Why It Is Important To Understand Diversity

Why is anthro important?
Important to understand the diversity
Important to be tolerant
Important to be able to apply our knowledge
Anthropological perspective
What makes anthro unique
Comparative: views humans across time and space (comparative method) Has many sub areas; past present or future anthropologist spend many years studying in different countries how people act allows others to compare ex, students researching product of ethnographic (generalizations based on comparative material) based on participant observation ex, Jane Goodall
“unfamiliar” becoming familiar with what is not ( must have a good understanding of society and culture) diversity of human possibilities or lifeway’s ex, marriage, working, dressing
Not culture bound: one should not use ones cultural lenses to study others
(don’t not look at the world from only one perspective) don’t just pass judgments

Holistic
Cultures to be studied in the broadcast possible way, interconnections between parts
Have to understand heir practices to understand fully
Throwing your net as far as possible and see what comes your way ex, fishing
Assumes that mind and body, person and society, humans and their environment interpenetrate and define one another (co-evolution)
Everything in the environment is interconnected
Evolutionary:
Includes the view if co-evolution ( co-determination) relationship between biological symbolic and cultural processes, produces change over time
Ex, technology we can not ever have to call someone
Ex, finding partners on the internet ( values change from then and now)
Enables by “fieldwork method” - of specific settings or comparative work
Allows you to have a better understanding of the issues you are studying
Allows us to have a unique perspective
What is anthropology?
The study of humankind in all times (temporal) and places (spatial)
Past and contemporary society’s
Portrayal of endless cultural variations humans are capable of manifesting
Helps us understand what it is to be human
How are we diff from animals and plants
Explains the broadest possible way what it means to be
human
Ex, many things others eating its universal but how we do it is very cultural
Ex, using chopsticks
Science of culture seen from outside (Levi Strauss)
You may not understand the everything about every culture not even your own
All viewed from outside
Keep one foot in and one foot out ( do not get to invested in the culture)
Study of the differences and similarities human cultural experiences
Because humans are so different it can lead to unexpected consequences
Ex, racism, discrimination against culture, judgmental of traditions
Very important to know that everyone is different
Emphasizing people so much can have negative impacts
Naïve Realism: everyone assumes that everyone sees the world in the same way
Leading to ethnocentrism: belief that your way is superior then other ways
Anthropologists argue that we are all part of the human race
The Human condition** in text book Figure 1.2 ***

Five fields of anthro in book Figre 1.4

Subfields of general anthropology***
Applied – people hire you
Sociocultural : focus on cotemporary societies
Ethnography: written product of field research
Ethnology: comparative study of cultures
Ethno history: study of cultures using written documents
Biological: study of humans as living organisms
Paleoanthropology: study of human biological evolution
Primatology: biological and social nature of our primate ancestors
Forensic: study of skeletal remains for legal purposes (applied)
Archaeology: study of material remains and material aspects of past cultures ex garbage or household utensils, what we consume
Pre historic archaeology: ancient cultures without written records
Historic archeology;: with written records
Linguistics : study of language its evolutional ad transmission (verbal and non verbal) ** very important
Applied: the application of anthropological knowledge to real like situations
Solving human problems
Forensic anthropology
Interventions require understandings of culture

Colonialism colonialism did not have the same impacts on each group colonialism is dead there is now neo-colonialism (independent)
Roots of Canadian anthropology
Three influences
National museum of Canada (Edward Sapir, Marius Barbeu) = big development to give people knowledge
Ex, clothing, different artifacts ones culture used
Anthropologists are very specific of museum displays
How its displayed reflects the culture
They pulled it out of culture so they want to represented properly
Academic departments
Influences in native Americans
Applied work
Advocacy for first nations
Their rights and government
Anthropologists work to support natives ex, land claims
Early anthropologists
Sir Daniel Wilson, A.G Bailey (French Indian contact)

Three major schools of thought
Canadian anthro influenced by
British – evolutionists
(E.B Tyler); structural functionalists sir Evans Pritchard, Radcliffe brown; functionalists
–Bronislow Malinowski ( father of field work)
French- Struturalists – Levi Strauss
American- cultural studies – Margret mead, Franc boas, Ruth benedict
Boas: we don’t just act by biological instinct what explains human beings is culture, our behaviors are determined by our culture
Mead: studied sex roles in different in all parts of the world

Classifying Forms of Human society and explaining diversity evolution
19th century evolutionary typologies- classifications of societies based on sheared features questions: why are non Europeans different? Did the technological and social patterns of western societies always exist the same way in the past?
Unilineal cultural evolution (stages which societies evolve)
Examples, three age system, stone, bronze and iron
Ethical stages: savagery, barbarianism, civilization (Morgan)
Criticism: racial, prejudicial ,conjectural ,generalized models
The British Emphasis
British anthro
Related to colonial enterprise
Focus on enduring aspects of social forms in society( kinship and political systems)
They wanted to know how it all worked
As well as institutions, customs, practices and the roles and functions in society
Ex, roles of a man or marriage
From of bride wealth in decent and affinity ( Pitchard and fortes)

Classifications of political structures (in text) figure 3.9

Social structural
Social institutions and customs function to satisfy psychological and social needs of
Non evolutionary classification of human social forms
What are the structures of society and how do they function to reproduce society
E.g., the Kula; long distance expedition for trade among the Trobriand Islanders and how does it relate to other institutions of that society
Attempting to do with typologies: culture area studies in north American
North American attempt to do away with typologies e.g. evolution
Franz Boas and historical Particularism
Diffusion and syncretism – patterns of cultural borrowing, history, produced cultural forms
Ex, cheerleading
Culture area: a geographical region in which cultural traditions share similar culture traits
Post colonial realities
The emergence of ‘native’ or ‘non-western’ anthropologists
The independence of formerly colonized countries
The voices of indigenous peoples and others – resistance demand for self governance and land claims
Global village; globalization, global melting pot, mosaic, transnationalism, multiculturalism ( everyone comes together)
Neo-Colonialism and the unequal relationship between the developed and developing societies’ (capitalism, MNC need for cheap labour etc.) Ex, Import and export on food inequalities
Resolving social problems: poverty, ethnic conflicts, youth issues , human rights, environmental issues etc.

