ANTH Final
What does excommunication/ban involve according to this film? (Amish Movie)
-Not eating with them -Not riding with them -Don't invite them to things
What types of material items did you find surprising to see in the film? (Amish Movie)
I was surprised that they went to Target in general! They even got pizza at the Cafe in target. I couldn't see clearly, but I think they even paid with a credit card. I was also surprised to see alarm clocks and phones.
What is the name of the Hindu festival focused on transgender identity in India? (Mortal to Divine and Back)
Mayana Kollai
Around 50 years ago, most Amish were farmers. How has this changed? (Amish Movie)
Most now work in Amish-owned small businesses like construction.
Who attended Miriam's tea party? (Amish Movie)
Some were old order Amish, and some were not.
What made this tea party so shocking? (Amish Movie)
There were people there who had been excommunicated, and you are supposed to shun those people.
How frequently do the Amish go to church? And how long is the service? (Amish Movie)
They have actual church every other Sunday (lasts 3 hours) In between church weeks, they worship at home all day.
The more distant from one's own beliefs, practices, or knowledge systems a symbolic action seems, the more likely it will be judged harshly. This "distance" is a flexible boundary defined by the group.
-Purification events during the Lenten season in the Philippines includes flagellation and crucifixion. -Purification in India and Pakistan sometimes include fire walking. In Pakistan, this may clear accusations if the accused is unharmed by the act. Compare your feelings about the purification actions on the previous slide with the examples here. Specifically, think about how you conceptualize the involvement of physical sacrifice. Can you think of examples and analogies from your own beliefs?
Think about what happens when we make broad comparisons between religions. It may reduce the complexities of these beliefs in ways that are not desirable nor meaningful.
-Some Christians believe that through symbolic purification like baptism, sins may be removed. (this is often seen as a necessary step to access heaven after death) -Hindus also believe in purification, and believe bathing in the Ganges River is a pilgrimage important for all practitioners to seek. (However, the motivations of this action is not the same. Achieving Moksha and release from the birth/rebirth cycle is part of their motivation.
3.0 Religion as a system of symbols -Clifford Geertz recognized that religions went further than just describing the supernatural, but include deeply held and motivational beliefs that help create worldviews.
-Summarizing Geertz's Definition: Religion is (1) a system of symbols which act to (2) establish moods and motivations (moralities) by (3) sharing ideas of reality, and that (4) lend legitimacy to (5) unique realities Critiques of the interpretive approach argue that: -it assumes people seek meaning and order in the world (we can accept chaos) -it may not distinguish religion from other domains (science, aesthetics, common sense, or law) -it may not pay adequate attention to power relationships and institutions that create religious meaning -it pays too little attention to the social behaviors and actions that give power to beliefs
Witchcraft and Sorcery: Sociological Interpretations
-They reinforce social norms and values - helping people live harmoniously together. -They provide an outlet for repressed aggression, perhaps lowering conflicts overall in culture. -They are a mechanism for controlling social order. (People could monitor their behavior in fear of witches/sorcerers) (Social deviants or competitors could be suspected and accused of witchcraft) -Groups will band together against the witch. Reduces violence. -2 bigmen competing for bigman status, 1 dies, the other is often seen as cause.
The Kwakwaka'wakw Cannibal Dance
-The Cannibal Dance, a four-day ritual that serves as the highlight of the Kwakwaka'wakw Winter Ceremonial - a period of celebration and ritual in which all worldly activities cease. -It centers on the taming of a cannibal spirit, the hermits, who has an unquenchable desire for human flesh. The symbolic actions are deeply embedded with the Kwakwaka'wakw beliefs of the life-cycle. -The Kwakwaka'wakw view humans as canals who must be socialized and tamed. -Through swaddling, ritual fasting, denial of food, and other actions, parents transform their children from cannibals into moral human beings -The Cannibal Dance is a ritualistic enactment of part of the Kwakwaka'wakw mythos.
