatory functions. Focus on a how a resource (water) is regulated. Analysis of how multiple actors coordinate activities in mutually beneficial ways Clip: Subak - unique social and religious institutions share responsibility of farming and distributing water

Ethnography for Whom?

Backlash from research subjects. Offer their own interpretations that differ from the ethnographer's. Respond forcefully to interpretations they perceive to be unfair, malicious, or wrong. (have to be sensitive) Collaborative Ethnography: from ethnical concerns within discipline and pressure from peoples being studied.

balanced reprocity and unbalanced reprocity

Balanced Reciprocity Giving entails expectation that something of equal value will be returned (immediately or in future) Ex: I love you, you hope someone says it at the same time, violation of that would be unbalanced reciprocity Names for people who fails to reciprocate in a balanced manner? Mooch, free loader etc. Clip: reciprocity out of context can be confusing Thank you! "for what?"

balanced reprocity and unbalanced reprocity

Balanced Reciprocity Giving entails expectation that something of equal value will be returned (immediately or in future) Ex: I love you, you hope someone says it at the same time, violation of that would be unbalanced reciprocity Names for people who fails to reciprocate in a balanced manner? Mooch, free loader etc. Ex: flattery to a boss for a pay raise Clip: reciprocity out of context can be confusing Thank you! "for what?"

Benjamin Whorf

Benjamin Whorf - Sapir student, studied Hopi Indians, people who speak different lang. Actually do (not just inclined to) Interpret and perceive the world differently, "assertion categories" 1,2,3, Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis

Bergamasco: YouTube:

Bergamasco Low-status language. Associated with peasants and working class. Seen as old-fashioned. Children discouraged from learning and speaking it. YouTube Videos perpetuate stereotypes about Bergamasco speakers (play on soccer) Videos link an endangered language to popular figures and new media. Videos include language mixing that reflects everyday usage rather than purist ideology

Why Not Eat Pork? (sacred or profane and edible or inedible)

Binaries! Pigs do not fit into the cultural categories that define what is edible (four legs, cloven hooves, chew the cud) (they do not chew the cud) Pigs defy symbolic boundaries between "clean" and "unclean" (profane) Eating pork would defy symbolic boundaries between religious adherents and those outside the religious community. Food prohibitions are a symbolic way to demonstrate and maintain community (you eat pork or you don't)

Combining Approaches

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. A topic that can be addressed across the sub-disciplines of anthropology.

what are the Four Sub-Fields of Anthropology? What do they study?

Biological (Physical) Anthropology: The study of human and primate evolution and physiological adaptation over space and time. Archaeology: The study of past societies by uncovering and investigating the remains they left behind. Linguistic Anthropology: The study of how people communicate verbally and non-verbally, and how language usage shapes group membership and identity. Cultural Anthropology: The study of the social lives of communities.

what did Boas advocate for?

Boas advocated for historical particularism - cultures must be studies for uniqueness Boas: Must assume migration/contact over enormous geographical areas (e.g., Egypt and Mexico 2,500 years ago). Ignores possibility of independent invention.

The Method of Ethnology (Franz Boas, 1858 - 1942)

Boas: Physicist turned geographer (Berlin). Developed interest in studying culture. (First) Professor of Anthro, Columbia Univ, 1899. Helped develop anthropology as a methodologically rigorous discipline.

Are East Harlem drug dealers just urban entrepreneurs? Pursuing the American Dream?

Bourgois comes to see the dealers as: o Rugged individualists o Privateentrepreneurs o Aftertheirpieceofthepie Underground economy as the most realistic route to upward mobility. ***Choosing dignity and autonomy over humiliation and dependence on others.

Fieldwork in the Colonial Era (E. E. Evans-Pritchard) Anthropology and Colonialism

British conquest of Sudan. Nuer unknown and antagonistic. Govt. commissions study by anthropologist. Clip: British controlling Africa --- The Nuer people resisted colonial rule ---- we need anthropologists to understand why --- sent to study Nuer ---- realized it was a political problem

Key Definitions in Marxist Analysis: Capitalists: Proletariet: Surplus Value:

Capitalists: Own the means of production (factory owners) 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.

Malinowski on the Kula Ring: What did he find?

Ceremonial gift exchange network. Items continually passed along. Items tie people into enduring trade relationships. Possessing items enhances individual's status. Demonstrated function of what appeared to outsiders as irrational exchange of "worthless items" Shells rotated clockwise Necklaces rotated counterclockwise

Downstream Negative Impacts (Stuart Kirsch) (he critiqued Diamond)

Chemical pollutants destroy fish and wildlife (Ok Tedi creates biologically "dead" river). Chemical pollutants cause health problems Mine tailings and excess sedimentation overflows banks, destroys forests. Reasons why they can perpetrate - power inequalities

Cultural Capital - Pierre Bourdieu (also der. 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. o Some provide access to resources. o Some are stigmatized or considered markers of inferiority. Skillful code switching can be converted into economic benefits.

who was a major advocate for Interpretive Anthropology

Clifford Geertz

Clifford Geertz

Clifford Geertz: introducing term ecosystem, described 'swidden' and 'sawah' agricultural systems in Indonesia which requires a system of canals, ditches and terraced fields, swidden plot was like canny imitation of the tropical forest, diversity and interplanted crop, book Agricultural Involution the Green Revolution came to Indonesian agriculture Interpretive theory of culture!!! Interpretive anthropology, proposed culture is a system of symbols, proposed how do we know the difference between a wink and a twitch? Interpretive theory of culture, field work is the "informal logic of everyday life" / studied Balinese kinship patterns on Bali in Indonesia, genealogical amnesia was not random but symatic! Article - Balinese cockfight

Immigration and Identity Clip: 2 questions... How is participant observation useful in this case?

Clip: "not from here, not from there" hard to balance identities Research Questions 1) What identities are important among recent immigrants to the US from Central America? (Your survey (start with) data reveal many different labels that people use to describe themselves.) 2) Why and when are these different identities important? Ex: What are the sociocultural dynamics? How is Participant Observation Useful? o Participate in various daily activities and routines to find out when identifying as "latina" versus "Guatemalan" matters. Ex: work at a refugee center and observe things they go through to get into the US o Document social factors, contexts, and dynamics that influence how people identify. o Formulate hypotheses about the differences. Ex: how do contexts change the way people identify?

Factory Work and Cultural Change

Distance from family members Ability to resist parental authority Limited economic independence Ethnic divisions on the factory floor Feelings of dehumanization at the hands of factory managers

Collaborative fieldwork is an

Collaborative research: an ethical imperative

What Makes Cultural Anthropology Unique? and Key distinctions...

Combination of an approach, a focus, the scale of the unit of analysis, and a method. Holisitc, culture (transmitted through learning), small scale, participant observation Key distinctions: Macroscale research Microscale research

Anthropological Demography:

Combine methods of demography with ethnography, to analyze population processes in small scale societies (fertility, mortality, migration)

Julian Steward's Cultural Ecology (Chapter 2)

Concern with 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 environmental - subsistence strategy, then social and economic organization, then kinships systems and religious ideologies (environment shapes human societies)

Because of this.. congress passed IRB? 3 Things:

Congress passed the National Research Act of 1974: Establishment of federal Office for Human Research Protections and Institutional Review Boards at research institutes and universities 1. Informed Consent 2. Review and disclosure of known and potential risks to research subjects. 3. Written or oral consent given to participate

"We Have Maps in Our Minds" culture is...

Connecting the stories to a place ensures that the moral is recalled whenever the person passes by that place. Culture is Symbolic: Features of the landscape are symbols of the Western Apache way of life and moral character (make places)

Make Results Accessible: Issue: Impacts of Publishing two examples of works that only develop their thesis and do not show real findings...

Consider sharing results with research subjects, policy makers, general public - as many people as you can without sacrificing trust Issue: Impacts of Publishing o How will your publications influence the way others perceive the subjects of study? Ex: Osburg, Anxious Wealth - think about how you are going to represent your subjects, so they let you come back Ex: Chagnon, Yanomamö: The Fierce People (1968).

Kwakuitl (Kwakwaka'wakw) Potlatch Context: Event: Question:

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 to people in his and other communities. (burn some of it because it was a surplus) Question: Is amassing food stocks and material goods an economically irrational drive for prestige and status? o Earlyexplorersthoughtso. o Ethnocentricperspectivepersisted. o Canadiangovernmentbannedpotlatchinthelate1800s.

Evolutionism and the Roots of Anthropology (McGee and Warms) Article

Context: European and global expansion How to explain cultural differences between humans Explain biological origin of humans and other species Ancient civilizations: understand human antiquity

Population Growth and Environmental Degradation in Honduras (William Durham)

Context: Honduras 1960s-80s IPAT is too simplistic - need to consider all political economic forces Need to account for structural causes of environmental destruction (political ecology!) wealth, ecology, power and production ***"The impact of human populations upon environments is mediated by cultural and political economic forces that do not act as simple multipliers and multiplicands."

Article: Moral Dilemmas and Ethical Controversies - Kirsch Background: Diamond's Argument

Contrasting stories of vengeance: In Western context, father-in-law refrains from killing man accused of killing his family members. Hands accused over to authorities. New Guinea man organizes attack to avenge killing of his uncle. - takes very narrow stance and makes broad claims Conclusion: The state suppresses desire for revenge; no such constraints exist in non-state societies.

Culture and Body Image

Cultural concepts about maintaining ideal body generate religious-like behaviors (Lelwika). Cultural notions of beauty change over time and vary cross-culturally (proportions (body shape), skin tone). Tanning Salon clip: darker = more attractive (American culture) "the choice of Hollywood celebrities" Your life, your style, your image" Advertisement to lighten skin: "Fair lovely" - skin tone sways father's approval "Fair and handsome" - skin tone dictated social class

Culture influences how we perceive our bodies and natural abilities...example

Culture influences how we perceive our bodies and natural abilities. o Examples: grooming rituals, skin color/body shape and perceptions of attractiveness.

what is culture?

Culture is ... taken for granted notions, rules, moralities, behaviors within a social group that feels natural and the way things should be

key point... culture shapes how we... culture provides a context for...

Culture shapes how we interpret experiences and events. Culture provides a context for interpretation.

Culture and Natural Processes

Culture takes natural biological urges we share with other animals and teaches us how to express them in particular ways. Examples: death (ritual = funeral, monuments = grave) , moving about

what is historical particularism?

Cultures can only be understood in reference to their particular historical developments. No general theories (e.g., evolution, diffusion) can explain processes of culture 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 and external influences. Even external influences change forms and meanings as they are mediated and adapted through existing cultural norms. Detailed investigations can eventually lead to theory building. Building theory based on empirical studies of cultures.

