Exam 4 Study Guide
- What are brideprice and dowry, and what function do they play in society?
Bridewealth: Gift before/at/after marriage from husband's kin to bride's kin (aka. brideprice) When bride becomes member of husband's descent group Progeny price: transfer of wealth When children become member of husband's descent group Dowry: Bride's group provides gifts to husband's family Often negotiated as terms of marriage More common when bride is lower status
- Know two key differences between how British and French colonialism operated.
British Focused on mercantilism & Triangle Trade Huge system of goods, slaves, & $$$ Proto-capitalism 20% of the globe at its peak ECONOMIC STYLE OF COLONIALISM French Differed from British driven less by trade & $$ Motivated by state, church & military interests ~ TEXTBOOK: In Great Britain the drive for profit led expansion, but French colonialism was spurred more by the state, church, and armed forces than by pure business interests Britain first stage: 16th century; second stage: begin in late 1700s French first stage: early 1600s; second stage: 1800s THEY WERE VERY SIMILAR :/ GOOGLE: French very kind to Native Americans; Britain opposite
- What is animism and under what conditions might the soul or spirit leave the body?
Earliest form of religion: Animism Separation of physical body (active during day) & soul/double (active during sleep, trances) Death = departure of the soul Animism (def): the belief in souls, or doubles
- What are the concepts of liminality and communitas, and how do they relate to ritualistic behavior? How is ritual different from religion? What are rites of passage?
Victor Turner (1960s) Liminality Periods of transition, uncertainty, vulnerability ○ Ex. rites of passage Communitas Shared liminality group solidarity Expands on Durkheim's effervescence & collective consciousness ○ Liminality (def): the in-between phase of a rite of passage ○ Communitas (def): an intense feeling of social solidarity ~ Ritual (def): formal, repetitive stereotypes behavior; based on a liturgical order Religion (def): belief and ritual concerned with supernatural beings, powers, and forces ~ Rites of Passage (def): rites making transitions between places or stages of life
- How can religion act as an agent of control, or as an agent of change? What is a syncretism? What is fundamentalism?
Religion as Agent of Control Harnessing collective emotional energy to affect action ---> social control ~Laws, punishments ~Justify status quo ~Marginalize undesirables (witchcraft, sorcery, infidel, heretic) ~Promised rewards (often in afterlife) Religion as Agent of Change Max Weber (1904) Protestantism ---> Capitalism ~Hard work ~Ascetic lifestyle ~Individual agency ~Faith & good works ~ Syncretism Cultural mixes & religious blends Results from acculturation (exchange) Ex: Cargo cults in Melanesia Syncretism (def): cultural, especially religious, mixes, emerging from acculturation Fundamentalism (def): advocating strict fidelity to a religion's presumed founding principles ○ Fidelity = faithfulness
- What is the difference between gender and sex? Why can't either be cleanly cut into two categories of male and female?
Sex: Categories based on biological differences Chromosomal Differences Primary Sexual Characteristics Reproductive Anatomy/Genitalia Gender: The social classification of individuals into cultural categories (Masculine/Feminine, transgender, other) ~ Biologically, there are more than two sexes Differences in sex development - as many as 1 in 100 people!
- What was Tylor's functional explanation for why religions exist? What was his four-stage "unilineal" concept of religious evolution? What does this model not explain?
Theories of Religion Sir Edward B. Tylor (1871-1958) Religion = ways that people understand & explain conditions & events ○ Birth ○ Death ○ Natural events ○ Behavior ~ Animism --> Polytheism --> Monotheism --> Science ~ TEACHER ANSWER: Science brings up 'has a superstitious aspect of it - is not purely explanatory MY PREVIOUS ANSWER: Does not explain the ways that people influence conditions & events
- What are the most basic forms of the division of labor, cooperation, and sharing? Why do human groups divide their economic work up in this way?
Origins of Cooperation Male-Female division of subsistence labor May be what makes big brains possible! hunter-gatherer ~ Easier and more productive to divide the work ~ SUPPLEMENTAL INFO: Human Interactions Life History • Lifespan - longer than other primates • Duration of childhood - longer than other primates • Menopause - unique amongst primates Sociality • Cooperative male-female pair bonds • Support from extended family • Biparental care • Extensive cooperation between non-relatives Conclusion Human cooperation is extraordinary in the natural world It was likely one of the keys to our success It is the basis for much of our social complexity, including politics and religion It likely began with hunter-gatherers
- How is the internet changing or facilitating traditions of marriage globally? When and where is divorce most acceptable? What implications does it have for families?