Relationships with Totems
-These beliefs are often supported by concepts of kinship and/or include relationships between individuals/groups with supernatural or spirit-beings that are part of their mythos (myth system of a population) -The Tlingit see their totems as protectors -The Kwakwaka'wakw see the totems as created by an ancestor after obtaining the totem from an adventure with an animal. The animal is made into the totem,and is eventually transformed into the clan crest (symbol). (emphasize narrative connections to ancestors) -Totems are understood/viewed differently from community to community
What are some of the specific mixed signals given to Marshallese immigrants? (The Failure of Reconciliation...)
-They experience discrimination (given poor appointment times and doctors think they are faking illnesses to have housing and food in hospitals) -They are portrayed as leeches by journalists -However, in the ranks of the military they are welcomed with open arms
Describe the identity struggles faced by this family (Amish Movie)
-They got rebaptized (which you could be excommunicated for) -They think people will start to talk about why the hang with the excommunicated people all the time. But these people are their friends and they don't want to shun them. -They are afraid of being shunned themselves. -They do not necessarily agree with all their church's rules.
Why can't they stay in their homeland (multiple reasons)? (The Failure of Reconciliation...)
-They need healthcare for radiation-related illnesses -They are scared there is still radiation -Climate change
Changing Beliefs
-For centuries, Europeans believed in a geocentric cosmology that placed the earth at the center of the universe, with the sun, plants, and stars circling around it. -During the Middle Ages in Europe, the idea of a heliocentric cosmos was considered heretical. (way to explain the world around them)
What can you do to help? (The Failure of Reconciliation...)
*Contact your legislators* -let them know you are a registered voter and their constituent (since congress representatives are motivated to meet the needs of their constituents for reelection purposes) -urge them to work with their colleagues to provide the Marshallese with a U.S. standard of health care and environmental cleanup to address the full scope of damages and injuries linked to the nuclear testing program -support the presence of Marshallese in your community (addressing the growing backlash toward and lack of understanding about why the Marshallese come to the U.S. to improve their quality of life. *Educate Others* -write a letter to your local newspaper telling people why they should care about the Marshallese and these issues -visit classrooms and educate other students about the Marshall Islands -Use the media of your generation, such as social networking, to reach out to other young people
Time and again, religious researchers have found that one's own beliefs are seen as reasonable and appropriate to other believers.
-Furthermore, it is important to recognize that people understand and explain the world through their own perspectives which are reciprocally informed by other social institutions (e.g. kinship, politics, identity structures, etc.) -It is problematic to assume that even if a belief or behavior appears similar (or even identical) that there is a connection between the belief systems or in how that belief or behavior is specifically understood and contextualized.
Kwakwaka'wakw Metaphor: Hunger
-In this religious ceremony, dancers portray cannibal birds with long beaks; notice the totem pole includes faces with gaping mouths. -To be a good Kwak, you have to learn to control your hunger. (Not just with food). Ex: sports metaphors and dating: "first base"
Explanations of Misfortune
-belief that common misfortunes are caused by spiritual powers Resulting from: -witchcraft/sorcery -violation of taboos (perhaps you can only hunt in certain seasons, or tell certain stories in certain seasons. People who violate these might be seen as dangerous to the group) -dishonored/angered ancestral spirits ((Buddhist - after someone dies, you celebrate them every year to assure that they are not forgotten) -punishments for transgressions -luck (on a lucky streak, you buy a lottery ticket, ask cute boy out, go to casino, apply for scholarships, do things that normally seem out of reach) on an unlucky streak, we stay in bed, and try to limit unlucky interactions) -lack of prayer or or sacrifice
Witchcraft and Sorcery: Cognitive Interpretations
-explain unfortunate events as directed and intentional. -There are no coincidences. Witches and sorcerers can (sometimes) control their powers, which are most often viewed as doing harm. -Therefore, when a person experiences bad luck or even death, these may be viewed as desired or willed by witches or sorcerers. -Witches and sorcerers serve as scapegoats
Sorcery is based on two kinds of logical principles.
-imitative -contagious
contagious principle of magic
-power comes from contact. (i.e. spitting alcohol, blowing smoke, hot peppers held in mouth) most powerful. Need something OF fred. Need a lock of his hair, etc.
