ANT 102 Midterm Study Guide PDF

Preview

Summary

ANT 102 Midterm Study Guide...

Description

important cocktail waitress pages link to discord Message “email#9134” on discord with questions BEFORE the test. This document is for study use only. Please don't use it during the midterm as it is a closed book exam. Lecture notes (underlined things are things you must know according to the TA review session) (bold is lecture notes, unbold are my notes)

Anthropology: Six Sub-Units 1. Biological (physical) Anthropology - Study human biology. Organic  remains  and artefacts. Used to be called physical anthro, is now called biological anthro. 2. Cultural Anthropology- Study of different cultures. Kinship, religion, abstractions, family structures ect ect. what  we are studying in this class 3. Archaeology- cultural artefacts, what people create and leave behind. 4. Anthropological Linguistics or Linguistic Anthropology- cultures influence on language. Can be considered a part of cultural anthropology 5. Applied Anthropology- applying anthropology to the real world to solve current problems. The use of anthropology outside of the academic sphere 6. Primatology - study of primates

●

●

●

● ● ●

Cultural Anthropology and Its Sister Disciplines Subjects that relate to anthropology Sociology-concerned with people in groups and how they interact with each other. Concerned with society on a large scale. Separates themselves from their subjects and usually study their own culture Psychology-anthropologists are interested in the individual psychology of the person they are studying. How the person responds to you psychologically will relate to how they act or open up around you. You must be kind and understand them. History: ○ diachronic - dealing with events as they move through time, how things change (the usual historical perspective) ○ Synchronic - how institutions engage or inter-function with one another at a particular point in time (the  anthropological perspective) Political science - anthropologists study the politics of the culture they are studying, how the group interacts with each other and governs itself. Comparative literature - comparing/contrasting the literature of literate cultures. Can include comparing verbal stories ect from non-literate cultures. Comparative religion- concerned with local non literate religions that are geographically focused. We can compare these with other local religions.

Three anthropological interests 1. Non-literate peoples (vs. illiterate) - People whose society does not have reading/writing in tradition. a. Not to be confused with illiterate. Illiterate people live in societies that DO have reading/writing but for some reason this individual has not learned how b. Once a society becomes literate they transition to: 2.  Peasant communities- Small remote agricultural life separate from industry. a. ‘Peasants are usually agricultural people who share the same general cultural tradition as members of the larger and more technologically complex societies in which they live, but are not central to the main culture.’ 3. The people of East Timor have made the transition from non-literate to peasant between 1976 and the present time. 4. Urban communities societies - part of central society but still may have old traditions and customs (very large cities like New York) (urban anthropology) Some Fundamental Concepts in Cultural Anthropology 1. Cultural Relativism: A central idea in modern cultural anthropology; that a culture must be evaluated in terms of its own values, not judged according to the values of another culture. Case study: Dani people of New Guinea, who cut little girls’ fingers They don't do this because they hate their children, they do this as a way to give offerings to their newly dead so they will pass on and leave them alone, Girls are chosen because they are perceived to be the more spiritual gender and as they grow older they will forever remember the relative they lost. This is the most powerful offering they have to give, and we need to respect that. Yet, at the same time (whatever our culture) we are all members of the same natural species, homo sapiens and so entitled to comment on each other’s culture. Despite this, we should not judge until we fully understand the behaviour in the social context it is from. ● The opposite notion to that of cultural relativism is Ethnocentrism, the idea that one’s own culture is superior to others or that the values, institutions, beliefs, etc., of other cultures are to be understood, evaluated, or judged according to one’s own culture. ● The Greeks and their use of the world “barbarian”.

