1 / 6

An Anthropological Approach to the Study of Communication and Change

An Anthropological Approach to the Study of Communication and Change. Laura Corrunker PhD Student, Department of Anthropology W ayne S tate U niversity ah7141@wayne.edu. Introduction and Aims. Context

torgny
Download Presentation

An Anthropological Approach to the Study of Communication and Change

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. An Anthropological Approach to the Study of Communication and Change Laura Corrunker PhD Student, Department of Anthropology WayneStateUniversityah7141@wayne.edu

  2. Introduction and Aims • Context • Ubiquitous use of new information and communication technologies (NICT) and globalization (NICT - Hoffmann, 2004). • Aims • To describe how NICT have been used in both local and global contexts to maintain culture and identity • To illustrate the effectiveness of historical structuralism and historical ethnography for studying how cultures adopt new technologies

  3. Historical Structuralism • Historical Structuralism is not only an appropriate theory for studying cultural change, but Sahlins’ perspective on culture supports the argument made in this essay that forces such as globalization will not result in the deterioration of non-western cultural identities. • Active role of the individual in culture and culture change – Idea of the hero/heroine • Historical ethnography • Holistic method for looking at culture as a dynamic system • Historical analysis • Identifies how structures within a culture influence change • Fieldwork • Provides the emic point of view of cultural change, including the adoption of new technologies. • The use of historical structuralism & historical ethnography for studying cultural change can be applied to the adoption of NICT in both global and local contexts: • Indigenous cultures • Organizational cultures

  4. Global Context • Indigenous Cultures and the Adoption of NICT • Smith & Ward (2000) Indigenous Cultures in an Interconnected World • Provides examples of how Native Americans and Aborigines have used NICT to maintain culture and identity • “History of connectedness” • Importance of communication in Indigenous communities • Have experience using communication technology in their own ways • Zapatistas Example, Cleaver (1998) Zapatista: Reinventing revolution in Mexico. • Fighting for the rights of the indigenous people of the Chiapas region in Mexico, the Zapatistas have used computer networks to spread their message to the entire world • The role of the individual in the Zapatistas’ adoption of these new technologies • The Hero of the story – Subcommandante Marcos – inspired Zapatistas and their supporters to use NICT to their advantage

  5. Local Context • Historical ethnography of the adoption of NICT by a multi-level non-profit organization in Michigan • Methods - Ethnographic interviews & analysis of archival data • Structure of organization in relation to how it has adopted NICT • Almost entirely volunteer based • Utilization of e-mail and Internet seen as essential to the survival of the organization • Goals of organization central to information, communication, credibility, and visibility • E-mail, listserves, & Internet used for distributing information, sharing ideas, and for faster and more effective communication both within and outside the organization • Physical structure – local and state groups utilize e-mail & websites in different ways • Role of the individual – Certain individuals responsible for adoption of NICT within the organization (current president, webmaster, & long time board member at state & local level) • Factors affecting the differential adoption of NICT • Lack of monetary resources • Affects access to computers & types of connections (high speed vs. dial-up), • Lack of educational resources • Perceived benefit • One of the limitations of the study - lack of participant observation

  6. Summary • Historical structuralism provides a useful theoretical framework for understanding cultural change (including the adoption of new technologies) • Using historical ethnography to study how and why different cultures adopt new technologies provides a model researchers can use to gain a more sophisticated understanding of the relationship between culture and the adoption of technologies such as e-mail and the Internet. • This information can then be applied to more effectively assist communities both locally and globally in using these technologies to maintain their culture and identity, despite forces such as globalization and multiculturalism. • In examining the adoption of NICT in both local and global contexts there were individuals in leadership positions who took an active roll in initiating and furthering the use of NICT • Necessary to have someone within the culture who can motivate others and educate them about the benefits of using NICT • More research needed where this theory and method can be applied to studying the adoption of new technologies, with the possible addition of participant observation to triangulate data

More Related