3 possible purposes for beliefs
-psychological -cognitive -social
More stuff about rituals
-rituals embody beliefs, sentiments, and communal ties. They are organized, stereotyped, symbolic behaviors associated with social, political, and religious activities and are flexible in localized expressions and performances -May include: rites of passage, Rites of Intensification, Rites of Catharsis (purging actions...burning your textbooks, burning stuff after breakup...this releases feelings of anxiety), Rites of Purification, and more. *Note, that all these can also be included in secular actions (Not tied to just religious beliefs)
More totem stuff
-the power of totems lies in the constraints that people feel are imposed on them and in the special power people feel (cultural cohesion) when groups come together in celebration (or during enactments of beliefs) -When the community comes together they often reproduce the totemic symbol. This ensures that the tradition is passed on to future generations. -Often, this will involve telling the origin story of the totem and there may be reenactment of the time of the ancestors. -There are often additional private symbolic actions -Some other purposes of totems:coffins, shame groups who haven't payed off debts, etc.
While exploring totemism in Australia, Emile Durkheim found that totems were symbols often constructed as an element of nature that served as a key symbol for a group or clan (i.e. the bear clan, the eagle clan, the sun clan, etc)
-totems are sometimes worshipped and are considered sacred and holy by adherents (often maintained by kin groups such as a clan) -in some populations, totems may only be used as surnames. In others, people may recognize a descent relationship, and/or have taboos preventing certain actions, like the eating of the natural totem.
Why did 15,000 peasant workers die in Jamaica between 1780-1787? (Why Can't People Feed Themselves)
A dependence on imported foods made the West Indian colonies vulnerable to any disruption in supply. This dependence on imported food stuffs spelled disaster when the thirteen continental colonies gained independence and food exports from the continent to the West Indies were interrupted. With no diversified food system to fall back on, 15,000 plantation workers died of famine between 1780 and 1787 in Jamaica alone
What were some of the specific cash crops that were grown in place of staple crops in Africa? Vietnam? (Why Can't People Feed Themselves)
Africa - Rice farming once had been common in Gambia. But with colonial rule so much of the best land was taken over by peanuts (grown for the European market) that rice had to be imported to counter the mounting prospect of famine. Northern Ghana, once famous for its yams and other foodstuffs, was forced to concentrate solely on cocoa. Most of the Gold Coast thus became dependent on cocoa. Liberia was turned into a virtual plantation subsidiary of Firestone Tire and Rubber. Food production in Dahomey and southeast Nigeria was all but abandoned in favor of palm oil; Tanganyika (now Tanzania) was forced to focus on sisal and Uganda on cotton. Vietnam - About the time of the American Civil War the French decided that the Mekong Delta in Vietnam would be ideal for producing rice for export. Through a production system based on enriching the large landowners, Vietnam became the world's third largest exporter of rice by the 1930s; yet many landless Vietnamese went hungry.
Why is important to win NCT (Nuclear Claims Tribunal) awards even if there are not sufficient funds to pay the awards? (The Failure of Reconciliation...)
Although the NCT does not have funds to pay for the award, the Rongelap community celebrated the verdict because it represented the first official recognition and validation of their version of history.
Why is the filming of the Lapp family problematic? This is brought up again later in the film, how do the filmmakers try to include footage without being too obtrusive? (think about at Target and during church services) (Amish Movie)
Amish church forbids people from posing (photography, etc) Therefore, the filmmakers would film from a distance. So the family didn't know where they were shooting from.
How many Marshallese live in the U.S.? Where do they live? (The Failure of Reconciliation...)
Approximately 20,000 Marshallese now live in the U.S. They predominately live in Hawaii. Another large community exists in Springdale, Arkansas. There are also significant Marshallese populations in Oregon, Washington, Oklahoma, and California.
Why do the Amish avoid electricity? (Amish Movie)
Because of the distraction that comes with it (like TV). Instead, they think you should be focusing on family and the bible.
One of the core beliefs of Amish ways of life is pacifism. Think about the role of evangelical beliefs in active missionization and being "God's soldiers" in this way of life. How might this be extremely problematic? (Amish Movie)
Being a soldier implies you're fighting for/against something, which is obviously not pacifism.