○ Because the Greeks thought they were superior to everyone (ethnocentric) when they were faced with the language of a foreign culture instead of trying to understand the complexities or knowledge of the language or people they called all foreigners “barbarians” because to the Greeks their language simply sounded like babble. (the assyrians were the barbarians in this case) ○ Despite this the GREEKS WERE THE FIRST TO HAVE A ETHNOGRAPHIC VIEW ON CULTURE ● “Eskimo” (neighboring ethnic groups term for that indigenous population in Canada and elsewhere) vs. Inuit (Example an ethnonym, a word of self-identity) ○ Eskimo is a name given to the Inuit people by people of surrounding villages. ○ Inuit is the name they call themselves. (an ethnonym) ● In East Timor: tetum (lowland people’s name for. foho (people of the uplands). The lowlanders think their culture is superior. ○ Tetum people call their neighbors “foho” (which is offensive) and see themselves as superior to them. The Foho have their own name for the Tetum and see themselves as superior. ● Today we are members of multi-cultural worlds. And so, let’s learn about other cultures, their languages, their values, their institutions, their religions, and the places where they live. 2. ETHNIC GROUP & ETHNICITY ethnic group: a group whose members share basic cultural traditions and values and a common language, and identify themselves (and are identified by others) as distinct from other such groups. It is possible for a person to be a member of several ethnic groups and therefore have a multi-cultural identification. ethnicity: the identification of individuals with particular ethnic groups. 3. SOCIETY The word “society” has many meanings and so can mean different things to different people and is applied to many different things. This said, here are some common definitions you will encounter in cultural anthropology. ● society: a group of people whose members live in the same place and whose lives and livelihoods are interdependent. ● social structure: the web of relationships binding members of a society. ● social anthropology: especially in England, the brand of anthropology focusing on societies rather than on culture. The Wild Boy of Aveyron, France

● In 1799, a strange, filthy, nearly naked boy was found wandering in the woods near the village of Aveyron, France. Appeared to be about 11 or 12 years old & had apparently been living in the woods for many years. ● Despite a local physician, Dr. Itard, trying to “culturalize” the lad the boy’s opportunity to become a culture animal had been lost in the woods. He never learned to speak, accept the wearing of clothes, eat like a human, etc. ○ His period of learning culture was lost forever. What is Culture? According to Edward Tylor in his book, Primitive Culture (1873) culture is: “that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society.” (1873:1)” Culture is: ● Unique to human beings ● Collective ● Compulsory: enculturation or socialization ○ You learn it or you get it from being around someone ● Functional ○ We all need someone to lean on. companionship. ● Holistic or patterned: synchronic (institutions fit together) ○ Different institutions fit and relate and work together ● Dynamic: diachronic (change through time); acculturation (results from diffusion or force) ● Essential for social life “Culture” as a Concept ● “Culture” & “Nature” are contrasted as concepts in many societies throughout the world. “Other people” are often thought of as “animalistic” or “natural creatures”. ○ People often think you need to choose between life with nature and life with culture ● The ancient Greeks used the term “barbarians” to describe their neighbors who lived with nature. Not a nice epithet. ○ Us and them ● This opposition goes back a long way. First recorded use was 4,000 years ago Gilgamesh vs. Enkidu (in present-day Iraq) ○ Gilgamesh = culture/good, enkidu = nature/evil. They believed everyone feared nature ● This isn't an important feature in many cultures. Mainly european

THE TRANSMISSION OF CULTURE Culture is transmitted by: Symbols; Imitation; Experience; Instruction. 1. Symbols What is a symbol? “Something that stands for something else” (Rodney  Needham, 1979:7) Three Important Properties of Symbols 1. A symbol can be: a. an object, e.g., a piece of cloth like the U.S. flag, a cross. b. a word or series of words, e.g., pledge of allegiance, a prayer. c. an action, e.g., saluting the flag, shaking someone's hand. 2. A Symbol ● Symbols are a media of communication: an attitude, a feeling, or an abstract idea (e.g., the concept of democracy). ● Symbols are arbitrary: there need not be an intuitive or obvious connection between symbol and referent (the thing symbolized), e.g., there is no obvious connection between a piece of cloth with patterns like the U.S. flag and the concept of democracy ● Do animals use symbols? Seems not: they use “signs”: immediate, not transmitted A very few symbols are universal, i.e., found in all cultures, e.g.:Left vs right, which symbolize: Inferior vs. superior, Good vs bad Culture is also transmitted by: 1. Imitation Speaking, the pledge of allegiance and saluting the U.S. flag. Seeing someone do something and imitating them 2. Experience You can stick your tongue out in Tibet but you had better not do it here! Doing something and seeing what reaction you get and then accommodating behaviour according to this 3. Instruction (teaching)