Today's Summary: Alyanack: 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: o Preparing the soil. o Use of simple and/or complex technologies. Use of larger labor force, Including domesticated animals. o Water management Modifying plants and soils

How to explain human differences? Early Theorists

Degenerationism: (religious explanation) we were all once civilized, but after dispersing (Tower of Babel incident) some degenerated while others remained civilized. Progressivism: (scientific explanation) (finish) human history is characterized by advances from primitive to civilized. (Diffusion: Cultural traits originate in one area and then spread to other areas. Migration and diffusion thus Heliocentric Diffusion: All cultural traits originate from a single source (e.g., ancient Egypt). Culture circles: Diffusion from multiple sources - most robust view of diffusion Culture Circles: Cultural traits originated at multiple sources)

Ethical Criticism

Diamond either fabricated data or misused data in order to construct a compelling account that justified his theory Diamond published names of people involved in violent acts, thereby exposing them to possible retaliation and criminal charges.

What does Douglas Blurs the Distinction think about dieting? (same angle as Lelwika) (more complexity than Geertz)

Dieting goals resembles moral salvation (an ontological value). 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

Welsch and Vivanco's Question: How is non-Western environ knowledge similar to/different from science?

Different: Interconnection between natural world, human activities, and spirit world. Similar: Empirical knowledge of water sources and glacial conditions. Understanding dangers posed by climate change.

Ethical Concerns: HTS

Do No Harm: Gathering intelligence to support military objectives could lead to research subjects' death or imprisonment. Obtain Informed Consent: Consent given in a context of war is not freely given. If some anthropologists are working for the military, their work potentially puts other anthropologists at risk

Anthropology and Colonialism:

Document foodways without interfering? - buying ox and throwing a huge feast is okay! There needs to be a back and forth Image of African groups as static and unchanging? - talk about these people as if they have been living this way forever, know this region there has been tremendous changes in these food ways

Kohistani Niche (Dardic lang.) (Agro-pastoral, need to terrace fields and animal herds)

Driven from lower valley by Pathans. Single annual crop plus transhumance. Exploit both agricultural land and highland pastures

examples of focal vocabulary:

E.g., Inuit terms for snow; Mongol terms for horse; professional chefs' terms for knives. Ex: heavy, fluffy, icy, wet, good packing snow

Benjamin Whorf: Gasoline drum:

Early career with insurance company as fire prevention engineer. Later, comparative studies of Native North American languages. Euro-American nations at the time Gasoline drum suggested it was safe when "empty" not "full" so workers would smoke around the empty ones which released toxic fumes that could start a fire A Problem of Language Which label on a gasoline drum suggests "safety": full or empty?

Edward Burnett Tylor

Edward Burnett Tylor: advocated that all cultures evolved through a similar series of simple to complex, social evolutionism, focused on developing cultural evolutionism / define culture / as society evolves we become more rational , armchair anthropologist, bias data as humans evolve they become more rational evolution of religious thought systems colonialsim

Substantivists: (important name: Marshall Sahlins)

Eco activities are embedded in social institutions and cultural practices (ex: Hadza - do not need surplus) (ex: Potlatch - whole point is to redistribute) Eco activity is not governed everywhere by the same logic of "rational choice" (varies cross culturally) Value and wealth are created by culture and social institutions

The Substantivist Position

Economic activities are embedded in social institutions and cultural practices. Relativist position: each society's economy based on different logical principles. Economic activity is not governed everywhere by the same logic of "rationality choice." Ex: In America we need to eat 3 different things a day, instead of the same thing 3 times a day

Key Points:

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.

Positive National and Local Impacts

Economic development, shared prosperity, modernity, employment, infrastructure (finish)

who defined culture?

Edward Burnett Tylor

Early Practitioners

Edward Burnett Tylor (1832-1917): Evolution of religious thought and systems. As humans evolve, they become more rational. ("armchair anthropologist") wanted descriptions and reports. Data was biased. Animism, polytheism, monotheism, atheism (as society evolves, we become more rational) Lewis Henry Morgan (1818-1881): Evolution of social and political institutions (e.g., marriage, governance). (Iroquis people) (promiscuity, polygamy, monogamy)

Culture is Learned through...

Enculturation: The social process by which culture is learned and transmitted (within generations, across generations, or across societies) (from everyone around us)

example of heliocentric diffusion

Egyptian pyramids and Mayan Pyramids; reasoning: obvs some sort of contact

what is empathetic understanding?

Empathic Understanding Being aware of, sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experiences of another. A goal of anthropology that is achieved through fieldwork

Enculturation happens through

Enculturation happens through Direct Transmission Observation (watch what people around us do and copy their behaviors)

Entering the field and establishing rapport:

Entering the Field Maneuver through "gatekeepers" (let me tell their story) (Sanitation Officials) to gain access. Ex: learn what stigma they face, learn who are involved Establishing Rapport Suspicion of motives based on interactions with journalists (looking for sensationalist story). Gaining rapport by learning how to "fit in": o Speech pattern (blue collar, not academic) (Nagle was white collar, academic) o Attitude (non-judgmental, tolerant of blue humor). o Behavior (appreciation for "finding mongo," valuables among the trash) (way to make work more enjoyable)

Environmental Anthropology

Environmental Anthropology - The use of anthropology's methods and theories to contribute to the understanding of local or global environmental problems - human environmental interactions - belongs in the social sciences mainly (collaboration with sciences)

Final Summation

Environmental Anthropology is an important part of Cultural Anthropology. Problem-oriented, social scientific approach. Collaboration across disciplines (biologists, ecologists, economists, demographers). Contributes important insights on human-environmental interactions

Ethobotany

Ethnobotany (indigenous knowledge of plants).

what is enthocentlrism?

Ethnocentrism: The tendency to apply one's own cultural values in judging the behavior and beliefs of people raised in other cultures.

Article: Ethnographic Seduction - Osburg Study of... fieldwork in places where...

Ethnographic Seduction: Anxious Wealth Study of gender and masculinity in elite male network (businessmen, underground (illegal), politicians). Fieldwork in places where elite males socialize and solidify relationships to facilitate business Osburg's informants were: wealthy, professional, politically powerful

What Do Anthropologists Produce?

Ethnography: An account of a particular society, community, group, or organization. Based on long-term, first-hand research. Ethnography changed over time: "Old School" Approach: Highly descriptive and holistic account of a society at a particular point in time.

Ethnozoology

Ethnozoology (indigenous knowledge of animals).

You Are How You Eat Article:

Eugene Cooper "Food habits communicate symbolic messages." Hierarchy Inclusion/Exclusion(Commensality) (ex: you wouldn't sit with the children if you are an adult) (says social relationship with them)

How do politicians name policies with an intent to sway opinions? How do they use euphemisms to disguise something that is unpleasant or embarrassing? example

Euphemisms - a mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing "tender age shelter" if it actually described it accurately there would be more objections Ex: politicians name laws passed for certain reasons "affordable care act" meant to influence opinions

who is another famous anthropologist that Malinowski taught?

Evans-Pritchard

Fieldwork and the Empirical Tradition (Evans-Pritchard 1)

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.

example of culture being integrated and impacts it may have on society

Ex: Coffee in Papua New Guinea: Coffee introduced as cash crop by Australian officials. What effects did this have on highland society? Divert resources to a cash crop, restructure economic system, restructure households, time, money, young people start to have cash in an egalitarian society based on gift giving, young people now have social status

what is an example of an identity that tells us nothing about culture?

Ex: I am a married woman, which tells us nothing about culture

example of Professor Thomas charecteristic that allowed her respect in Guatemala

Ex: It was critical that Thomas wore her wedding ring in Guatemala so that people respected her, showed she was mature

what is an example of a social role Professor Thomas adopted in Guatemala:

Ex: Thomas adopted a seamstress social role

example of professor Thomas participant observation

Ex: Thomas hanged out in a factory, and participated in factory work

Spiritual Ecology:

Ex: Tibetan Buddhism - Green Laws and Sealing Decrees, Balinese Water Temples Research on the connection between religious beliefs and and practices and the environment

Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis:

Ex: Traffic lights - you are going left then right then left, would not say South West then North Ex: romance lang. Pair certain objects to masculine or feminine

example of empathetic understanding study...

Ex: Willie Lyle was incognito for five days on the street to see how homeless people feel

what event enabled Geertz to gain trust?

Ex: attended a cockfight - ran from police - afraid of being arrested - people realized he was not a spy for the government because he feared the police Acceptance Dramatic event allowed Geertz to establish the "mysterious necessity of anthropological field work" - rapport. Rapport = relation, especially one that is harmonious or sympathetic. Being teased = marker of rapport and acceptance into Balinese society

example of gender enculturation...

Ex: birthday parties - girls learning to value their appearance, boys learning violence and competitiveness, aggression, physical prowess

Reprocity

Exchange between people of similar social standing who have close personal ties (through kinship, marriage, friendship). How closely related are the exchanging parties? How quickly and unselfishly are gifts reciprocated?

This was a response to diffusion:

Explains cultural similarities in different societies Ex: Ancient Egyptians and Central Americans Heliocentric Culture circles

what is explicit cultural knowledge?

Explicit Cultural Knowledge: Cultural knowledge that people can talk about or communicate with ease.

Two shifting portrays in anthropology... expoloration colonialism

Exploration (1600s). Travelers' tales: fanciful, uninformed, accentuated the exotic. Rationale for conquest and civilizing missions. Colonialism (1800s). Missionaries and Administrators: more detailed studies, but still with an agenda. Basis for early studies of social evolution (Morgan, Tylor).

The Objective of fieldwork...

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, or the point of view of those being studied. How did this research approach develop? - do not come with assumptions

Value Is in the Eyes of the Beholder: Big Idea

For most people, garbage is waste. Value of item has expired or is too minimal to keep. (value that has expired) For some people, garbage has value. Ore: items that can be mined and sold by weight. Treasure: items with alternate value.

The Original Affluent Society - Sahlins The formalist position is a basic model for...that assumes all humans shape basic economic... the goal of economic actor is to... value and wealth are created by...

Formalist Position (basic model for) (Neoclassical Economics) assumes all humans share basic economic rationality Goal of economic actor is to maximize utility. Value and wealth are created by competition (driver of economic system) between buyers and sellers as individuals attempt to maximize their satisfaction.

