Cultural Anthro Exam #1

What were some of the problems Malinowski experienced on the Trobriand islands?

Western residents (colonial administrators, missionaries) ignorant of native culture: Ethnocentric attitudes Highly biased accounts Pidgin English insufficient for expressing or understanding cultural perspectives

What is the history of biometrics? Who pioneered it?

William Herschel Pioneered use of finger and hand prints as identity markers in colonial India for purpose of guaranteeing contractual obligations.

What did crack in Spanish Harlem investigate?

Working Conditions in El Barrio Substance abuse, unhealthy environment, anxieties related to violence and legal risks, social antagonism and racism

Are cultural rules subject to interpretation, manipulation, and contestation?

Yes.

Do people look for the least labor intensive solution for agriculture?

Yes.

Does classroom management result in enculturation?

Yes.

Does culture influence behavior?

Yes.

Is it true that cultural elements help to regulate the environment and stave off a malthusian crisis?

Yes.

Is it true that goods are a burden to hunter gatherers?

Yes.

Is it true that hunter gatherers have few desires?

Yes.

Is there a strong correlation between multicropping and population density?

Yes. AS pop increases, more likely to do multicropping.

Who wrote you are how you eat? What is the major point of it? What is the primary example discussed in you are how you eat? What does the way you eat convey? What are some of the symbolic gestures discussed? What does etiquette say about class?

You are How You Eat (Eugene Cooper) • "Food habits communicate symbolic messages" o Hierarchy o Inclusion/exclusion (commensality) • How you eat conveys messages about your gender, age, social status, etc. o Fish and surplus are homophones o Serving the entire fish • Symbolic gestures o Indicate interest by: Accepting rice bowl with both hands Bringing bowl to mouth while eating o Express deference by: Allowing elders to eat first (age deference) Offering to others before serving self Sharing common foods • "The degree to which a Chinese practices the rules of etiquette marks his class position"

What is the Jacques Tati, Mon Oncle video clip?

Young boys playing pranks and trying to get people to walk into a pole by whistling at them.

What is the Lamarckian evolutionary theory? What type of theory is it?

geographic or climatic changes pressure life forms to adapt. Biological

How to portray fatty?

o An ex-peasant struggling against unjust system (the "righteous bandit") o An integral part of the violent side of state domination and accumulation

What was the library based argument on Australian Aborigines? What was Bronislaw Malinowski's argument?

o Argument: "these people have no family set-up, so they are very primitive" o His argument: It depends on how you define family

What were Pritchard's contrasting views of the primitive man?

o As an animal Poverty, violence, fear Individualistic Lawless Lacks religion/morality o As a gentle person Plenty, peace, security Communalistic Custom, dominated by religious beliefs and rituals

What are contemporary applications of biometrics?

o Biometric Passport Control o Fingerprinting and photographing people entering USA o Contemporary Applications: Controlling Populations o Movement enhanced for some (e.g. quick screening at airports) and obstructed for others (e.g. "no fly list") o UK "Smart Border": Facilitate rapid movement for some; deter, detect, and remove others

How does childs use the semi? structured interview?

o Demographic survey to provide empirical perspective on infant mortality

How does media relate to determining intentions during a breakup?

o Determining Intentions In break-ups, determining intentions is foremost concern Media evaluated in terms of how easy one can discern intentions Conversational turn taking facilitates exploration of intentions No media can rival face-to-face in this regard

What is the significance of a transitory experience vs. Lived reality?

o Do I really know what it is like to be a villager in a remote valley of Nepal? No, but he has an empathic understanding o Lived experience?? is the basis for empathic understanding

How did Geertz cross the "moral or metaphysical shadow line" between being ignored (a non-person) and accepted (a member of society)? What is the so called "mysterious necessity of anthropological field work?

o Dramatic event allowed Geertz to establish "mysterious necessity of anthropological field work"—rapport

How does social control relate to the media in terms of education?

o Education campaigns are designed to change peoples' behaviors o No formal means are used to enforce compliance o Shaming, humiliation, and fear tactics are common strategies

Can enculturation occur within generations? Are norms of enculturation static?

o Enculturation can occur within generations (not just across generation) E.g. parents teach parents Norms of enculturation are not static.

What is enculturation?

o Enculturation: the social process by which culture is learned and transmitted (within generations, across generations or across societies)

What was the European view on how climate affects people? (Environmental determinism)

o Europeans: our climate makes us vigorous, innovative, and industrious o Africans: climate makes us lethargic

What is transmission through observation in terms of enculturation?

o Examples: kids swearing or giving the finger, kids enacting rituals in Nepal, etc.

What are some concerns about the expanding uses of biometrics?

o Expanding uses "As citizens get used to biometric identification in their dealings with border control the association with criminal behavior will diminish and people may be more prepared to access it for other purposes as well" (European Parliament Report, 2005)

What is the biological analogy to Cronk's argument? What is the naturalistic fallacy?

o Explanations for infanticide: increases "fitness of male perpetrator", increases "parental investment" of father o Naturalistic fallacy: if something is "natural" then it must somehow be "good" o Biological explanation doesn't equal moral justification

How did portrayals of foreign lands shift from the 1600s to the 1800s according to pritchard?

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

How does childs use in-depth interviews?

o Explore cultural perspective on what demographic events (death) mean in the eyes of the actors themselves

What is the links between Language and Enculturation?

o Finding links between language and culture requires diligent, systematic research o We learn cultural patterns and expectations while learning language o Sherpa example: use of commands mark status which is based on relative age of speakers

How does childs use participant observation?

o First-hand witness to demographic events (births, deaths) as they unfold; observing how people diagnose and treat disease

What are obstacles to accessing elites?

o Gatekeepers: livelihood on the line if the wrong person gets through o Time: elites are busy, reluctant to devote adequate time to researcher o Secrecy: more disincentives than incentives for elite to allow outsider into the inner sanctum

What is the correlation between gender and enculturation? In terms of observation? In terms of direct transmission?

o How do boys and girls learn what constitutes proper behavior for their respective genders? How is gendered behavior instilled through play? o Through observation E.g. young boys observing what men do influences how boys play o Through direct transmission Boys who play with dolls are encouraged to play with something else ("that's a girl's toy")

What are the practical and ethical questions posed by researcher safety and adaptability in times of conflict?

o How much danger can a researcher accept? When violence is raging and it directly affects research subjects, do scholars have a responsibility to document it? When is it ethically acceptable to abandon a project for "safety" reasons? Who should make the call? The researcher themselves? The university? The government?

What influences the choice of a social role during research?

o Influenced by personal attributes and skills o Influenced by nature of population being studied

What is learning competition?

o Learning competition: success predicated on failure of others Learning not to dream of success, but to fear failure

What is the significance of classroom management?

o Lessons learned in the name of "classroom management" instill conformity in social realms outside of the classroom o Classroom management thus has tremendous impact on children's enculturation (more than parents?)

What are universals?

some traits are common to all humans (language, use of symbols, religious beliefs, concept of family)

What are Particularities?

some traits are confined to a single place, culture, or society

What does the linguistic sub field of Anthropology study?

studying language in its social and cultural context

What is multi-sited research?

studying various sites and systems in which people participate

What is culture?

that complex whole which includes knowledge, beliefs, arts, morals, law, customs and any other capabilities that habits acquired by a member of society

What is the definition of everyday resistance?

• "Any acts by members of the class that are intended either to mitigate or to deny claims (e.g. rents, taxes, deference) made on that class by subordinate classes (e.g. landlords, the state, owners of machinery, moneylenders) or to advance its own claims (e.g. work, land, charity, respect) vis-à-vis these subordinate classes"

What is Kottak's definition of sociopolitical organization?

• "The exercise of power and the regulation of relations among groups and their representatives" -Kottak

What do the characteristics of the ethnographer influence? Which characteristics are invariable, and which ones change?

• Acceptance, rapport, access to information, etc. can be facilitated or inhibited by characteristics of the ethnographer • Many relevant variables: age, gender, linguistic skills, education level, ethnicity, country of citizenship, skills, etc. o Some are usually invariable (gender) o Some change during fieldwork (linguistic skills) o Some change over time (age)

Which groups are anthropologists good at studying? Bad at studying?

• Anthropologists are good at studying inequality, resistance, and social movements from a "grass roots" perspective • They are not as good as studying systems of power, domination, and inequality from the perspective of those who hold power

What is Hugh Gusterson's concept of studying up?

• Anthropologists tend to study groups that are less powerful and even marginalized • Hugh Gusterson's concept of "studying up" means studying these folks to better understand systems of power, domination, and inequality

What is the Evans-Pritchard example of fieldwork in the Colonial era?

• Anthropology and Colonialism o British conquest of Sudan o Nuer unknown and antagonistic o Government commissions study by an anthropologist with the goal of revealing the Nuer system of governance so that they can be better controlled

What is true of the sheep commercial? The dog and toilet commercial?

• Anti-fur commercials o Sheep commercial: Intended to evoke empathy for animals used in fur trade o Weird dog and toilet commercial: intended to evoke contempt for consumers of fur

What was osburg's study?

• Anxious Wealth o Study of gender and masculinity in elite male network (businessmen, underground, politicians) o Fieldwork in places where elite males socialize and solidify relationships to facilitate business

Where is a viable site for fieldwork?