Being taught something Four Types of Cultural Models 1. Emic Model (indigenous model) - how someone in the society sees themselves 2. Etic Model (outsider’s model) - ways in which things operate from the view as an outsider 3. Normative or Ideal model (what people say should be done; this is an aspirational model) - what would be done in an ideal, perfect world. 4. Empirical or statistical model(i.e., reality: what is really the case; do people do what they think they do or would like to do?) - differences that happen between the emic model and normative model and why. The Man-eating Myth William Arens (1979) (he's not denying cannibalism existed, he just is saying there's VERY little evidence for it to have ever been practiced as a regular social practice.) Cannibalism (“Anthropophagy”) Note the difference between these two terms. Cannibalism – “Caribs'' of the Caribbean. Invented in the sixteen century. ● Spanish said they saw them eat people, they said they didn't but their neighbors did. (this cycle of placing blame is VERY common when discussing cannibalism) “Anthropophagy” is a Greek term that preceded it. ● Was replaced by cannibalism ● Survival cannibalism - cannibalism in only extreme life threatening situations ● Survival cannibalism differs from “regular” cannibalism, i.e. social or ritual cannibalism. ● William Arens (Stony Brook) has argued that no reliable evidence supports the view that regular cannibalism exists or even that it once existed. ○ Social cannibalism = regular practice People’s Favorite Cannibals ● Caribs (of course!) ○ See above lol ● Tupinamba of Brazil (Hans Staden’s book) ○ Staden wrote a book saying that these people kidnapped him and were going to eat him, SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO FAKE!!!!!

● Aztecs ○ Conquistadors wrote books about aztecs and justified killing them by saying they were cannibals ○ Debunked because the spanish were racist AND because they only surrendered their city because they were blocked off from getting food from outside of their walls and they were dying from starvation. If food was a problem why didn't they just eat all the corpses of the dead people LOL. ● Fiji ○ The educated don't practice it anymore but the “uncivilized” mountain people still do.. Yeah right.. ● “Pekin Man” Choukoutien caves ○ Ancient remains were found in a cave, they believed he was a cannibal because human skulls were found scattered in the caves with holes on the top of them suggesting he had sucked out the brainz. O.o ● Just about every group, at one time, including “placenta party” mothers on Long Island – they are really cannibals. ○ Crazy white moms gathering together to eat the placenta from their newborn baby. I think he added this as a joke lol Dr. Carlton Gajdusek and Kuru ● ● ● ●

● ● ● ● ● ●

●

New Guinea ethnic groups especial favorites for the “cannibal” label. Gajdusek, Nobel Prize winner Studied the Fore for ten months, starting in 1957. The people were plagued with a disease that had the degeneration of the neurological system, with the symptoms of trembling (later identified as the “mad cow’s disease”). Local people called the disease “kuru”. 100% of those afflicted died within 12 months from the onset of the symptoms. Kuru was responsible for 50% of the deaths that year (1957). It was originally thought to be genetic in origin. But Gajdusek hypothesized that it was transmitted by eating insufficiently cooked meat, i.e., the diseased brains of people. Article in Science (197:943-960) in 1977 entitled “Unconventional Viruses and the Origin and Disappearance of Kuru” contained two interesting photos: one of a Fore woman who has just died of kuru; the other of a group of Fore eating a meal. After Arens had checked with Gajdusek the latter admitted that the meal the people were seen eating consisted of monkey meat.

● Not forgetting W. Arens and his wife! ○ Arens was thought of as a cannibal by the people he studied ● What is the evidence for this? ● When they were doing fieldwork in Tanzania villagers who had given blood to their local hospital saw both of them gobbling down red vitamin pills afterwards! ○ They saw the red of the pills and thought the color and contents of the pills was from the blood they gave! ● Cannibalism appears to be an idea people need. To belittle or even to dehumanize others, Arens, argues. Like the term “barbarian.” ○ Very easy to differentiate between Us and Them if They eat humans and We don't. Subsequent Research Subsequent fieldwork by Beth Conklin after the publication of The Man-eating Myth in an article entitled “Thus are our Bodies: mortuary cannibalism in an Amazonian Society,” (1995) has produced a more convincing account than earlier accounts that cannibalism has been practiced as an institution. The population that does so is the Wari who live in the western Brazilian rainforests. Until the 1960s, she reports, they disposed of nearly all their dead by consuming substantial amounts of corpses’ bodily substances. They practiced both exocannibalism (the eating of social outsiders, including their enemies) and endo-cannibalism (the eating of members of one’s own group.) Even so, Conklin did not, of course, actually witness any acts of cannibalism. ● Beth Conklin- studied wari people of the amazon ○ Reported that they disposed of their dead by eating them. ■ EXOCANNIBALISM - eating social outsiders ■ ENDOCANNIBALISM- eating the members from their own group ○ She didn't actually see anyone eat anybody (omg what a coincidence /s) 01. Why Do Fieldwork? Fieldwork is the primary way anthropologists collect information (a) Interest in a region or a topic: the old motive; ● Usually wealthy 19th/20th century people did this (b) Today: hypothesis testing: ● What will get money from organizations Example 1: ●

