Abstract
This paper will discuss the novel "Clan of the Cave Bear" by Jane Auel and explore the gender issues that arise through the relationships that exist between the characters in the story. By analyzing these points in the tale, we can see how the story takes on many levels in the spectrum of communications that are portrayed between the main characters. Also, an explanation of how Ayla adapts after being exiled from her tribe will be discussed to further illuminate the objectives of the author.

Abstract
This paper reviews Jean M. Auel's novel "The Clan of the Cave Bear" through an in-depth plot summary of the novel, as well as an analysis of the work from an anthropological perspective. In the reviewer's opinion, the author's views on Neanderthals was ethnocentric. Despite this, there seemed to have been a great amount of research conducted to write the novel. The paper concludes by citing Jean Auel's novel as bringing to life a world we will never truly comprehend in a way that was both entertaining and informative.

From the Paper
"To present the stark contrasts between the physical appearance of modern humans and the people of the clan, the author describes much of their anatomy to give the reader a decent representation of the potential differences. The tallest men among the Neanderthals are just over five feet, which means they would have been, on average, shorter than a modern woman (Auel 9). This can be attributed to their bowed legs, something caused today by genetic diseases with corrective surgeries available and often employed. On separate occasions in the novel, Iza is described as having "no chin," and finding the "boney knob beneath [Ayla's] mouth" strange (Auel 17)."

Tags:Neanderthal Man, Cro-Magnons, prehistory

Abstract
Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart is set in Nigeria in the late 1800s and early 1900s, just prior to and during the arrival of the British and their colonization of the country. The major theme of this novel is that of the gradual transformation of the traditional Igbo society while under British colonialism. The book also deals with the ultimately unsuccessful resistance to that change, mainly through the trials and tribulations of the main hero Okonkwo. This paper will identify and analyze the various factors, which contribute to the dissolution of the clan unity.

From the Paper
The End of Clan Unity - Things Fall Apart Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart is set in Nigeria in the late 1800s and early 1900s, just prior to and during the arrival of the British and their colonization of the country. The major theme of this novel is that of the gradual transformation of the traditional Igbo society while under British colonialism. The book also deals with the ultimately unsuccessful resistance to that change, mainly through the trials and tribulations of the main hero Okonkwo. This paper will identify and analyze the various factors, which contribute to the dissolution of the clan unity. At the beginning of the novel Achebe introduces the somewhat harsh and

Tags:colonization, achebe, things fall apart

Abstract
This paper takes a look at Auel's novel about the co-existence of two species of man and explains how the book illustrates a number of the differences in the two societies that made one species more adaptable and enduring, becoming modern man.

From the Paper
"In addition to this general premise by which all of the members of the clan must abide, the Cave Bear community is extensively spiritual. Conflicts within the spirit world routinely have consequences for the human world: "Illness and accidents were mysterious manifestations of the war of the spirits, fought on the battleground of the body." (Auel 19). So, disasters, deformities, and everything that is the result of providence is deemed to have some meaning derived from the spirit world. Accordingly, in the interest of not upsetting the spirits, Brun concedes to allow Iza to care for the child; inwardly judging that she will grow tired of such a burden. This is the primary conflict that the child, Ayla, presents to the Clan: she is decidedly not one of them, but numerous signs indicate that she is of spiritual importance-specifically what this importance might be is considerably hidden to them. The sympathy Iza initially holds for Ayla is not altogether explained; she herself fails to understand it. Auel writes, "Iza didn't know why she felt such concern for a child so different from the clan, but she wanted her to live." (Auel 19). Some common motherly bond drew Iza to Ayla's side, and the Neanderthals essentially attributed this to her connection with the spirits-which are often irrational."

Tags:girl, adopted, cave-dwelling, females, subordinate, position, males, iza, brun, ayla, creb

Abstract
This paper first relates that, for thousands of years, although the Chinese Empire set a standard of civilization and innovation that few others cultures have matched, there has always been a struggle between the politics of Empire and the cultural aspects of its people. The paper then examines the language, literature, philosophy, law, religions, inventions, science and ancient political history of China to underscore the diversity of its cultures and clans. The paper concludes that Chinese culture survived despite the Empire and its various rulers, who recognized the average Chinese only as a human tool to be used for their own needs.

Table of Contents:
Introduction
The Interaction of Various Cultures In China
Literature and Literature/Philosophy
The Law
Religion- Emperors as Divinities
Philosophers versus the Court
Daoist Alternatives
Anarchists
Qin, The 'Anti-Historian
The Failure of Reformers
The Tiers of Society
So Many Diverse Cultures and Clans in China
Inventions and Science
Is There an Antagonistic Position of Culture vs. Empire?

From the Paper
"Considered by many China historians, the name Mencius is second only to Confucius. He did something no philosopher in China had emphasized. He preferred a state of monarchy to the thought of democracy, or "power to the people." Of course, the culture of China in those days was one of reverence by the peasants to the nobility, and the payment of gifts by the nobility to the Emperor to remain nobility. More over, Mencius and his followers infuriated the Emperor because they were avowed pacifists."

Tags:feudalism language women confucius, civil service

Abstract
The paper discusses the tribal culture in pre-Islamic Arabia and how Muhammad used prophetic authority to gain control of Arabia from the clans and tribes in the area.

From the Paper
"Albert Hourani commented that by the early seventh century, there existed a combination of a settled world in Arabia which had lost something of its strength and assurance, and another world on its frontiers which was in closer contact with its northern neighbors and opening itself to their cultures. The decisive meeting between these groups took place in the middle years of that century when a Meccan merchant known as Muhammad of the Quraysh tribe began revealing the..."