Does participant observation result in objective data? Not exactly - which is perfectly fine

The researcher collects data through routine and repeated observations and can test assumptions. But, it matters who the researcher is (influence the data we collect) And, the data collected depends on the research process (when you should show up, where)

How Is Value (the relative worth of an object or service) Created? (theoretical approaches) clip: global supply chain - iphone

Formalist: By competition between buyers and sellers. - people want cheap goods Substantivism: By cultures and social institutions - competition compete with other competition Marxist: By exploitation of labor (class and power) Are these positions mutually exclusive? Come to play in different magnitude and different situations Clip: phone - global supply chain - dozens of countries - Tin - build market that practices ethical behaviors

who was the founder of American anthropology?

Franz Boas

The Origins of Fieldwork: Franz Boas and Early Fieldworkers:

Franz Boas to Baffin Island (1883-1884). Alfred Haddon to Torres Strait (1898-1899). (1 of the first explorations) Clip: rituals, fire making, study rituals and general life Early Fieldworkers: Journeyed to societies that they studied, but brought informants to own camp for interviews in non-native languages ("interviewing on the veranda"). Methodological shortcoming journeyed to societies but brought informants to own camp Clip: used secondary work, realized armchair was inadequate

Important names:

Franz Boas: "Father of Modern Anthropology". He was the first person to implement the scientific method into the study of human cultures and societies Pierre Bourdieu Fredrik Barth Harold Conklin Mary Douglas Clifford Geertz: interpretive theory of culture, culture is a system of symbols, describes fieldwork as informal logic of everyday life Marvin Harris Marcel Mauss Lewis Henry Morgan: Systems of Consanguity and Affirmity of the Human family" Bronisław Malinowski: emic and etic perspective, native point of view Aihwa Ong E.E Evans Pritchard Ray Rappoport Julian Steward Marshall Sahlins Edward Burnett Tylor: Founding father of cultural anthropology Benjamin Whorf: Sapir-Whorf hypothesis

Franz Boas

Franz Boas: founder of american anthropology, holism is the legacy of this man, historical particularism, studied tribes of Northwest coast of North America and published texts in Indian lang. With english transcription which pioneered linguistic anthropology, developed a theory of culture that described interconnectedness of societies = diffusionists, emphasizing cultural characteristics result from either internal historical dynamism or a spread (diffusion) of cultural attributes from one society to another Article: the methods of ethnography ***Historical particularism! rejected airchair cultural relativism!

before adopting a social role what is some 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 (Thomas knew how to sow) Neutral status ability (would not have a good reputation with the factory workers if she only hanged out with the factory owner) Information reliability Power and autonomy

Misplaced Matter - Cindy Godden-Bryson clip:

Garbage and Value Most treat garbage as unusable/unwanted items. Others find value by extracting recyclable items (see Nagle on "finding Mongo"). "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. Clip: dumpsite, portray as people without education, jobs and homes - atleast they are choosing to be there because of economic opportunity Clip: YouTube - trash pickers, target cuts cord to reduce competition

Climate Change (Chapter 9) Hildegard Diemberger - woman

Garett Hardin - Tragedy of the Commons Indigenous knowledge and observations are important for assessing impacts of climate change. People who have lived there see what is going on! What was it like before? Connecting indigenous knowledge (small scale) with scientific knowledge (large scale) can help people understand how to adapt to a rapidly changing environment.

what were the strengths of weatherford's role?

Gatekeeper = observe large range of activities. Neutral, trusted position = rapport. Contrast with reporters and survey researchers: o Limited opportunities to observe (time and space). o Lack of trust and rapport compromises data reliability.

gender and focal vocabulary:

Gender contrasts with colors - tendency for women to have more focal with colors which reflects the groups you hang out with

generalized reprocity

Generalized Reciprocity Giving something without the expectation of an immediate return. Uninhibited and generous giving such as between parents and children, spouses, close kin. Giving = expression of personal relationship (close) What is a return? Parents might want care in their old age

Points to Ponder

Substantivist position: Economic activities are embedded in social institutions and cultural practices. o Hunter-gatherersocietiesareorganizedarounddifferentvaluesandinstitutionsthan capitalist economies! o Valueisplacedonmobility,autonomy,andegalitarianismratherthanonmaterial accumulation. ***Amount of work and rate of hunger increase as economies become more "developed." (the people living in capitalist economies go hungry!)

Consequences of Retreating Glaciers

Glacial runoff is critical for irrigated agriculture in arid areas of the world. Receding glaciers = less water. Repeat photography - lack that was not there is now there! Receding glaciers creates unstable lakes. Serious risks downstream from catastrophic Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) (difficult to predict these!) Alton Byers - not much is holding the lake in, could cause flood

Pritchard goal:

Goal: to reveal Nuer system of governance so they can be better controlled

Notes on a Balinese Cockfight 1926-2006n a Balinese Cockfight - Clifford Geertz

Goals: to demonstrate how seemingly irrational institutions and practices actually have a cultural logic; to provide reader with an "empathic understanding" of another society. Took to a different direction

Gender and Language: Spanish and French fork example:

Grammatical genders can shape the feelings and associations of speakers toward objects Spanish made fork male associated with male attributes and French opposite Association of masculine and feminine characteristics what it modifies

Nasty, Short, Brutish Lives? How did Sahlins portray the Hadza people?

Hadza Tanzania - clip - hunt and gather, portrayed as outdated, tribe on the brink of starvation, survivalist reality: there are no conflicting tribes

Who wrote the sounds of silence?

Hall and Hall: focused on nonverbal communication

what caused the big Scholarly Shift in anthropology?

Historians & Philosophers. (Frazer, Morgan at first, Taylor) No need to make first-hand observations (Morgan as exception). Natural Sciences. ( Boas, Malinowski, Brown) Inclination to make first-hand observations to test hypotheses and generate new theories. "Nobel Savage"

Main Questions in Economic Anthropology

How are production, distribution, and consumption organized in different societies? (focus on systems of behavior organic macroeconomics) What motivates people in different societies to produce, distribute or exchange, and consume? (microeconomics - focus on individual)

Gender Enculturation

How do boys and girls learn what constitutes proper behavior for their respective genders? Direct Transmission (that's not a toy for boys) and Observation (what do men do?)

adaptive strategies:

How do people procure food? Meeting basic nutritional needs: subsistence

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 one speaks is the result of enculturation into a particular social class - racial, gender, etc. Identity The social status attached to a particular way of speaking depends on the social context.

Ethics in Wartime - Gusterson

Human Terrain System Said they were going to make war more humane, so only the bad guys were killed Program established by US military in 2007. Social science support for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Need for cultural and linguistic knowledge to support military objectives

what are the strengths of Each Approach?

Humanities: Provide 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.

Language and New Media - Cavanaugh Ideology: Language Ideology: Purist Ideology:

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. 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. Purist Ideology (Italian) Belief that mixing languages is an inferior mode of communication, as compared to using a "pure" language - there is one only right way to speak it

Population and Environment (Chapter 10)

Impact = Population x Affluence x Technology (how can we measure pop effect on environment?) The impact of any human group on the environment is the product of three factors: The number of people (population size), a measure of average person's consumption of resources (more affluence = more consumption), the environmental disruptiveness of the technologies that produce the goods consumed. 1960 peaked 2% around 8 Billion now

Hopi Grammar

In the grammatical structure of the Hopi language, assertion (instead of using -ed) categories are marked as well as tense. Assertion Categories: o Reporting of a fact - already happened, or happening now o Declaration of expectation - thought / future o Statements of general truth - always happen given a set of conditions

Practice Theory: Pierre Bourdieu

Ind within every society have different: Motives and intentions Degrees of power and influence - agency Culture shapes, constrians thoughts, actions and behav of the individual Agency of indv. transforms culture in subtle yet accumulative ways Naive Realism: (attempting to reject) Notion that all people in world define the world of objects, events, and concepts the same way Anthro reject this as they attempt to understand how other people define and exp the world

Symbolic Gestures:

Indicate interest by accepting rice bowl with both hands, bring bowl to mouth while eating (learned behaviors) (do not flip the fish over, apparently it means you hope the boat flips over too) Express deference by allowing elders to eat first, offer to others before serving self, share common foods. "...the degree to which a Chinese practice the rules of etiquette marks his class position ..." Chinese - no left overs - means you have not been generous enough English - left overs - means you hated the meal (social class, men) Culture influences reputation how we organize ourselves while eating, arrangement reflects social hierarchy Wrong table manners = stain on family = says about upbringing

how did anthropology begin?

Industrialization: Rapid social changes prompts new questions about society. Colonialism: Encountering and governing other people provides incentive to study them. Academia: Various theories develop to explain human differences. Big Questions of the Time: How to explain cultural differences between groups of humans? How to explain the biological origin of humans and other species? How to understand human antiquity based on old artifacts?

Person-Centered Interviewing example questions:

Interviewee asked about generally held cultural ideals, beliefs, and practices (what they are expected to do). Interviewee asked about own experiences, beliefs, and behaviors (what they actually do). Ex: in your village how should adult children treat their parents? Do your children treat you this way? What threatens intergeneration conflicts within the household

the personal characteristics of the ethnographer can be:

Invariable (citizenship) change during fieldwork (linguistic ability) change over a career (age)

Lelwika's Assessment Questions that arise...

Is dieting a means for women to negotiate gender ideals by dissociating from food production, preparation, and serving? A means for women to assert a level of self-determination usually reserved for men? Domestic? Or does dieting perpetuate women's subservience to the dominant social and religious order where her "salvation" depends on sacrifice and submission?

Eating Christmas in the Kalahari - Lee clip example of how food is symbolic

Lee's Christmas Gift: "Nothing but a box of bones." (wanted to find the best ox) Wanted to answer: What you should and shouldn't eat, where, and with who ***Values of equality and humility shape consumption and joking relationships. Clip: cultural capital, prestige, money and food, Bourbon man's drink, knife "big boy knife," steak is gendered in American society!

who wrote of the "Religion of Thinness" article?

Lelwinka

Food Preferences and Taboos: Islam, Judaism, Hinduism

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

Ethical Considerations: HTS

Isn't a more culturally informed and culturally sensitive military a good thing? Why not use anthropology to make war more humane?

2 issues: Ethnography for whom? Bokerage:

Issue: Ethnography for whom? Collaborative ethnography, dialogic technique, collaborative writing Issue: Brokerage o Others may want your data. o When or when not to share? Are their interests benign? How will they interpret the data? How will they use the information? Will it be in line with research subjects' needs and desires? With professional ethics? Ex: do not share data with law enforcement if you are research illegal activity, loose their trust

Protect and Preserve Record: Issue Make sure you ask: example: Professor Thomas

Issue: Protecting Sources o Keep information confidential. o Carefully store data. o Invent place names? Use pseudonyms? § Are these measures realistic? § What do your informants want or suggest? Make sure you ask: how do you want to be represented? Ex: Thomas worked in Guatemala, she had to decide whether she should publish the name of the town she was doing her research in, when she asked they all laughed because everyone knew they sold knock off clothes

"Why did you tell me the black ox was worthless?" Why Make Fun of the Ox?