magic. Edward Tylor (in Primitive Culture ) ○ Was an armchair scholar got his data from other people's work in the field. He NEVER did field work himself.

●

Edward Evans-Pritchard (the Azande of Central Africa): why do people believe in something that is false? ○ Tried to answer why people believe in witchcraft. Tested Edward Taylor's theories and found them to be true!

Example 2: bridewealth. Giving gifts to obtain a wife and hypothesis of marriage stability. (b) Applied Fieldwork: see Anthropologists at Work film: possible research on spousal abuse; AIDs; why people don’t go to clinics ● Going to a place to gather info to answer certain issues that the organization is concerned with. Go to find answer to a domestic problem Field methods Ethnographers try to obtain a multi-dimensional view of a community by employing a variety of techniques. Among them are: Participant Observation, e.g,. Nancy Munn ● Living and blending with informants, watching and working with them. Nancy Mann - The cocktail waitress Interviewing: ● Recording interviews from face-to-face encounters, some people know more than others. ● Focus groups- formal interviews in groups Surveys: sampling ● When anthropologist is dealing with large number of people, we sample a percentage of the population and carry out our field work in that group Genealogies; ● Life histories- personal history, see how individual lives compare or contrast with normative model ● Case studies- like life histories but involve legal cases to observe the legal proceedings of the community ○ You must also know the rest of the info about the community to understand this information Casual informant ● A person you didn't plan on asking question for getting information from but gives you information anyways Ego-centered networks

● Attempting to trace the regular interactions between individuals, the dynamics of an individual's life. Their relationships with others and their environment. Filmed and Taped Records ● Tools to carry out and document above research. Team Research ● NOT COMMON. A team goes to research. Anthropologists are helpful for many types of studies because they know about the culture and customs of the area. ● Anthropologists usually go alone lol TERMS WE USE IN CONTEXT OF FIELDWORK “Ethnography” Two meanings: 1. The information (ethnographic data) collected in the community under study by an ethnographer (the name we give to the anthropologist who is collecting the information). 2. The actual book or article written by the ethnographer that contains the information he or she has collected (examples: The Cocktail Waitress; Tetum Ghosts and Kin) in contrast to anthropological books and articles that are more general in their contents, e.g., comparing two societies or purely theoretical in nature.

03. Doing Fieldwork 1) Getting There -- Culture Shock – Special situations (e.g., national politics) a) Culture shock - being freaked out by foreign culture b) Special situations - requirements by foreign govt that may hamper your ability to simply get to the place you're visiting 2) Gender a) If you're studying a culture that is not kind to women you may not get any info from men, may affect final result since you're only getting info from one perspective 3) The Ethics of Fieldwork, e.g., China birth control policy a) You need to be weary of giving out/publishing info about people that could be used against them or their culture. i) Anthropologist went to China and found that the people he was studying were not following the birth control policy. He came back and spread the knowledge and the chinese government barred anthropologists from going into the country from then on. 4) Two basic issues: language & residence (pros & cons)

a) language - the anthropologist must always learn the language of the place they are studying , unless they have an interpreter (but it's always better to learn for yourself. b) Residence- the ideal situation is for the anthropologist to live in the community they are studying. A con of this would be hygiene. 5) Stages of Fieldwork - highly generalized a) Adjustment - adjustment of the field worker to the situation, culture shock happens here i) (Taking a break) - they might go back to their own culture ...