• Any place where humans live and interact with each other is a viable site for fieldwork

What is the Argonauts of the Western Pacific? Who wrote it? What was significant about it?

• Argonauts of the Western Pacific as landmark: o Participant observation as key method o Major contribution to economic anthropology

What is the argument of Shearing and Stenning?

• Argument: "People today are seduced to conform by the pleasures of consuming the goods that corporate power has to offer"

What is BEV/AAVE? What is it's symbolic capital?

• BEV (Black English Vernacular), AAVE (African-American Vernacular English) o A distinct dialect of English o Has own phonological rules and syntax o In many contexts has less Symbolic Capital than SE (Standard English) o Users regularly engage in Code-Switching Where individuals in multilingual (or multi-dialect) settings switch language usage according to social context

What is the genealogical method?

• Basic data gathered through demographic survey • Construct "family trees" to map relationships • Kinship system illuminates basis of political organization, population growth, settlement expansion, etc.

What is it critical to understand when it comes to situating the Antrhopologist in the Field?

• Because all data is filtered through the lens of the individual anthropologist, it is critical to understand: o How personal attributes "situate" the anthropologist within research setting o How personal attributes can both help and hinder the research process

How does one categorize speaking distances? What type of knowledge is this?

• Categorizing Speaking Distances o Depending on circumstances, you intuitively know how close to be to another person when talking (tacit knowledge)

What is significant in the case of desertion when it comes to hegemony?

• Conscripts from poor farming families. Resentment that wealthy families escape conscription. Economic needs of family during crisis times. Little stake in defending slavery (didn't own them). • Massive desertions, sustained by consensus, prevent authorities from stopping it. Who to target? No open rebellion; not organized or coordinated by anyone. • Result: thousands of small, self-serving acts deprived socioeconomic elite of manpower needed to fight the war.

What are informal conversations-formal interviews?

• Conversation with varying degrees of formality

What did Malthus influence?

Erhlich's thoughts that overpopulation is a bad thing.

Why did the Kung bushmen criticize Lee's ox?

Anthropologist in position of relative power (sole source of tobacco) Cultural Template: belittle the hunter's results Arrogance is dangerous in an egalitarian society "We cool his heart and make him gentle." Agency Criticizing ox = opportunity to humble Lee's potential arrogance Using culture to diminish social hierarchy attained by giving

What is negative reciprocity?

Attempt to get something of greater value than what you give through barter or other means of exchange May involve deceit, coercion, striking a "hard bargain."

How do nonverbal communications factor into political performance?

Context: performing to potential voters via live audience, television audience, print media. Movement: forward toward the audience. Gestures and Expressions: Clapping (positive attitude), Smiling (friendly), Pointing (personal connections).

What is the general thought process in evaluating break-up options?

Face-to-Face = best option • Other options evaluated in relation to face-to-face communication • More impersonal options (email, Facebook) make phone seem more acceptable

What is Malthus's principle of population?

Food supply determines population growth: Natural AND Inevitable

What are the main questions in economic anthropology?

How are production, distribution, and consumption organized in different societies? What motivates people in different societies to produce, distribute or exchange, and consume?

What is conspicuous consumption?

Intent to impress others by accumulating money and material goods Is there a connection between conspicuous giving and prestige in our society?

What is redistribution?

Movement of goods to a center, then redistributed

What does it mean that media is mutually constitutive?

Old media shapes how we use and think about new media New media changes peoples' ideologies and uses of old media

How would a cultural relativist approach the confederate flag and the US?

One should seek to understand why the Confederate flag is used as a symbol by overtly racist groups One should seek to understand why many consider the Confederate flag to symbolize a racist legacy that includes slavery • The naming of some schools after questionable figures and inclusion • Cultural relativism shouldn't deter one from making moral judgments

How do people use language to shape the way we view the world? What is the point?

Politics: naming congressional acts and government policies. Advertising: pre-owned vs new? Naturally flavored? The Point: The knowledge that language shapes the way we view the world can be used strategically. Politics: garner support by shaping perceptions. Advertising: create positive impression of products.

What is the Oakwood example of Malthusian Results? How did Malthus feel about poor laws?

Poor laws and Enclosure o Malthus was an enemy of the Poor Laws (early form of public welfare) until the end of his days

What is Malthusian Policy?

Population outstripping food production is part of nature No permanent solutions to the laws of nature; can't keep positive checks from befalling "lowest orders" In fact, feeding the hungry will only increase starvation in the future ("Utterly Dismal Theorem") Positive checks are inevitable - early death

What is the irrational cultural logic that pertains to inner city street culture?

Pursuing the American Dream: "Rugged individualists", "private entrepreneurs" seeking a "piece of the pie." Underground economy as most available route to upward mobility Choosing dignity and autonomy over humiliation and dependence on others

What are the best ways to understand another culture?

Reject naïve realism (belief that meanings of concepts are the same everywhere) Reject ethnocentrism (belief that the values of your own culture are superior to those of others) Adopt a stance of methodological cultural relativism (study how people in that culture explain and ascribe significance to their own beliefs and behaviors)

What are different ways to fulfill wants and desires?

Scarcity is a "relationship between means and ends." How does one satisfy "wants"? By producing a lot? By desiring little?

What are the takehome lessons from Researcher Safety and Adaptability in Times of Conflict?

Scholars, not university administrators, should be the ones to determine when to suspend research due to safety issues. The ethnographer's ethical obligation? "As immigration and border scholars we need to make sure that we do not let our academic pursuits blind us from the truly relevant and pertinent issues that are taking place, and failing to forewarn the possibility of darker things to come."

What was Francis Galton? What did he do?

Search for heritable traits of race through anthropometrics Received Herschel's notes on subject of fingerprints Understood potential for fingerprints as identifiers

What type of change is technological change associated with?

Technological change (widespread adoption of new means for communication) associated with changes in... • The way we form social networks • The way we terminate relationships • Awareness of surroundings • Interactions with others in public • Notions of what constitutes a private conversation

What is Transhumance?

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

What is code-switching (general definition)?

Where individuals in multilingual (or multi-dialect) settings switch language usage according to social context

With biometrics and biosecurity the body becomes...

With biometrics and biosecurity the body becomes both a target and instrument of control • Measurement make body target of control • Knowledge of measurement induces control

Who wrote Eating Christmas in the Kalahari? What are the takeaways? How do the bushmen distribute meat?

!Kung Bushmen Subsistence Strategy Knowledge of Christmas is "third-hand" foraging (hunting & gathering) Low population density living in small bands Egalitarian society (little social stratification) Trade relations with herders (source of Lee's ox) Main importance: ritual slaughter of ox Part of hunter-gatherer reciprocity All get equal share Can lead to fights e.g., Christmas ox distributed among feuding groups

What were the methods used to study anthropology before the scholarly shift?

"Armchair scholars" Derived theories by reading accounts of missionaries and colonial officials Such accounts are biased and unreliable Early "fieldworkers" Journeyed to societies that they studied but brought informants to own camp for interviews in non-native languages "Interviewing on the veranda"

What is Kottak's take on the relationship between culture and nature?

"Culture takes natural biological urges we share with other animals and teaches us how to express them in particular ways"

What is panopticisim?

"He who is subjected to a field of visibility, and who knows it, assumes responsibility for the constraints of power; he makes them play spontaneously upon himself; he inscribes in himself the power relation in which he simultaneously plays both roles; he becomes the principle of his own subjection." With biometrics and biosecurity the body becomes both a target and instrument of control.

How does violence relate to the culture of terror in inner city street culture?

"High powered tool for domination and a principle medium for political practice." (Taussig) Violence as a means to maintain credibility, prevent rip-offs. Upward mobility requires regular displays of violence. Violence as "public relations", "advertising", "rapport building". Ruthlessness = security

What are the pre-Scott definitions of: What is real resistance? What is incidental activities?

"Real Resistance": Organized, systematic, and cooperative. Principled or selfless. Revolutionary consequences. "Incidental Activities": Unorganized, unsystematic and individual. Opportunistic and 'self-indulgent.' Have no revolutionary consequences

How are hunter gatherers characterized?

"Subsistence" characterized as brink of starvation existence "Limited leisure", "incessant quest for food", "absence of surplus", characterized in non human terms "meager resources"

Who wrote The Sounds of Silence? What's it about?

(Hall and Hall) Nonverbal Communication The only language for most of human history. The first form of communication you learn (enculturation through observation). A form of communication that you use constantly in everyday life.

What are the 4 approaches for making public anthropology feasible? Who talked about it?

(Nancy Scheper-Hughes) o Disseminate the findings of ethnographic research to broader audiences Typical approach = jargon-filled, theoretically dense articles only available behind paywall Accessible to people versed in the theory/jargon and people with paywall access o Make important issues visible to the public (e.g. exposing abuses of organ trafficking) Studying human organ trafficking and intervening against human organ trafficking o Research with journalists? Does this taint the data and analysis? The dilemma: ethnography requires thorough understanding before publishing results, but journalism requires publishing before attaining thorough understanding (time sensitive) o Incentive structure? Public anthropology = "community outreach" Don't expect rewards, but consider public anthropology a "right and a privilege"

What did Edward Burnett Tylor Focus on?

(Overarching concept that human societies analogous to biological organisms) Focus on religion; natural progression for societies on religion: animism --> polytheism --> monotheism Relied on reports from other people instead of doing his own research.

