Abstract The paper is an examination of the Maori culture as described in the book "Counterpoint in Maori Culture" by Hanson and Hanson. The writer declares that he chose this book because it was, in his opinion, the comprehensive examination of the Maori culture available which left little of classic Maori culture uncovered. The author of the paper discusses and examines aspects of Maori culture as they are presented in the book and then attempts to explain and evaluate the purpose of the book's authors and methods used by them in their research.
From the Paper "The research for Counterpoint in Maori Culture was conducted from 1976 to 1977 in New Zealand by the authors. It was an interesting and eventful time in United States history; supposedly the "summer of fun" even though there were serious and grievous incidences going on all over the world. Pro-Palestinian terrorists hijacked a Paris-bound Air France A-300 Airbus over Greece June 27. But it wasn't all bad, Andy Warhol was in full stride as he put out skull and portrait of Andy, two iconic artworks. Jimmy Carter beat Ford in the US Presidential race and pardoned all Vietnam War draft dodgers in his first day of office. I'm unclear as to how these and many other events affected the authors. I don't get the impression that they had any effect whatsoever, especially since the book doesn't incorporate either of the two authors personalities into the work."
Tags: culture, new zealand, anthropologypolynesianssamoantahitiancookethnography
Abstract In this paper, the famous battle between Robert E. Peary and Frederick Cook is detailed. Both explorers claimed to be the first to reach the North Pole. The author argues that this acrimonious battle developed and continues to persist almost 100 years later because of the personalities of the men themselves. Also cited are public doubts about each of their achievements , the politics of the time and the mystique of the North Pole. The author also includes material that may disprove the actual achievements of both men, and how the controversy attracted the public to take sides. The paper concludes by stating that the story demonstrates the depths of mankind's obsession with reaching nature's limits and conquering the North Pole.
From the Paper "Out of such an experience, one might expect an uncommon bond of friendship to develop. Instead, Peary and Cook spent their later years as bitter enemies embroiled in one of the major controversies of the early part of the 20th century - both of the men claimed to be the first to reach the North Pole; Peary in 1909 and Cook in 1908. Both camps initiated a war to discredit the other side and the men took the fight to the grave and, in a manner, beyond it. Both sides continue to use the Internet, books and articles to wage a nasty war of allegations, accusing each other of everything from racism to outright fraud."
Tags: Robert, E., Peary, Frederick, Cook, North, Pole, explorers
Abstract This paper addresses the history and the events of the Salem Witch Trials from the perspective of Semiotic Anthropology. Here, the question of the witchcraft trials is examined as a form of social control for a people, specifically women, who had no other element of control.
Tags: ARCHAEOLOGY AND ANTHROPOLOGY (ANCIENT HISTORY) / RESEARCH (METHODS, THEORIES), discussion semiotic anthropology
Abstract This paper discusses the different aspects of medical anthropology. The underlying theories of medical anthropology are discussed as well as the concept of health and disease, taking into consideration different culture-based paradigms depicting each one. Disease profiles of the different civilizations, from foraging nomads to empires are compared and contrasted.
From the Paper "Though giving birth occurs naturally in women, the experience itself varies among women due to the great influence of cultural beliefs and the resources available within different societies. Depending on how a society values or perceives childbirth as a medical event, the process will differ according to who conducts it (e.g. physician versus community midwife), how it is conducted (e.g. through a cesarean operation or spontaneous, natural birth) and where it occurs (e.g. whether it is in a modern and well-equipped obstetric facility or at home)."
Abstract This paper discusses the building and putting together of a new museum housing an anthropological collection in the state of Georgia. The author examines how to build the museum, what type of museum it should be and how to balance the research and exhibit goals of the museum. The paper relates issues of collections, funding, staffing, museum design and layout.
From the Paper "The purpose of anthropology is to study the origin behavior as well as the physical, social and cultural development of humans throughout history and in different cultures. This study can take the form of fieldwork academic study research as well."
Abstract This paper examines three specific sociological theories. The author contrast each theory. The paper demonstrates their impact on the field of historical anthropology.
From the Paper "Some critics of the field of historical anthropology have accused the field and its practitioners of being generally if not entire theoretical. In other words, the charge leveled against the field is that much of its work and research tends to proceed without the benefit of a specific theoretical lens or framework within which a particular subject event or individual group is analyzed. Many social scientists argue that theoretical underpinning for any investigation is analysis allows the researcher to assess results with respect to ..."