Besides the nuclear catastrophe, what is another environmental catastrophe that the Marshallese must contend with? (The Failure of Reconciliation...)
Climate change. Rising sea levels caused by the melting of polar ice and the heat-induced expansion of ocean water now threaten to submerge these islands and render them uninhabitable.
How do we naturalize and romanticize the colonial process? (Why Can't People Feed Themselves)
Colonialism • forced peasants to replace food crops with cash crops that were then expropriated at very low rates; • took over the best agricultural land for export crop plantations and then forced the most able-bodied workers to leave the village fields to work as slaves or for very low wages on plantations; • encouraged a dependence on imported food; • blocked native peasant cash crop production from competing with cash crops produced by settlers or foreign firms. These are concrete examples of the development of underdevelopment that we should have perceived as such even as we read our history schoolbooks. Why didn't we? Somehow our schoolbooks always seemed to make the flow of history appear to have its own logic--as if it could not have been any other way. I, Frances, recall, in particular, a grade-school, social studies pamphlet on the idyllic life of Pedro, a nine-year-old boy on a coffee plantation in South America. The drawings of lush vegetation and "exotic" huts made his life seem romantic indeed. Wasn't it natural and proper that South America should have plantations to supply my mother and father with coffee? Isn't that the way it was meant to be?
What is the primary cause of the extreme economic gap between developed and underdeveloped nations? (Why Can't People Feed Themselves)
Colonialism appeared to me to be the link. Colonialism destroyed the cultural patterns of production and exchange by which traditional societies in "underdeveloped" countries previously had met the needs of the people. Many precolonial social structures, while dominated by exploitative elites, had evolved a system of mutual obligations among the classes that helped to ensure at least a minimal diet for all
2.0 Supernatural Beings, Powers, and Forces -Anthony Wallace realized that not all societies conceptualize gods or spirits, some feature supernatural forces which are known by their effects.
For example, *mana* (a sacred impersonal force residing in people, animals, plants, places, and objects) makes a chief successful in Melanesian and Polynesian societies. In Polynesia, mana pollution could sicken commoners. This differs Melanesian beliefs where mana can be equally obtained by chance and through hard word. Problematically, Wallace's ideas were limited because: -They could not account for changes to beliefs -They could not explain how changes impacted daily life -They depicted deeply religious people as intellectual inferiors. -They do not explain why people hold on to their beliefs passionately.
What language do they speak? (FYI, it is often called Pennsylvania Dutch, but what is it called otherwise?) (Amish Movie)
German dialect
Is it a fair ultimatum? Would you return to the place that made so many sick and die or forfeit future support? (The Failure of Reconciliation...)
Honestly, I do not see this as a fair ultimatum. As the article points out, the radiation cannot be seen, heard, smelled, or touched. How can they just trust that it is safe based on our word? Personally, I would stay here and forfeit future support.
Why don't the authors view the hunger experienced by some as a conspiracy? What does the study of colonialism bring to the argument? (Why Can't People Feed Themselves)
If these forces were entirely conspiratorial, they would be easier to detect and many more people would by now have risen up to resist. We are talking about something more subtle and insidious; a heritage of a colonial order in which people with the advantage of considerable power sought their own self-interest, often arrogantly believing they were acting in the interest of the people whose lives they were destroying.
What was set to happen if the Rongelapese do not return to the atoll by October 1, 2011? (The Failure of Reconciliation...)
If they do not return to their home islands by then, they risk losing U.S. government financial support for critical food programs as well as the development and maintenance of the island of Mejatto.
Compare the indigenous and colonial style agricultural practices. What are some of the characteristics of each? Benefits? Problems? (Why Can't People Feed Themselves)
Indigenous - fallowing, slash and burn Colonial - made them work on plantations and in mines • They took over the best agricultural land for export crop plantations and then forced the most able-bodied workers to leave the village fields to work as slaves or for very low wages on plantations; They also encouraged a dependence on imported food;
Accusations of sorcery (and witchcraft) may flourish when competitors experience misfortune, including illness and death.