What did Lewis Henry Morgan research? What were the two distinct evolutions of government?

(Overarching concept that human societies analogous to biological organisms) Did his own research on the evolution of social/religious institutions in the middle of New York State, emphasis on progression through savagery barbarism civilization. Societas (based on kinship): Gens (patrilineal clan) as basis of organization; complexity evolves through descent group of related clans, tribes, and confederacy of tribes Civitas (based on territory/property): territory as basis of organization; complexity evolves through county/province (collection of wards) and nation (collection of counties)

What is the methodology of social darwinism?

Anthropometrics: Head measurements to divide up races.

What is ethnocentrism? Who developed this concept?

Boas The tendency to view one's culture as superior The tendency to apply one's own cultural values in judging the behavior and beliefs of people in other cultures Ethnocentrism is an obstacle to cross-cultural understanding

What was a key point in Boas's rejection of Racial Theories?

1908 study: cranial dimensions in immigrants and their kids Evidence: immigrant kids had different skull shapes than parents—result of different diets, habits, environment, etc. therefore cranial morphology is not an immutable marker of "race"; it can vary through time and according to environment

How long did Malinowski work on the Trobriand Islands for?

1914—1918 (longer fieldwork than any predecessor)

What is society?

A group of people who interact more with each other than with others.

What is the significance of the mirror in the gym?

A medium for... Communication: observe others without appearing to observe Evaluation: constantly monitor definition, sharpness, and mass of muscle structure Social acceptance: public flexing signals incorporation

What are the major insights of Barlands study?

A mental discipline: "the man who wins is the man who thinks he can" Training is 100%. Diet is the other 100%. Insights Constructing self-identity through methodical, meticulous self-discipline of the body Individualistic pursuit (self-identity) done as member of a tight-knit community (sharing of knowledge, techniques, and results)

What is acculturation?

Acculturation: the exchange of cultural features (e.g. language, clothing) that results when groups come into continuous firsthand contact; the original cultural patterns of either or both groups may be altered, but the groups remain distinct

Who studied the fish camp in alaska? What are they? What did they study? What types of information did the different roles have access to? Which was the best role for gathering info?

Active participant observer Fish camp, Alaska—Johnson o Study of migratory commercial fisherman o What social position in the camp maximizes chances to collect data from all sectors of the community? Crewmember • Low social movement, localized access to info, detailed info Cook • Moderate social movement, diverse access to info, fishermen and management Less Active Ethnographer Carpenter • Best choice

What is adaptation?

Adaptation: the processes by which organisms cope with environmental stresses Can have biological and/or cultural dimensions

What are hunter-gatherers? Are they an adaptive strategy? What was true about their society? What are the correlates of foraging?

Adaptive strategy for most of human history o Remained until recently in areas where food production is difficult (e.g., northern Canada, Kalahari Desert) o Correlates of Foraging Band-organized society High mobility Egalitarian (minimal social stratification- see Lee "Eating Christmas") Social distinctions based on age Men hunt; women gather

What is the concept of Unilineal evolution? What is the pinnacle of social evolution?

All societies follow the same evolutionary trajectory. European societies represent the pinnacle of social evolution; all others are lagging behind. In the context of European global expansion.

Who was Jules Henry? What did he do?

American Schoolrooms (Henry) • Henry worked at WashU for 1947—1969 • Was a sociologist but was influenced by Boas and Margaret Mead • Took an ethnographic look at schools o Later work "questioned the authority of, and rationale behind, cultural institutions" (e.g., the school system)

How to understand human antiquity based on old artifacts?

Archaeology

What is the comparative method? What are the two assumptions it makes? What are the three steps involved in the comparative method?

Assumption 1: psychic unity of mankind—humans everywhere think alike Assumption 2: all societies undergo parallel but independent evolutionary states Step 1: place all societies on a scale from 'primitive' to 'civilized' Step 2: analyze "living fossils" (the so-called primitive societies) as evidence of previous evolutionary stages Step 3: compare institutions (e.g. political systems, kinship, religion) to understand evolutionary trajectory from primitive to civilized

What does racial determinism say about why people differ?

Biological differences.

What are biometrics? What are physical traits? What are behavioral traits?

Biometrics: Recognizing humans on basis of traits. Physical Traits: Face, fingerprints, iris, hand geometry, DNA, body odor. Behavioral Traits: Handwriting, voice pattern, gait.

What was Maguire's research agenda?

Biosecurity research dominated by technical fields (e.g., encryption). Move beyond debates on efficacy of technology by focusing on historical and cultural dimensions of biometrics. Explore genealogy of biometric security to show it as "an invisible chain that held past populations in strikingly contemporary ways." What are the social ramifications of widely deploying such technologies?

What are the two distinct origins of fieldwork? What are the key developments associated with these? What are some of the weaknesses?

Boas to Baffin Island (1883—1884) Alfred Haddon to Torres Strait (1898—1899) Key developments Anthropology becomes full-time profession and field work is essential Weaknesses Short-term fieldwork = superficial observations Lack of language acquisition

What was anthropology like in Boas's Time? What is an example of that? What is Anthropology like today?

Boas was a jack of all trades (physical, cultural, linguistic, archaeology. Boas challenged a cultural issue (racism) using tools of physical anthropology (anthropometry) Anthropology today is used to combine rather than separate the sub-disciplines. Nowadays the sub-disciplines operate more or less independent from each other. An exception: biocultural approaches study relationship.

When watching the Jacques Tati, Mon Oncle video what do you judge?

Character.

What are Close Parishes? Open Parishes?

Close Parishes: A few landlords controlling who can own what and where Open Parish: Anyone can own/rent, but they must travel to find work

What makes cultural anthropology unique from other disciplines?

Combination of four things: holistic approach, culture focus, participant observation method, small-scale

What is the Darwinian theory of evolution? What type of theory is it?

Concept of natural selection; some variations more beneficial for survival and reproduction than others. Biological

What is the Kwaikiutl potlach an example of?

Conspicuous Redistribution Kwakiutl leader collects food stocks, redistributes to people in own and other communities

What is a contemporary approach to ethnographys?

Contemporary approach: problem oriented research Less holistic and more focused on a single issue; emphasis on connections with world system

What is the connection between racial theories and anthropometrics?

Cranial dimensions reflect racial differences Assumption that such traits are biologically determined, hence, races are "fixed" categories Assumed connections between "race" and intelligence, aptitude, etc

What is moral relativism? Who talked about it?

Cronk o Moral relativism: ethical standards and morality are culturally based and therefore subject to a person's individuals choice The moral and ethical rules of all cultures deserve equal respect. We should refrain from passing moral judgment on cultures other than our own

What is the culturalistic fallacy? Who talked about it?

Cronk o The task of ethnography is to explain behavior ("this is what it is") o The task is not to justify behavior in moral terms ("this is what it ought to be") o Cultural explanation doesn't equal moral justification

How do you explain cultural differences?

Cultural Anthropology

Is cultural anthropology Qualitative or Quantitative?

Cultural anthropology is at far end of qualitative side

What is diffusion (in terms of cultural traits)?

Cultural traits originate in one area and then spread to other areas.

What is culture circles?

Cultural traits originated at multiple sources.

What is a symbol? Is culture symbolic? How does cultural learning relate to symbols? How do you learn symbolic behavior?

Culture is Symbolic Symbol: something verbal or non-verbal, within a particular language or culture, that comes to stand for something else Cultural learning depends on symbols (signs that have no necessary or natural connection to the things they stand for or signify) Learning symbolic behavior through observation

What specifically is part of non-verbal communication?

Culture is Symbolic. We communicate messages through a variety of nonverbal means. Nonverbal gestures vary cross-culturally (body language is not uniform among humans). Facial Expressions: universal, part of our shared evolutionary heritage (see primates). Hand Gestures: vary cross-culturally, part of our divergent cultural heritages. We regularly monitor nonverbal communication in others and adjust our behaviors accordingly.

What is an analogy for the dynamic between culture and human action?

Culture is treated as an environment that influences and is influenced by human action

What were the points of Boas's Historical Particularism?

Cultures can only be understood with reference to their particular historical developments No general theories can explain processes of culture change Every culture is unique and must be studied in terms of its uniqueness (precursor to cultural relativism)

What is reconfiguration? What is an example of it?

Cultures contain complex arrays of beliefs, symbols, practices, traditions, etc. Any cultural trait that is borrowed will be adapted and modified to fit the new context What looks similar from the outside (wedding rituals Japanese video) can have very different meanings and associations

What is pastorialism?

Dependence on herds of domesticated animals Heavy reliance on animal products for food (dairy, meat, blood) Diet supplemented by hunting, fishing, foraging, and trading (inter-dependence w/agriculturalists)

What are adaptive strategies?

Describes a society's main system of economic production (includes means/mode of production) Foraging hunting and gathering Food production horticulture, agriculture, pastoralism

What are the racial dimensions of mock spanish? What is Hill's conclusion on this?

Direct Indexicality: indexes that are understood (e.g. "I'll do it mañana" signals you as congenial, down-to-earth, folksy person.). Indirect Indexicality: reliance on stereotypes (typically negative) to make sense. Hill's Argument: Mock Spanish is racial discourse by directly indexing congeniality of speaker while indirectly indexing negative stereotypes.