Tags:anthropology, globalization, culture, Iraq war
Abstract This paper reviews two works by Mary Douglas and Victor Turner on the matters of ritual and anthropology (article sources are not named and are not included). The paper briefly explores issues of taboo behavior in scriptures and rituals, and concludes that the process of studying such scriptures and rituals is difficult because of the inter-connectivity found between them and their respective host societies.
From the Paper "It is commonly accepted that many religious scriptures help convey social and communal codes. Dietary habits are a good example of this, where certain cultures avoided the ingestion of pork on the grounds that it was prohibited by their faith, but also that avoidance helped reduce the possibilities of disease. However, the authors promote the concept that there are multiple ways to understand adherence to certain scriptures and codes as presented in the religious texts. The concept of what is dirty, soiled, or sinful, for example, can be interpreted on one level as helping practitioners avoid lifestyle traits that were unhealthy. Yet this can be interpreted on a second level as well, where the avoidance of dirt was more of a symbolic avoidance of impurities."
Abstract This paper looks at psychological anthropology through many methods. It looks at the definition itself, how older and contemporary psychological anthropologists analyze their own work, and how personality and culture intermix. The paper looks closely at a few specific sub-categories, such as Freud, madness, and primitive cultures. The paper analyzes it in connection to personality, culture, emotion, madness and primitive cultures.
From the Paper " Psychological Anthropology: A Universal Process Psychological anthropology is an attempt to discover the dynamics of group differences, often via means of close observation and study of a particular theme or culture. It combines the attributes of psychology and anthropology in an endeavor detect similarities between human beings in personal, social and cultural settings. Many scholars have defined their field using distinct nuances, as cater to their brand of craft, but underlying all psychological anthropology is a cultural analysis that aims to discover inherent qualities within us all. Bourguignon (1979), a psychological anthropologist, spent time analyzing the link between classic anthropology--in which scholars studied primitive cultures--and elements of psychology, such as Freud's psychoanalysis of the psychology of childhood development--or the issues of childhood projecting into adulthood."
Abstract This paper discusses how sociocultural anthropology has not seen significant theoretical changes in the last few decades. It explains that poststructuralist and postmodern theoretical approaches are providing researchers, both in the archives and in the field, new methodologies and resources with which to work. The author mentions that some of the techniques might seem relatively staid and traditional, however, the new focus on these methods has given them a new critical light and allowed anthropologists to interpret and reinterpret their work and the methods that they employ.
From the Paper "The influence of postmodern critical approaches to academic disciplines has not left sociocultural anthropology unscathed. While sociocultural anthropology has not seen significant theoretical changes in the last few decades, poststructuralist and postmodern theoretical approaches are providing researchers both in the archives and in the field new methodologies and resources with which to work. Some of the techniques might seem relatively staid and traditional; however, the new focus on these methods has given them a new critical light and allowed anthropologists to interpret and reinterpret their work and the methods that they employ. One of the most interesting methods that has become popular in recent years in sociocultural anthropology is the life history. The new importance of life histories has stressed the ways in which postmodernism has imbued the social sciences with a fresh look at the way in which human agency interacts with cultural institutions ..."
Abstract This paper examines a body of coursework for a class in organizational anthropology. Twenty-five sources are included. Of these, each is examined briefly and a justification provided for its usefulness to the course. The paper also weighs in on the subject areas discussed, the tension between theory and practice, as well as the difference in definitions of the word culture.
From the Paper "Abram, 2001: I would not retain this article for future incarnations of this course. Though intriguing, the study itself was too pointed in my analysis. Demonstrating the tension between the "politics of policy-making and the technical competencies of 'experts', such as professional planners" did not provide much useful broad applicability (Abram, 2001: 184). This is a good example of organizational ethnography, but not necessarily a useful one. Aguilera, 1996: This article would be retained. It provides readers with an excellent sense of how anthropology can be employed to highlight processes within the business world and assess potential zones of improvement. Aguilera (1996) shows how anthropology can transcend theory and move into business intervention."
Abstract This paper discusses the topic of medical anthropology based on the folk sector. The paper reviews rites of passage, culturally based views on mental illness and treatment, as well as culturally based diseases and their treatments.