Traditional & Transnational Long-distance Parents at home Children abroad Online sources Mix of US/European & non-western marriage norms ~ Divorce Process Varies Ease/Difficulty Relatively easier in matrilineal societies Relatively more difficult in patrilineal societies Implications for bridewealth, dowry Who gets the children? Reasons vary, stigmas vary ~ Tensions If children grow up in a "non-conventional" household? What is "conventional", anyway, given the diversity of kinship systems we see around the world? Laws that allow discrimination against same-sex adoption on religious grounds
- What is the relationship between matrilocality, patrilocality, and gender stratification?
less gender stratification in societies with matrilocality, strong female networks, and balanced or flexible gender roles more gender stratification in societies with patrilocality, patrilineal descent rules, patrilocal residence rules, nuclear families, neolocal households, weak female networks, and unequal or rigid gender roles
How is art used and controlled to display power or promote political/social goals? How are cultural variables such as ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and politics performed in expressive art? What other aspects of society are manifested in art and artistic expression?
propoganda blackface, used to confront social issues head on by bringing attention and awareness to them economy, politics, sexual politics, popular media, resistance movements ~ TEACHER ANSWER: ○ Graffiti - ○ Impressionism - considered low class and thought of as having no skill but as social norms change - value of art changes ○ What does art do? If accepted by society and considered artistic if invokes
what are the symbols for kinship?
triangle = male circle = female square = ego = = marriage --- = blood I = descent
- What is universal, general, and particular about religion in human societies?
universal -- religion as a social construct general -- christianity - a religion practiced in a lot of places but not everywhere particular -- idiosyncrasies - aspects of religion that people will practice but wont be found for any other culture
- In what ways might art be adaptive? Why does it often elicit group solidarity or collectivity? What is catharsis? What is the difference between "higher" and "folk" art?
• Art = Human adaptation? - Group solidarity - Lullabies: Child survival - Genes for capacity? • Art = culturally learned through enculturation (and symbolic!) • Expressive Culture as Cultural Universal ○ Is it an adaptation? § Does it help us survive in some way? § Arguably yes, share symbolism that often makes people close together - cooperation need connection among people / social bonds ○ Can also work against cooperation § Who makes art this way, who doesn't is a part of another group ~ Catharsis: intense emotional release ~ • Classified: High Art vs. Folk Art High = "special" Folk = "art of ordinary people"
- How might sports represent collective cultural narratives or tell an historical story?
• Embedded Cultural Narratives (ex. Kottak) - Underdog - Epic Comebacks - Heroic Talent - Personal Failure - Superstition - Betrayal • Sports & Collectivity ○ People spend a lot of money and capital on sporting events § Reinforces social interactions (us vs them) ○ American culture sporting culture is very underdog like (group or team where people doesn't seem like it wont make it but then overcome something and win)
- Know what purposes are served by exogamy and endogamy. How do these concepts relate to incest taboos? Know an example in two cultures where incest is acceptable.
Exogamy Marriage outside of own descent group Much more common worldwide Endogamy Marriage within own descent group ~ Taboos = cultural universal BUT: no evidence of instinctual avoidance Cross-cousin marriage common Parent-child, sibling, etc. incest occurs Occasionally encouraged ex. Royal classes Forces groups to be Exogamous Other primates have some form of exogamy ~ Cross-Cousin marriage Ex. Yanomami Emphasis on being socially unrelated Are biologically equivalent Considered exogamous ○ Cross Cousins (def): children of a brother and a sister Parallel Cousin Marriage Uncommon North African Muslim Arabs Biblical References (Numbers 36) Maintains family property ○ Parallel Cousins (def): children of two brothers or two sisters
- What are typical attributes of "male" and "female", how do these differ between cultures, and how do they relate to concepts of "transgender" and "homosexual"?
Gender Roles: Economic, Social tasks/activities culturally assigned to sexes Labor Participation Gender Stereotypes: Simplified ideas about male vs. female characteristics Applies to males and females How do sex and gender match up? Often, they don't Varies culturally In US: Traditionally, 2 sexes & 2 genders Sex & gender assumed to match Male / Masculine Female / Feminine Gender roles & stereotypes often linked to biological sex "Natural", "Essential" differences ~ Transgender: An individual whose self-identified gender varies from their sociallydefined gender and/or biological sex Terms reflect gender flexibility (or lack thereof) Hijra, Muxes, Berdache, Two-Spirit vs. "Male-to-female transgendered" "Pre-operative transsexual"
- How are gender roles established and reinforced socially? What is the "pay gap"?
Gender Roles: Economic, Social tasks/activities culturally assigned to sexes Labor Participation ~ PAY GAP: Women in US: On average, paid less in almost every occupation 2015: in full-time, year-round employment, women earn 83% what corresponding men earn (US Census Bureau 2015)
- What roles does marriage play in a society? In what ways is marriage about economics?
Marriage Varies cross-culturally Generally a community-based event Establishes lasting ties and obligations among families & communities What does marriage do? Establish alliances Expand networks Determine property rights Determine sexual rights Define parental status, rights, responsibilities Civil &/or Religious sanction ~ marriage can be based on economics - receiving something of value in exchange for marriage (goods, money, property, etc.)
