Abstract This essay describes how the art and culture of ancient Mesopotamia was defined by its climate and geographical locations. It also shows how the weather and geographical conditions affected wars and power in the region - and the reflection of this fact through art and artifacts found in the region.
From the Paper "Many believed that the south was the cradle of civilization until settlements dating back to around 5,000 B.C. were found in Northern Mesopotamia. Jarmo was the earliest of these settlements and was superseded by a series of cultures, Tell Hassuna, Samarra, and Tell Halaf. Tell Halaf was the most advanced of the early cultures (Mesopotamia pg). It is famous for Halaf ware, which is regarded as the finest prehistoric pottery in Mesopotamia (Mesopotamia pg). Halaf ware can be found at sites such as Neneveh and Tepe Gawra. While the north was making great advances in culture, ?civilization was just beginning in the south, particularly at Eridu."
Abstract This paper analyzes the scientific revolution and outlines the scientific disciplines that developed during and after this revolution. The paper claims that all of these technologies and disciplines have helped human beings to investigate their history. Through a review of Jared Diamond's Pulitzer Prize winning book "Guns, Germs, and Steel", the paper explains that all human understanding of the Neolithic revolution emerged from the scientific revolution.
From the Paper "The Neolithic revolution predated the scientific revolution by thousands of years. The term Neolithic revolution was coined in 1941, and describes the shift from hunting and gathering societies to human societies dependent on agriculture that occurred over 10,000 years ago (Regents Prep). Ultimately, the Neolithic revolution led to the development of human settlements, and as settlements generated surpluses of goods, trade began. Social classes grew out of inequalities in goods, and eventually entire civilizations emerged from the widespread adoption of agriculture and farming (Regents Prep). The development of agriculture in the Neolithic revolution allowed humans to stay in one spot, and develop permanent settlements. Before the cultivation of land and the domestication of animals, humans were forced to live wherever food was abundant. Once the food supply in an area ran out, humans were forced to move on in search of better supplies, a nomadic existence characterized by earlier hunter-gatherer societies (Regents Prep)."
A comparative analysis of the marriage patterns among the Yanomamo of South America, the San people of the Kalahari, the Sherpas of Nepal and the residents of the sidewalks of New York City.
Abstract This paper compares and contrasts the marriage patterns and ceremonies among four very different societies ? the Yanomamo of South America, the San people of the Kalahari, the Sherpas of Nepal and the residents of the sidewalks of New York City. It examines the traditions of each society in turn from how the strictures prohibit marriage among parallel cousins because Yanomami descent is traced patrilineally to polygamy amongst the Sherpas. It show how in an age where globalization is suspect, the similarity in rules governing who to marry, the role of women in the rituals of dating and marriage and the "ownership" of women by their husband's family all show how few concepts in the world remain as truly global as patriarchy.
From the Paper "Like the Yanomamos, the Sherpas of Nepal have exogamic restrictions governing marriage. Ethnographer Sherry Ortner identifies 18 distinct clans among the Sherpas. Clan identity is inherited from the father and there are strict rules against marrying within the same clan. Unlike the small communal society of the Yanomamo, the Sherpas are divided into different castes. Traditional marriages arranged by parents are still the norm. However, Sherpa life moved away from agriculture as "most Himalayan expeditions throughout the twentieth century have relied on people called Sherpas for general portering, skilled high-altitude portering, and all-around expedition support" (Ortner). The consent of marriage partners became more important and there are also increasing instances of Sherpas marrying Nepalis from outside the Sherpa community."
Abstract This paper presents a detailed examination of the history and migration of the Japanese to Hawaii. The writer explores the migration beginning with the history and then offering an explanation of the migration as it pertained to the Japanese and how it affected those who migrated as well as those who were residents of Hawaii at the time.
