Abstract The paper investigates a unique characteristic found within the development of male orangutans whereby the reaching of complete maturity and adulthood among a portion of orangutan males, both in the wild and captivity, is held off and slowed down by natural means. The paper explains how developmentally arrested orangutans remain subadults, smaller and less physically mature than their fully grown adult male counterparts. It explores a number of studies which have been conducted to attempt to determine the reasons and causes for what is often called bimaturism. The paper shows that because of the lower status of subadult males, female orangutans prefer to copulate with dominant, fully mature males. Often, in order to receive sexual gratification, subadult orangutans force unwilling females to have sex and the act of rape is extremely common among orangutans. The paper shows how a number of studies have been conducted in order to better understand the reasons for bimaturism and the effects of the trait on orangutan populations and the species as a whole.
From the Paper "Because of their solitary, illusive nature, it is often difficult to observe orangutans in the wild. It was previously believed that orangutan males reached puberty sometime between the ages of seven and nine. Researchers thought that developing males would spend a few years in an intermediate stage, before becoming a full grown adult sometime between twelve and fourteen. However, after populations were established in zoos, scientists noted that subadults would remain in the arrested development stage as long as a dominant male was present. When the fully mature male was removed, the subadult males would physically develop the traits of dominant males, most notably the wide cheek pads, and long, brightly colored hair."
Abstract This paper details how the invasion of the European settlers into North America was aided by the diseases brought with them. It explains the nature of these diseases, why the Europeans were immune while the Native Americans were not, how they were spread so quickly and easily, why they were so deadly and how they became the deciding factor in the European invasion of North America. It also details how these microbes impacted on the African slave trade.
From the Paper "The European conquest of the New World was fueled not only by weaponry, warfare, and greed but also by a secret, invisible, and lethal agent - microbes. These soldiers of infectious disease played a major role in shaping the European conquest of the New World. The Europeans through years of prior exposure and adapted immune systems successfully warded off these killers, indiscriminate by nature. Beaten back by the European invaders, these agents found a home in the New World in the bodies of the Native Americans dwelling there. On some accounts, during the first few centuries after Columbus landed in the New World in 1492, more Native Americans died each year from infectious disease than were born (Meltzer 38). However, it is clear on any account of history that the principle element responsible for the rapid demise of the Native Americans after their initial contact with Europeans was their extreme susceptibility to European microbes, the silent killers of the New World."
Abstract The paper examines the cultural underpinnings and history of one of the most popular dance and music styles in Brazil - Samba. The importance of this music in daily life is emphasized, as well as the religious and popular overtones, such as the annual Carnival. The paper also includes an interview with Jon Agasse, a guitarist and percussionist with a samba ensemble living in Los Angeles.
From the Paper "The crowd of almost one hundred thousand is restless. The night is moist, hot, and alive with a feeling in the air so palpable you can almost trace it with your finger. The bleachers are filled to maximum capacity, along a mile-long stretch of paved roadway adjacent to an old brewery. People from all races, classes, and countries are celebrating together at the culmination of the orgiastic, pre-Lenten, hedonistic festival of Carnival. Soon, the first marchers proceed down the corridor to the booming cacophony of bass, snare, and friction drums. The rattling of tambourines, bells, and scrapers add flavor and accent. Like a bird set free, the singing cavaquinho (ukulele) emits its high pitched cries, adding to the frenzy. The marchers and dancers, with their quick, physical movements, undulating hips and heel steps, embody the living sound. It is time for the annual celebration once again in Brazil, time for Carnival, a time once again for the ultimate physical expression of joy: Samba."
Tags: african, black, jazz, mamba, merengue, rhumba, rio
Abstract This paper examines the argument whether ethical objectivism or ethical relativism is the better view in relation to judging human beliefs and behavior. It puts forward the views of the eminent anthropologist Ruth Benedict who believes that human beliefs and actions vary because different cultures are exposed to numerous environments and have various histories and how a type of ethical relativism known as conventionalism, asserts moral decisions dependent upon the society one lives in. It also presents the argument for ethical objectivism as proclaimed by the philosopher Louis Pojman. In conclusion, the writer chooses which side of the debate he agrees with and describes why.