It is "Arrogance. ... We refuse one who boasts, for someday his pride will make him kill somebody." If we told you, you would have thought you were the most important person, so full of pride, might lead to violence 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.

Evolutionary Theories of anthropology

Jean Lamarck (1744-1829): Geographic or climatic changes pressure life forms to adapt. (unilineal evolution) Charles Darwin (1809-1882): Natural Selection. Some variations more beneficial for survival and reproduction than others (long-term adaptation). Herbert Spencer (1820-1902): Societies, like organisms, develop from simple to more complex and heterogeneous types. Biological analogy: societies are like nervous systems

Julian Steward

Julian Steward - influenced important generation of anthropologist with theory of cultural ecology and evolution, Great Basin interviewing Indians list of names and uses of plants. Steward rejected the notion that the culture of the Shoshoni could be explained by tracing historical links to earlier cultures, he said the economic and social organization was the result of using technology to exploit the unpredictable environment of the arid Great Basin, neoevolutionism Cultural ecology! Shoshone of the Great Basin

Key distinctions: Is culture a society? is culture an identity?

Key Distinctions Culture is NOT Society. Culture is not Identity. Culture: Distinctive ways of life of a group of people. Society: A group of people who interact more with each other than with others Identity: A person's (or group's) sense of self and way of expressing affiliation and belonging.

Nonverbal Communication:

Kinesics: body movements and gestures expressed as a form of communication Proxemics: how people react to and use space and distance as a form of communication

Welsch and Vivanco's Question: How is globalization linked to increasing environmental and health problems?

Ok Tedi mine improves the lives of some while creating immense problems for others.

How is Labor Organized? - labor for moka Kinship: Reciprocity: Redistritbution:

Kinship: reliance on wives and children to contribute to feeding pigs and raising crops. Reciprocity: enlisting fellow villagers to contribute to the moka. Redistribution: Gifts given at the moka ensure fair distribution of resources within and across villages.

Collaborative Ethnography: Lujke Eric Lassiter's - Kiowa Research

Kiowas leery of anthropologists. Slighted by lack of recognition for previous collaboration. Insulted that Kiowa knowledge passed off as the anthro's; careers built on Kiowa supplied knowledge. "Don't be an 'expert' at the expense of the Kiowas."

Intersubjectivity

Knowledge about other people emerges out of relationships that individuals (the researcher and the informants) have with one another

Linguistic Diversity (dialects, variation of one language accompanying positioning) Language and Identity: Clip:

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) and belonging The way we speak ties us to a particular community, place, and set of traditions. Papua New Guinea - small island and 850 languages are spoken Clip: do you speak American? People identified on level of correctness People speak with accents you make assumptions

where did Malinoski study?

London School of Economics: trained a generation of anthropologists, and instilled new methodological rigor - influence on next generations

Summary: Ethnographic Fieldwork Involves What chnaged?

Long-term residence at site of research. Conducting research in local language. Systematic data collection using multiple methods (interviews, surveys, participant observation). Building rapport. Gaining empathic understanding Changed: armchair - to short term visits - to long term fieldwork

Medicinal Plants and Health

Loss of biodiversity = loss of medicinal plants syndemic or synergistic epidemic is the aggregation of two or more concurrent or sequential epidemics or disease clusters in a population with biological interactions, which exacerbate the prognosis and burden of disease Loss of indigenous peoples = loss of plant knowledge (ethnobotany). Many potential (and unknown) pharmaceuticals lost through destruction of tropical forests. Clip: Mother died of diabetes, went to village that claims they can treat diabetes with local plants

Culture of Terror

Mainstream US culture has left many immigrant 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. Formal, legal employment is a context of discrimination and is emasculating. Demining, jobs available are Mcdonalds

When studying corporate and political elites, what are you observing? Where? How do you gain access? What is important when you are studying people? Example in Osburg article:

Maintaining distance is important! Ethnographic seduction: "Once I was introduced to Fatty, my problem quickly became not how to deepen my relationship with his group, but precisely the opposite - how to maintain distance." How to maintain objectivity and an analytic, even critical, eye?

Pritchard major finding:

Major Finding Used genealogical method to reveal kinship basis of Nuer political organization - Lineage Ancestors

Spirits of Resistance (Ong) Aihwa Ong

Malaysian-American anthropologist Fieldwork in East and Southeast Asia and the US Spirits of Resistance and Capitalist Discipline (1987) Critical and cross-cultural perspective on globalization, migration, and citizenship.

Marcel Mauss

Marcel Mauss - founder of modern French anthropology, The Gift book, he viewed gift exchange differently than Milanowski, he viewed it on how it builds group solidarity: Gift exchange is steep in morality and is based on obligation, obligation to give, to receive, to return the gift in appropriate ways, thus creating a bond of solidarity between people Gift obligation

who proposed reprocity theories:

Marshall Sahlins

Marshall Sahlins

Marshall Sahlins: distinguishes two processes of cultural evolution - general and specific Gift exchange helped manage group boundaries - general reciprocity, balanced reciprocity, negative reciprocity - social relationship between giver and receiver Article - the original affluent society Substantivist! gift repricocity!

Marvin Harris

Marvin Harris - cultural materialism, that is why these cultures do not eat the pigs! They eat the same things humans do! Article - Potlach

Mary Douglas

Mary Douglas: interpretive anthropology, english anthropologist, food is symbolic, english formal dinner takes place on a certain precise order just like a sentence: appetizers, soup, fish, and so onto dessert Douglas Blurs the Distinction • Dieting goals resembles moral salvation (an ontological value). • 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. Structuralism - culture is symbolic that is why those religions do not eat the pigs!

in anthropology attitude...

Matters!

Taxonomies

Methodology focuses on taxonomies (ways people name and classify plants, animals, medicinal substances, soils, etc.)

who said Cultural concepts about the body shape daily behaviors and domestic organization

Miner

Pathan Niche (Iranian lang.)

Multi-cropping (producing two crops/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.

common misconceptions and realities about anthrpology...

Misconception: 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 any country. Robin Nagel studied in NYC people who picked up trash from the street Misconception: Anthropologists are only interested in studying "primitive" societies. Reality: Anthropologists are very interested in change (e.g., impacts of globalization). Anthropologists often study trans-national processes (e.g., those that involve migration and the flow of goods/information) (tuitional research - overtime) Misconception: Anthropologists observe the societies they study in a detached and unobtrusive manner / like a fly on the wall Reality: Anthropologists become integrated in the communities they study. Good data contingent on rapport rapport contingent on acceptance. Yet must remain somewhat detached in order to retain objectivity. There is a social relationship "Going Native" or imitating societies 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. People in PhD tend to work alone, but then after different anthro can all work in groups

Ongka's Big Moka (pigs) (movie) Mode of Production

Mixed strategy that includes: horticulture (low intensity gardening), pastoralism (care of animals), agriculture, and market exchange

Myth about Swidden agriculture: Reality: Clip:

Myth 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. Reality 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). Clip: swidden farming - shifting cultivation, food source and produce - takes very little labor get abundance of crops, pays school fees, religion - chicken sacrifice

neoclassical economics: subsantivism: marxism: culturaleconomics:

NE: division of labor, exchange of goods and services in the market - workers cooperate in the division of labor to produce goods, market bring buyers and sellers of goods - value created by competition of buyers and sellers S: economy is the substance of the actual transactions people engage in to get what they need and want - economic processes are embedded in and shaped by non-market institutions such as the state, religion, kinship - value is relative, created by particular cultures and social institutions M: type of economic system, private ownership by means of production and division of labor produces wealth for a few and inequality for the masses - participate in capitalism by selling labor, labor is appropriated by those holding the means of production - labor especially the exploration of others' labor is a major source of value CE: economy is a category of culture - economics are guided by local beliefs and cultural models which are closely tied to.a communities values - value is created by symbolic associations people make between an activity good or service and a community's moral norms

cultural relativism does not mean... this entails...

NOT Moral 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 (do some people contest this?)

who wrote how to find mongo?

Nagle

How to Find Mongo - Nagle Agenda: Stigmitize:

Nagle's Agenda "I was working behind a garbage truck so that I could better understand some of the human costs and labor requirements of garbage." In contemporary society, we generate an enormous amount of waste, yet turn a blind eye on those who dispose of the waste (a stigmatized job). Stigmatize: To characterize or mark as disgraceful. What can Nagle learn through participant observation?

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). 3) Already underway very different understanding of tenses

negative reprocity

Negative Reciprocity Attempt to get something of greater value than what you give through barter or other means of exchange. But still need to maintain relationship Ex: flattery to a boss for a pay raise Ex: bargaining in India

The Institution of Scarcity

Neoclassical economics assumes that scarcity defines the human condition (existence) o Resourcesarelimited. o Wewantmorethanwecanhave. o Everygainisalsoalossofopportunity.

Linguistic Determinism?

No! - The language one speaks 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 do influence how we perceive reality - And, the knowledge that language shapes our perception is used intentionally and strategically in advertising, politics, etc.

do all cultures think the ideal body is slim?

No! there is cultural variation = fat = healthy and prosperous (wealthy) = Indian and Tibet Light and plump was valued now it is thin and tan

Do I really know what it is like to be homeless? Disabled? A villager of Nepal?

No, I don't not, however, I can sense what it is like from common experience

Two main kinds of Pastoralism

Nomadism:Movementofentiregroupthroughouttheyear(nopermanentsettlements) Transhumance:Partofgroupmoveswithherd,partstaysinvillage(part of permanent settlement) (agro-pastoral subsistence strategy)

Mode of Production

Nonindustrial Societies o Laborgivenassocialobligation o Relativelysmallsocioeconomicdivide Industrial Capitalism o Moneybuyslabor o Relativelylargesocioeconomicdivide

What Is Fieldwork? What does it entail?

The defining methodology of cultural anthropology. Living among the subjects of research (participant observation) - intensive interactions with subjects Conversation with varying degrees of formality (from informal conversations to formal interviews).

Nonverbal Communication: Kenesics: Facial Expressions: Hand Gestures: Proxemics: Personal space:

Nonverbal communication: The first form of communication you learn (enculturation through observation). 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. Kinesics: body movements, postures, expressions, and gestures as forms of communication. Facial Expressions: universal, part of our shared evolutionary heritage (see primates). Hand Gestures (learn through observation) : vary cross-culturally (unlike facial expressions), part of our divergent cultural heritages. (becoming unique with cultural adaptation) Ex: in Russia a thumbs up means "up yours" Proxemics: how people react to and use distance as a form of communication. Personal Space: Varies cross-culturally, varies contextually (according to interpersonal relationships), can expand/contract --Spradley Tacit we just know interpretation and generational behavior

Cultural Vow of Poverty (living in a condition of scarcity and inequality)? Poor but Happy?