Individuals (or groups, such as families) may be accused and be retaliated against.
When did the nuclear testing program begin and end? (The Failure of Reconciliation...)
It began in 1946 and ended in 1958.
How does the detonation of 67 atmospheric tests compare to the bombing of Hiroshima during WWII? (The Failure of Reconciliation...)
It is the equivalent of 7,000 Hiroshima bombs.
So then why did the colonizers describe and create the general view that these practices were indeed backward and inferior? (Why Can't People Feed Themselves)
It reinforced the colonizer's rationale for destroying it
How are transgender individuals usually treated in India? (Mortal to Divine and Back)
Many reveal their identities as teenagers and are met with years of taunts, beatings and forced sex.
Were agricultural practices inferior in areas that now experience hunger? (Why Can't People Feed Themselves)
No, in fact, one man said "Nowhere would one find better instances of keeping land scrupulously clean from weeds, of ingenuity in device of waterraising appliances, of knowledge of soils and their capabilities, as well as of the exact time to sow and reap, as one would find in Indian agriculture. It is wonderful too, how much is known of rotation, the system of "mixed crops" and of fallowing. ...I, at least, have never seen a more perfect picture of cultivation. "
Are children planned? Are contraceptives allowed? (Amish Movie)
No, no planning and no contraception
Should the Rongelapese trust the U.S. government to keep them safe? (The Failure of Reconciliation...)
No, to me it sounds like we are just trying to "get rid" of them, and do not genuinely care if it is fixed or not, we just want them gone. Plus, we are the ones that made them sick in the first place.
How did the creation of plantations by foreign investors and colonizing governments change the lifestyles of many peoples? (Why Can't People Feed Themselves)
Previously self-provisioning farmers were forced to cultivate the plantation fields through either enslavement or economic coercion.
Psychological *3 possible purposes for beliefs*
help to reduce anxieties by increasing sense of control over events -rituals, prayers, and sacrifices are used to influence the unpredictable -the less predictable an event, the more likely that people will try to control its outcome using enactments like prayer and other rituals Ex: Baseball magic: higher rates of rituals for pitching and hitting versus in-field plays (outfielders tend to have less rituals associated with their positions....pitcher has more risk, so more rituals) Tennis - ritual before serving (reducing anxiety by attempting to control) -Try to reduce deviation when you perform well. Ex: wear the same underwear after you win in them
Though infrastructure is sometimes expanded and improved with the creation of plantations in colonies, how do colonial administrations and companies deny access to things like roads, bridges, seeds, credit, pest and disease information etc. to the peasant farmers? (Why Can't People Feed Themselves)
Plantations--just like modern "agro-industrial complexes"--needed an abundant and readily available supply of low-wage agricultural workers. Colonial administrations thus devised a variety of tactics, all to undercut self-provisioning agriculture and thus make rural populations dependent n plantation wages. Government services and even the most minimal infrastructure (access to water, roads, seeds, credit, pest and disease control information, and so on) were systematically denied. Plantations usurped most of the good land, either making much of the rural population landless or pushing them onto marginal soils. (Yet the plantations have often held much of their land idle simply to prevent the peasants from using it--even to this day. Del Monte owns 57,000 acres of Guatemala but plants 9000. The rest lies idle except for a few thousand head of grazing cattle.)
How do the Amish view rebellion generally? What is your evidence? (Amish Movie)
Rebellion is bad and should be punished. She hits the kids with the spoon for rebelling.
