EXAM 2 study guide PDF

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ANTH 111 Exam 2 study guide. ...

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EXAM 2 (FRIDAY 11/16/12)

Study Questions 1. What do anthropologists mean when they say, “race is not a biological reality” and what is the evidence cited to support this position? If race isn’t a biological reality, then what is it? Race is not a biological reality because it has no scientific validity and does not exist in nature. Race is not in our DNA, as all humans share 99.9% of the same DNA. It masks clinal variation and masks overlapping variation. Human features change over time due to random genetic mutations and evolutionary adaptations; any isolated population will start to look similar over time and different from other groups, but this makes them related not a race. Initially, Swedish biologist Carolis Lewis was the first to classify humans by race, as he believed that humans should be categorized by physical appearances, much like animals. However, humans are even more closely related than any other species and even many animals in the same species can look very different from each other without having any sub-species, for example house cats. Race is only real in social contexts. No one can come up with a reasonable list of racial groups, as the “race” section of the census has been different every year. The concept of race leads to social, economic, and political disparities.

2. What is communication and why is it an important aspect of what it means to be human? Describe the varied ways that humans communicate verbally and non-verbally and illustrate each with cross-cultural examples. Communication is the process of sending and receiving messages. It is important for humans to communicate to share their experiences, concerns, and beliefs; it makes them “become” a member of society and allows them to engage with the world. Verbally, humans communicate with their voice, which is not just what we say but also how we say it(words and vocal inflections). Languages vary cross culturally, for example the Saami have clusters of words for “snow”, differentiated by the age, depth, hardness, etc. of the snow, that other cultures do not have. Aymara Indians depend on the potato as a major food source and have many different ways of growing and preparing it, and their language has over 200 words pertaining to potato, which other cultures do not. Nonverbally, humans communicate through symbols, gestures, sign language, facial expressions, silence, the body, and touch and personal space. These vary cross-culturally. 3. How does the Al-Sayyid Bedouin Sign Language case illustrate the interplay of biology and culture? How does it illustrate the links between various aspects of culture like kinship (e.g., marriage endogamy) and language? (cultural response to biological conditions caused by cultural restraints of

endogamy) The Al-Sayyid people only married within their culture; biologically, many were deaf; this affected the culture, as everyone developed and learned the Al-Sayyid sign language. This illustrates the links between aspects of culture and language because marriage endogamy resulted in the culture having a significant deaf population, causing them to develop their own language. 4. How and why does compliment giving and receiving vary cross-culturally? Illustrate your answer by discussing the (a) approach; (b) method; (c) data; and (d) findings of Herbert & Straight’s cross-cultural study of complimenting in the US and South Africa. Herbert & Straight’s cross-cultural study of complimenting took a sociocultural approach. Their method was to go out into South African and American schools and listened to and recorded various exchanges of compliments and responses. They catalogued this data by type of response and compared the cross-cultural results. They found that South Africans thought they were inherently unequal in society, so when they received compliments, which was rare, they readily accepted them. Americans, on the other hand, like to think of everyone as equal, so they reject more compliments in the hopes of not establishing themselves as better than others. 5. What is kinship? How do cultures create and maintain kinship ties? In your answer, provide an anthropological definition for the terms “descent” and “marriage” and discuss at least three cross-cultural examples of how kinship is realized. Kinship is culturally defined relationships between individuals who are commonly thought of as having family ties. Kinship relationships are realized through social bonds of sharing, descent, and marriage. Descent is tracing kinship relationships through parentage. Unilineal descent is traced through only one parent- can be matrilineal or patrilineal, while bilineal descent is traced through both parents. Marriage is a socially recognized union between two or more people (it is not universal). Mosuo- kinship realized through matrilineal descent. In the Bari culture, babies have multiple fathers; every man who has sex with the mother while pregnant is considered one of the child’s fathers. Al-Sayyid- marriage endogamy. 6. Based on the ethnographic film “A World Without Fathers or Husbands,” describe how the Mosuo (Na) of southeast China trace descent and organize households. Use kinship terminology in your description. Is marriage recognized in Mosuo society? How does kinship shape other aspects of Mosuo life? The Mosuo trace

7. From an anthropological perspective, is monogamy the most advantageous form of childrearing? Explain your answer and discuss the practice of naming “secondary fathers” among

the Bari Indians of Venezuela presented by Small (2003). No, the Bari practice of naming “secondary fathers” proved to be more advantageous in the culture. Children without secondary fathers did not have as much nutrients as those who had secondary fathers. Children with secondary fathers proved more likely to survive, as secondary fathers were able to provide more. 8. What are non-kin based social groups and how are they organized? Identify a non-kin based social group that you belong to and compare it to a cross-cultural example in terms of organizing principles. What defines membership in these social groups? What is the nature of the social relationships of members (e.g., face-to-face / “imagined” or “virtual”)? Social groups are clusters of people beyond the domestic unit who are related on grounds other than kinship. They are organized by gender, age, common interest, and class. One non-kin based social group I belong to is my basketball team. Membership in this group is based on gender, age, and common interest. A social group in another culture is 9. Is India’s Varna/Jati (caste) system based on achieved or ascribed status? In your answer, define social stratification and explain the difference between achieved and ascribed status. Describe the caste system, its religious basis, how it is maintained, and its contemporary social effects. India’s Varna/Jati caste system is based on ascribed status. Social stratification is the division of society into 2 or more social classes of people who do not share equally in access to basic resources, power, or prestige. The system is maintained because of limited social mobility, no one can get out of their caste. Social effects: people who live in India are mostly untouchables. Ancient Hindu scriptures are the fundamental basis for this caste system, with Brahman priests at the top as the most pure. The caste system is based on ascribed status because you are born into a caste. There is very little to no social mobility. Social stratification is defined as the division of society into 2 or more social classes of people who do not share equally in basic, resources, or prestige. (unequal access). This social stratification causes the untouchables in the caste system to make up a large percentage of people in poverty in India. It is found in the Hindu belief system. Religious figures are at top, then warriors, then merchants, then laborers, then untouchables. Maintained because of limited social mobility, no one can get out of their caste. Most of the people who live in poverty in India are untouchables.

