The Anthropological Perspective on the Human Condition
The Anthropological Perspective on the Human Condition Teaching Instructors/Assistants: Devon, [email protected] Jacob, [email protected] Any question about the content post it in the discussions section under the anthropology heading of MyLS * Office moved to Woods 4-103C * The 1st exam is on the chapters from week one to five plus the first three chapters if Pierre Clastres’ book *In my learning space there is already readings for each week; at the end of each week the PowerPoint presentation of the basic points that are viewed in class are posted on my learning space* The Greek etymology: Anthropo – human being; logy - science Despite anthropology being born in the nineteenth century, we still use Greek etymology. Anthropology is very wide and broad as a study as it encompasses all aspects of human nature and existence . Anthro is not a Western focused study, we study humanity in its diversity to examine all the diversity of human life and characteristics around the world. Anthropology studies what it means to be human in two ways: Diachronically: over time Synchronically: Across space, same time but different places The four subfields of anthropology are: Archeology: Study the human past through the analysis of material remains; work in the ruins to visualize/reconstruct the civilization/community to provide a better knowledge of the way of life of this old society.
Biological Anthropology : the study of the biological evolution of humanity; are interested in knowing how the process of evolution occurred and the causes of such; there are different subfields of biological anthropologists: Primatology: the study of primates who are the closet living relative of human beings. Compare the differences between humans and primates such as our ability to verbalize our language. Paleoanthropology: The study of fossilized bones of our early ancestors. They dig not for animals or fossils but for our ancestral civilizations to examine the bones and teeth to discover age, sex, life span, cause of death, etc. Common practices of paleoanthropologists in the field of forensic science. Linguistic Anthropology: The study of the relationship between language and culture; they specialize more in the language aspect of this field. Sociocultural Anthropology: We are studying this form of anthropology: “It focuses on learned behaviors and ideas that human beings acquire as members of society” (Textbook, p 10). Methodology of sociocultural anthropology, understanding other cultures: Field work: an extended period of close involvement with the peoples in whose way of life anthropologists are interested and during which they collect most of their data. Participant Observation: “The method anthropologists use to gather information by living as closely as possible to the people whose culture they are studying while participating in their lives as much as possible” (Textbook, p. 11). A unique methodology. The differences between anthropology and sociology: Comparative Approach: Anthropology compares different cultural settings (not western focused). Methodology: Through fieldwork and participant observation, anthropologists get immersed in a specific group of peoples’ everyday life and try to understand their point of view from the inside. Holist approach:
Global approach: The idea that all aspects of culture are interrelated: religion, politics, economics, art, etc., cannot be studied without reference to each other and to the culture as a whole. Ethnography: A form of anthropological writing that describes the main social practices and ides of a specific group of people (example: Chronique des Indiens Guayaki par Pierre Clastres) Ethnology The comparative study of different cultures. It is a synonym of sociocultural anthropology.
The Anthropological Perspective on the Human Condition Culture British Anthropologist Edward Tylor (1832-1917); classic definition of culture: Culture is “that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, customs, and any other capabilities and habits acquired (…) as a member of society”. Our morals, customs, beliefs, knowledge, art, belief, law are learned in childhood Enculturation The process by which we learn a culture and we acquire the values and behaviors proper to that culture Socialization: how to learn, how to be part of the group. We learn these is our infancy and childhood; as a child it is the only thing we know/ As an adult, our ability to adapt to our society becomes harder and less likely as we are always comparing it to our culture. As anthropologists, we try to get enculturated in a culture Cultural Determinism is the idea that culture will completely shape you. As anthropologists we believe that it is a contributing factor, not a defining factor; we have individuality within our essence Ethnocentrism It is the act of judging other peoples’ cultures from one’s own cultural standards. Anthropology is all about Resisting the Ethnocentric impulse: By recalling “that if what we observe appears to be odd or irrational, it is probably because we do not understand it and not because it is a product of a “savage” culture in which such nonsense is to be expected” (Greenwood and Stini, 1977. Textbook, p. 34). Another idea or society is not the correct one; easy to criticize other societies and behaviors
The Anthropological Perspective on the Human Condition Cultural Relativism “Cultural relativism involves understanding another culture in its own terms sympathetically enough so that the culture appears to be a coherent and meaningful design for living” (Textbook, p.19) Instead of judging, attempting to understand their ways of living and accept them without prejudice or judgment or stereotypes. When you are aware that there are different social codes, then we are able to avoid a misunderstanding.
The Anthropological Perspective on the Human Condition By studying other cultures we become aware of our own
Film: Cannibal Tours – A European Tourist who goes to another society with preconceived notions of what they will view How do you explain the title of the film? “Cannibal Tours” the first thing we see in the film is all of the stereotypes that the tourists have about the individuals who live in the culture without looking at how they live today. The cannibal tours is a metaphor, the tourists are coming in and they are changing the ways of life of the indigenous people. They are completely disrupting their traditions and life style. Pay attention to examples of ethnocentrism The tourists are calling them primitive, saying that they are not really living, that their lifestyle is sad since they are not having to worry about the next day, that they are being vegetables. The tourists are buying their art and putting it on display to show everyone that they have seen the culture yet they have no experienced it. While there they lived in luxury and complained about how simple the life style of these indigenous people are disregarding their ways of life, their culture, their concerns and issues. Tourist/Indigenous point of view: How do they differ? The indigenous people are very open and accepting of the culture and ways of the tourists; however, the tourists are not respectful or thoughtful towards their culture – they look at it like a spectacle not valid way of living. Who is the principal group of people observed by the camera? The tourist or the indigenous people? From the beginning the camera is focused on the tourists exposing how they are not immersing themselves in the culture and simply seem to be fascinated with the . The tourists are being ignorant of the richness of the culture. Camera is showing them to be lavish, ignorant, greedy individuals. It is exposing the faults within our culture and their blatant disregard for the richness and wealth of knowledge they have in front of them.