Not exactly ... "It is not that hunters and gatherers have curbed their material 'impulses'; they simply never made an institution of them." - so they never wanted material goods in the first place!

Critiques of Rappaport:

Not most efficient means to distribute animal protein (nutritionists' perspective). Closed system is unrealistic assumption (geographic perspective). Homeostasis assumption problematic due to short time frame (historical perspective). Cannot do year in and year out, his study was 18 months, how does he know this would happen long term? Response: Movement away from studying systems in equilibrium to systems in flux (finish)

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 (everything you can remember) Includes specific details, timelines, reflections, further questions.

Horticulture

o Small plots cultivated for household consumption (subsistence agriculture). o No intensive usage of land, labor, or machinery (means of production). o Simple technology Swidden Agriculture o Most common form of horticulture. o Also called "slash and burn." (the ash is an excellent fertilizer, kill off weeds) o Clearing of plots for cultivation, then long periods when old plots lie fallow

Local, Sustainable, Farm-to-Table Clip:

Opportunity to learn from East African context about food practices that many people WANT to have in the US! Clip: model for what we want to be doing in the US! farmer's market, relationship with farmer and social and economic environment

Roy Rappaport's Pigs for the Ancestors: Systemic Integration (ritual in the ecology of a New Guinea people) Coordinated through ritual behavior:

Pigs and tabors - main food source, The Pig Equation: pigs would consume crops, they would do a mass slaughter Human-environment equilibrium disrupted when pigs become too numerous. Coordinated through ritual behavior: Human-environment equilibrium reestablished by slaughtering pigs (ecological dimension). Temporary cessation of warfare for feasting and exchange (social dimension). Coordinated through ritual activities (religious dimension).

Week 1:

Overview of anthropology: McGee and Warns - 19th Century Evolutionism (anthropological theory) Boas - the methods of ethnology What is culture? Bohannan - Shakespeare in the Bush Spradley - ethnography and culture

through culture...

People actively construct a way of life that seems natural, proper, true, and correct.

Cultural Reproduction Theory (the rude theory)

People cling to ethnic identities, that is why they are unsuccessful Resistance to assimilation leads to economic failure (poverty, crime, drug abuse). Economic success contingent upon rejecting ethnic identity and cultural dignity. So, it's the poor person's fault? Does Bourgois agree with this theory?

who proposed the practice theory or theory of agency? and what is the practice theory?

Pierre Bourdieu Individuals within every society have different motives and intentions and degrees of power and influence (agency) (depends on inequalities within society) Culture shapes and constrains the thoughts, actions, and behaviors of the individual The agency of individuals transforms culture in subtle yet cumulatively important ways

Subject, Method, and Scope - Bronislaw Malinowski 1884-1942

Polish by birth. Trained and taught at London School of Economics. Library-based study of Australian Aborigines. "Exiled" to Melanesia during WWI. Trobriand Islands 1914-1918 (longer fieldwork that any predecessor). Argonauts of the Western Pacific as landmark: participant observation as key method, early contribution to economic anthropology.

How can we apply kinesics and proxemics to better understand political performance?

Political opponents are conscious about their body lang. Hilary stood in front of Trump which showed more power To combat that Trump walked around, and when he walked over to her to shake her hand he grabbed her elbow showing dominance Hilary refused a hand shake, no respect

More than Harris's Materialism:

Potlatch was a mechanism for redistribution and ensuring subsistence production, but also: o Away of passing down history and tradition (important ritual for naming for marriage) o A ritual that marked special occasions. o A symbolic expression of Kwakwaka'wakw identity

precedents of do no harm:

Precedents o Nazi experimentation and Doctors' Trial. o Abusive medical research by US institutions, including Tuskegee Syphilis Experiments (1932-1972) (comprised of African American men, allowed their syphilis to spread even when penicillin was available to cure them

The Bug Fight (Formalists Vs. Substantivists) The Formalist Position

Premise: there are universal rules that explain (formal) economic behavior. Concepts and methods of neoclassical economics can be applied to all societies. Goal of economic actor is to maximize utility. Utility = Measure of usefulness that consumer obtains from a good (can be enjoyment, security, health benefit, etc.) Rational (Economic) Actor continually weighs costs and benefits in order to maximize utility. Ex: drive to work = get there quicker Walk to work = exercise Cultural notions of value of time and value of fitness

How do advertisers choose specific words in order to influence the choices you make?

Preowned instead of used car, natural fruit flavor is natural flavoring (a chemical concoction) Ex: I love Paris t-shirts, do you really love Paris? Or do you just want people to know you have been there?

What did the book "The Autobiography of a Winnebago Indian" cause us to realize?

Professionalization creates need to demonstrate scholarly ability and independence How does it look if a PhD depends on uneducated "others" for data and analysis? They rely on other people for information More focus on theory, less on "native point of view." (Radin's critique ignored until 1970s).

Reciprocity in Research: Two propositions

Proposition 1: We have no business meddling with other societies. Proposition 2: We have an ethical obligation to help - you are impacting their life whether you want to or not

Body Rituals of the Nacirema (Minor) (American backwards)...prupose of the article

Purpose of Article: Document unusual magical beliefs and practices of poorly understood group with a highly developed market economy. Focus of ritual activity is the body. Belief System: The body is ugly. Tendency to debilitate and decay. Ritual behavior to combat ugliness and decay. Against forces of aging Shrine = bathroom Holy mouth man = dentist Hygiene and health of mouth effects social relationships

The Work of Selling Crack in East Harlem

Rebellious practices and opposition to mainstream society NOT because they are stubborn, but rather because mainstream society is discriminatory. ***Rejection of racism and marginalization. Personal search for dignity. Models of masculinity premised on earning "respect" among peers, involving violence, substance abuse, and anger. They are angry about the conditions they face!

Key Cultural Consultants ("Key Informants") example:

Somebody with especially good knowledge about a particular aspect of life. Interviewed in-depth and repeatedly ex: Tashi for Professor Childs

The Potlatch - Harris

Redistribution Movement of goods to a center, followed by division of goods and services across the group. Important way of distributing food and other resources. Mode of redistribution common in US? Paying taxes!

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.

what did Franz Boas reject?

Rejected arm-chair approaches - go there any study them yourself

Ethical Concerns: Anthropology's Past and Present

Relationships between anthropologists and governments are not new Think: colonialism, development, policy work.

Political Ecology (Chapter 7): Karl Marx

Relationships between humans and their environment cannot be understood without considering inequalities of power and wealth produced by the global economy. Most widely used approach in environmental anthropology since the 1990s. Ok Tedi Mine (Papua New Guinea) One of world's largest open pit copper mines. Joint effort: international corporations and PNG government. Lifespan: 1980s - 2025

Symbiotic Food System:

Reliable provision of diverse foods based on trust, collaboration, and reciprocity rather than price-based competition and unbridled profit-seeking. Importance of ethnography for understanding how this system emerged from particular history and core cultural norms and values.

Food and Religion

Religion determines what is food (preferences) and what is not food (taboos) Religion dictates how we should eat and prepare food and where (food practices) Religion prescribes occasions for eating and avoiding food (feasting and fasting)

Food and the City - Wegerif Research Methods: Challenges: Solutions:

Research Methods: Actor-oriented ethnography. Start with an eater, follow the food! Feeding People in Urban Tanzania Challenges: Rapid population growth, Climate change, Pressure on natural resources, Income inequality If you look closely this is how they are able to feed everyone! Solutions: Small-scale farms, Low external inputs, Wide crop variety, Low prices, Sales on credit, Flexible quantities, Collaboration rather than competition, Individual autonomy for farmers and vendors, Little reliance on supermarket chains, Low waste (use every part of slaughtered animals)

Pritchard research obstacles:

Research Obstacles Servants from other groups hesitant to work among their former enemies. Treated with suspicion (British colonial rep.) - they were very charitable people, but they did not answer truthfully at first Communication (lacked interpreter; had to learn difficult language).

Jeffrey Johnson: social role

Study of migratory commercial fishermen. What social role in the fishing camp maximizes chances to collect data from all sectors of the community? (if you don't occupy an active social role then you wouldn't know if the info given was reliable) Being a carpenter: Best opportunity for data collection. Social movement, access to diverse information, neutral status, high rapport. (because people saw him working hard they were more open with him)

social evolutionism: (Edward B. Taylor, Lewis Henry Morgan) Historical particularism: (Franz Boas, Edward Sapir) functionalism: (Bronislaw Malinowski) structural functionalsim: Neoevolutionism: (Julian Steward) cultural materialism: (Marvin Harris) Cognitive anthropology: Structuralism: Interpretive anthropology: (Clifford Geertz, Mary Douglas) Post-structuralism: (Pierre Bourdieu)

SE: all societies pass through stages, from primitive state to complex civilization. Cultural differences are the result of evolutionary stages HP: India. societies develop particular cultural traits and undergo unique processes of change. Cultural traits diffuse from one culture to another F: cultural practices, beliefs, and institutions fulfill psychological and social needs SF: culture is systematic, its pieces work together in a balanced fashion to keep the whole society functioning smoothy NE: cultures evolve from simple to complex by harnessing natures energy through tech and influence particular cultural specific practices CM: the material world especially economic and ecological conditions shapes people's customs and beliefs CA: culture operates through mental modules and logical systems S: make sense through the world through binary oppositions, binaries are expressed in social institutions and cultural practices, like myth, kinship and lang. IA: culture is a shared system of meaning, people make sense of the world through use of symbols and symbolic activities like myth and ritual PS: a set of theoretical positions that reject the idea that there are underlying structures and explain culture. cultural processes are dynamic and the observer of cultural processes can never see culture completely objectively

Geertz's Dichotomy ... a division or contrast between two things that are or are represented as being opposed or entirely different through a weight lense what does Geertz think about dieting?

Sacred (religious fasting): ontological values (moral purity, spiritual insight). Secular (dieting): worldly values (health, beauty, social acceptance).

