cultural anthropology cynthia clarke instructor

1. Cultural Anthropology ** Cynthia Clarke (Instructor)

2. Why Study Anthropology? To understand people in various places and at different social levels To help us avoid misunderstandings To combat racial and ethnic stereotypes and bigotry To expand our understandings of cultures different from our own To learn how to live in our multicultural society To be a better guest in other countries

3. What is Anthropology? Anthropology is the study of humanity in all its times and places. The word anthropology comes from the Greek words anthropos (man ?today we say humanity) + logos (science of) There are 4 sub-disciplines (subfields) in America: Biological anthropology (also called physical anth.) Cultural anthropology (also called ethnology) Archaeology (also called archaeological anth.) Linguistic anthropology Some also talk about a 5th sub-discipline: Applied anthropology (I do not consider it a sub-discipline, but more later in this lecture).

4. Anthropology as a Discipline The Scope of Anthropology Every part of the world that has ever contained human beings. Thus, any explanation for human behavior should evidence itself across time and space The Holistic Approach Research takes into account the totality of human experiences It looks for how the parts contribute to the totality The Anthropological Curiosity There is a curiosity about the typical characteristics of human populations and variations Anthropologists what to know everything about everything Anthropology is comparative The anthropological perspective uses a broad geographical range Anthropologists examine the past as well as the present and attempts to avoid an ethnocentric viewpoint

7. Biological Anthropology 1 The origins of biological anthropology arose from two areas of interest among nineteenth century scientists. These areas concerned Origins of species Human variation Areas of study include: Paleoanthropology (Also called Human Paleontology) Studies the fossil records and the emergence of humans and their later evolution. They study the fossilized remains, especially of teeth as these are often all that remains. Primatology � study of primates by primatologists Primates include prosimians, monkeys, and apes and humans. Anthropological primatologists study non-human primates to better understand humanity Human Variation How and why contemporary human populations vary biologically Homo sapiens � The �human� species Through the use of these types of data: human genetics (inherited traits); populations biology (impact of environment), epidemiology/paleopathology (impact of diseases). This is also the area of study that negates the biological basis of racial groups.

8. Biological Anthropology 2 Case Studies Prehistoric Pueblo women at risk This is an example of how biological anthropology mingles with archaeology. Archaeology studies all parts of the dig site, except for human remains (usually skeletons). Descriptive morphology of bones showed different degrees of violence towards the women in two villages (by comparing burial sites). The Black Mesa site was smaller, poorer and somewhat isolated La Plata was a large, rich trading center. There was more violence at La Plata than at Black Mesa The next questions generated are why this difference? Tourism and Village Health Status in a Mexican village Traditionally the villagers were subsistence farmers but the tourism industry entered With greater access to money, many left the farms Nutrition and health were negatively affected Increase ingestion of snacks Disrupted household economies

9. Archaeology 1 Archaeology is the study of human behavior as evidenced by material remains (or artifacts) The basic goals of archaeology include: finding explanations of culture change; the reconstruction of ancient cultural practices; and the establishment of chronologies. It is similar to geology in that the primary data are linked to time and space. It often overlaps with paleontology (the study of fossils). Chronologically often divided into two parts: Prehistory: The time before written records Historical archaeology: The study of the remains of peoples who left written record. Some types of archaeologists are: Public archaeology: A broad term that covers archaeological research conducted for the public good as part of cultural resource management and heritage management programs; a major growth area of world archaeology Ethnoarchaeologists use ethnographic methods to study modern peoples so that they can better understand and explain patterning in the archaeological record.

10. Archaeology 2 The Kintampo in Ghana Prehistoric culture of about 3-3,500 years ago. The prehistoric peoples of Ghana have not be extensively studied. They learned of distinctive pottery styles and grinding tools that suggest a farming lifeway. To better understand the Kintampo, these researchers conducted archaeological dig and performed ethnoarchaeology (also called ethnographic analogy) via a comparison with contemporary local farmers. Garbargology in Tucson, AZ Contemporary study of peoples� trash cans. [I learned it was called the Garbage Project.] William Rathje has his college students sort through garbage to learn both about the behaviors of modern peoples, and also to learn about how the archaeological record is created.

11. Linguistics 1 This is subfield of anthropology concerned with various aspects of human languages (also called anthropological linguistics) Areas of study include: Structural (descriptive) linguistics Focuses on variation in language construction and on language acquisition Looks at grammars and produces dictionaries Historical linguistics (comparative linguistics) Sir William Jones compared Sanskrit with Hindi and recognized many similarities. This lead to the technique in historical linguistics called the comparative method. How languages change over time and how they may be related and classification of language families are two areas of study by linguists. Sociolinguistics or the use of language in social settings. How language is used includes: Types of language used in different settings. Appropriate of use of languages Formal and informal sides of language Ethnolinguistics, which includes how language use shapes perception How we view the concepts of time and shape for instance. How language teaches us about the cognitive aspects of a culture