Rites of intensification
Rituals that are structured to reinforce the values and norms of a community and to strengthen group identity (Nazi rallies - making the identity more concrete) -Identify who we are and what we are not -Separation/differentiation of group members vs non group members -These rituals help communities maintain continuity with the past, and may act to enhance the feeling of social unity in the present, and ultimately may renew the sentiments on which cultural cohesion (social solidarity and connectedness) depends. -In some populations, these rites might be associated with totems, and connections may be maintained by particular lineages
Cognitive *3 possible purposes for beliefs*
Searching for order and meaning -it provides the framework to interpret events and helps to give life meaning Ex: Viktor Frankl found that Nazi victims with faith may have survived more frequently and with their sanity in tact than those who had lost hope and meaning
How do colonial powers ensure the abandonment of the natural and adaptive drive to grow food in populations? (Why Can't People Feed Themselves)
Some areas in the world cant sustain industrial agriculture without fertilizer and stuff like that being shipped in, etc. The price of crown land was kept artificially high, and the purchase of land in parcels smaller than 100 acres was outlawed--two measures guaranteeing that newly organized ex-slave cooperatives could not hope to gain access to much land. The government also prohibited cultivation on as much as 400,000 acres--on the grounds of "uncertain property titles." Moreover, although many planters held part of their land out of sugar production due to the depressed world price, they would not allow any alternative production on them. They feared that once the ex-slaves started growing food it would be difficult to return them to sugar production when world market prices began to recover. In addition, the government taxed peasant production, then turned around and used the funds to subsidize the immigration of laborers from India and Malaysia to replace the freed slaves, thereby making sugar production again profitable for the planters. Finally, the government neglected the infrastructure for subsistence agriculture and denied credit for small farmers. Perhaps the most insidious tactic to "lure" the peasant away from food production--and the one with profound historical consequences--was a policy of keeping the price of imported food low through the removal of tariffs and subsidies. The policy was double-edged: first, peasants were told they need not grow food because they could always buy it cheaply with their plantation wages; second, cheap food imports destroyed the market for domestic food and thereby impoverished local food producers.
How do people understand and express their realities? Ex. How is it that people believe in things like deities and other phenomena that may not be visible or recognized by non-adherents?
Some early writers (like E.B. Taylor) approached this topic by viewing the belief of "others" as an attempt to explain mistaken beliefs about death, dreaming and other basic unexplained phenomena. -often, evolutionary models (E.B. Taylor, J. Fraser) were used to arrange/order religious traditions based upon their assumed complexity (look at religions as serving a need, like explaining death, etc) -these were always describe from the perspective of the explorer,missionary, colonist, etc. -tends to be a relationship between sociopolitical views and religion (not a direct relationship, more of a correlation)
What is structural violence? How does this concept apply to this situation? (The Failure of Reconciliation...)
Structural violence is a term referring to the ways that institutions slowly kill people by failing to meet their basic needs. This is relevant to this situation because we do not provide the healthcare they need (No oncologist lives permanently in the Marshall Islands and they have no access to chemotherapy there). They also do not have economic and institutional resources, so they live hungry and in poverty. (System bringing you down/not giving you the help you need) - Ex: transgender man died of ovarian cancer because gyno kept making him leave because he made people in the waiting room "uncomfortable"
Why can't the Marshallese in Hawai'i (and elsewhere) pay their medical and other bills despite being awarded billions of dollars from the Nuclear Claims Tribunal (NCT)? (The Failure of Reconciliation...)
The U.S. Congress has not appropriated adequate funds for the NCT to pay claimants their awards. Therefore, they have not received this money, and do not have access to healthcare, as they are immigrants.
Who is paying for the cleanup? Why? (The Failure of Reconciliation...)
The U.S. government is paying for it, because they want them to return there so they don't have to live here anymore.
How many children do Old Amish families typically desire? Were there differences in the male and female perspectives on this question? (Amish Movie)
The father said he didn't have a "goal" but he thought that it'd be best to have 4 or 5 children, so you could spend quality time with them. The mother said she wanted more, perhaps, 10 or 12.
How long is the festival and how are transgender identities represented? (Mortal to Divine and Back)
The festival is 10 days long. They transform into the deities they worship and are revered by villagers
Why was the letter written on May 12, 2011 by nine members of Congress to the U.S. Secretary of State and Secretary of the Interior so problematic? (The Failure of Reconciliation...)
The policies lump all Micronesians together and fail to note the health issues related to the testing program.
Who are the kothi? (Mortal to Divine and Back)
They are born male and typically have male lovers. Also defined as an effeminate man or boy who takes on a female gender role in same sex relationships, often with a desire to be the penetrated member in sexual intercourse.