From the Paper "The profession of medical anthropology has been around as long as mankind, but according to Janzen was initiated in the 1950's and gradually gained popularity and momentum in the 1960s and 1970s. The American Anthropological Association's journal, Medical Anthropology Quarterly, defines medical anthropology as a field of medicine which: Include[s] all inquiries into health, disease, illness, and sickness in human individuals and populations that are undertaken from the holistic and cross-cultural perspective distinctive of anthropology as a discipline--that is, with an awareness of species' biological, cultural, linguistic, and historical uniformity and variation. "
Abstract This paper reviews and discusses the origin of tattoos. According to the paper, the history of tattoos dates back some five thousand years. The paper reports that the earliest inhabitants of Tahiti were Polynesians and it is believed that it was these Polynesians that brought the art of tattooing to the Islands. According to the paper, this art form was used to express personality and family identity.
From the Paper "The earliest inhabitants of Tahiti were Polynesians who came there from Asia centuries ago. The first European to the island was British sea captain Samuel Wallis in 1767, who claimed it for Britain, followed a year later by French navigator Louis Antoine de Bougainville, who claimed it for France (Tahiti 1996). It became a French protectorate in 1842, a French colony in 1880, and in 1946, France declared Tahiti and the other islands of French Polynesia to be French overseas territory. Today it remains under French rule (Tahiti 1996)."
"No one knows for certain, but it is most likely that the art of Polynesian tattooing was brought to the islands by the migrant population from Asia. Because there was no written language in Polynesian culture, this art form was sued to express personality and family identity (History 2006). Tattoos were used to indicate an individual's status in society, such as sexual maturity, genealogy and rank within society, thus the majority of all ancient Polynesians were tattooed (History 2006). "
This paper compares the research methodology used by anthropologists Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, who studied Kalahari Desert Bushmen, and Tim O'Meara, who studied Samoan planters.
Abstract This paper related that Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, author of "The Harmless People" (1989), and Tim O'Meara, author of "Samoan Planters: Tradition and Economic Development in Polynesia" (1990), used simple anthropological research methodology to study the influence of external forces like globalization and development on primitive civilizations, such as the Kalahari Desert Bushmen and the Samoan planters. The author points out that both anthropologists situated themselves in the community being studied. O'Meara mixed with the local Samoan farmers to learn how they behave and interact, whereas, Thomas relied only on her observations of the Bushmen. The paper relates that O'Meara's method, limited by his research question, focused on developmental stages rather than on how people evolved; on the other hand, Thomas concentrated on the outcome of her subjects' ways of living.
From the Paper "Taking each day at a time, he had been able to relate with the locals at a personal level. He encountered their personal life by mixing with the male members of society. For example, he learned why the male considered it illicit to meet with their sisters. The Samoan men were proud of their ability to deflower virgins but it was injurious to their family pride if their females were subjected to such conduct. O'Meara hence depended on mixing with the locals to learn how they behave and how they interact."
Abstract A historical perspective clarifies the concept's significance and its development through changing anthropological views of the world's peoples. The film "Smoke Signals" focused upon the anthropological issues of ethnography, ethnocentrism and cultural relativism of Native Indigenous people in order to bring a new culture concept to life.
From the Paper It's A Good Day to be Indigenous Anthropology relies upon the culture concept which is a starting point for understanding human experience regardless of sub-discipline specialization or theoretical orientation A historical perspective clarifies the concept's significance and its development through changing anthropological views of the world's peoples Whitten The best example of an Anthropological film which caused major changes in the public views of America's contemporary indigenous cultures was Smoke Signals In the course of their travels in this film the stern and angry Victor showed the goofy gregarious
Abstract This paper analyzes the various theories of George Marcus in the study of anthropology and concludes with various 'experimental' solutions to the problems Marcus addresses in his article "Contemporary Problems of Ethnography in the Modern World System".
From the Paper "George Marcus's article, "Contemporary Problems of Ethnography in the Modern World System," is a call for anthropologists to take into account change, history, and political economy in their writings.(1986) According to Marcus, "Change and the larger frameworks of local politics have usually been treated in separate theoretical or conceptual discourse with some ethnographic detail added in for illustration." (1986: 166) This partition has resulted in a the world of larger systems seen as externally impinging on and "bounding little worlds, but not integral to them."(166) This paper will explore the methods, and their implications, that Marcus puts forth as a means of integrating historical and political perspectives with the ethnographic."