What is culture (in terms of a group of people)?

Distinctive ways of life of a society.

From harris's point of view, which of these options (balanced reciprocity, redistribution, accumulation) apply to the following? Egalitarian societies Complex Societies Even more complex societies

Egalitarian Societies (e.g., hunters and gatherers): balanced reciprocity as the norm Competitive hunting/feasting would be detrimental to their survival (deplete resources) More Complex Societies: redistribution as the norm (leader works hardest, consumes least) Made possible by domesticating plants and animals Labor not purchased, but given as social obligation to leader (everyone benefits Even More Complex Societies: accumulation becomes the basis of) prestige

What are the sociopolitical typologies? Who talked about it? What is Stratum endogamy?

Elman Service's • Band to tribe to chiefdom to state • Foraging to horticulture to pastoralism to agriculture to industrial. • Band and tribe: leaders have less power and authority (lead by example) • Chiefdom and state: leaders have more power and authority (sanctioned through various means, e.g. religion, political ideology, backed by enforcement Very simplistic scheme, but useful for describing some general principles. Socioeconomic stratification exists in most societies. Differential power and authority. Differential access to resources. Stratum endogamy (people encouraged or tend to marry within socioeconomic class).

Who wrote Email My Heart? What do they talk about?

Email My Heart (Gershon) • How does new media transform social relationships? o Most scholars focus on connections (e.g. formation of social networks) o Gershon centers on how people use new technologies to sever intimate relationships In the not-so-distant past, there were only three ways to break up, and only one was considered socially acceptable • Can't do it over the phone or by mail

How do ethnographic descriptions limit foragers?

Ethnographic descriptions limited to foragers in marginal landscapes (e.g., Kalahari Desert). 20th century foragers pushed to margins by agricultural and industrial societies. How would their livelihoods look if they lived in more suitable environments? Descriptions of poverty: aboriginal condition or "colonial duress"?

How does Spradley define ethnography?

Ethnography: "the work of describing a culture"

What is an enthnography? What type of approach is it?

Ethnography: a descriptive account of a particular society, community, or culture; based on long-term, first0hand fieldwork Old school approach: highly descriptive and holistic account of a particular society at a particular point in time Chapters on economy, kinship and marriage, etc.

What is an Ethnology? What does it do?

Ethnology: examines, analyzes, and compares the results of ethnographies—the data gathered in different societies Goal is to make generalizations about society and culture through detailed comparisons (grand theories)

What is the context for the start of Anthropology?

European global expansion, contact with other societies

Who studied the Nuer? What were some of the obstacles he faced?

Evans Pritchard. o Servants from other groups hesitant to work among their former enemies o Communication (lacked interpreter, had to learn difficult language) o Treated with suspicion (British colonial rep.)

What is Biometrics and the Utopian vision? Which book is this found in?

Every human being should be partially signalised...It would then be possible to find any persona at once whenever desired, whether for its own good or that of society at large, in whatever place he might be and however he might alter his appearance or name. Crime would thus be rooted out, elections purified, immigration laws effectively enforced . . . Publisher's introduction to Bertillon's Signaletics, 1896

What is reciprocity?

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?

What did Claire Sterk study? What were some of the challenges surrounding her study? Did she go native? Is that necessary?

Fieldwork on Prostitution in the Era of AIDS (Claire Sterk) • Challenging research due to stigma and safety • Doesn't mean one participates and observes all aspects of subject's lives o She didn't become a prostitute in order to understand the lives of prostitutes o The anthropologist doesn't have to "go native" to study another society

What are the basics of forager economics? What is Sahlin's take on this?

Forager economics Context = low standard of living A modern concept: health, education, material assets, energy, consumptions, Sufficient, not abundant Material plenty o Sahlin's Answer "it is not that hunters and gatherers have curbed their material 'impulses'; they simply never made an institution of them"

Who was Marcel Mauss? What is "The Gift"? What does gift giving entail? What does it create? What does the act of receiving do? What does the act of giving do? Reciprocating?

French Sociologist, student of Emile Durkheim The Gift (1925) - 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 Giving = creating a social relationship Receiving = acknowledging the social relationship (refuse gift = reject social bond)

What are generalities?

Generalities: some traits are widespread but not universal (nuclear family, monotheism)

What is balanced reciprocity?

Giving entails expectation that something of equal value will be returned (immediate or delayed) Social relations strained if gift not reciprocated

What is generalized reciprocity?

Giving something to another person without the expectation of an immediate return No record keeping, parties assume that exchanges would balance out in the long run Exchanges = expression of personal relationship

Who talked about Gunspeak: Gun Culture and Everyday Communication? What is Gunspeak an example of? What the author's observation?

Gunspeak: Gun Culture and Everyday Communication (Myers) • Gunspeak—example of a close connection between language and culture • Myers' Observation: Gunspeak reflects societal obsession with firearms; Gunspeak "couples easily and unconsciously with our violent entertainment to create a world in which we are primed to be aggressive and combative"

What is heliocentric diffusion? What is an example of it?

Heliocentric diffusion: all civilization traits originate from a single source. Example: Egyptian pyramid --> Mayan pyramid.

What is Herber Spencer's theory? What type of theory is it?

Herbert Spencer (1820-1902): evolution from simple to more complex states. Human societies analogous to biological organisms. Goal is to identify the functions of "organs" in maintaining society. Biological to Social theory.

Who wrote Language, Race, and White Public? What is the inner sphere? What is the outer sphere?

Hill • Inner sphere: blurred boundaries o Speakers engage in extensive code-switching (mixing English and Spanish) • Outer sphere: pressure to keep languages "in order" o "Failure" of linguistic order (e.g. engaging in code-switching) becomes marker of "race" o Racialization = the act or process of giving a racial character to something; to impose a racial interpretation

What is horticulture?

Horticulture ("Shifting Cultivation") No intensive usage of any means (factors) of production (land, labor, capital, or Simple technology "Slash & Burn" with long fallows machinery) clear and burn land grow crops on one plot of land for 2 years get worse and worse yield over years move to a new area

What is the significance about the car analogy?

How do you get from Point A to Point B (a natural act) says much about your gender, wealth, status, personal identity, etc. What does your car say about you? Different ads are catered to different types of people and to different genders Point: moving about in a car (of your choice) is a means to express gender, age, socioeconomic class, and ideology

Who wrote Gardening Tips? What is the major argument?

How do you respond to the relativist position, "it's their culture, who are we to judge it?" Accept female genital mutilation because "it's part of their culture" Do cultural explanations = moral justifications? no.

What is the humanities approach of Cultural Anthropology? What is the strength of this approach?

Humanities: a quest for empathic understanding. An interpretive endeavor to shed light on how others view the world Humanities approach: provide readers with an empathic understanding of another society; reduce the perception of cultural differences between "us" and "them"

Does culture influence or determine behavior?

Influence.

What were the takeaways from George Gmelch's study?

Insider/outsider o Insider's perspective from previous experience (empathic understanding) o Yet analytical detachment "I was so immersed in the culture that I really couldn't see what was noteworthy"

Who was malthus?

Intellectual and one generation beyond the enlightenment Math major, hoped to become a preacher 1788-1793...living at home for an extended period of socializing, "indulg[ing] his pasttimes of walking, riding, hunting, and shooting" (Stapleton 1986:22) Job as country preacher at Oakwood Chapel, England "The sons and daughters of peasants will not be found such rosy cherubs in real life as they are described to be in romances...a circumstance which can only be attributed to a want either of proper or of sufficient nourishment." (Malthus 1798) Population in Oakwood: 1788-1798 (Malthus' preaching years) 16 baptisms but only 5 burials

What is the Irish example of Malthusian Results? What was exported which could have helped?

Irish "Potato Famine" 1843-50 Pop: 8 million o Starved: 1 million o Emigrated: 1 million Why were they so reliant on potaoes? Famine as "a direct stroke of an all-wise and all-merciful Providence" Charles Trevelyan, director of relief (and Malthus's student) 1846 alone: 500,000 hogs exported during this famine which could have been used to feed the people

Irrigation?

Irrigation: diverting water from source (river) to fields requires complex organization of labor to share common resource o Ex: Tibetan Plateau - water is a scare resource o Micro managing a scares resource

What does perceived "overpopulation" depend on?

It depends on poverty Times Square has a dense population too o Also depends on culture cities in developing nations may be overwhelming to strangers, especially those who live in Stanford and roam the California hills

Who wrote everyday forms of peasant resistance? What is it? What does he say about everyday resistance?

James Scott • Seminal writing by a political scientist • Theoretical framework for studying class relations and resistance • Major impact on anthropology Most analysis of peasant/proletariat resistance centered on rebellions ("real resistance"). • Everyday resistance ("incidental activities") more pervasive and significant. Requires little or no coordination and planning. Avoids direct symbolic confrontation w/authority. Extended campaigns of attrition; constant testing of relations between the classes.

What is Marx's perspective on socioeconomic stratification? Weber's?

Karl Marx: Bourgeoisie owned means of production (factories, mines, large farms). Proletariat (working class) sell labor to survive. Radically opposed interests; analytical focus on class conflict. Class consciousness leads to revolutionary change Max Weber: Three dimensions of social stratification Economic Status: Based on wealth. Political Status: based on power. Social Status: Based on prestige

What does Kluckhohn reject? What does he say about culture? How does one see the presence of culture? Is it learned? Is culture a human universal?