How are Amish community members able to use transportation technologies like cars? How do you think that this could be rationalized? (Amish Movie)
They forbid car ownership, but they are allowed to accept rides/take a taxi. This could be rationalized because they feel that by offering them a ride, someone is trying to do a nice thing, so they should accept. Also this could be rationalized because they can't really take a horse and buggy to work all the time.
How do the kothi purify themselves? (Mortal to Divine and Back)
They had agreed not to drink alcohol or have sex for the duration of the 10-day festival. Men are not allowed in the dressing room for the preparations, which take place in hushed silence.
Why are the Marshallese communities like the Rongelapese at a disadvantage in terms of access to public resources? Why is this so problematic? (The Failure of Reconciliation...)
They often cannot gain access to health care they need because of their low-income or immigration status. This is problematic because they cannot receive the treatments they need to live.
What remedies have been used to improve the soil quality and mediate the contamination? (The Failure of Reconciliation...)
They removed the top 15 inches of top soil and treated the land with potassium to block cesium uptake by plants
How do the community members help each other out? (Amish Movie)
They rotate where church is held and provide food when they're the host. They also help if you have a financial need.
Where are the church services held? And what do they involve? (Amish Movie)
They rotate where the church is held. They take turns holding it at different family's in the community's houses It involves singing
What were the general views of women? (Amish Movie)
They should be keepers at home and be submissive to their husbands
How should women dress? (Amish Movie)
They should represent their inner spirit and not their bodily figure. (i.e. keep everything covered, don't even show collarbone or ankles)
How do the Amish view parenting and discipline? (Amish Movie)
They use "the rod". They use a paddle and vary the hardness based on the incident. The mom also has a wooden spoon she hits them with.
Beliefs and practices may reflect, reinforce, and directly inform interpretations of phenomena that describe our general view of the world.
They will emphasize key cultural values and are often expressed through metaphor.
4.0 Religion as a system of social action This views religions as the social enactment of beliefs, daily life experiences, and symbolic meanings (expressed through rituals and other aspects of social life)
This definition emphasizes four elements: -Things (beings, powers, forces) more powerful than humans exist -Beliefs and behaviors support this reality -Symbols make this reality seem intense and genuine -People share these experiences This view of religion builds upon the previous theories-academics build upon previous ideas
What is the primary misconception about why some nations 'took off' economically while others struggle to provide food and other resources to their peoples? (Why Can't People Feed Themselves)
This lagging behind of the majority of the world's peoples must be due, I thought, to some internal deficiency or even to several of them. It seemed obvious that the under- developed countries must be deficient in natural resources--particularly good land and climate--and in cultural development, including modem attitudes conducive to work and progress. But when looking for the historical roots of the predicament, I learned that my picture of these two separate worlds was quite false. My two separate worlds were really just different sides of the same coin. One side was on top largely because the other side was on the bottom.
How do the colonial administrations ensure cheap labor? (Why Can't People Feed Themselves)
To assure this labor supply, colonial administrations simply expropriated the land of the African communities by violence and drove the people into small reserves. (16) With neither adequate land for their traditional slash-andburn methods nor access to the means--tools, water, and fertilizer--to make continuous farming of such limited areas viable, the indigenous population could scarcely meet subsistence needs, much less produce surplus to sell in order to cover the colonial taxes. Hundreds of thousands of Africans were forced to become the cheap labor source so "needed" by the colonial plantations. Only by laboring on plantations and in the mines could they hope to pay the colonial taxes.
Which transgender individuals are generally represented at this festival? (Mortal to Divine and Back)
Transgender women, who are dancers.
Where are the peoples from Rongelap living after leaving their homeland in 1985? (The Failure of Reconciliation...)
United States
Describe the fluidity of gender and gender acceptance in India. How might you see this as similar to/dissimilar from Western gender notions? (Mortal to Divine and Back)
Unlike transgender people in the West, they leave a conservative mainstream culture for an equally conservative subculture. Some live in communes with a strict network of rules under the authority of leaders they refer to as "mothers" and "grandmothers." Others live with their parents or head heterosexual families. (They still expect them to marry a woman). It is similar to Western notions in that it is commonly looked down upon, and they get bullied and beaten. It is dissimilar to Western notions in that these feelings change during this festival, in which they are celebrities, people want to take their pictures with them, and they are worshipped.