Tags:Islam, Muhammad, prophetic authority

Abstract
The paper states that Iraq has experienced powerful historic religious differences that have divided the country and that these patterns of social conflict will likely continue well into the foreseeable future. In order to gain a better understanding of the problem, the paper provides a review of the relevant scholarly literature concerning modern Iraq's history of social conflict, of power struggles between rival clans, of hostility and wars with neighboring states and also Iraq's deteriorating relations with the West. The paper analyzes the course of modern Iraq's development and how this led to its distinctive politics. The paper follows with a summary of the research and salient findings.

Outline:
Introduction
Review and Discussion
Conclusion

From the Paper
"Modern social organization and therefore social conflict therefore find their collective historic basis in Iraq. According to Roux (1993), people first manifested the high degree of cooperative human effort necessary to make urban life possible in the early Sumerian cities of Eridu and Urak. Likewise, Gabriel and Metz report that these two cities "reflected the evidence of this cooperation in the dikes, walls, irrigation canals, and temples, especially the giant ziggurates, which date from the fourth millennium" (p. 4). Likewise, an efficient agricultural system made it possible to free large numbers of people from the land, and the cities of ancient Sumer produced social structures comprised largely of freemen who met in concert to govern themselves. Early Sumerian cities were characterized by a high degree of social and economic diversity, which gave rise to artisans, merchants, priests, bureaucrats, road and temple architects, and professional soldiers (Gabriel & Metz, 1991). Much like the increasingly multicultural society in the United States today, ancient Sumerian civilization was also comprised of a polyglot of ethnic people; however, all fourteen of the major city-states of the region shared essentially the same culture. "

Tags:political, affiliation, sophisticated, armies

Abstract
The paper states that the Samurai were an aristocratic warrior class that emerged in Japan during the 12th-century wars between the Taira and Minamoto clans which were consolidated during the Tokugawa period. The paper notes that the impact of this warrior class on Japanese culture and society has been profound, and in some ways, it has even influenced the outcome of world history in the 20th century. This paper provides a review of the relevant literature to determine who the samurai were, and what influence they had on Japanese culture over the centuries. A summary of the research and salient findings are presented in the conclusion.

Outline;
Introduction
Review and Discussion

From the Paper
"The samurai also influenced the very nature of Japanese society itself prior to national unification in ways that would persist to the present day. In this regard, Thomas reports that, "During the unsettled era before national unification, the arts created liminal arenas, or mu'en, where contacts made across class boundaries hinted at the possibility of a more equal society. Indeed, these medieval horizontal alliances would have had the potential to generate a more democratic tradition of self-government in Japan had their autonomy not been swept away at the end of the sixteenth century with the consolidation of the samurai class" (Thomas 491). In fact, the modern Japanese state can be said to have been the result of the spirit of nationalism that the samurai managed to engender in the Japanese people."

Tags:engendered, pundits, military, dictators, feudalistic, values

Abstract
This paper examines two texts which were written more than one hundred years apart, both detailing samurai wars but written at two disparate points in samurai history. The paper also assesses the changes in the way in which samurai exploits were portrayed, and in particular, attempts to chart the progression of the concept of loyalty within the samurai realm over the course of its early history. The first text examined is "Shomonki: The Story of Masakado's Rebellion", written in 1099, when the samurai was a relatively new figure in society. The second text "The Tale of the Heike", also known as "Heike Monogatari", was written in 1221, when samurai involvement in government had increased, wars between clans had escalated, and samurai culture had become a distinctive and ubiquitous feature of greater Japanese culture.

From the Paper
"Shomonki was written during the Heian period, by someone who was probably a first-hand observer (Rabinovitch, 44-45), and it is instructive in detailing the types of disputes which did, in the end, lead to the rise of the Samurai and also to the fall of the Heian court. Tales of the Heike, on the other hand, was written during the Kamakura period, when the samurai had become such a force in society that the traditional aristocracy of the court had been replaced by a new warrior aristocracy--with warring samurai clans fighting for and seeking control. In particular, Tales of the Heike, chronicles the Genpei war, between the Heike (or Taira) and Minamoto (or Genji) clans. It tells the tale from the perspective of both sides and, interestingly, focuses not only on battles, military strategy and the lives of warriors, but also on lesser players, such as women and servants, and their stories and plights throughout. The samurai, of course, gained government power in the twelfth century and it seems that around the tie that The Tales of the Heike were written, the samurai ethics, including that of loyalty, had changed to such an extent that it become an expectation of all people--a cultural value, rather than a warrior code."

Tags:change, loyalty, power, rebellion, history, government

Abstract
This paper examines culture, society, and gender roles in Chinua Achebe's novel about survival of native clans in pre-colonial societies along the Niger River in "Things Fall Apart". The author discusses how Igbo tribal members dealt with gender restrictions.

From the Paper
"Achebe's use of the motif "agbala" in Things Fall Apart showed the importance of clear and distinct gender roles to the survival of the Igbo. In spite of Okonkwo's profound fear of being seen as weak or womanly, most men in the male dominated society still accorded respect toward women. The roles were re-enforced among the Igbo through conscious identification with one's own gender, by the religious structure and the social mores. The language, specifically the terms and phrases they used which were reflected in the narration, effectively integrated gender, religion and social mores to help the Igbo survive as a people."

Tags:achebe, chinua, igbo, okonkwo, women, gender, violence, respect, tribe, niger, obierka, wife, agbala