10. Why is religion considered to be both a way of knowing and a way of acting? Discuss these dimensions of religion using the example of Mexican Days of the Dead, and be sure to include a discussion of ritual and the role of objects in your response. Explain why and how

this is an example of syncretism. Religion is considered to be both a way of knowing and a way of acting because it is based on both beliefs/ideas as well as behavior/actions. The Purepecha people in Mexico believe in the duality between the dead and the living; the dead are living in a different world, and come back to the living on the Days of the Dead. Their way of acting is by preparing for this return by cooking, putting out flowers, performing dancing (rituals, or formal actions performed in sacred and often collective contexts.) Powerful objects they believe in are marigolds, which they believe signal the sun shining through the underworld, and candles which they believe light the way for spirits and the movement of the flame indicated their presence. This is religious syncretism because ancient Aztec beliefs, such as honoring death and sacrifices (like with food) merged with Spanish Catholic beliefs, such as saints. This blended tradition is shown in that the Days of the Dead fall on All Saints and All Souls day. 11. Compare the balanced reciprocity of the Kawelka moka with the redistributive potlatch practice of Northwest Coast Native Americans. In your response, define and describe key terms like reciprocity, redistribution, moka, and potlatch. What are the social functions of each exchange? In other words, how do they affect/shape/maintain/reinforce human relationships? The balanced reciprocity of the Kawelka moka is the exchange of mutual benefits where there is an expected obligation to reciprocate gift in equal or greater value in order for relationship to continue; goal is immediate or eventual balance in value. Moka is a process of gift-giving in the Kawelka tribe. Through moka, it is a way for the people of tribes to develop political leadership, fame, and status. Valuable items are usually given as the gifts in moka. Some examples of valuable items that was shown in the film includes pigs, birds, cows, truck, motorbike, any items that contains “value” or considered valuable among the Kawelka tribe. Pigs are considered a “worthwhile thing” of the Kawelka moka because according to the tribal members, you need pigs for everything - if you want to get far with life, you got to have pigs. You need pigs to pay for troubles (establish stronger relationships others, or even enemy tribes), get a spouse, and etc. If you have no pigs, you are considered as a nobody. The purpose of moka is to impress and outdo others; gaining prestige and exhibit political power through giving. You gain respect and admiration from others through showing, which will eventually lead to power and political leadership among the Kawelka tribe. The social function is to maintain social cohesion trhough community involvement (preparation for the moka requires alot of people and effort among the community). It also aimed at acquiring and reestablishing fame and status for individual and tribe; maintain alliances and diplomatic relations among groups, and to earn a reputation among the community. Redistribution in the potlatch practice is where goods are collected from group by one person or central authority to be reallocated to group in the future; redistributing their goods to their next generation or future purposes. Potlatch is a ceremonial event in which those sponsoring the event (such as village chief or a family member) publicly gives away stockpiled food and

other goods that signify wealth. The purpose of this practice is to gain prestige, fame, and status by giving away and to meet societal obligation of avoiding material accumulation. It is a way to bring local and sometimes distant groups together to mark important life events, such as weddings, funerals, naming a child, raising a totem poles, etc. The practice is also a way to apologize for transgression or restitution. It serves as a leveling mechanism, ensuring that no one accumulates more wealth than anyone else. Some valuable items that are exchanged includes salmon, baskets, blankets, dance aprons, silver, and other goods or food

12. Compare egalitarian and stratified societies in terms of: (a) modes of production; (b) exchange; (c) access to necessary resources (d) social status (prestige); and (e) how power is exercised. Elgalitarion= !Kung San. Stratified= American. (a) Egalitarian modes of production (main ways of making a living) include hunting, gathering, and foraging. Stratified modes of production include agriculture and industry. (b) Egalitarian exchange (giving one thing and receiving something else) is based on reciprocity and sharing. Stratified exchange is based on redistribution and market economy. (c) Egalitarian access to basic resources is equal, even resources that are considered the property of an individual band. In stratified societies each class is classified by different degrees of access/control of resources. (d) In egalitarian societies there are as many positions of prestige as there are people capable of filling them. It is based on age/sex groups or individual skills, not social hierarchy. In stratified societies, there are relatively few positions of prestige, as there are hierarchically related social units of considerable size and complexity.(e) In egalitarian societies, the exercise of power is not monopolized, and decisions are made through consensus. In stratified societies power is monopolized by a few, and regulated by hierarchies and institutions....