12. Linguistics 2 Love Letters in Nepal Laura Ahearn explored the patterns of marriage in a small village in Nepal Because many young persons were not allowed to date they carried out courtships by letter. Those who ended up marrying gave her their letters. Interestingly, the literacy skills she introduced into the village was the impetus for changing the process of arranged marriages. Also, by using text analyses to document the process. Yiddish in South Philly Yiddish is a language spoken by Eastern European Jewish immigrants to the US. Explored how English words move into Yiddish and others from Yiddish move to English. Also, looked at how Yiddish contributes to the preservation of cultural identity within the groups anthropology researched. Found Yiddish is being spoken less in the community

13. Cultural (Ethnology) Cultural anthropology is the study of existing and recent cultures; the study all aspects of human behavior. Uses participant-observation to study culture Culture � the socially acquired way of life in a social group and the strategy by which humans adapt to the natural environment. Culture is learned. Enculturation is the process by which cultural values and beliefs are transmitted from one generation to the next. A cultural anthropologist is often called an ethnographer Ethnographer � One who undertakes field research in the form of an ethnography Ethnography - A detailed description of many aspects of customary thought and behavior of a people. They emphasize, among other topics, subsistence strategies, religion, ritual, and child-rearing practices.

14. Social anthropology: focuses on social organizations, especially as influenced by kinship (British anthropology) Cultural anthropology: focuses more on meanings and symbolism of culture (American anthropology) Sociocultural anthropology: a balance between these two ways of viewing the study of humanity Fieldwork: First-hand immersion is a culture or sub-culture. Cross-cultural studies: Comparisons between cultures. Ethnology: Cross-cultural studies that look at the general rules or patterns of social behavior.

15. The Fifth Field: Applied Involves the use or application of anthropological knowledge to help solve social problems A separate field? Just like theory, application should be a valued part of every field of anthropology May be most helpful to think of this as a dimension of anthropology, not a field Dimension ranging from completely academic to completely applied Academic ??Applied Examples of applied anthropology include: Forensic anthropology is the best example of applied anthropology in biological anthropology. Medical anthropologists often receive most of their training in physical anthropology & examine the relationship between culture and health and disease Urban anthropology Development anthropology Business anthropology The majority of applied anthropologists are trained as cultural anthropologists.

16. Diverse, But Linked As you can see, anthropology is a very broadly defined discipline, but there are Holism is core to anthropology The recognition that all aspects of humanity have connections The recognition that to study humanity means you have to take a broad view. As anthropology is a very broad discipline, what holds it together? Sources of unity: The culture concept: all anthropologists work within questions about culture Context: the time, place, and circumstances from which the object/observation came

17. Anthropology/Other disciplines Perhaps one of the best descriptions of anthropology is that it is the most multi-disciplinary discipline in academics. At one time anthropology was the cross-cultural discipline, but other disciplines are following this model now. There is much talk about merging the traditional disciplines together to enhance students� learning. I agree this is a great idea; anthropology has been bringing in other disciplines from its inception. Anthropology has exported many of its ideas, such as the concept of culture and of participant-observation Anthropology continues to import though. Anthropology is the discipline of generalists.

18. Key Concepts in Anthropology Ethnocentrism: The tendency to see, interpret, and judge other cultures based on the values of one�s own culture. Cultural relativism acts as a balance to ethnocentrism. A Passage to India (popular film) portrays Hindus, Muslims, and British Christians trapped in cycles of ethnocentrism Cultural Relativity (relativism): The idea that a culture must be understood in terms of its own values and beliefs and not by the standards of another culture Gained by exposure to �other� ways with a sympathetic eye and ear to appreciating differences

19. Yet More Key Words Culture-specific: refers to words used in a particular culture that do not translate well. Examples: Kinship terms ? What does the term �father� mean within a particular culture? How many basic color terms are there? Culture-neutral: non-culture-bound way of discussing a word that tends to carry across cultures. Examples: Kinship terms ? Terms such as �age� or �gender� What is the wavelength of that color? No researcher is ever completely free of own cultural views.

20. Perspectives Emic perspective: the use of culture-specific ideas, categories, and explanations to describe a culture. From the term phonemic (linguistics). An inside-out perspective. Etic perspective: the use of culture-neutral (scientific) terms and categories to describe a culture. From the term phonetic (linguistics). An outside-in perspective. Both are valuable perspectives to the anthropologist.

21. Focus culture: the Balinese The Balinese live on the Indonesian island of Bali. The island is one of the most popular of tourist attractions (> 1 million each year). This brings the Balinese right into the middle of globalization issues. Many Balinese are employed by the tourism industry. The demand for tourism resorts competes with the farmers� needs. The need for more produce also adds pressure. More roads are also in demand. Why tourism? The weather is great! The Balinese are very well known for their arts.

22. The Goddess and the Computer Key Points: Lansing began by looking at art, but came to see the holistic principle as it applies to Balinese society. The Balinese resisted the Green Revolution because it threatened the relationship between religion, ecology and agriculture. The Green Revolution concentrated on high-yield rice production through use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. In contrast, a thousand-year process of using ducks. eels, and frogs to maintain the water quality in Balinese rice production was threatened. Western disconnect between seeing �temples as religion� and �rice irrigation as economics� was at the core of the misunderstanding.