- What are different forms of plural marriage and under which situations are they most commonly found?
Polygamy not numerically common anywhere, but widely tolerated (def): man has more than one wife at the same time Polygyny Most prevalent form of polygamy Often more elite people practice Often considered preferable situation by women Why? (def): Polygyny is the most common and accepted form of polygamy, entailing the marriage of a man with several women. Polyandry least common mostly in mountainous regions of S. Asia in harsh environments land is scarce limits # of children (def): woman has more than one husband at the same time
- What are some ways in which people are considered to be able to manipulate the world around them through religious beliefs or behaviors? What kinds of magic are there?
Religion = ways that people influence conditions & events Force: raw, impersonal supernatural power Mana: Melanesia ○ Resides in people, animals, plants, objects ○ Chiefs highly, dangerously charged with mana (helps explain chiefly-commoner hierarchy) Karma: Accumulated good/bad force ○ Hindu & Buddhist religions ○ Determines nature of reincarnation ~ Religion = ways that people influence conditions & events Magic: Techniques intended to accomplish specific aims through interface with supernatural ○ Imitative - i.e., voodoo dolls with pins harness power of sacred animals through special dress, dance, behavior ○ Contagious - manipulate object(s) to affect person(s) i.e., spells on hair, nail clippings, possessions Found in all types of religion
- What is World System Theory? How do world systems impact anthropological studies?
World-System Theory (Braudel 1981, 1982, 1992) Society = Interrelated parts assembled into a system Social systems extend beyond individual nations or cultures Are connected by political & economic relations first formed in the 16th century ~ World-System Theory (def): the idea that a discernible social system, based on wealth and power differentials, transcends individuals countries the idea that all countries of the world belong to a larger, global system, marked by differences in wealth and power ~ There is a long history of power and inequality in the world and anthropology TEACHER ANSWER: Anthropologists would find a remote group to study and all various aspects - impacts how people have to operate not isolated
- Who was Alice Goffman and why was her work controversial?
---Daughter of Erving Goffman ---PhD in Sociology from Princeton ---Six years of ethnographic work in a poor, black neighborhood ---On the Run sparked controversy ○ Erving Goffman - famous sociologist especially in the 1950s and 1960s ○ Sociologist - great example - because did 6 years of ethnographic research Faced a lot of backlash - controversy ~ On the Run ---A gripping story about everyday experience living in the throes of drugs and criminality? ---A white woman telling a story she shouldn't? ---A story that may make a difference in understanding structural racism? ---An account of unethical research? ---Too scholarly? Not scholarly enough? • On the Run ○ Privilege - could she really understand them? ○ How ethical was this work? Witnessed crimes and suggested in the book that she was involved in the crimes - going too far? Or protecting the people? ○ What was all of this for? Policies? Awareness? Or all for her personal gain ○ Too subjective? Writing in a journalistic style instead of academic style ○ Able to trace back to location she was working and the actual people she worked with
- What do American kinship terms and laws suggest about what is considered "normal" here? How does this contrast with other societies?
American Kinship Calculation Reflects prominence of biological relationships Bilateral Traced equally through matrilines & patrilines Uncle = Mother's Brother AND Father's Brother Grandmother = Mother's Mother AND Father's Mother Kin links seen as equivalent or similar Even if terms are different, ex. Grandma & Nana The Changing & Varied American Family Extended families more common in poorer households Bigger support network Pooled household resources Greater "burden on individual success"' Often Neolocal Family of Procreation lives away from Families of Orientation Varied Households Single/Divorced Parent + Children Singletons Divorced (~1/2 U.S. marriages) Same-Sex Parents Step-Parents Grandparents Fictive Kin Families ~ This contrasts with other societies because may not use the same kinship terms and lineage system to trace ancestry
- What is "religious effervescence" and what role does it play in group solidarity?
Emile Durkheim (1912) Religious Effervescence: collective emotional intensity Enacted, emotional experience Group solidarity via shared meaning
- What are the sociopolitical correlates of bands, tribes, chiefdoms, or states?
Bands = egalitarian (no formal government), linked by marriage + kinship + fictive kinship, disputes settled non violently Tribe = horitcultural or pastoral, linked by kin and decent group, some status differences (village head vs big man) Chiefdom = social relations like bands and tribes (kinship, decent), have permanent political structure, 1000s of people, people in diff villages hold political office, differential resource access ~ • Bands ▫ Egalitarian No formal government ▫ Linked by marriage, kinship, fictive kinship ▫ Status = "first among equals" ▫ Disputes? Settled nonviolently Theft uncommon • Tribes ▫ Horticultural or Pastoral ▫ Village Society Linked by kin & descent groups ▫ Some status differences Village head vs. Big Man Some gender inequality ▫ Sodalities/Associations Non-kin, linked by age, gender • Chiefdoms ▫ Social relations like bands & tribes Kinship, descent Age, generation Gender, marriage ▫ BUT have permanent political structure 1000s of people, many villages Managed by people holding offices permanent positions, refilled when vacated Differential resource access ▫ Regulate social & economic systems Production, distribution, consumption Religious taboos, ceremonies Chiefly redistribution resource flow to and from central office • States = Control (maintaining the status quo) ▫ Population Control ▫ Judiciary ▫ Enforcement ▫ Fiscal ▫ Social
- What role did Malinowski see for religion in human societies?