Kluckhohn rejects all above reasons (like climate, biological differences, upbringing) as to why people differ and says it's because of cultural differences • Every human being is imbued with culture ("to be human is to be cultured") • "The total life way of a people, the social legacy the individual acquires from his group" • A way of thinking, feeling, and believing acquired by the individual as a member of a group • Culture "constitutes a kind of blueprint for all of life's activities" • One can see regularities in behavior that arise from a group's culture It is learned, and it is a human universal.

What is the definition of the means of production? What is the definition of the mode of production?

Land, labor, technology, and capital—major productive resources Ex: cattle, livestock, farmland (privately owned), pastures Mode of Production: Way of organizing production—a set of social relations through which labor is deployed to wrest energy from nature by means of tools, skills, and knowledge. Knowledge of landscape, how people exploit resources Based on household Father, son kids = primary labor force Neighbors, extended family = supplemental labor force

What is macro-scale research?

Macro-scale research: the researcher hires others to gather data or analyzes existing data sets

Who wrote Making Anthropology Public?

Making Anthropology Public (Nancy Scheper-Hughes)

Do Malthus's theories hold up?

Malthus' theories hold up poorly when we account for history andpolitical economy BUT they remain highly influential because of that feel factor

Boserup vs. Malthus? What is intensification? Extensification?

Malthus: Food production determines population Boserup: Population determines food production As population grows, people change the way they produce food Intensification: Shortening the fallow period, diminishing returns from labor Extensification: Lengthening the fallow period, increasing returns from labor

What is diglossia in the context of sociolinguistics?

Many languages have several dialects. "High" = more formal; usage signals higher education and/or social class. "Low" = less formal; usage signals lower education and/or social class.

What are the capitalist means of production? Modes of production?

Means of production are owned by a small, wealthy elite (own factories, land, etc.) Mode of production is exchanging cash for labor because the poor people do not own the factories

What is Foucault's definition of governmentality?

Methods used by governments to produce citizens who act in accordance with government policies or objectives. The ideologies and techniques through which subjects are governed.

Who wrote the body Rituals of Naricema Article? What was the purpose of the article? What were some of the beliefs and rituals of the Naricema? What is the final point?

Minor/Miner Purpose of article: document unusual magical beliefs and practices of a poorly understood group with a highly developed market economy; focus on ritual activity is the body • Belief system: o Body is ugly • Shrine rooms: sites of private body rituals o More shrine rooms • A holy-mouth man o Oral fetish: connections between mouth and social relationships/moral characteristics • Miner's point: cultural conceptions of the body shape our everyday behaviors • Naricema American

What is a common misconception about where cultural anthropologists work?

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

What is a common misconception about the type of societies that anthropologists like to study?

Misconception: anthropologists are only interested in studying "primitive" societies Reality: anthropologists are 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

What is a misconception about the way anthropologists work?

Misconception: we only work alone, never in teams of researchers Reality: team research is not the norm, but it is possible and frequent

What influences material acquisitions for hunter gatherers?

Mobility not productivity.

What is agriculture?

More labor intensive than horticulture Irrigation Terracing Land used intensively and continuously Do not allow land to go fallow for more than a year unless there is Use of domesticated animals (plow, fertilizer) reason to do so

What is the practice theory?

Most people don't blindly follow cultural norms and rules Cultural rules are subject to interpretation, manipulation, and contestation Cumulative effect = continuous culture change Culture shapes and constrains the thoughts, actions, and behaviors of the individual The agency of individuals transforms culture in subtle yet cumulatively important ways Individuals within every society have different motives and intentions, degrees of power and influence (agency)

What is significant about the relationship between overpopulation and poverty?

Need to separate the feel of overpopulation and poverty and the discomfort of alien cultures with actual indications of "over" population An example from Africa: When the tide went out, dead rats and the skeletons of cars were exposed on the mucky beach. In 28 years Guinea's population will double if growth goes on at current rates."

What is required in the shift from horticulture to argriculture?

New Labor Requirements: Fertilizing, Terracing, Plowing, Irrigating, Weeding Overall Effects: Work more hours, decreasing marginal returns (doubling work time does not double crop yield!)

Is it true that hunter gatherers spend so much time hunting and foraging that no time remains for the provision of other comforts?

No.

What is Nomadism?

Nomadism Movement of entire group throughout the year (no permanent settlements)

Who wrote Notes on a Balinese Cockfight? What is the author a proponent of?

Notes on a Balinese Cockfight (Geertz) • Geertz is a major proponent of interpretive anthropology o Goals: to demonstrate how seemingly irrational institutions and practices actually have a cultural logic, to provide reader with an "empathic understanding" of another society

What does Kluckhohn say about cultures visibility?

One cannot see culture, but one can see regularities in behavior that arise from a group's culture

What is the difference between open defiance and everyday resistance?

Open Defiance: • Structured claims, brief duration • Openly challenges property relations • Examples: tax riot, labor strike, open insult • All or nothing Everyday Resistance • Does not openly challenge property relations • Adaptable and anonymous • Long-term and relentless • Examples: tax evasion/concealment o Gossip, satire o Shirking, showdowns, spoilage o Clandestine squatting on land • Incremental and retractable

What is participant observation used for? What is it not used for?

Participant observation is not used as the sole method for gathering data to answer a research question. Participant observation is used for gaining a basic understanding of the society being studied so that the researcher knows what types of questions to ask, and how to ask them. Gathering data that, in conjunction with other data, can be used to generate insights.

What is the peasant agrarian mode of production? What is labor exchange? What is balance reciprocity?

Peasant agrarian mode of production Labor exchange: call upon relatives or friends to supplement household Balance reciprocity: labor exchange with friends/relatives as social labor force when need arises o Reciprocate obligation o Implies close equal social relationships Most of production o Little socioeconomic stratification o Production binds people in social relations

How do we explain biological origin of humans and other species?

Physical Anthropology

What limits the population of a species in nature?

Physical capabilities subsistence - how we produce food.

Who was Franz Boas? What did he do? What was he a proponent of? What did he reject and critique?

Physicist turned geographer (Berlin) First U.S. Anthro professor at Colombia Univ. in 1899 Helped develop anthropology as a methodologically rigorous field of inquiry: Proponent of fieldwork Rejection of arm-chair approaches Critiqued grand theories on race, social evolution, and cultural determinism

What is Kottak's definition of political regulation?

Political Regulation. The processes of decision-making, dispute management, and conflict resolution. Who has the power and authority to make decisions, manage disputes, and resolve conflicts?

What is power? What is authority?

Power: the ability to exercise one's will over others Authority: the socially approved use of power

What is rapport? What was a marker of rapport in Geertz case?

Rapport = relation, especially one that is harmonious or sympathetic o Geertz' case: being teased = marker of rapport and acceptance into Balinese society

What is part of inner city street culture?

Rebellious practices opposed to mainstream society Violence, substance abuse, anger Personal search for dignity Rejection of racism and marginalization Models of masculinity premised on earning "respect"

What is biometric security?

Record a characteristic (e.g., "mug shot", fingerprint) and enter it into a database. Disseminating the database creates a method for tracking individuals.

What are the religious do's and don'ts of food?

Religion: Don'ts Taboos as environmental management (pigs, goats, and deserts) Sacred groves and protected areas Marvin Harris - why don't Hindus in India eat cows? o Religion: Dos Religious practice as environmental functionalism Nancy Turner on TEK in the Pacific Northwest Lansing on rice management in Bali Rappaport and the pig cycle

What are the divergent views of the Kwakiutl economic system?

Ruth Benedict: The Kwakiutl economic system was bent to the service of status rivalry Marvin Harris: Kwakiutl status rivalry was bent to the service of the economic system

Who wrote "Say Cheese"? What did they this phenomenon was an example of?

Say "Cheese" (Shearing and Stenning) • Mechanisms for social control are built into the park • Exemplar of 'private corporate policing' • "Control strategies are embedded in the system in both environmental features and structural relations"

What is the cultural reproduction theory? (think schools)

Schools socialize minority children into dominant ideology (e.g., social norms, vernacular) of majority (i.e., white America) Resistance to assimilation leads to economic failure (poverty, crime, drug abuse) Economic success contingent upon rejecting ethnic identity and cultural dignity

What are some of the aspects of mock spanish?

Semantic Pejoration (a change of meaning for the worse: adiós, hasta la vista). Obscene words for euphemisms (Casa de Pee-Pee, Caca de Toro). Suffixes and modifiers to create pejorative forms (el cheap o, el presidente). Hyperanglicized representations of words (grassy-ass, Fleas Navidad)

Is culuture shared? How? What is a shared cultural value in the US?

Shared beliefs, values, memories, and expectations link people who grow up in the same group Is individuality a shared cultural value in the U.S.? "Express yourself", "be yourself", "we are all unique" If individualism is a shared cultural value, then is non-conformity a form of conformity?

How was Clare Sterk situated in her community? What were some issues? How did she gain rapport?