Biological Anthropology : the study of the biological evolution of humanity; are interested in knowing how the process of evolution occurred and the causes of such; there are different subfields of biological anthropologists: Primatology: the study of primates who are the closet living relative of human beings. Compare the differences between humans and primates such as our ability to verbalize our language. Paleoanthropology: The study of fossilized bones of our early ancestors. They dig not for animals or fossils but for our ancestral civilizations to examine the bones and teeth to discover age, sex, life span, cause of death, etc. Common practices of paleoanthropologists in the field of forensic science. Linguistic Anthropology: The study of the relationship between language and culture; they specialize more in the language aspect of this field. Sociocultural Anthropology: We are studying this form of anthropology: “It focuses on learned behaviors and ideas that human beings acquire as members of society” (Textbook, p 10). Methodology of sociocultural anthropology, understanding other cultures: Field work: an extended period of close involvement with the peoples in whose way of life anthropologists are interested and during which they collect most of their data. Participant Observation: “The method anthropologists use to gather information by living as closely as possible to the people whose culture they are studying while participating in their lives as much as possible” (Textbook, p. 11). A unique methodology. The differences between anthropology and sociology: Comparative Approach: Anthropology compares different cultural settings (not western focused). Methodology: Through fieldwork and participant observation, anthropologists get immersed in a specific group of peoples’ everyday life and try to understand their point of view from the inside. Holist approach:
Global approach: The idea that all aspects of culture are interrelated: religion, politics, economics, art, etc., cannot be studied without reference to each other and to the culture as a whole. Ethnography: A form of anthropological writing that describes the main social practices and ides of a specific group of people (example: Chronique des Indiens Guayaki par Pierre Clastres) Ethnology The comparative study of different cultures. It is a synonym of sociocultural anthropology.
The Anthropological Perspective on the Human Condition Culture British Anthropologist Edward Tylor (1832-1917); classic definition of culture: Culture is “that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, customs, and any other capabilities and habits acquired (…) as a member of society”. Our morals, customs, beliefs, knowledge, art, belief, law are learned in childhood Enculturation The process by which we learn a culture and we acquire the values and behaviors proper to that culture Socialization: how to learn, how to be part of the group. We learn these is our infancy and childhood; as a child it is the only thing we know/ As an adult, our ability to adapt to our society becomes harder and less likely as we are always comparing it to our culture. As anthropologists, we try to get enculturated in a culture Cultural Determinism is the idea that culture will completely shape you. As anthropologists we believe that it is a contributing factor, not a defining factor; we have individuality within our essence Ethnocentrism It is the act of judging other peoples’ cultures from one’s own cultural standards. Anthropology is all about Resisting the Ethnocentric impulse: By recalling “that if what we observe appears to be odd or irrational, it is probably because we do not understand it and not because it is a product of a “savage” culture in which such nonsense is to be expected” (Greenwood and Stini, 1977. Textbook, p. 34). Another idea or society is not the correct one; easy to criticize other societies and behaviors
The Anthropological Perspective on the Human Condition Cultural Relativism “Cultural relativism involves understanding another culture in its own terms sympathetically enough so that the culture appears to be a coherent and meaningful design for living” (Textbook, p.19) Instead of judging, attempting to understand their ways of living and accept them without prejudice or judgment or stereotypes. When you are aware that there are different social codes, then we are able to avoid a misunderstanding.
The Anthropological Perspective on the Human Condition By studying other cultures we become aware of our own
Film: Cannibal Tours – A European Tourist who goes to another society with preconceived notions of what they will view How do you explain the title of the film? “Cannibal Tours” the first thing we see in the film is all of the stereotypes that the tourists have about the individuals who live in the culture without looking at how they live today. The cannibal tours is a metaphor, the tourists are coming in and they are changing the ways of life of the indigenous people. They are completely disrupting their traditions and life style. Pay attention to examples of ethnocentrism The tourists are calling them primitive, saying that they are not really living, that their lifestyle is sad since they are not having to worry about the next day, that they are being vegetables. The tourists are buying their art and putting it on display to show everyone that they have seen the culture yet they have no experienced it. While there they lived in luxury and complained about how simple the life style of these indigenous people are disregarding their ways of life, their culture, their concerns and issues. Tourist/Indigenous point of view: How do they differ? The indigenous people are very open and accepting of the culture and ways of the tourists; however, the tourists are not respectful or thoughtful towards their culture – they look at it like a spectacle not valid way of living. Who is the principal group of people observed by the camera? The tourist or the indigenous people? From the beginning the camera is focused on the tourists exposing how they are not immersing themselves in the culture and simply seem to be fascinated with the . The tourists are being ignorant of the richness of the culture. Camera is showing them to be lavish, ignorant, greedy individuals. It is exposing the faults within our culture and their blatant disregard for the richness and wealth of knowledge they have in front of them.