Bronislaw Malinowski (1931) Religion = ways that people satisfy emotional needs Solace, comfort Social support Reduce anxiety Religion vs. Magic Magic used with events beyond human control Religion = coping with "the real tragedies of human life"
- How are chiefdoms organized, and what is the role of the chiefly office in society?
CHIEFDOMS ORGANIZED: ▫ Social relations like bands & tribes Kinship, descent Age, generation Gender, marriage ▫ BUT have permanent political structure 1000s of people, many villages Managed by people holding offices permanent positions, refilled when vacated Differential resource access ▫ Regulate social & economic systems Production, distribution, consumption Religious taboos, ceremonies Chiefly redistribution resource flow to and from central office ~ ROLE OF THE CHIEFLY OFFICE: ▫ Regulate social & economic systems Chiefly redistribution --> resource flow to and from central office
- What is Dunbar's Number? How does it relate to our every-day social relationships?
Dunbar's Number: the max number of relationships a person can maintain - which is 150 people • Large-Scale Social Networks • Can have a lot of friends on FB - in the 1000s - but can't nurture every single relationship at once
- What practices or functions does art play in society? How is it similar to religion? How are both similar to sports?
Expressive Culture as Cultural Practice • Communication • Performance • Religious, Secular • Political • Emotional • Located • Contested • Individual & Community-Based • Shared • Classified: High Art vs. Folk Art ~ RELIGION HAS SAME FEATURES: Expressive Culture & Collectivity • Emotional effervescence (E. Durkheim) (collective emotional intensity) • Communitas& shared liminality (V. Turner) [communitas = shred liminality --> group solidarity; liminality = periods of transition, uncertainty, vulnerability] Catharsis: intense emotional release • Cultural remembrance SAME FEATURES AS RELIGION, ART: Sports & Collectivity • Emotional effervescence (E. Durkheim) • Communitas& shared liminality(V. Turner) Catharsis: intense emotional release • Cultural remembrance Sports & Collectivity • Emotional effervescence (E. Durkheim) • Embedded Cultural Narratives (ex. Kottak) - Underdog - Epic Comebacks - Heroic Talent - Personal Failure - Superstition - Betrayal
- What are different kinds of kin and descent groups? Understand the following kinship terms: Extended, expanded, collateral, nuclear, affinal relative, matrilineal, patrilineal, unilineal, ambilineal, lineage, clan, family of orientation and procreation.
Extended, expanded, collateral, nuclear, affinal relative, matrilineal, patrilineal, unilineal, ambilineal, lineage, clan, family of orientation and procreation. ~ Extended (def): a household with three or more generations Expanded (def): a household that includes a group of relatives other than, or in addition to, a married couple and their children Colateral (def): household includes siblings, their spouses & kids - Collateral - all other "blood" relatives, such as cousins, siblings, nieces, uncles (lineal = ancestor or descendant [i.e. parent, grandparent, child]) Nuclear (def): parents, children Affinal (def): relatives by marriage Relative (def): such as cousins, siblings, nieces, uncles or by marriage Matrilineal (def): Automatic membership in mother's group Assc. w/matrilocality Is an Ascribed Status: determined @ birth & lifelong Often have more divorce & female promiscuity Patrilineal (def): Automatic membership in father's group Assc. w/patrilocality Is an Ascribed Status: determined @ birth & lifelong More common worldwide Unilineal (def): matrilineal or patrilineal descent Ambilineal (def): a flexible descent rule, neither patrilineal nor matrilineal Lineage (def): a unilineal descent group based on demonstrated descent - descent from an apical ancestor that is traced back Clan (def): a unilineal descent group based on stipulated descent - descent from an apical ancestor but don't actually trace back descent Family of Orientation (def): the nuclear family in which one is born and grows up Family of Procreation (def): the nuclear family established when one marries and has children
- How have anthropologists contributed to or otherwise engaged with colonialism?
Gain Insight .... Exert Control ~ • British Colonial Policy ○ Long history of colonialism ○ Proto anthropology - ethnographers go out into places (British colonies) and collect data that colonial powers could use to implement policies • Academic Access ○ Being able to do this work, anthropologists gain access (prestige, get degrees, published) ○ A lot of these people weren't writing but collecting more statistically kinds of data ○ Arm chair anthropologist = not on the field, put evidence together with the data that other people had gathered and making conclusions
- What are some hidden and salient ways social control/resistance is perpetuated?