From the Paper "The eminent anthropologist Ruth Benedict believes human beliefs and actions vary because different cultures are exposed to numerous environments and have various histories. She endorses a type of ethical relativism known as conventionalism, which asserts moral decisions are dependent upon the society one lives in. In other words most people living in society are like plastic in that they can be shaped according to the fashion of a particular culture. In short, normality is culturally defined. The best examples to illustrate how normality is social constructed are cultures where an abnormality of our culture is the cornerstone of another society's culture."
From the Paper "The development of the oil resource in the Middle East has irretrievably altered the life of the Bedouin tribes in that region. Although they continue to exist, in many instances they have been pressured by the government to alter their long history of wandering in order to settle down in towns and villages. They have been affected by development in many different areas of life. The intent in the following pages is to explore the world of the Bedouin during earlier times by looking at the Rwala and Mutair tribes and comparing their ways to each other."
From the Paper "Understanding the Origins of Political Instability in Nigeria
Chinua Achebe's novel, Things Fall Apart, may be used as a tool to understand the origins of the political turmoil that has existed in Nigeria throughout the 1900?s. Achebe's story takes place in an Ibo village of Nigeria during the early part of this century when the British began colonizing the region. His characters illuminate different elements in Ibo culture and demonstrate how the society reacted to imperial influence. If we compare the Ibo society to that of other areas in Nigeria, we can begin to understand the forces that cause instability in Nigeria to this day.
The Ibo culture depicted in Things Fall Apart has a remarkably fluid social structure. There is no established tradition of central political authority within the society."
From the Paper "Pompeii was rediscovered and excavated in the eighteenth century as one of the finest and most preserved examples of Roman architecture. Combined with the Roman influence was a pattern of development from several of the contemporaneous Mediterranean cultures of the time, which gave Pompeii a unique architectural flavor. It is this uniqueness that will become the central focus of this paper on the cultural history of Pompeii as reflected in the town's domestic architecture. The paper will begin with a brief history of the city of Pompeii, and then overview the different cultural influences which shaped the city itself. Then, the domestic architecture will be described, with a more detailed look at the influences of the Oscans, Greeks, Etruscans, Samnites, and Carthaginians. Of special note will be the influences of Rome on the city prior to the eruption of Mount ... "
From the Paper This is a study of Voodoo in Haiti: Its character as a religious system of belief, and its socioeconomic and political role in Haitian culture.
Voodoo is a household term in American popular culture. Everyone has heard of "Voodoo dolls" of one's enemies, into which pins are supposedly stuck to kill or otherwise curse them. Zombies--variously "the living dead" or living individuals so drugged as to lose all independent personality--are a fixture of science-fiction horror movies. When in the 1980 Republican presidential primary campaign, George Bush wished to castigate then-rival Ronald Reagan, he denounced Reagan's economic policies as "Voodoo economics." This popular American image of Voodoo includes a tie to Haiti, where it is associated with the Tonton Macoutes and the system of terror ... "
From the Paper "In recent years, the role of ethnography under the rubric of sociological, anthropological, and communication research has grown tremendously. As early as 1962, scholarly research began to take the tract that research on culture could and should change from the focus of observing pragmatic behavior to an analysis of the broader, culturally relevant, trends present in society. This research has been the basis of much of the work on the subject of ethnography in the past three decades, and will form the basis of this paper. In line with that, this paper will examine the role of ethnography in the broader subject of intercultural communication, and will analyze some of the methodologies used in ethnography, and their relevance to the field as a whole. Finally, the paper will conclude with some of the problems faced by the theoretical ... "
A review of the work presenting an overview of the history and development of the continent's culture, government, religion, art and Western influences.
1,350 words (approx. 5.4 pages), 1 source, 1991, $ 47.95
From the Paper "The purpose of this paper is to discuss and analyze the book, The African Genius, by Basil Davidson.