The "Religion of Thinness" Sacred images encultration starts... rituals... and examples beliefs... and examples moral teachings...and examples salvation stories...and examples

Sacred Images: Twentieth century transformation of feminine beauty ideal. Thin, young, white, rich image of feminine perfection becomes an aspirational norm. Enculturation starts early ideal body image associated with Barbie dolls, and value Barbie practices Rituals: Disciplined, routine, and repetitive behaviors designed to foster bodily transformation Weighing food, counting food Beliefs: Unchallenged acceptance that thin people are happier, more successful, more beautiful, and healthier. Jenny Craig clip: older, shy, do it for me, now she is more extroverted with weight loss Want healthy happy successful, apparently can get that if they are thin Moral Teachings: Thinness is evidence of restraint and self-control. Overweight signals lack of self-control. What to eat, how much to eat, has moral significance. Salvation Stories: Glimpses of human fulfillment that is associated with social approval from weight loss. Biggest loser clip: Sonya - social disapproval, Lori - disapproval, Tanya - salvation, weight loss oddessy

Surveys: Structural Interviews

Same question asked of everybody. Answers can be categorized or quantified. How old are you? Do you consider yourself a Democrat, Republican, Independent, or Other? On a scale of 1 to 5, how would you rate your health? ex: Video: their age did not matter, only their animal sign

Christine Avenarius: social role what was interesting about Avenarius's social roles?

Study of people from Taiwan living in Los Angeles (all over, not in one place) Multiple sites of active participant observation. Avenarius needed to occupy multiple active social roles in order to gather sufficient data to understand a dispersed community because she was studying people living in Los Angeles she had to adopt many many social roles!

Layers of Understanding

Seeing combination of "Modern": Forests protect watersheds, help clean air and "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. Tangible effect: mitigating human impacts on the natural environment

Suback

Self-governing democratic association of farmers, everyone coordinates activities to maximize water

what was the Impact of Geertz's Narrative?

Self-reflexive style of ethnographic writing was uncommon at the time - today is the norm Henceforth, the "ethnographic vignette" becomes standard formula for starting an ethnographic account.

Jack Weatherford: social role

Study of urban red light district. Pornography store: site of legal and illegal activities. 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. Researchers and reporters would come in to the Red Light District and Waterford knew what they were told were all lies

Culture is... shared? Individual?

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 (it just can be helpful) (you need a study of culture and its dynamics)

Eric wolf

Shoshone crossing the "hidden frontier"

Approach of Cultural Ecology

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

Social Darwinism

Social Darwinism Some societies are more fit than others. Justification to dominate other societies (a moral imperative). (supported colonialism and European expansion)

Article: Active Participation and Social Roles (Johnson et al) : How Do You Fit In? People are defined by their...

Social roles! their cultural "place" in society

Case Study: Shoshone (native American people) of the Great Basin (arid region on Nevada)

Socially fragmenting effect of cultural ecology (subsistence based on) Family level of social organization due to pursuit of highly dispersed food source - Dispersed throughout environment - "First come, first served" rights to resources. Cooperation and leadership emerge only in limited contexts (communal hunts). - Doing studies retrospectively, what they used to do, not what they still do - Pine nuts are main subsistence Trappers and Tappers: adapting to dispersed resources (fir animals, rubber trees) led to more fragmented social organizations (more complex societies to family units responding to external circumstances)

sociolinguistic discrimination

Sociolinguistic discrimination: using linguistic features as evaluator of competence

Sociolinguistics: Example clip: Key question:

Sociolinguistics: The study of the relationships between social variations (ethnicity, status, gender, etc.) and linguistic variations (dialect, slang, tone, etc.) as seen in Seth Myers Boston clip Key question: How is language related to power and inequality?

Focal Vocabulary

Specialized sets of terms and distinctions that are particularly important to certain groups

Who studied ethnography and culture?

Spradley

Statistical Data from Surveys

Statistical Data from Surveys Contextual background information. Snapshot of present and one point in time (cross-sectional data). Change over time (longitudinal data). Reveals more about what is happening than about why it is happening. ex: As more men and women were educated, they left the village more, change in dynamics of families

How to Analyze Another Culture (2)

Step 1: Reject "Naïve Realism": the notion that all people throughout the world define the world of objects, events, and concepts the same way (that is not thr case) Step 2: Understand three fundamental aspects of human experience: o Cultural behavior o Cultural artifacts o Cultural knowledge

Stalking with Stories (Basso) Western Apache people

Stories Like Arrows (aiming at you) Telling moral tales is a way of indirectly calling someone out for behavior that violates cultural norms. People who have been "shot" with stories ideally experience remorse for their bad behavior (in order to change it) Healing the "wound" occurs as they conform to the social norms of their community

Biocultural Approach:

Studies relationship between culture and human biology Ex: adaptation, can have an effect on biological or cultural dimensions / a topic that can be addressed across the sub-disciplines of anthropology

Ethnoecology (Chapter 3)

Study of knowledge and beliefs about nature that are held in a particular culture

symbols

Symbols: Signs that have no necessary or natural connection to the things they stand for or signify ex: stop sign - why does that color red mean stop? Symbols provide order, through observation and direct transmission In order to know what symbols, mean you need context to be able to understand Intent? Socially appropriate? What does a wink mean? (shared system of communication)

what is the main objective of a fieldwork?

Systematic Sketch: Look for, and document, order and structure where others see disorder and chaos.

what is tacit cultural knowledge?

Tacit Cultural Knowledge: Cultural knowledge that is implied, that people lack words for, or that lies outside our explicit awareness (how close do you stand to someone when they talk to you?)

Euro-American Notions of Time

Tenses: Past, Present, Future

Spiritual Ecology (Chapter 13) Spiritual Ecology

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 protection movements? A Vexing Question: Are indigenous peoples "natural" environmentalists? Or do they just lack the technology and capital to exploit the environment in more damaging ways? Cree System of adaptive management: show respect to prey Bathing in the sacred but polluted Ganga River

what is true about the "natural" in culture? This emerges out of a...

The "natural" is artificial ... a "social construction" emerges out of a process of learning and sharing behaviors, norms, moralities

What is the comparative method? The two assumptions? And three steps?

The Comparative Method Video: Primitive people are living fossils toward human march toward civilization, opposite of Victorian society Assumption 1: psychic unity of mankind - humans everywhere think alike. Assumption 2: all societies undergo parallel but independent evolutionary stages. Step 1: Place all societies on a scale from "primitive" to "civilized". Step 2: Analyze "living fossils" (the so-called primitive societies) as exemplars of earlier evolutionary stages. Step 3: Compare institutions (e.g. political systems, kinship, religion) to understand the evolutionary trajectory from primitive to civilized. How to move through different phases

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.

Tibetan Buddhist Concepts

The container (environment) and its contents (living beings). Physical and cultural realms inter-connected. Connection between environmental health and individual/community well-being, social harmony within the village. Destroy environment is bad for health and bad for the community too So...They have...Green Laws (ngötrim): 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. Some environments are considered particularly sacred

Harris's Interpretation: Clip: cultural revitilization

The drive for status among Northwest Coast leaders served social and economic functions. Competition through redistribution: o ***Ensuredproductionanddistributionofwealthinanon-centralizedpoliticalsystem. o Broughtmultiplevillagestogetherinanexchangenetworkthatencouragedlong-term social ties. o Spurredotherstoworkharderandproducemorethanrequiredforsubsistencelevel - so they had surpluses Cultural revitalization: clip: Potlach - this was a pay to pass down our history and keep it alive

The Gift as Social Obligation

The obligation to give. Create/elevate relationship, establish giver as generous and worthy of respect (ex: you cannot deny a gift, you have to accept it) The obligation to receive. Acknowledge relationship, show respect to the giver. The obligation to reciprocate. Maintain relationship, demonstrate honor.

Anthropological Demography

The simultaneous use of ethnographic and demographic concepts and methods to analyze population processes (fertility, mortality, and migration) in small-scale societies. Fertility, mortality, migration Demographic part: Surveys - household demographic surveys Indepth interviews and participant observation - parents' motives and strategies young migrants (educ, aspirations) Can outmigration have a positive impact on fragile Himalayan environments? Has enormous impacts! There are fields that are no longer being planted = lack of labor, can't plant and harvest as much, animals = children would stay up to scare animals away from eating plants, now there aren't as many children to do so Fewer young people = less agriculture Fewer people = less need for forest products Fewer people = more wildlife

Anthropology

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

Economic Anthropology

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)

Cross cultural perspective:

There are no "pure" languages! There is no "correct" way to speak a language!

Why So Few Material Possessions then?

They spend so much time foraging that no time remains for the provision of other goods? Nope. "His wants are scarce and his means (in relation) plentiful." You don't not want a lot, you do not have a lot, it is easy to get what you want!

We regularly monitor nonverbal communication in others...

and adjust our behaviors accordingly Ex: not tuned in = looking down a watch, yawning Tuned in = head nodding to agree

what does enthrocentrism imply?

This often implies viewing one's own culture as superior

culture is...

Transmitted through learning Shared among members of the same cultural group Not static (powerfully shapes us) Not something that people "have" or "carry" with them. A dynamic process that influences and is influenced by human action (and by behavior)

Methods:

Triangulation - comparing data via several different methods: part obs. Interviews and surveys If you come to the same conclusion with different methods you have a strong argument

what is triangulation? example:

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. Ex: participant observation, surveys and interviews

what was Malinowski's Impact?

Trobriand Islands 1914-1918 (longer fieldwork that any predecessor). One of first to conduct research using local language. One of first to conduct research while living in the community under study - shift in methodology

How do we convey messages about our personal identities through the clothing we wear? (starts early)

Trump wore a red tie = power tie A T-shirt can show a social identity At festivals = display wealth Display ethnicity = social class Childs research = apron = woman is married Brand marks social status and conveys message about wealth

Ray Rappoport

Tsembga observed rituals and weighed food, humans, pigs, plant species, employed the systems theory the Tsembga ecosystem closed a feedback system of equilibrium with it surroundings, this system is self regulating and sustainable ***rituals has impacting material impacts on ecosystems, ritual regulates environmental relationships, Papua New Guinea, all aspects of religion, personal and institutional, emotional and rational may be relevant to human adaptation to the environment

Working at a Döner Kebab Shop (Oguz Alyanak) Oguz's Research Agenda - short article

Turkish scholar studying Turkish migrants. Morality, masculinity and urban space among migrants in Strasbourg, France. Döner Kebab shop as site of participant observation. Empathic understanding of work routines. Conversations lead to insights on work, family, leisure, etc. Workspace, leisure space, home - construct meaning in everyday lives of migrants Clip: Oguz talking, spent time with men outside their work and homes / what does it mean to live life? What does masculinity mean? What does home mean to you? What are you missing in the home?

what is unilinear evolution?

Unilineal Evolution Similar customs found throughout the world cannot be the result of diffusion. Historical changes in cultural life follow laws that apply to every society. All societies follow the same evolutionary trajectory (economics, political institutions, 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.