HIDDEN (& SALIENT) SOCIAL CONTROL: Divide and conquer • Drawing arbitrary boundaries that split up linguistic and ethnic groups • Prevents solidarity and group coordination against the ruling power • Can be subtle or obvious ~ Social Norms & Power • "Public transcript" - social interactions that take place in the public, between superordinates and subordinates • "Hidden transcript" - critique of power that proceeds out of sight of powerholders (anonymous) • Media - affects what you see and how it is shown to you; affects public vs. private discourse ~ Religion & the Political System Fear & the Political System
- In what ways is human cooperation different from animal cooperation? What advantages does it give us? What are some of the disadvantages?
Humans are more cooperative species than any other animal Cooperate differently: ○ Cooperate more often ○ Cooperate more extensively with non-kin ○ Cooperate by dividing labor economically ~ Results of Cooperation Social networks on a global scale* Art, creativity, innovation, technology* • Large-Scale Social Networks ○ Can have a lot of friends on FB - in the 1000s - but can't nurture every single relationship at once ~ --(pics of): mass genocide, (too) large populations, terrorist organizations • Consequences of Cooperation Really brings us to what makes us diff than other animals
- What is imperialism? What is colonialism? What have been the impacts of both on modern nations and ethnic groups? What is the relationship between international aid and colonialism (known two aspects of this).
Imperialism: A conscious policy aimed at seizing and ruling a foreign territory and peoples Colonialism: "The long-term foreign control of a territory and its people ~ Where Is Colonialism Today? Intervention Philosophy: "An ideological justification for outsiders to guide or rule native beliefs" ---Development Practices and Policies ---Industrialization ---Capitalism • Where is Colonialism Today? ○ Continued development practices and policies ○ Industrialization and capitalism --> a sign of progress ○ Development policies motivated by interventionist philosophies $ Ideological justification that outsiders should guide or rule natives beliefs ~ A Dilemma... Should countries with the ability to help guide others toward universal human rights do so to alleviate suffering? Or does this suggest that these people are unable to help themselves, or that they are suffering without these changes? Do we have an obligation to intervene because our own colonialist and imperialist policies helped to create the suffering we recognize today? ○ Is it our duty to intervene in these countries? ○ Or is doing this a sign of a country not able to help themselves? ○ Or assuming people are suffering? When we don't fully understand what is going on in that context ○ Do we have an obligation? Because that our helping has put them in the situation that they are in today $ Suffering can occur in industrialized and capitalism country
- Know the difference between acculturation and indigenization. What role does technology play in modern world systems, including remote communities?
Indigenization (def): the process by which borrowed forms are modified to fit the local culture Acculturation (GOOGLE def): Acculturation is the process of social, psychological, and cultural change that stems from blending between cultures.
- What were the Industrial Revolution and the Columbian Exchange and how did they change human health, economics, and society?
Industrial Revolution (def): in Europe, after 1750, socioeconomic transformation through industrialization Britain Started the Industrial Revolution Urban settings Rich in iron ore Continuation of the Columbian Exchange: European voyages in East Asia, Americas Exchange of crops, germs, technology, people, ideas IMPACT: From Farm to Factory From household production to wage workers Included Children & Women Factory Towns & Industrial Cities Industrial Stratification Wealth for some Pollution, poverty for many ~ ○ Britain started the industrial revolution § More need on the consumer end, need more natural resources ○ Continuation of the Colombian Exchange Exchanging products and other stuff like diseases ○ From Farm to Factory § Work hazards from industrialization - not the safest or the cleanest
- What kinds of societal information can be gained by understanding kinship terms?
Kinship Terminology Very complex! Related to other aspects of the society, such as economic and political organization Include social correlates, often functional E.g. who do you call your "uncle" and why?
- What are some potential archaeological indicators of the first religions? What were they probably like and what evidence is there of that?
Origins of Religion Speculative Belief in afterlife w/ Neandertal burials? Cave paintings? Nothing conclusive But, has shaped theories of religion as a human cultural universal What does it mean? Theories: Depicted "everyday life" Art for art's sake Hunting magic No interviews with hunter-gatherers still practicing the traditions...only later, second- or third-hand, in the 1870s ~ • Origins of Religion ○ Have to look at silent, material artifacts ○ We find that Neanderthals are buried. Why? Belief in afterlife? • What does it mean? ○ You find depictions of people turning into animals - not actually occurring in the real world § Argument that they are just being artistic, but not religious in nature ○ Hunting magic - draw a picture of a buffalo and then will go successfully hunt a buffalo § Magic - influence stuff around you (not religious in nature)
- What are some different forms of tribal organization? Where does the "big man" fit in?