Situating the researcher: female, foreign, status (university educated, white collar work, middle class o Female and foreign decrease social distance o Status increases social distance • Relationships and Trust (rapport) o She adopts a stance of cultural relativism Doesn't judge the actions of the women Tries to understand the lives of prostitutes through their own eyes o Expresses genuine interest in their lives o Passes tests to see if she keeps information confidential (what is said in confidential interviews remains confidential) • Empathic understanding o By hanging out with and interviewing the women, she gains empathic understanding of their lives • Giving back (reciprocity) o Provided services Childcare, car rides, groceries o Provided information Protection from HIV o Provided goods Condoms, gels, feminine products

Who was Jeremy Slack? What was his opinion?

Slack involved with documenting experience of migrants who cross the US border and get caught by authorities. Felt research should continue based on risk assessment (foreigners not targeted). Did not agree with decision to terminate. "Despite the pretext of attempting to make the decision as a group in our meeting it came down to an executive decision based on the opinions of external faculty." Carried on with other projects; demonstrated commitment to friends and research subjects in Mexico

What is social control? What are the formal means of social control?

Social Control: mechanisms that regulate individual and group behavior; goal is to instill conformity • Formal means: expressed through law as rules and regulations against deviant behavior. Conducted by governments and organizations using law enforcement mechanisms and other formal sanctions such as fines and imprisonment o Usually used by governments or other organization that hold power and authority o Explicit "contract" between government and people

What is the social science approach of Cultural Anthropology? What are the strengths of this approach?

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 Social science approach: provide plausible and reliable explanations of social processes; provide data and perspectives that have tangible applications

What is sociolinguistic discrimination?

Sociolinguistic discrimination: using linguistic features as evaluator of competence

What is sociolinguistics?

Sociolinguistics: a study of the relationships between social variations (ethnicity, status, gender, etc.) and linguistic variations (dialect, slang, tone, etc.)

What is the concept of social Darwinism? What did it justify? Which theories did it have?

Some societies are more fit than others Justification for European powers to dominate other societies (a moral imperative) Racial theories Racial groups classified from primitive to civilized Some races deemed inferior to others ("biological determinism") Justification for social stratification

What is the definition of explicit culture? What is an example? Who talks about it?

Spradley. o Cultural knowledge that people can talk about or communicate with ease o E.g. items such as clothing, actions such as playing, emotional states such as sadness o Ex. explicit awareness of different pieces of clothing and where they go on the body and explicit awareness of what different configurations signify and explicit awareness of social/occupational status associated with different configurations

What is the Pema Choling Temple in Nubri, Nepal? What are some of the observation observations surrounding the place? Is this enough to make an argument based off of participant observation?

Statues of Buddha along back wall Closest to the wall is the highest up in the community and is highest up Higher status sits closer to the altar and to the head llama Nuns huddled in the corner, further away from the head llama Also had no textbooks, nuns had to chant it from memory • Is the evidence from participant observation sufficient to argue that there is a gender-based hierarchy in Tibetan religious society? o Yes—but it would be a weak argument o Textual sources (enlightenment?) o Economic data (monastery/convent funding?) o Demographic data (how many monks/nun?) o Social data (attitude)

What did Margaret Mead & Gregory Bateson study? What is an example of this?

Studied how kids are raised in other societies; early theoretical insights on enculturation through cross-cultural comparison E.g. "theatrical teasing" to reduce sibling rivalry in Bali, Indonesia. Way of training the child to reduce sibling rivalry.

What is Kinesics?

Study of communication through expressions, gestures, body postures/stances.

What did George Gmelch study?

Studying Baseball as a Former Player (George Gmelch) • Start with a research question o Render explicitly what is often unseen or obscure to fans (why are players so superstitious?)

Who wrote Rapport-talk and Report-talk? What is Rapport-talk? What is Report-talk? What are the author's insights?

Tannen Rapport Talk Lean in, touch, eye contact, intimate postures. Women use language and body movements to build rapport (social connections) with each other. Report Talk Distance, no touching, look elsewhere, defensive postures. Men make reports (recite information) to establish a hierarchy and relative ranks among themselves. Insights from Tannen Men use talking to get and hold attention and to establish a hierarchy. Women use talking to establish rapport and build social relations. Outcome: men more quiet in domestic domain (with wife), more talkative in public domain (at party).

Terracing?

Terracing: Shaping the landscape to retain water is labor intensive and requires cooperation

Who wrote The Aims of Ethnology? What did they say? What concept did he develop?

The Aims of Ethnology (Franz Boas) • Critiques superficial accounts (e.g. by colonial officials and missionaries) or other people that were subsequently used to generate early theories about human differences • Provides rationale for why it is important to carefully and systematically study other people • Develops the concept of ethnocentrism

What is Barlands article? What is his agenda?

The Gym: Place of Bodily-Regimes: Training, Dieting, and Doping (Barland) The body is a means to express one's identity Barland's Agenda: focus on the gym as an arena where the modern body takes shape How do individuals create a "modern body" use training, dieting, and doping? What social processes are associated with training, dieting, and doping to generate a meaningful way of life?

Who was Marshall Sahlins?

The Original Affluent Society (Sahlins) o Marshall Sahlins Fieldwork in the Pacific Important contributions to economic anthropology Renown for using ethnographic data to critique mainstream theories about "rational" economic behavior Stone Age Economics (1972), a classic

What is the definition of Anthropology according to Kottak?

The exploration of human diversity in time and space.

What is carrying capacity?

The number of individuals of a given species an ecosystem can support based on natural constraints

What does the physical/biological sub field of Anthropology study?

The study of the human

What is the economist interpretation of potlach? ecological anthropologist? Anthropologist?

Thorstein Veblen (economist) Economically irrational drive for prestige In some societies people value prestige over well-being. Andrew Vayda (ecological anthropologist) Cultural adaptation to alternating periods of local abundance and shortage. Ruth Benedict (anthropologist) Potlatch displayed "megalomania" of the chiefs Object: to "show oneself superior to one's rivals."

What is Harris's perspective on the use of potlach?

To ensure surplus production, economic cooperation, and the distribution of wealth in a non-centralized political system Leader's craving for status spurs others to work harder and produce more than required for subsistence level, brings several villages together in economic exchange network, redistributes food through feasts

What are the three major interrelated elements of the gym?

Training Systematic to develop all muscle groups; expression of character, will, and self-discipline Dieting Strategic, thorough planning; dual intent to build muscle and reduce fat during "defining" period Doping Enhancement rather than a substitute for training; perceived as positive application of scientific knowledge (disregarding health complications)

What was Franz Boas critique of diffusionism?

Unsubstantiated hypothesis: historical changes in cultural life are the result of contact between more and less "civilized" peoples. Must assume migration/contact over enormous geographical areas and ignores the possibility of independent invention.

What was Franz Boas critique of unilineal social evolution?

Unsubstantiated hypothesis: historical changes in cultural life follow definite laws which apply to every society; cultural similarities can arise through diffusion, adaptation to similar environments, and/or historical accident

What is the Indian example of Malthusian results? What was exported which could have helped?

Up to 5.5 million starved o Half of them Dalit (Untouchable) Lord Lytton: "Indian population tends to grow faster than the food it produces." Finance Minister said attempts to mitigate famine and sanitation only "enhance evils resulting from overpopulation" India exported a record 358,000 tons of wheat to UK in 1877-78 (during the famine)

What is progressivism?

Used to explain human differences. Human history is characterized by advances from primitive to civilized; differences emerge from different experiences

What is degenerationism?

Used to explain human differences. We were once all civilized, but after dispersion (Tower of Babel incident) some degenerated while others remained civilized.

How does using spanish differ amongst spanish americans and white americans?

Using Spanish (Hispanic Americans): "outer sphere" as site of racialization. Spanish with non-peers marks one as different and dangerous. Using Mock Spanish (White Americans): "inner sphere" as site of racialization. Spanish with peers marks one as congenial and worldly

What are style shifts under sociolinguistics?

Using different variations of a language depending on the social context. Choice of words, intonation, and body gestures influenced by status of speaker and listener. Can be conscious or unconscious. Important social skill - those who are adept can maneuver through complex society. Discordance and Social Disruption: Failure to follow expected norms can cause problems.

Who was Prescott Vandervoet? What was his opinion?

Vandervoet involved with documenting experience of migrants who cross the US border and get caught by authorities. Recognized that cartel's "rules of engagement" minimized danger to foreigners. Yet sense of insecurity heightened by continual exposure to violence and risk. Agreed with decision to terminate: risk was considerable and unnecessary.

What aspects of the human condition does Anthropology study?

biology, society, language, culture, etc.