From the Paper "One can trace the history of various migrations to the United States to see that it has not always been an open armed proposition. There have been many national immigrants to the states and while they came with high hopes of beginning new lives they were often greeted and treated as outsiders who were not welcome. One of the most interesting migrations in United States history was the Japanese migration to Hawaii. It showcased the many difficulties that the migrations to the states encountered. "
Abstract Promoters of globalization by large consider the knowledge and practices of local indigenous people of no use and impractical in the construction of a truly global contemporary world, hence they are marginalized. This is a comprehensive paper on how far the role of the indigenous peoples in sustainable development has been recognized. It starts by observing the threats that they face in the 20th century. By using their identity and their historical role on the management of the nature as the basis, it then analyse the development of legalized rights as the form of worldwide recognition for their importance. For this purpose, the highlights of ILO Convention No. 169, the Rio Declaration, Agenda 21 and the Convention on Biological Diversity are introduced and studied.
From the Paper "Such problems for the indigenous peoples actually have always been there, but the 19th and 20th century international law "almost consigned them to oblivion". This is rather ironic as according to the United Nations there are more than 300 million indigenous people in over 70 countries, in almost every climatic zone from the remote Arctic region and the deserts Africa to the Pacific Islands and the rainforests of Asia and South America. Meanwhile, most of them live in the ?Biological 17?, the seventeen nations that are home to more than two-thirds of the Earth's biological resources. Of the nine countries in which 60 percent of human languages are spoken, six are also hosts to a wealth of plant and animal species that are not available elsewhere. The extinction of some of the world's languages also means the loss of ecological knowledge."
Tags: UN, General, Assembly, Will, Kymlicka, Aboriginal
This paper discusses that throughout Western Africa the quest for diamonds has caused civil wars and affected the stability of many governments and their economies.
Abstract The paper discusses the battles over diamonds in the Western Africa nations especially the civil wars in Angola, Sierra Leone and Liberia. The paper points out that many African countries especially Botswana, the world's largest diamond producer, have avoided the diamond wars and developed a prosperous economy fuelled by diamonds. The author states that world governments and organizations, diamond traders, financial institutions, arms manufacturers, social and educational institutions, human rights groups and celebrities are combining their efforts to demand the strict enforcement of sanctions and encourage peace in Africa.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Competing for Diamonds
Would-Be Success of Diamond Countries
Fighting the Rebels
Conclusion
From the Paper "National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), a rebel group, has been in constant conflict with the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola ( MPLA) for about twenty years. These two groups have created a civil war in Angola as both groups fight for control of the country. As a result, the country is covered in land mines that kill many innocent people on a daily basis. Still UNITA refuses to relinquish diamond mines to the MPLA government and the country remains in a dangerous civil war."
This paper looks at the extent to which the concept of a nation is an "imagined community". It debates whether our national identity is a figment of the imagination or an objective reality.
Abstract By exploring the idea of a nation state as an 'imagined community' this study tackles the difficult issue of national identity. It explores the cultural characteristics that contribute to the boundary construction of collective ideologies - territory, race, language and others. Drawing from a wide range of sources, the paper considers how crucial the feelings and perceptions of nationalism are to the objective existence of the state.
From the Paper ?Anyone can declare a nation into existence.? (Beissinger 1988: 173). There are many different definitions of a "nation". This essay aims to weigh up Benedict Anderson's definition of a nation as an "imagined community" and explore its claims. Criticisms of subjective definitions are investigated, in a brave attempt to consider other perspectives. A "nation-state" is separate from the "nation" under discussion; it refers to a political set-up with appropriate institutions involved in governance over a spatially bounded territory and the policing of it.
Tags: anderson, benedict, gellner, nationalism, state
Abstract The life and career of the anthropoligist. The status she received in the field of anthropology. Controversy over her data and research in Samoa. Her field trips. Her theories of adolescence based on her work with primitive women in Samoa. Other fieldwork. Her careers as anthropologist, museum curator, University teacher, writer, lecturer.
From the Paper "MARGARET MEAD
Born on December 16, 1901, Margaret Mead became one of the world's leading anthropologists, and her fame became worldwide with the publication of her book "Coming of Age in Samoa". However, despite the good reviews the book received, and the status she achieved in the field of Anthropology, her career was beset in later years with controversy over her data and research in Samoa.