Pantribal Nomadic ~ • Pantribal Sodalities ▫ Non-kin linkages Across villages Even across entire tribe ▫ Often purposed Raids & warfare Regional political organization ▫ Leadership Power & authority Age sets, ranks • Nomadic Tribes ▫ More logistical problems... Population density Land use/competition Relations outside the tribe ▫ ... more political regulation More formal Less personal More hierarchies ~ "Big Man" (def): generous tribal entrepreneur with multi village support Owe their status to their individual personalities rather than to inherited wealth or position ○ Tribes § Emphasis on authority of individual people with big personalities □ "natural leaders" □ Not nominated or hereditary
- What is Turner Syndrome and what anthropological questions might it raise?
Partially or entirely missing X chromosome ---Short stature ---Delayed/incomplete puberty ---Infertility ~ How does inequality make a difference? Why am I interested in TS? Informants? Interlocutors? Friends? • My Concerns ○ Didn't have to grapple with issues in anthropology - but after did some pilot research, realized she does have to think about these things ○ Only involves with white, middle class people § In theory should be seeing a diverse population § Are people of color or not middle class not being diagnosed with TS? No access to resources? Something about study discouraged diversity? What about the way that non profit function?
What "counts" as art and why? How does context impact what is considered to be "art" and who is considered to be an "artist"? Provide at least two examples.
People collectively decide what's art Context is important - can invoke emotional response Banksy - cat mural in Gaza social conscious, UK artist but identity unknown which becomes his identity Guernica - artwork by Picasso - was based on war ~ TEACHER ANSWER: ○ Graffiti - ○ Impressionism - considered low class and thought of as having no skill but as social norms change - value of art changes ○ What does art do? If accepted by society and considered artistic if invokes
- What measures of control do states impose upon their citizens? What forms of social control are used to maintain the status quo? How do people resist hegemony?
Population Control Judiciary Enforcement Fiscal Social ~ ▫ Population Control Where - Boundaries Who - Citizenship How Many - Census ▫ Judiciary What - Laws How - Legal Procedures Who - Judges Basis of law varies ▫ Enforcement Permanent military Permanent police ▫ Fiscal Taxation (money, goods, labor effort) Redistribution (but not tied to sharing or generosity) Who can/cannot produce What Who gets What ▫ Social Hegemony: Explaining conformity: "This is the way it is meant to be" Subordinates internalize dominant rules & values Subordination is natural, inevitable Arbitrary becomes natural Resistance: Open (Public) vs. Offstage (Hidden) Other mechanisms: Shame Harnessing collective fears/anxieties Sorcery ~ People can resist hegemony (leadership) publicly, or offstage/hidden (i.e. protests, news broadcast, wearing a mask and protesting)
- What is a post-colonial society? What problems do they have? What are some problems encountered during development of the "Second" and "Third Worlds"? Remember concepts such as underdifferentiation and know at two examples where sustainable conservation may also not be well-received in local communities (hint: check the book).
Postcolonial (def): describes relations between European nations and areas they colonized and once ruled ~ Key anthropological issues: Colonial legacies Lasting effects on culture & identity Gender, race, class in colonial & post-colonial societies Education & economic opportunities Language Religious traditions ~ The Second World communism* Communal ownership of property Interest in common good vs. Communism political movement & doctrine overthrow capitalism* & establish a type of communism Communist nations: a.k.a. socialist* authoritarian often totalitarian Communism Communist Party controls power Centralized authority & rigid bureaucracy State ownership of all means of production Strong sense of nationalism What is Corruption? Moral vs. Legal i.e., maintaining tradition vs. enforcing new rules Public vs. Private Clan, Kin State Levels of corruption Local National International ~ The Third World Labels & Ethnocentrism Underdifferentiation Colonial practices & Postcolonial Issues "As various colonial powers were forced out of various colonies, left behind was the garbage of colonialism. This post-colonial debris has become the ballast, that is dragging down many newly de-colonized countries." ~ ○ Underdifferentiation - the size that one size fits all - can apply the same concept to diff countries to make them "better" - won't work, won't be able to solve the same problem in the same way everywhere (book def) = seeing less-developed countries as all the same; ignoring cultural diversity TWO EXAMPLES [TEXTBOOK] Examples of using an inappropriate First World model -- West African project designed for an area where the extended family was the basic social unit. Participants used their traditional extended family networks to attract additional settlers. Twice as many people as planned benefited. In this case, the settlers used their traditional social organization to modify the project design that planners had tried to impose on them --The cooperative. In a cooperative study of rural development projects, new cooperatives tended to succeed only when they harnessed preexisting local level communal institutions
- What is "reflexivity" in ethnography? What is experimental ethnography?
Reflexivity: Recognition of the fact that the identity and experiences of the ethnographer influence how people relate to her in the field and the knowledge she produces Different ways that ethnography can be written or expressed (through writing [usually dry and written for the discipline], poetry, comics, visual [pics])
- What is the difference between "religion" and "a religion"?