Studying Culture
Even if you study your own culture you might not know everything about it
Good for someone to study a culture outside of their own starting fresh
Studying your own culture you see everything in a new light
Early pioneers of anthropology **
Margret mead – impact of culture on individual behavior … anthropologist Freeman came in a challenged all her work
Meloniski – he hated people he studied (from his diaries that were published)
People and Places
Quarters of the workers: (where they live) called the ‘lines’
Modern Ethnographies
Anthropologists: study corporations, video games, gangsters, tourism, legal etc.… (many areas)
More and more anthropologists are studying courts
Also being hired as expert witnesses
Anthropologists studied themselves (how one writes about other cultures)
Ethnographic field work
An extended period of close involvement with the people studied
Takes about three months to actually get people to talk to you
A typical anthropological experience method but also personal and unique
You can not compare and make generalizations because every situation and person is unique
You can share generalizations but can not compare
Ethnographic serendipity (unexpected and exciting discoveries) ****
Discovery about ‘self’ and ‘others’ through ‘reflexive’ interchanges
Through these interactions you think why you chose this topic, what interests you about it
Ethnography: “empirical and descriptive result of field work” (Malinowski,1966:9)
Fieldwork is a rite of passage From immature students to professional anthropologists(Ph.D.) in order to get your phd you need to do field work marked by separation from a familiar place and transition to an unfamiliar place, reincorporation(back home), member of the club learns from informants – “subjects” of study are: teachers, key informants, gatekeepers you cannot talk to everyone ex, for marriage the older people are most knowledgeable they have the time to talk, willing to talk and have an abundance of information participant observation: does not mean you can participate in everything (ex, prostitution) shift from subjects to collaborators sometimes if you know what something is to find out more you have to pretend you don’t know
Participant observation
Going native: immersion into community
Becoming immersed in the culture
They know you’re an outsider
Theres only so far you can go to identify with community
Can never actually become fully apart of the culture
Looking from the insiders point of view
Studying culture from the inside
Face to face interactions
Involvement in other lifeway’s
Suspend judgment , pre-conceived notions about others
Tone down the judgment
Not armchair anthropology(James Frazer- Golden Bough)
Not the Verandah approach ( from distance); you go to the informants not the reverse
Translating data into anthropological terms/language-ect
Ex, facial expressions and someone’s actions towards others, finding ways to get info when people are reluctant to talk about it
Observing body language and facial expressions
Value of Ethnographic fieldwork
Correct false assumptions about others cultures
Increase understanding/ decrease misunderstanding
Avoid culture bound thinking, ethnocentrism
Avoid naïve realism ( everyone perceives the world in the same way)
Enables self-reflection of own culture
Critical thinking, producing knowledge

NON verbal communication Proxemics: the distances between people okay depending on relationship and beliefs find out other form of special boundary**

territorial markers; fixed feature space: layout of villages, houses and cities semi-fixed space: flexible organization of space for function purposes –mood. Desire some please people are not aloud in areas has to do with age, gender, race or rank
Interpersonal space: intimate (lovers) personal (friends and family), social situations , public
Very small bubble
Special bubble** spatial zones (bubbles) define the nature and quality of relationships and emotions

Body Art
Visual language
Body painting, tattooing, makeup ,hair style ,jewelry, body shaping, scarification ,body shaping
What do they convey?
Beauty
Status
Class
Group identity
Religious beliefs
Resistance (piercings)
Group
Solidarity

Technology
Used by different groups of people
Work has not invaded private life but private has invaded the work
“typing” to speaking preferred text is the most common and popular form of communication speech environments (IM, Language, professional) uses, groups ,purposes webcams and texting are most popular among immigrants
E-mail, IM, Text messaging are discreet and allow contact to be continuous
Mobile phones users spend 80% of time communication with just 4 people
Mobile phones for last minute planning and communication
Fixed line; shared organizational tool, made in public
Texting is for private and intimate emotions, efficient
IM: Continuous communication while multi-tasking

Ethnolinguistics
Study of language in social and cultural settings
Ethnic statues, socioeconomic variables influence languages
Gender- conversational styles of mean and women, teenage speech
Women talk to employees at eye level , men talk to their employees looking down (harsh)
Boundary markers (speech communities, if you are part of the group then you speak like that, creates a language group and identity)
Source of identity, separation, empowerment and disempowerment
Ethnopragmatics: languages use in contexts of social interaction, code switching, juicing
Features of language
Language is shared (linguistic communities)
Sub communities exists
Sociolinguistics: the study if structure and use of langue in social settings
Dialects peculiar to particular settings
* look in text properties or design features of languages (Charles Hockett)
Arbitrariness/conventionality : defines by convention, no necessary connection between word (symbol and meaning)
Discrete and re-combinable elements
Use of sounds and words in different ways and communicate a Varity of experiences
Productivity: use of sounds to produce and communicate infinite messages
Displacement- ability to speak about events in their absence
Semanticity: meaningful symbols
Prevarication: statements that violate convention, nonsensical

Test Outline
Focusing of social aspects of language
Multiple choice and true and false
50 questions