Boas' Point of View on Unilinear Social Evolution and Diffusionism:

Unilineal Social Evolution: Historical changes in cultural life follow definite laws which apply to every society. Boas: Unproven (and unproveable) hypothesis. Cultural similarities can arise through diffusion, adaptation to similar environments, and/or independent invention. Diffusionism: Historical changes in cultural life are the result of contact between more and less "civilized" peoples. Boas didn't like diffusionism

Unilineal Evolution: General Evolution: Specific Evolution: Trappers and Trappers:

Unilineal evolution - Morgan and Tyler 1800s, Boas, Benedict and Mead rejected 1925 historical particularism, 1950 Revived evolution Steward General Evolution: increase in scale and complexity (Macro scale) Specific Evolution: multilinear (each society takes unique course) rather than unilinear. Came to be called "cultural adaptation", term still in use today. Focus on process rather than outcome. (Micro scale) Specific Evolution: From Nuclear Family to Band (can go from more complex to less complex and vice versa, depends on circumstance) Shoshone predatory bands rise in response to white encroachment. From Band to Nuclear Family. Trappers and Tappers: adapting to dispersed resources (fir animals, rubber trees) led to more fragmented social organizations (more complex societies to family units responding to external circumstances)

Entering the Field... Geertz How do you cross the "moral or metaphysical shadow line" between being ignored (a non-person) and accepted (a member of society)?

Upon entering the village, "we were nonpersons, specters, invisible men."

Semi-Structured Interviewing:

Use of an "interview schedule". Everybody asked same questions. Asking same questions facilitates comparison (e.g., differences by gender? By age? By wealth?) Guided yet flexible. People express answers in own terms yet tangents are sometimes important.

Scholarly Criticism: Inaccuracies

Using single anecdote to generalize *Kirsch's counter-examples: New Guinea man who forgoes revenge against killer of his father. Chinese doctor who refused to take revenge on those who tormented him during Cultural Revolution.

National Language

Variety of Italian spoken by upper class in Florence made national language in 19th century. Process of national unification Tried to get everyone in Italy to be a part of the same nation

Video example of enculturation

Video: Mothers and Children in Bali (1936-38) Mother allows other babies to nurse Her child gets jealous and tries to stop child

culture video...why could we understand what the boys were doing?

Video: showed a couple boys whistling to get people to bang into a light pole, boy swept in road so that woman would cross the street to be more likely to hit into the pole Even though this video was in French we could understand what they were doing because of our cultural knowledge

Fieldwork and Data Quality: what did Nagle find was not sufficient enough? Clip:

Was not enough to do interviews for Nagle, she needed to particiapte The more familiar the researcher becomes with linguistic and behavioral norms, the better access she gains. Result = better data Clip: backbreaking work, people speed around truck, little attention, seen as invisable Clip: Nagle speaking

Fieldwork and Data Quality: what did Magle find was not sufficient enough? Clip:

Was not enough to do interviews for Nagle, she needed to particiapte The more familiar the researcher becomes with linguistic and behavioral norms, the better access she gains. Result = better data Clip: backbreaking work, people speed around truck, little attention, seen as invisable Clip: Nagle speaking

waste as "ore"

Waste as "Ore" Objects transformed from one with a purpose (water bottle) to one with an essence (plastic can be converted to income) Dumpsite as place to extract raw resources. Like a gold mine, a potential source of wealth

waste as treasure...

Waste as "Treasure" Phones, cash, jewelry, clothing: Matter misplaced rather than trash. Waste as treasure as opposed to waste as ore. Exchanged differently. Holds different personal, social, and spiritual value.

Week 2:

Week 2: Culture and natural processes: Miner - Body ritual among the Nacerima Lelwica - The Religion of Thinness Cooper - Chinese Table Manners Foundations of fieldwork: Evans Pritchard - fieldwork and the empirical tradition, The Nuer Milanowski - The subject, method and scope of inquiry Geertz - Balinese Cockfight Childs - Raising the Curtain

Week 3:

Week 3: Participant observation: Johnson et al. - The Active Participant-Observer: Applying Social Role Analysis to Participant Observation Nagle - How to find Mongo Osburg - Meeting the "Godfather": Fieldwork and Ethnographic Seduction in a Chinese Nightclub Complexities of Fieldwork: Childs 2 - life begets death, death begets life Alynack - Working at the Diner Kebob shop Lassiter - collaborative ethnography Anthropology and Ethics: Gusterson - Do professional ethics matter in war? Kirsch - moral dilemmas and ethical controversies

Week 4:

Week 4: Linguistic Anthropology: Hall and Hall - the sounds of silence S Hill - #Adulting Language and social practice: Basso - Stalking with stories Deutscher - does your language shape how you think? Cavanaugh - Anything can happen on YouTube (or can it?) Endangered language and media Foodways: Lee - eating at christmas with the kalahari Harris - the Potlatch Wegerif - an ethnographic exploration of food and the city

Week 5:

Week 5: Economic Anthropology 1: Godden-Bryson - Misplaced matter Economic Anthropology 2: Bourgois - Crack in the Spanish Harlem Ong - spirits of resistance Sahlins - the original affluent society Environmental anthropology 1: Townsend: Environmental Anthropology

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

Weight concerns and dieting are pervasive in US society (gym, weight loss programs)

What happens when things go awry? Obama example

Went to oval office to redo it! Obama's ceremony because people could have questioned if it was actually done! If all conventions are not met, the transformation in status may not actually occur!

Code Switching

When individuals switch language usage, dialect usage, or speech style according to the social context (norms for all of us) AAVE (African-American Vernacular English): A distinct dialect of English with its own phonological rules and syntax. In some contexts, AAVE has less cultural capital than SE (Standard English). Users regularly engage in code switching

Gift Exchange, Capitalist Exchange

What are the differences in how money, prestige, and status are acquired in economic systems based primarily on gift exchange versus economic systems based primarily on capitalist exchange?

Giving Directions: Orientations

What does language oblige us to convey to others and pay attention to in our daily lives? Your position in space, left or right or north and south Orient where the sun is and stars are shows little relative human importance

Combining Research Methods - Childs's findings

What kind of research lies behind the writing of this brief ethnographic description? (draw from different methodological approaches) Ritual for sick babies to find cause of illness: put barley on drum, see where barley lands, in this case it was bc of Mamo a diety afflicting young infants, village said chants to expell Mamo, this baby had special care because of the Religious decent lineage Child used in this study 1. demographic surveys 2. participant observation 3. semi structural interviews 4. history and genealogy 5. archival research Total fertility rate = 5.3 births/woman (finish) Dialogue Technique and Intersubjectivity Lineage - finish slides

Social Roles and Fieldwork:

What social role will you assume in fieldwork? How will that role affect rapport? Access to information (reliable info?) ? Nature of interactions with subjects?

Key points to consider:

Who controls the fieldwork?

Misinterpretations

Why do foragers eat rapidly through food supplies? o Lackofforesighttostoresuppliesforthefuture? o Drivenbyhungertogorgethemselves? o ***Or,becausetheyareconfidentoftheirabilitytocontinuallyprocurefood?

Words, Places, Actions

Why does storytelling among the Western Apache involve frequent references to places and features of the landscape? X has been stalking me, this helps us stay away from badness

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 (the core value that shapes economic system)- not productivity - influences material acquisitions.

Crack in Spanish Harlem - Bourgois Key question

Working Conditions in El Barrio: substance abuse, mental illness, unhealthy environment, anxieties related to violence and legal risks, social antagonism and racism Key Question: Why are poor people poor? Why do poor people stay poor? (need resources and do not have resources)

Is it okay to adopt new social roles to get more data?

YES! The "Researcher" may not be the ideal social role for the ethnographer, may want to adopt other social roles

does enculturation happen within generations and across generations?

Yes! Enculturation occurs within generations (not just across generations)

do the norms of enculturation change?

Yes! Norms of enculturation change.

Do norms vary cross culturally?

Yes! They are not universally the same! even in nonverbal communication

Lewis Henry Morgan

advocated that all cultures evolved through a similar series of simple to complex Social evolutionism requested a list of kinships in terms of local lang. From these scattered reports he did a comparative study of kinship terminologies around the world called, "Systematic Consanguinity and Affinity of the Human Family" / Evolution of social and political institutions (e.g., marriage, governance). (Iroquis people) (promiscuity, polygamy, monogamy) evolution of social and institutional colonialsim Lassiter = Kiowa collaborative ethnology

Intersubjectivity:

anthrop fieldwork knowledge about other people emerges out of relationships that ind. (researcher and informants) have with one another Ex: Nagle - through building and fostering of relationships she realized why certain items were assigned value

what was a key development for gathering better data in anthropology?

anthropology becomes a full time profession

how do anthropologists put their knowledge to work in the world?

applied research

Thinking with Pigs: Why is pork consumption prohibited in two major world religions? Structuralism and Symbolic Anthropology (Mary Douglas, British anthropologist)

o Structuralism: People make sense of the world through binary oppositions (ex: opposition of men and women / nature and culture / inside and outside) o Symbolic anthropology: Culture is expressed through symbols and symbolic actions.

culture influences human...

behaviors!

what did social darwinism cause?

biased anthropologists

Culture and Food Culture teaches us how to express a natural... Culture teaches us...associations...example

biological urge in particular ways ex: hunger What you should and shouldn't eat, when you should eat, where you should eat, with whom you should eat how you should eat. Are fried cockroaches a food? The only reason you would say no is because your culture told you to not expect to ever eat them, just reaction of disgust Fruit loops associated with small children

E.E Evans Pritchard:

british anthropologist, broke with functionalism to say that anthropology should not model itself on the natural sciences but on humanistic disciplines especially history and its processual focus Used anthropological skills to service country - used his knowledge of the Sudan to mobilize the war effort. Article - fieldwork and the empirical tradition, The Nuer!

does capitalism have distinct cultures?

capitalism is a economic system as well as a cultural phenomenon whose actual practices and cultural models vary across and within cultures

the interview continuum: Less to more structured

casual conversations: headnotes and jot notes open-ended interview: jot notes and transcription semi-structured interview: jot notes and transcription structured interview: database entries

what is culture?

central component of what it means to be human, process through which people comprehend, shape and act in the world around them

Acceptance, rapport, and access to information can be facilitated or inhibited by personal

characteristics of the ethnographer

Traditions are passed down and protected example of this...

o Traditions are enduring and ritualized aspects of a culture o People are often very concerned with defending and protecting their traditions o Traditions are often recent inventions that people assume are ancient (feel like been around for a long time) (ex: kilt, factory owner invented them, now associated with Scottish identity)

Symbols can be...

o Verbal or non-verbal o Arbitrary o Develop meaning by convention o Learned through enculturation

what other methods do cultural anthropologists use?