Religion (def): belief and ritual concerned with supernatural beings, powers, and forces "a religion" = a specific religion - i.e. Christianity, Islam, Buddhism
- What are the four main types of religion and what kinds of specialists do they have? In what kinds of sociopolitical organizations are they found and why?
Shamanic, Communal, Olympian, Monotheistic Shamanic --shamans = part time religious figures (also includes mediums, healers, witch doctors, etc.) --common in foraging societies Communal --part time religious specialists (often have shamans and shamanic element) --some foragers, mostly cultivating societies Olympian --Full-time religious specialists: priesthoods --stratified societies Monotheistic --Full-time religious specialists --(i guess stratified societies - chiefdom, states) Hierarchical, bureaucratic ~ Shamanic Shamans = part-time religious figures ○ Includes: mediums, healers, witch doctors astrologers, diviners, spiritualists ○ Symbolically set apart from rest of society Gender roles/expression Celibacy, different marriage criteria Oldest type in world (>10,000 yrs.) Animism, Totems, Trance & magic Common in foraging societies Animism, Totems, Trance & magic ~ Communal Part-time religious specialists ○ Often have shamans & shamanic elements Also have community rituals ○ Festivals, ceremonies ○ Rites of passage Often polytheistic Some foragers, but mostly cultivating societies ~ Olympian Full-time religious specialists: priesthoods Hierarchical, bureaucratic, polytheistic Pantheons: gods/deities themselves hierarchical Arose with stratified states ○ Sumer, Aztec, Inca, Egypt, Greece, Rome ~ Monotheistic Full-time religious specialists Hierarchical, bureaucratic But all supernatural phenomena = all from single eternal, supreme being ○ Omniscient (all knowing) ○ Omnipotent (all powerful) ○ Omnipresent (always there)
- What are the three levels of social stratification and how do they relate to one another?
Social Stratification located within: Chiefdoms & States Max Weber: 3 Levels of Social Stratification: ▫ Wealth --> Economic Status ▫ Power --> Political Status ▫ Prestige --> Social Status Are not always correlated They relate to each other because there can be societies that have all 3 and other that only have 1
- Under what conditions are pastoral tribes more likely to have greater political organization and regulation and why?
TEXTBOOK: Pastoralism often is just one among many specialized economic activities within a nation-state. As part of a larger whole, pastoral tribes are constantly pitted against other ethnic groups. Within the context of the modern nation-state, that government becomes a final authority, a higher-level regulator that attempts to limit conflict among ethnic groups. State organization arose not just to manage agricultural economies but also to regulate the activities of ethnic groups within expanding social and economic systems.
- What is the "feminization of poverty" and what factors contribute to it? What tools do women use to mitigate its impacts? How does gender stratification play out socially?
The Feminization of Poverty Poorest households disproportionately female-headed >50% in US below poverty line Increasing trend since WWII The Feminization of Poverty Expanding to worldwide trend Widows Single/Divorced Mothers Gap in pay; glass ceiling The myth of the "glass cellar" (men are stuck in more low-paying jobs) Notion that children are women's responsibility ~ Gender and Work In Public & Domestic Spheres Where culturally distinct, Women in public sphere ≠ Men in domestic sphere ...but changing (unevenly, slowly) ~ Job "preference" Job "ability" Role models - requires societal change Training and preparedness The "mommy track" vs. husband's ideas
- How can art reinforce or contradict cultural norms? How is it a tool to counter hegemony? Know at least two examples of when it does one or the other.
reinforce cultural norms = creating something that reflects social/cultural norms in a positive/non controversy way contradict cultural norms = creating art that reflects social/cultural norms in a way that makes the audience question this aspect of society - or frames it in a negative way ~ A tool to counter hegemony because it critiques and dismantles hegemonic power "Good graf,on the other hand, is not just beautiful. Good grafshows a thoughtful mind behind its placement. Good grafis in public spaces. Good grafhas a social conscience. Good grafis not necessarily about beauty. Good grafis about good custodianship. It's about un-automatizingour motions through urban space, from filtering out ads and movement and lights and sounds to focusing on words and images that want nothing more from us than our attention." ~ Reinforce Cultural Norms • Mary the Blessed Virgin 1st Century Saint Mary Cathedral, Austin, TX • Wooden sculptures, 19thCentury Kalabari, Nigeria Boticelli, The Birth of Venus , 15thcentury Contradict Cultural Norms • Banksy, mural in Gaza, 2015 (drew a pic of a cat in Gaza to show attention to it) • Chris Ofili, The Holy Virgin Mary 1996 NYC • Alain Mariduena, Death of a Nation , 2007; Queens, NY - Conveys tragedy & suffering of war, stands as anti-war symbol & call for peace • P. Picasso, Guernica , 1937 MuseoNacionalCentro de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid - Depicts 1937 Nazi bombing of Guernica, Spain --> up to 1600 civilians killed; Conveys tragedy & suffering of war, stands as anti-war symbol & call for peace
- What are sodalities, and what role do they play in human social organization?
sodality = association TRIBES (type of sociopolitical organization) ▫ Sodalities/Associations Non-kin, linked by age, gender § Sodalities - relationships that cross cut across villages or tribes --Sets of people that have some sort of similarity between them
- Why is it impossible to understand the social organization of bands, tribes, chiefdoms, or states in isolation from one another? What are definitions of each of these things?