In 1925, she went on "her first field trip, to undertake a 'study in heredity and environment based on an investigation of the phenomenon of adolescence among primitive and civilized peoples.' Her task, as she described it, would 'involve working almost entirely with women, and should therefore add appreciably to our ethnological information on the subject of primitive women.'" (Howard 1995 1)"
Abstract Discusses the evolution of Australian policy and practice regarding land rights. Denial of land to Aborigines and other indigenous peoples. Land use and economic benefits. Land agreements. Court cases and rulings. Political controversy. Traditional view of Aboriginal rights. History of the country. UN intervention. Statatory framework to determine land claims.
From the Paper "AUSTRALIAN NATIVE TITLE LAW AND RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
This research paper discusses the evolution of Australian policy and practice concerning the rights of Aborigines and other indigenous peoples with respect to land, the functioning of, and the pros and cons of taking recourse to, National Native Title Tribunals (NNTTs) and the right of indigenous peoples to negotiate (RTN) regarding land use and its economic benefits. In the early 1990s the High Court by its decisions in certain landmark cases recognized after nearly two centuries of denial that native Australians had rights with respect to lands they had traditionally occupied. By enacting the Native Title Act 1993, ch. 110 (the '93 NTA), the Commonwealth Parliament established mechanisms for determining the validity and scope of native land title claims. However, grave uncertainty and ..."
Abstract Discusses debate over multiculturalism. Individual and group rights in contemporary liberalism. Political agendas. Theoretical traditions and demands for greater ethnic representation in politics and resource distribution. American racism. Eurocentrism. Liberalism and human rights. Concept of liberal neutrality and impartiality. Assimilation and cultural identity. Multiple visions and commonalities. The politics of difference. Sentence Outline.
From the Paper "INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP RIGHTS IN CONTEMPORARY LIBERALISM: OUTLINE
I. INTRODUCTION.
A. Raging debate over multiculturalism permeates nearly every facet of academic endeavor. Political philosophers are as embroiled in these discussions as any others. Theoretical traditions are being reexamined in light of demands for group representation in political participation and resource distribution.
II ROOTS OF THE PROBLEM.
A. Every ethnic group that has migrated to America has ..."
Abstract This paper examines how many people believe processual and interpretive archaeology to be completely different schools of thought. By looking at the seven main concepts of processual archaeology and the eight main concepts of interpretive archaeology, the writer demonstrates how they go hand in hand as well as complement each other. The example used is the origin of agriculture.
From the Paper "Though processual archaeology and interpretive archaeology appear to take different approaches to the study of the human past, they share a common end goal: to understand how societies came into being, how they developed and how they worked, all using data from the archaeological record. The two circles of thought each claim their distinctiveness from the other, but if we compare and contrast their main points, we will see how these two methods relate very closely. In other words, their main differences may just be in terms of scale of analysis. By examining the articles on the origins of agriculture (Redding; Richerson, Boyd, and Bettinger; Hayden; and Hodder) and the approaches of the authors in terms of processual vs. interpretive archaeology, we will see the strengths and weaknesses of each. Ultimately, this analysis will provide insight on how a combination of both fields may prove a more effective method for the study of the human past."
Abstract The analysis of social class and gender relations are common approaches in politics and sociology. The paper shows that the use of gender and class as an analytic tool turned in understanding the Middle East. It is an attempt by analysts to apply concepts from the modernized nations to traditional societies. The paper shows that the concepts can reveal certain issues of interest to Western analysts, but they may also contribute to a misperception because the class and gender are treated differently in Middle Eastern societies. The paper concludes that class and gender as analytical tools impose Western values. While this may provide a useful analysis in certain terms, it has limitations in explaining internal political actions and attitudes in the Middle East.