comparative, genealogical, life histories, enthonohistory, rapid appraisals, action research anthropology at a distance, analysis of secondary materials

Symbols can be...

o Verbal or non-verbal o Arbitrary (random) o Develop meaning by convention (agreement) o Learned through enculturation

An ox is not just an ox

o it is a symbol of Social status, Prestige, Wealth, Generosity, Friendship

Pastoralism:

oDependenceonherdsofdomesticatedanimals. o Heavy reliance on animal products for food and clothing, supplemented by foraging and trade (with agriculturalists). oInvolvespracticesofanimalhusbandry(breedingandcare)

Who Was Right?

oDohumansalwayschoosethemostadaptiveandefficientlifeways? No! oDohumansliveinapurelysymbolicworldwhereecologicalconditionsandmaterial resources do not matter? No! Some combination

what did Franz Boas critique?

grand theories on race, social evolution, and cultural determinism

anthropology provides a...

cross cultural lense attitude matters!

is money really the measure of all things?

culture shapes what is acceptable to transact, how why transactions take place, how the goods and services being exchanged are valued

standard of beauty...

differ over time

Cultural Materialism (Marvin Harris, American anthropologist) Culture is built on:

oThematerialworld,andespeciallyresourceavailabilityandconstraints,shapesculture. o He said the reason: Why Not Eat Pork? § They do not chew the cud (pigs have a digestive track that look a lot like ours, pigs have to eat similar things we eat) § Humans have to share food resources with pigs (pigs take away resources, so having no pigs can maximize resources) § Pigs are an inefficient source of protein for people living in arid environments

culture is a...?

dynamic process Our taken-for-granted notions, moralities, and behaviors are always shifting in relation to experiences, contacts, and connections

Harold Conklin

ethnoecology - described the knowledge required by the Hanunoo people in the Philippines to farm the tropical forests, American anthropologist who conducted extensive ethnoecological and linguistic field research in Southeast Asia and was a pioneer of ethnoscience, documenting indigenous ways of understanding and knowing the world.

what was the biggest ethical problem from Weatherford's work?

he did not tell them he was a researcher!

the Inability to code switch can limit...

financial and educational opportunities in contexts where

Highlighted by idea of conspicuous consumption:

intent to impress other by accumulating material goods

Bronisław Malinowski:

functionalism, emic perspective "the native point of view" at the heart of ethnographic method, Nu'agasi Tropian Islands, "primitive society was aware of the scientific laws of the natural process", all people operate within the domains of magic, science and religion, indigenous knowledge is a part of scientific human knowledge bc knowledge is born of experience and reason Kula - an intensive inter-island system of exchange of shells and necklaces, "to possess is to give, a man who owns a thing is expected to share it, distribute it and be its trustee and dispenser." Article - the subject method and scope of inquiry (fieldwork) Tropian islands!!! participant observation as a key method! Credited with it first to really use local lang and live in research site

culture shape the meaning of money?

general/limited purpose money commodity money (gold and silver jewlery) / fiat money (paper 100 dollar bill) spheres of exchange (Spheres of exchange is a heuristic tool for analyzing trading restrictions within societies that are communally governed and where resources are communally available) cultural distinctions between transactional orders

culture shape the meaning of money?

general/limited purpose money commodity money/ fiat money spheres of exchange cultural distinctions between transactional orders

what population does the burden falls if they do not code switch?

higher stakes for African American people The burden falls on marginalized people to code switch in order to be successful

Raising the Curtain - Childs showed how... gaianing rapport...

how influence from Geertz still influences people today Tashi Döndrup as Key Cultural Consultant: Fictive kinship relationship (ajo - younger brother /nuwo - elder brother), social link to others, insights on local life, research facilitator, friend. Gaining Rapport Encountered a government official - "We'll pretend you are a monk and hide you." people opened up after bc they realized he was not working for the government Long-term residence on their terms leads to respect and acceptance Joking relationships

how does lang relate to social power and inequality?

identity mortality aesthetics

western industrial countries have designed conservation programs from lands. those people have lived on sustainable for years even living in ways that support biodiversity of other species

in case of the Maasai people

culture is used actively and created by...

individuals

what is an example of direct transmission?

instead of spanking you talk to your children "that's not how we do things, chew with your mouth closed!"

what are the two most common methods to gather data in anthropology?

interviewing and participant observation

Fredrik Barth:

introducing term ecological niche, each of the three ethnic groups occupied different ecological niches (Gujars, Kohistans, Pathans), Norwegian anthropologist, formalist view

The Point about Participant observation good choices: bad choices:

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 (unreliable data) (and your relationships).

The Value of the Gift Gift-giving (Moka)

is a way of achieving status, solidifying limited political power, and encouraging economic productivity. Generalized reciprocity: Ongka's relationships to wives and children involve the exchange of labor and food. Balanced reciprocity: Ongka trades labor with fellow villagers. "If I throw this big party for you, you will throw one for me later on."

what is interesting about the Minor article?

it described in same terms as other anthropologists review other cultures

is anthropology a social science or humanities?

it is both! Social Science or Humanities? Should Anthropology Be . . . Humanities: A quest for empathic understanding? An interpretive endeavor to shed light on how others view the world? Social Science: A quest to provide explanations for why people act the way they do? A scientific endeavor to reveal regularities and generalizations about the human condition?

how does lang. shape how we exp the world?

meaning is conveyed through symbols and social processes of daily life

do you gather data yourself by microscope or macroscale research?

microscale macroscale - hires other to gather existing data sets

Norms encourage conformity

o Norms are typical patterns of behavior, often seen as the rules of how things should be o Norms carry social pressure to conform o Norms often depend on the social context (business norms, handshake, attire, hairstyles)

why does lang. feel so stable?

new words narrowed from other lang, gradually change

From Horticulture to Agriculture

o (agriculture) New labor requirements and more work hours. o *Requirescomplexsocialorganizationoflabor. o Landusedintensivelyandcontinuously. o Higheryieldsthanhorticulture,but decreasing marginal returns.

issues of giving back:

o Avoid unauthorized advocacy. o Unfulfilled promises lead to cynicism (doubt) o When should one be permitted to intervene or act on behalf of another person or group?

issues of giving back:

o Avoid unauthorized advocacy. o Unfulfilled promises lead to cynicism. o When should one be permitted to intervene or act on behalf of another person or group?

Foraging stereotypically characterized as:

o Brink of starvation existence, Limited leisure, Absence of surplus, Incessant quest for food, Meager resources

interpretive theory of culture

o Culture is embodied and transmitted through symbols o People express culture in everything they do. All human action is symbolic

Does the language we speak shape the way we perceive the physical world? Current consensus how do people intentionally use language to shape the way others view the world?

o Current consensus: someways ofthinking areguided bythe language we use,othersarenot.

Culture takes natural processes and teaches us how to express them in particular ways.

o Examples: death, eating, table manners

Major Point: Participant observation is used for

o Gaining a basic understanding of a way of life. o Knowing what is important. o Gathering data that, in conjunction with other data, can be used to generate insights.

what is ideal culture and real culture?? what does this show about values?

o Ideal culture: what is expressed through values (what motherhood brings to mind) o Real culture: what people actually do and say (mothers making way through world) o There may be opposing or conflicting values with a given society

Other Methods?

o Is the evidence from participant observation sufficient to understand the relevance of different identity categories for your informants? o Maybe, but it would only tell part of the story ... § Interviews (why do you identify the ways that you do?) § Life histories (how do people understand their identities to have changed over time?) Ex: what does the term Guatemalan mean to you?

Doing research with and writing about groups who have more political and economic resources involves:

o Key obstacles: access and methodology o Getting beyond "official" storylines (hard to get people to tell you what is not on the website) o At times, taking a critical stance that implicates one's informants

scientific method:

observation - testing - explanation (circle)

semi-structured interviews are more like a...

oversation bc it is open ended

semantics shape...

perception!

Pierre Bourdieu:

post structuralism, concerned with the dynamics of power in society, especially the diverse and subtle ways in which power is transferred and social order maintained within and across generations. Cultural capital is the accumulation of knowledge, behaviors, and skills that one can tap into to demonstrate one's cultural competence, and thus one's social status or standing in society. Cultural assets that afford a particular social status, and may be converted to economic gain also did practice theroy Practice Theory (Pierre Bourdieu) • 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 important ways. Bourgious (spanish crack harlem) does not agree with his idea of cultural reproduction theory

what kind of data is cultural anthropology mainly made of?

qualitative data

Individual and culture =

reciprocal relationship

important questions regardless of...

regardless of the political and economic status of the research subjects!

Lelwika is comparing diet and the pursuit of thinness to having

religious-like dimensions and functions

Big Question: Course introduction

what is culture? How does culture influence our ​ and actions? Buzzwords: relationships, symbolic connections, responsibilities

4 subfields of anthropology have in common?

share fundamental approaches and concepts culture, cultural relativism, diversity, change, holism

culture is...

shared integrated learned dynamic not static symbolic actively used and created by individuals / shapes and constrains the thoughts, actions, and behaviors of the individual provides a contexts for interpretation and shapes how we interpret exp. influences human behaviors! influences reputation - taken for granted notions, rules, moralities, behaviors within a social group that feels natural and the way things should be - People actively construct a way of life that seems natural, proper, true, and correct

food is symbolic...culture is...

symbolic! Food is symbolic! It is used to provide order and generate meaning

culture uses?

symbols!

language is...

systematic and dynamic

The best anthropology takes account of...

the needs, interests, and status of informants

how do anthropologists know what they know?

the scientific method

Language, Thought, and Culture Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis: Linguistic relativity

the structure of a language determines a native speaker's perception and categorization of experience Linguistic Relativity: People speaking different languages perceive or interpret the world differently because of differences in their languages (shapes social relationships and expectations)

Economic Anthropology: Formalist position:

there are universal rules to explain eco. Behav. Neoclassical economics can be applied to all societies Goal to maximize utility Weighs cost and benefits to maximize utility Value and wealth are created by competition between buyers and sellers

how do social institutions express culture?

through the holistic perspective

what are examples of social roles:

type of work they do, job title, kinship status, gender role, educational status and training, age

Main causes of hunger:

unequal resource distribution, disease, conflict, deforestation, drought, climate change Twenty-first century foragers have been pushed to geographical and societal margins by agricultural and industrial societies. How would their livelihoods look today if they lived in more suitable environments?

social maturity is linked to...

work and career

Results of Chagnon's work...

§ Unfairly stereotyped Amazonian peoples § Misrepresented them as "isolated" § Ignored his own role in arming villagers § May have helped to justify government policies aimed at their removal (after reading Chagnon's findings the government said these people did not deserve the land)