What is diffusion?

borrowing between cultures either directly or through intermediaries

What are diffusion and acculturation generally?

concepts to explain cultural exchanges between societies

What does spradley define as cultural knowledge?

culture = cultural knowledge o "The acquired knowledge [through enculturation] people use to interpret experience and generating behavior"

How are schools institutions for enculturation?

o "American classrooms express the values, preoccupations, and fears found the culture as a whole" o "Drilling" (rote learning) replaced by less rigid forms of teaching o Function of education is not to foster creativity, but to instill conformity (i.e. social control) o "The function of education has never been to free the mind and spirit of man, but to bind them"

What are the distinctions amongst prostitues?

o Addict prostitutes o Crack prostitutes Trade sex for crack o Streetwalkers Street as place of business; doesn't use drugs o Hooked prostitutes Identify as prostitutes, began using drugs later

How does culture change?

o Agency and practice: incremental change over time due to the cumulative actions of individuals within a society

Who was Alphonse Bertillion do?

o Alphonse Bertillion, Parisian police clerk Concern in Paris about urban population and crime Photographed, finger-printed and collected data on criminals Filed data so details of individuals could be easily retrieved Disseminated files so individuals could be tracked

What does the Ethnographer's Magic: Foundations ouline?

o Live with the natives o Acquiring 'the feeling' for proper behavior o Getting to know daily routines (observe the "imponderables of everyday life") o Getting to know subjects of research as companion and informants o Establishing trust and rapport o Become part of the landscape (less reflexivity) o Developing empathic understanding of native life o Look for, and document, order and structure where others see disorder and chaos

What is methodological relativism? Who talked about it? What is an example of this?

o Methodological relativism: to understand another culture fully, you must try to see how the people in that culture see things" Cultural explanation doesn't equal moral justification Ex. the confederate flag and the southern U.S. • Should it be the official flag of Georgia? Should this be the flag that flies over our state capitol? • Symbols can unite people (white southerners) o Confederate flag = emblem of southern heritage • Symbols can divide people o A distinct reminder of slavery o Used as symbol by a racist group (KKK

What are methodologies for documenting change?

o Methodologies for documenting change: Longitudinal surveys Retrospective interviews Participant observation o Long-term research yields insights into the processes of change

What is micro-scale research?

o Micro-scale research: the research personally goes into the field to gather data

How did George Gmelch collect data?

o Participant observation Long bus trips, locker rooms, batting practice o Role = researcher/reporter o Facilitated access to variety of people o Players, coaches, wives, groupies, etc.

What was Barlands study? What are his results?

o Participant observation at bodybuilder gyms and public competitions o In-depth interviews with key informants (i.e. top-ranked bodybuilders in the gym) • Gym culture is shared o Acceptance contingent on being active partner in the training, dieting, and doping regime o Climbing social hierarchy contingent on commitment, knowledge acquisition, and participation in competitions o Self-discipline as core value: success contingent on balancing training, resting, dieting, and hormone intake

What are the major points about participant observation? What are the hallmarks of a good social role?

o Participant observation involves strategic choice to occupy specific social roles o Good choices facilitate rapport, neutrality, access to information, data reliability, etc. o Bad choices compromise validity of a study

When watching the Jacques Tati, Mon Oncle video what do you assess?

o Place o Time period o Social status

What did Weatherford study? What did Weatherford find? Which position did they adopt? What were some of the other positions that were unsuitable?

o Pornography store: site of Legal activities (adult novelty sites) Illegal activities (prostitution, drug sales, gambling etc.) o Which position maximizes access to diverse people and knowledge of diverse activities? Store operator • Moderate social movement, good and detailed access to info, high info reliability • Best choice, gatekeeper Customer Reporter • Unreliable info, limited time to observe, lack of trust and rapport compromises data reliability Academic (survey) • Unreliable info, limited time to observe, lack of trust and rapport compromises data reliability

How are props and characters at disney agents of social control?

o Posing with characters, looks like an intimate moment but actually has many control mechanisms built in o Characters can't speak if they're in costumes o "They didn't complain for fear of getting kicked out" • Inducing cooperation/coercion via threat of "depriving visitors of a resource they value"

When watching the Jacques Tati, Mon Oncle video what do you interpret?

o Relationships o Actions/intentions o Behavior and associating it with age and gender

How does childs use the genealogical method?

o Reveals the importance of Shiri Ngadag lineage; helps explain social importance of the ill son

What was the impact of Geertz's work? What becomes a standard formula from his work?

o Self-reflexive style of ethnographic writing was uncommon at the time o The "ethnographic vignette" becomes standard formula for starting an ethnographic account

What did the PhD student in Australia learn when studying the language of the Sherpas.

o Six young Sherpa children learning to speak their language o Recorded 6 children o Commands were used to mark status that was based on age o Learned cultural patterns and expectations o Language they are learning is filled with information about the culture

How does childs use archival research?

o Studying the ritual text provides insights into local conceptions of illness and healing

What is the difference between style shift and code switching?

o Style shift Using different versions of the same language; usage varies by social context o Code-switching Alternating between distinct languages; can be... • Complete shift in a specific context • Mix of languages within same sentence or conversation

What percent of women would break up by mobile tech? Why is this the case?

o Technology and Behavioral Change 55% of all women have, or would, break-up by mobile technology "Easy way out" • No need to see hurt on someone's face Level of safety via distance

What is empathy? How do you gain empathetic understanding in anthropology?

o The action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another o In anthropology, empathic understanding is gained through first-hand fieldwork

What are the principles of the triangulation of an argument?

o Three points: participant observation, textual data, economic data o With all three you have a far better argument

What is the seasonal perspective?

o Understanding annual cycle is crucial for studying a range of issues (e.g. subsistence)

What was Evans-Pritchard's major finding about the Nuer? What were his successes?

o Used genealogical method to reveal basis of Nuer political organization • Successes o Eventually they accepted him as a guest and eventually got used to him o Genealogical Method Segmentary Lineage Political Organization

What are three critical aspects of human experience that Spradley says we must know?

o What people do (cultural behavior) o Things people make and use (cultural artifacts) o What people know (cultural knowledge)

What is the definition of cultural relativism? What is the dilemma involved with cultural relativisim?

o • Behavior in one culture should not be judged by the standards of another culture Should we accept all cultural practices on the grounds that we should not judge others according to our own standards? o Does cultural relativism compromise one's ability to make moral judgments?

What are the four sub fields of Anthropology?

physical/biological, (socio)cultural, linguistic, archaeology

What is the definition of agency according to Kottak?

the actions that individuals take, both alone and in groups, in forming and transforming others to play a role in the formation of the social realities in which they participate

What is longitudinal research?

the continuous, long-term study of an area or site

What does the cultural sub field of Anthropology study?

the holistic study of human societies, both past and present, with a specific focus on culture

What does the archaeological sub field of Anthropology study?

the study of past societies by uncovering and investigating the remains they left behind

What are the advantages of long term fieldwork?

• Cultivating social relationships o Get to know broader range of individuals (more representative view of society) Lama Gyamtso • High ranking llama Tashi Dondrub • Low rankin o Greater rapport through familiarity and friendship results in more reliable data

What is Cultural presupposition? In terms of the US?

• Cultural Presupposition: common knowledge and understanding among members of a society • Abundance of metaphors associated with firearms indicates cultural importance (similar to focal vocabulary)

How does culture affect our body image?

• Culture influences how we perceive our bodies and natural abilities • Culturally defined notions of beauty change over time and vary cross-culturally • White society in the U.S.: dark = attractive • East/South Asia: light = attractive

How are food and culture related? What does it specifically influence?

• Culture teaches us how to express natural biological urges in particular ways • Example: eating o What you should and shouldn't eat, when you should eat, where you should eat, with whom you should eat, how you should eat • Culture influences which parts of an animal we should eat, and how we should serve it • Culture defines which foods are appropriate for which age groups, and when those foods should be eaten o Froot Loops for dinner? • Culture influences how we eat • Culture influences how we organize ourselves while eating o Formal seating arrangement reflects social hierarchy

What does it mean that "culture is integrated"? What is an example of this?

• Cultures are integrated, patterned systems • If one part of the system changes, other parts change as well • What are the cultural ramifications of technological changes? o Effect of having the first television in the village: once every house had a t.v., people didn't socialize at each other's houses at night, only on special occasions • In the past, to acquire cultural knowledge we used to rely more on a dispersed network of people • Nowadays, knowledge is more concentrated and accessible; yet requires less direct social interaction

Who was Daniel Martinez? What was his opinion?

• Daniel Martinez (Principle Investigator) - involved with documenting experience of migrants who cross the US border and get caught by authorities. o As PI felt personally responsible for safety of team members, carried on until violence came too close o Terminated research on advice from mentor . "My position is that no research is worth losing one's life. . . . [Scholars] must stop and consider that their endeavors may have consequences not only for themselves, but also for the people in their lives who care about them."

How does participant observation fare in the eyes of the elite?

• Defining methodology of anthropology "does not travel well up the social ladder" • Best location: where they socialize (nightclubs, karaoke bars, massage parlors, banquet halls, etc.)

What is direct transmission in terms of enculturation?

• Direct transmission o Discipline is an example of a corrective action that represents enculturation through direct transmission In the past, spanking was normal Now we give kids time-outs

What is participant observation?

• Direct, firsthand observation of behavior

What does ethnographic research involve?

• Direct, firsthand observation of behavior (participant observation) • Conversation with varying degrees of formality (informal conversations—formal interviews) • Detailed work with key consultants about particular areas of community life • Nuanced relationships with research subjects and gatekeepers

What is a key dilemma with studying the elite?

• Does a stance of empathic understanding risk humanizing and rationalizing violence and corruption?

What is the definition of hegemony? What does it explain?

• Dominance of one social group over another by means of an ideology (creates ilusion that relations between dominant and subordinate groups are mutually beneficial) that justifies why a stratified social order (e.g. by socioeconomics, race/ethnicity, gender) is in everybody's best interest • Theoretical explanation for how a diverse, complex society can be dominated by one social group

What does ethics in anthropology have to do with dual engagement?