Why did these people leave Rogelap Atoll? In other words, what caused the contamination of these lands? (The Failure of Reconciliation...)
We tested nuclear weapons there, which contaminated their land.
Why might anthropologists be helpful in promoting social changes in terms of policies and public debates relating to the Marshallese situation? (The Failure of Reconciliation...)
With its attention to holism and complexity, coupled with rigorous, long-term fieldwork, anthropology has the potential to create understandings about critical social issues of our times. As researchers and global citizens, however, anthropologists must do more than obtain knowledge. A subset of anthropologists, called public anthropologists, focuses on the way our discipline can influence public policy and shape public debates. Antropology is one vehicle for social change, because, as a discipline, it can help us understand the complexities of American colonialism and the impacts of nuclear weapons testing that persist for generations because of changes to migration and health care, as well as economic and educational opportunities. Public anthropologsits seek opportunities to explain how their insights, derived from research and theory, impact public policy. In the case of tensions surrounding Marshallese immigration to the U.S., anthropology can help American citizens understand why the Marshallese come to the U.S. and the role of the U.S. in contributing to these migration patterns.
What type of courtship did the Lapps prefer? Describe what is/isn't allowed. (Amish Movie)
You ask the girl if you can court her. They preferred a hands-off courtship. This means that you cannot hug, touch, kiss, etc. But you can sit beside her and "appreciate" her?? (Not sure if that means you can sit next to each other naked or what???)
1.0 Animism
an early theory to explain the beliefs encountered in non-industrialized societies it refers to a belief in spiritual beings and/or forces. Specifically, it is the notion that natural objects, animate and inanimate, are imbued with spirits.
"primitive" societies start as...
animistic
Myths
are sacred texts. They may be transmitted as written texts, communicated orally, or embedded into various socially recognized symbols, and/or include performances. (dance, etc) They often include stories and narratives to: -Explain how the world was created -Explain how humans, plants, and animals were created and their roles -Define or prescribe how to live morally -Explain what happens to us when we die These texts are deeply entrenched in the worldview of followers that it frames their perceptions, and renders all other mythos irrelevant and unbelievable.
Rituals
dramatic renderings or social portrayals of meanings shared by members of a group -They play a role in organizing and making concrete a particular view of the world -Often are multifocal experiences; that is that they carry multiple voices (perspectives) and multiple symbolic meanings (multivalent) (multiple perspectives...not everyone participates in rituals in the same way) -Group members construct boundaries around correct forms of each ritual (orthopraxy)
What were female versus male tasks? (Amish Movie)
females - cook males - work
imitative principle of magic
like produces like I hate a dude named Fred. He has long hair. His favorite color is purple. If I want to make a voodoo doll to hurt fred, I make a doll with long hair and purple cloth. Therefore, what I do to the doll, should happen to him. (i.e. voodoo doll, animal skull used to transfer a headache) -In a rain ritual to produce rain, you might use water in the ritual -if you anted to grow long hair, you could cut someones long hair off and use it
What were the general views of men? (Amish Movie)
lustful
Social *3 possible purposes for beliefs*
reinforcing or modifying social order -May do so by defining good and evil -May use sacred stories to support the social order (Gives social values sacred authority) -May intensify cultural cohesion (social solidarity) -May act as an educational institution (may educate individual about history)
polytheism
the belief in multiple deities. Common examples include: Hinduism, Ancient Greek and Roman pantheons of gods.
monotheism
the belief in one supreme being. Common examples include: Judaism, Islam, and Christianity
sorcery
the performance of rites with the intention of altering reality (individuals engage in intentional rituals, etc)
Atheism
the rejection of the belief in deities
witchcraft
the use of psychic powers, or the result of bodily substances, which alter reality -Often are viewed as lacking control of (or even awareness of) their powers. -Don't typically see themselves as a witch
problematically, evolutionary schemes attempted to organize religions based on....
their assumed complexity