• Everyone lives in a modern world: types of sociopolitical organization ○ Can divide human societies ~ complexities § In the past, treated as stages of evolution § State, Chiefdom, Tribe, Band □ Degree of complexity □ The individual often suffers more at the mercy of the state versus a smaller community where they have more individual power ***§ Even when communities organize themselves as a band level, still moderated by larger society (state) □ Can't think of as separate, they are nested*** ~ ○ Band (def): the basic social unit among foragers; fewer than a hundred people; may split up seasonality ○ Tribe (def): a food-producing society with rudimentary political structure -Chiefdom (def): a society with a permanent political structure, hereditary leaders, and social ranking but lacking class divisions -State (def): a society with a central government, administrative specialization, and social classes
- What is some of the earliest known art and where was it found? Know at least two.
• GeisenklösterleFlute, Germany 43,000yrs. ago • BlombosCave, South Africa 74,000yrs. ago • Lion-man of Hohlenstein Stade40,000 yrs. ago GERMANY
- What is the relationship between art and its location (e.g. museum, everyday, graffiti...)?
• Location & Communication: In Everyday ○ Story telling role in society - folk art - not necessarily sacred § But when taken and put in a museum - contain a lot of monetary value because located into another place § Considered local art in their everyday context • Location & Communication: In a Museum ○ Where you locate a piece, gives it its authority • Location & Communication: On a Wall ○ One piece of the puzzle - how art is aesthetically appealing § Other role - what does this art do? This Exm. Graffiti can actively challenge what you're supposed to do in a given space
- What is the relationship between power, authority, and the law?
• Power ▫ Ability to exercise one's will over others Both formal & informal • Authority ▫ Power sanctioned by society • Law ▫ Defined rules relating to power, authority, crime, etc.
- What are some of the main goals and functions of human sociopolitical organization?
• Regulating/managing relations among groups ▫ Decision-making ▫ Social control ▫ Conflict resolution • Often, goal = to maintain a status quo
- What is art? How is it different from "the arts"? What are "the arts" (know at least four). What is the relationship of the aesthetic to art?
○ Art (def): an object, event, or other expressive form that evokes an aesthetic reaction Arts (def): include visual arts, literature (written and oral), music, and performance arts ~ The Arts: • Visual (painting, sculpture, cloth, etc.) • Written & Oral Literature • Music • Theater (drama, comedy, etc.) • Dance ~ Aesthetics: appreciating perceived qualities in works of art ~ ○ The Arts - the actual things you would do in order to perform or write or create § Visual arts § Performance § Music ○ Art - can be anything - an act, object, something you eat ○ Aesthetics - appreciative evidence of art
- Be able to define Marxism, socialism, proletariat, and bourgeoisie. What parallels do you see in modern capitalist economies to some of these concepts?
○ Bourgeoise (def): owners of the means of production OWNERS ○ Working Class (Proletariat) (def): people who must sell their labor to survive LABORERS Marxism (google): the concept of class struggle plays a central role in understanding society's allegedly inevitable development from bourgeois oppression under capitalism to a socialist and ultimately classless society. Socialism (google): Socialism is a range of economic and social systems characterised by social ownership and workers' self-management of the means of production as well as the political theories and movements associated with them ~ wealth is concentrated among the owners of production today
- Know the concepts and attributes of "core", "semi-periphery", and "periphery".
○ Core (def): the dominant position in the in the world system; nations with advanced systems of production ○ Semiperiphery (def): the position in the world system intermediate between core and periphery ○ Periphery (def): the weakest structural and economic position in the world system ~ ATTRIBUTES (wiki) Core Countries: ---Are the most economically diversified, wealthy, and powerful (economically and militarily) ---Have strong central governments, controlling extensive bureaucracies and powerful militaries ---Have stronger and more complex state institutions that help manage economic affairs internally and externally Semiperiphery: ---Semi-peripheral nations are those that are midway between the core and periphery. ---They tend to be countries moving towards industrialization and more diversified economies. ---These regions often have relatively developed and diversified economies but are not dominant in international trade. Periphery: ---Are the least economically diversified ---Have relatively weak governments[2][6] ---Have relatively weak institutions, with tax bases too small to support infrastructural development ---Tend to depend on one type of economic activity, often by extracting and exporting raw materials to core nations