• Dual Engagement o Personal: need to get along with people (anthropology involves social interaction) o Professional: need as much info out of people as possible (your career depends on it)

How did George Gmelch establish rapport?

• Entering the Field/Establishing Rapport o Maneuver through media relations director (the "gatekeeper") for permission o Learning how to "fit in" involves knowing Key figures (baseball stars) Baseball terms ('the show', 'going yard', 'cheese') Proper speech pattern (blue collar, not academic) Proper attire (news media, not player)

What is ethnographic seduction? What are some the risks it poses?

• Ethnographic seduction o The allure of acceptance; the thrill of becoming accepted o "Once I was introduced to Fatty, my problem quickly became not how to deepened my relationship with this group, but precisely the opposite—how to maintain distance" o Risk of becoming too close to, and sympathetic with, subjects of research o Problematic when studying groups that engage in violent or illegal activities o Risk legitimizing such activities at the expense of more critical perspective

Is an ethnography an entirely objective description of another society? Is it possible to replicate the results of this research?

• Ethnography doesn't represent an entirely objective description of another society • Unlike other social sciences, it is impossible to replicate the results of research

What did Boas say the close study of other societies reveals?

• He argues that close study of other societies reveals: o All groups of people have definite religious ideas and traditions, make inventions, have customary laws that govern behavior o "If we attempt to interpret the actions of our remote ancestors by our rational and emotional attitudes, we cannot reach truthful results, for their feeling and thinking was different from ours"

What does Spradley reject?

• Reject "naïve realism" (ethnocentrism without value judgment, see Bohannan)" o The idea that all people define the world of objects, events, and concepts the same way Does "love" have the same meaning in all societies? What about death?

What did Avenarius study? What did Avenarius find? Which position did they adopt? What were some of the other positions that were unsuitable?

• Immigrant community, CA—Avenarius o How do you study a community of immigrants that lives dispersed across a major metropolitan area? o Immigrants have diverse activities and geography o She needed to occupy multiple active social roles in order to gather sufficient data to make sense of the dispersed community Optometry store assistant, Daoism disciple, dance group member, etc.

What are the informal means of social control?

• Informal means: expressed through custom and norms using informal sanctions such as criticism, disapproval, guilt, shaming, discrimination, etc. o Exercised without explicitly stating rules o How do individuals try to control thoughts, opinions, and behaviors of other individuals? Gossip, ostracism, satire o How do institutions and organization try to control thoughts, opinions, and behaviors of other individuals? Education/propaganda, shaming/humiliating

What is the informant in terms of the person centered interview? What is the respondent?

• Informant: interviewee as expert witness o Conveys information about generally held cultural ideals, beliefs, and practices • Respondent: interviewee as object of study o Conveys information on what they actually do in certain circumstances

What is the person-centered interview?

• Interviewee asked about generally held cultural ideas, beliefs, and practices (what they are expected to do) • Interviewee asked about own experiences, beliefs, and behaviors (what they actually do)

What does Spradley say is a key component of ethnography?

• Involves ethnographic fieldwork o First-hand observations and experiences; not a detached study of people, but learning from people

How does one achieve participant observation?

• Live in the community under study • Learn the local language • Learn how to behave appropriately • Gather and record data through first-hand observations and conversations

What is the longitudinal perspective?

• Longitudinal perspective o Repeat visits allow you to carefully document changes over time o First visit: collect benchmark data against which future changes can be assessed o How can you tell what is changing, at what rate is it changing, why it is changing, and what impacts those changes are having if you have no benchmark?

What CAN ethnographic research involve?

• Longitudinal research—the continuous, long-term study of an area or site • Team research—coordinated research by multiple scholars • Multi-sited research—studying various sites and systems in which people participate

What are methods to conduct surveys? Are they frequently used in cultural anthropology? What are they? What data do they provide? What does this data tell you?

• Methods: face-to-face, telephone, self-administered • Not used frequently in cultural anthropology • Same question asked of everybody; answers can be categorized or quantified • Ex. how old are you? Do you consider yourself a democrat? A republican? On a scale of 1 to 5, how would you rate your health? • Statistical Data from Surveys o Contextual background information; snapshot of present (cross-sectional data) o Change over time (longitudinal data) o Reveals more about what is happening than about why it is happening o Qualitative methods well-suited to understanding "why"

How does disney minimize disorder?

• Minimizing disorder through constant instruction, physical barriers, and employee surveillance

What is the scholarly shift of the 1800s?

• Move from historians/philosophers (Morgan as exception) to natural sciences • First-hand observations are now important to test hypotheses and generate new theories

What are the 4 major points of Malinowski's new standard?

• Must spend sufficient time "in the field" (one year minimum, preferably two) • Must live amongst the subjects of study • Must communicate in their language • Must study entire culture and social life o Not emphasized today

What were Malinowski's Impacts?

• One of the first to conduct research using local language • One of the first to conduct research while living in community under study • Returns to London School of Economics: trained a generation of anthropologists (Evans-Pritchard) and instilled new methodological rigor

What is the defining methodology of cultural anthropology?

• Participant observation is the defining methodology of cultural anthropology, but it is not the only methodology used by cultural anthropologists

What his the relationship between people with political/social agendas and the media?

• People with political or social agendas understand the power of the media as an informal means of social control; intent of much advertising (e.g. public health) is not to educate people, but to shame, scare, or humiliate them to changing behavior

Who was Bronislaw Malinowski? What is his story?

• Polish by birth, trained and taught at London School of Economics • "Exiled" to Melanesia during WWI

Who was Pritchard?

• Pritchard: Major figure in British anthropology o Research focus on kinship as a basis for political organization o Fieldwork in Africa during the height of British colonization

What is significant in the case of peasant tax resistance when it comes to hegemony?

• Purpose: to defeat or minimize direct appropriation • Context: Islamic tithe (1/10 of the harvest) in Malaysia • From local to regional collection (1960s) with increasing surveillance to force compliance • Everyday forms of resistance o Refuse to register acreage with tithe agent o Underreport acreage and/or grain yield o Deliver less grain than what one reported o Deliver poorest quality grain or adulterate it with water, stones, etc. to increase weight

What does ethics in anthropology have to do with reciprocity?

• Reciprocity o In the past: our task is to study other people; don't intervene o Now: we are privileged, they are marginalized, we have an obligation to do something

Who wrote researcher safety and adaptability in times of conflict? What was the topic? What was the dilemma they faced?

• Research and a Dilemma o Document experiences of migrants who had crosses through the border, been caught by U.S. authorities and returned to Mexico o Problem: cartel drug violence erupts; researchers in close proximity to shootings o "We were faced not only with the dilemma of cutting our research short, but also of failing to record how drug violence affected migration"

What are key cultural consultants?

• Somebody with especially good knowledge about a particular aspect of life • Interviewed in-depth and repeatedly • Village leader as key cultural consultant: would you interview him about religious practices? No, he was the liaison between the government and the village

What is Focal vocabulary? What are examples of this?

• Specialized sets of terms and distinctions that are particularly important to certain groups • E.g. Inuit terms for snow, multiple different words to indicate how soft it is; knowledge of snow conditions is a life or death kind of knowledge • E.g. Mongol terms for horse • E.g. professional chefs' terms for knives

How is speech related to social stratification?

• Speech and Social Stratification o People associate speech patterns with social, political, and economic status o Speech patterns of some groups associated with lack of education/sophistication

What is significant in the case of poaching when it comes to hegemony?

• Subsistence activity (hunting) becomes illegal when landed elite restrict access to peasantry • As a crime = "shift in the law of property relations" • Attempt to re-assert claim on traditional resource • Enforcement made difficult by widespread compliance with poachers

Who wrote symbolic capital? What was it about?

• Symbolic Capital (Bourdieu) o Skillful use of linguistic practices can be converted into social and economic benefits o Values of dialects vary—using some enhances access to resources (e.g. jobs, bank loans, networks of people) o Some dialects are stigmatized and considered markers of inferiority

What is the definition of tacit culture? Who talks about it? What is an example?

• Tacit culture o Cultural knowledge that people lack words for or that lies outside our explicit awareness o E.g. speaking distance, personal space

What is the Kula ring? What was Malinowski's explanation for the Kula ring?

• The exchange of conches and necklaces (conches go clockwise, necklaces go counterclockwise) • Ceremonial gift exchange network: o Items continuously passed along o Items tie people into enduring trade relationships o Possessing items enhances individual's status o Demonstrated function of what appeared to outsiders as irrational exchange of "worthless items"

What is the major point about anti smoking education campaigns?

• The point o People with political or social agendas understand the power the media can have as an informal means of social control o Intent of many PSAs is to induce behavioral change through shaming, scaring, or humiliation

What is Hill's usage of Code-Switching?

• The use of more than one language concurrently in a conversation • Pattern of linguistic usage typical among multilingual people

• What conventions do anthropologists use to convince readers of the reliability of their accounts?

• Through writing conventions ethnographers establish their expertise in order to assert that their account is reliable How long did the researcher spend in the field? Correlation between data reliability and length in residence. Fieldwork longevity enhances credibility Writing in the first person (being a firsthand witness) Conveying linguistic proficiency by using local terms The achieving rapport story geertz and the cockfight

What is semi-structured interviewing?

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

How do men learn the man hug? Through direct transmission or observation?

•Direct transmission? Probably not •Through observation? Yes