Davidson is a great admirer of the African culture in general, and the ability of the African people to survive. He is also very cognizant of the element of racism in European and American historians' discussion of Africa's history. As he puts it, it is still necessary to set African reality within its historical context "The anthropologists of the colonial period did not do this" (26). Davidson feels that most historians have looked upon African societies as being timeless entities without past or future.
The result of this approach, according to Davidson, was to "strengthen the impression of a complete otherness of African societies. Presented without history, as living in a perpetual..."
Examines how the former disappeared and the latter emerged includes archaeological evidence, theories, tools, rituals, society, communications, evolution and interbreeding.
4,725 words (approx. 18.9 pages), 11 sources, 1992, $ 135.95
From the Paper "A number of questions have been raised as a result of the studies pertaining to Neanderthal man. Like modern man, the Neanderthals are classified as homo sapiens. This distinguishes them from the homo erectus creatures which preceded them. Descriptions of Neanderthal man indicate that he "was normally chinless, had prominent brow ridges and a receding forehead, but his brain was as large as modern man's" (Bray & Trump, 1979, p. 159). At the same time, however, the Neanderthals were clearly different in many ways from modern man. In fact, there is evidence that when the Neanderthals became extinct, they were replaced by Cro-Magnon man. The Cro-Magnons are essentially the same as modern man. By contrast, the remains of Neanderthal man seem to possess characteristics which are both primitive and modern. The fossil evidence indicates that the Neanderthals co-..."
From the Paper "Prehistoric man's treatment of the dead was one of the signals that a settled way of life was forthcoming for though paleolithic man of the Ice Age lived a life of uneasy wanderings, the dead required a permanent home (Mumford, 1961, p. 7). From this primitive beginning developed elaborate and complex burial traditions, reflecting the religious beliefs, and social and economic conditions of the different cultures and civilizations that have comprised man's history through the ages. The purpose of this paper will be to review the history of burial and embalming practices, looking particularly at early man, the ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman civilizations, the Jewish cultures and early Christianity, and other practices as well as the modern advances of today.
Burial and mourning customs grew out of three perceived..."
A look at the impact of Darwin's evolutionary theory of "survival of the fittest" on the development of questionable business practices and American politics in late 19th-century.
2,250 words (approx. 9 pages), 7 sources, 1992, $ 79.95
From the Paper "This study will discuss how Darwin's theory of natural selection was construed as a justification for questionable business practices and how it impacted American political philosophy during the latter 19th century.
The impact of Darwin's evolutionary theories can hardly be overestimated with respect to the scientific community and society in general. As Hudson writes, "Within a decade after the Civil War practically every important American scientist had been converted to Darwin's theory of biological evolution, and Herbert Spencer's "social Darwinism" was equally influential. Indeed, as early as 1872, the Atlantic Monthly was able to report that within the scientific community 'natural selection, had quite won the day in Germany and England, and very nearly won it in America'" (Hudson, 1973, p. 263)."
"The problem of defining Homo erectus is that it is viewed at present as a grade of human evolution intermediate between the small-brained early Pleistocene hominids and the large-brained Homo sapiens" (3:102). This theory of human evolution from the Natural History British Museum in London defines the controversy in the anthropological world. The evolution of man does not follow an easily marked road map. Exactly when Homo first emerged is not definitively clear. With the discovery of Homo erectus remains in 1891 in Central Java, fossils have since been found in Africa, China and Europe. It is generally accepted that the species evolved in Africa about 1.6 million years ago (3). However, some anthropologists argue that the emergence of the species is at least 2.5 million years old. (2) They base their ..."
Jamaica is rich in cultural history and anthropology. The family life of Jamaicans has been studied often because of its unusual marriage, settlement and kinship patterns. The study of these aspects of Jamaican culture offers insights into the economic condition of the people as well. Social relationships in Jamaica have changed considerably because of political and economic problems in the past 30 years. For this reason, politics and migration must also be examined.
The island was discovered by Columbus and is located in the northern part of the tropical Caribbean. It is 49 miles wide and 140 miles long, with mountains around the entire perimeter. Because of the mountains, the temperature is varied and rainfall is plentiful, offering a variety of soil conditions and cool ..."