From the Paper "Bill offers an analysis of the Middle Eastern class structure and shows it to be divided into traditional ruling classes, traditional middle classes, and the mass of society consisting of peasants, nomads, and workers. This class structure, says Bill, "has been knit together in constant movement and has traditionally possessed an extraordinary elasticity" (Bill, 1972, 429) marked by "hierarchically uneven but strongly reciprocal power patterns" (Bill, 1972, 429). Class lines are more permeable than might appear at first because there is a group-class tension marked by shifting power relations. Clearly, Bill would agree with Batatu (1985) that the view that classic sociological class analysis is not applicable to Arab societies is a generalization that cannot be fully supported: "To reject class analysis out of hand, merely on account of contingent ideological associations, is, from a scholarly point of view, inadmissible" (Batatu, 1985, 379). However, this does not indicate how cogent such an analysis may be in practice or how useful it would be in explaining political structures and actions."
Abstract This paper focuses on how contact with Europeans and their descendants affected native populations of the Inuit in terms of introduced diseases and changes in existing patterns of trade and inter-tribal relations. It cites examples from different Inuit tribes ranging from Baffin Island in north-eastern Canada, to Alaska.
From the Paper "Since time immemorial, the Inuit existed as some of the most isolated populations on Earth, living in some of the harshest environments imaginable. The Inuit's traditional social customs, trade patterns, and overall health and vitality all came under intense strain as a result of contact with Westerners. The individual bands? isolation proved to be fundamental to the rapid disintegration of traditional Inuit society, culture, and economics. Although the disastrous impact of European colonial exploits on the native peoples of South and Central America are well documented, Western contact and colonialism also forever changed the lives of native people half a world away in the high Arctic."
Abstract This paper, after a very brief overview of the position of ethnography within the larger practice of traditional anthropology, examines the ways in which ethnographic methodology and concerns can be brought to bear on the question of AIDS in either First World or Third World (or both) societies as a way of explaining people's behaviors in the face of the pandemic. In this sense, ethnographies of communities stricken by AIDS are much the same as traditional ethnographies, for they seek to help explain the customs, beliefs, behaviors, history and cultural institutions of a group of natives. The paper describes two types of ethnographies and demonstrates that ethnography can be done in a way that is consistent with scholarly rigor and yet at the same time is non-exploitative and even helpful of the subject community ? an essential service to those communities already struggling with a deadly virus.
From the Paper "One of the fascinating possibilities for ethnographic research on AIDS would be to look at how the scientific community has been changed by it ? something that has not yet been studied. The ethnographic research that has been done on AIDS so far has been to look at communities that have been affected by the disease in terms of its members? being sick and dying, and certainly these communities can be better understood and helped through the application of ethnographic techniques. But the worlds of high-tech medicine, of high-stakes pharmacology, and of public health work have also been transformed. While excellent, intelligent accounts of some of these changes have been written about (such as Randy Shilts's 1987 And the Band Played On: People, Politics and the AIDS Epidemic) there have been no thickly descriptive ethnographic accounts of, for example, a pharmaceutical company trying to find an AIDS vaccine."
Tags: Acquired, Immune, Deficiency, Syndrome, zidovudine, HIV
Abstract This paper examines the book "Boys Will be Boys" by Myriam Miedzian which discusses why boys in contemporary America society turn to violence so often. It looks at how Miedzian finds that what we call male behavior is accepted in society as the norm, as if males were violent by nature and so had to act out certain rituals as part of their genetic heritage. It examines how, although Miedzian believes that males are born with a certain predisposition toward violent behavior, external factors such as better parenting and education do have an effect. It compares the views of Miedzian to that of other biological theorists on the evolution of traits in mankind.
From the Paper "The author finds that this all derives from a view that males are born with a certain predisposition toward violent behavior. As a group, males are more prone to violent behavior, but those who actually exhibit violent behavior seem to be suffering form one or more disabilities, such as learning disabilities, brain injury at birth, maternal alcoholism, and so on. Some see a domineering mother as a cause of violent behavior in the next generation, but the author believes the absentee father is another cause, whether that father be physically absent or merely uninvolved in the raising of his children. Many also believe that males make poor child-nurturers and that if they did involve themselves more in the raising of children, those children would come out much worse off than they do at present. The author argues with this conclusion as well."
