Why is the human body an important object of anthropological study?
Social Anthropology 1Ah Essay 1 Title 3: Why is the human body an important object of anthropological study? For the purpose of this essay, I have decided to start with a quotation from Thomas Hylland Eriksen, in Small Places, Large Issues (2001): "[...] anthropology is about how different people can be, but it also tries to find out in what sense it can be said that all humans have something in common". This seems relevant to the title question, as cross-culturally the body's existence is acknowledged; however, there is a difference in the ways in which distinct societies use and perceive their bodies, the ways in which they interpret its function and meaning, as well as the way they define the very concept of a 'person', of being human. The study of the body is important for anthropology, as its role is to examine these differences, and to determine how they have an effect on the way in which this society functions and how they influence people's beliefs and traditions. Some research, like that of Marcel Mauss, suggests that the differences in people's habits and bodily 'actions' are in fact culturally and/or socially constructed. This introduces the question of whether it is the body and people's perception of it that has an influence on beliefs and rituals, or if it is the society and its traditions that affect the ways in which people use their bodies. From the
The people known to us as the Celts, first appeared in Greek texts, around the period of 500 BC.
The people known to us as the Celts, first appeared in Greek texts, around the period of 500 BC. Occupying a position of great strength in many areas of Europe, they were thought of as related, and were frequently written of as warriors, savages, and often in war. Often known as 'Galatians', or 'Gauls', they were feared and became thought of as barbarians, a world apart from Greek and Roman civilisation. However, archaeology has given us evidence, that they were not, infact, simply a race of warriors, but a civilised group of people, with a varied and vibrant culture. In this essay I will be discussing the ethnic identity that has been assigned to the ancient Celts, and express my opinions on some of the various factors that contribute to this. Two factors that I shall focus on are material culture, and language. Through these factors I hope to show more about the identity of this incredibly large group of people we associate under the title 'Celts' and why they have come to be thought of like this. By not leaving any texts behind, the "non-literate ancient Celts"1 left us with only biased opinions from the Greeks and Romans as to their culture and ways of life. Without the intervention of archaeology, we would still view them as a collective group of uncivilised warriors. Archaeology, has however, revealed to us a completely different picture, one of a society with an
Japanese Skinheads: The Meaning of a Subculture.
Japanese Skinheads: The Meaning of a Subculture by Dan Freire Society gives birth to culture, and culture gives birth to subcultures. '"Mass Culture" indicates culture as commodified and administered, pretargeted and produced for large numbers of consumers: the masses. "Popular culture" must be carefully distinguished from the culture industry's productions, if the popular is to retain any critical force or resistant grass-roots connection to the "people."'[3] The primal force behind many subcultures is the ability to not belong to mass culture, thus creating a sense of belonging, as one is part of something unique and particular. There is a resistance to mass culture within the skinhead subculture. Marginality has a power to create change. As long as these symbols are to be redefined and recreated by the subculture and not mass culture, the subculture will always exist. Although some subcultures are often the creative expression of cultural difference by marginal groups, the skinhead subculture is something completely unique, as many who find themselves immersed at age fifteen still have somewhat similar ideals at age thirty. Youth of the world find themselves immerged in many cultures, as an attempt to rebel. Plenitude is a strange and powerful virus. The contemporary Japanese skinhead subculture is a perfect example to the rest of the world's subcultures, fostering
Examining Western biomedicine and Shamanism.
Anth 202: (Fall 2003) Mid-Term Exam Essay Liza Jane McWilliams 10222282 Arts U1 Psychology Part A Long Essay: When examining Western biomedicine and Shamanism in a critical context, the statement that comes to mind is -"I will believe that when I see it". Throughout Western biomedicine there is a strong desire to have an answer for everything. Incidents, which cannot be explained logically or scientifically, create a sense of fear or skepticism within those of Western medical belief. Therefore when examining Black Elk a Western reader is introduced to a method of healing which relies on the workings of spirits and supreme beings, both which are intangible and unexplained. Thus provoking feelings of disbelief and comments such as the one mentioned above. Though both Western biomedicine and Shamanism posses the same objective, which is to provide healing to those in need, the basis from which their methods originate and the systems and regulations which they follow differ greatly. In order to demonstrate the similarities and differences certain aspects of the Black Elk text and Western biomedicine will be discussed in the following ways. Firstly, the way in which Western people and the Lakota view the world will be looked at and how Lyon addresses the issue in Black Elk. Secondly, this paper will examine what influences the two types of practices, and how they believe
Evaluate the claim that ideas of Welsh identity are directly related to the Welsh language.
Evaluate the claim that ideas of Welsh identity are directly related to the Welsh language. "Welshness - a strength of spirit and character which despite centuries of English neglect and attempted assimilation remains defiant." This quote is taken from the Lonely Planet Guide, 1997 and it helps to explain the perception of an identity of the Welsh. For centuries the character of a Welsh nation has survived despite historical conflicts and it is this history of resistance and survival which has helped to produce the public perception of a Welsh people. This essay will aim to discuss the major dimensions which figure in these nationalistic ideologies, the main objective being to discuss to what extent the Welsh language is a contributing factor. The nation is increasingly seen as being an 'imagined community´ and Anderson (1991) states that cultural and political networks bond its members. In the case of Welsh identity, the environment exhibited a territorial sense in its defence of 'national space´ but it was this nationalist understanding of territory which led to an ideology of nation-building, incorporating both symbolic and material acts. (Gruffudd: 1995) Therefore, the development of a Welsh identity can be attributed to many factors of geographical, cultural and historical significance. Gwyn A.Williams (1985) suggests that for a century and a half the people of
Song of Solomon is a novel of hope while Wide Sargasso Sea is a novel of despair. Discuss this assertion with particular comparison to the representation of culture and society.
Song of Solomon is a novel of hope while Wide Sargasso Sea is a novel of despair. Discuss this assertion with particular comparison to the representation of culture and society. The quest for self identity is extremely important in defining whether Song of Solomon should be considered as a novel of 'hope' whilst Wide Sargasso Sea is epitomised as a novel of 'despair'. Both Rhys and Morrison recognize self identity being vital for the protagonists to fully realise their roles and live a more contented life. In fact Song of Solomon is considered a novel of 'hope', primarily because the protagonist Milkman is given the opportunity to explore the history of his ancestors, allowing him to achieve a greater understanding of himself and his past. His understanding secures his own identity and liberates himself from the materialistic values of his father. Furthermore the values and traditions of the black culture are essentially embraced by the end of the novel. This signifies hope, because it metaphorically emphasises that there can be hope for any individual. In contrast the protagonist of Wide Sargasso Sea, Antoinette, is constantly searching for her identity but is much more restricted. As a white Creole woman is post emancipation West Indian society, Antoinette can not move between the black and white cultures without being scorned by both communities and so is constantly the
Brief history of Vietnamese Culture.
Brief history of Vietnamese Culture Vietnam has got a fairly large cultural community that was formed around the first half of the first millennium before Christ and flourished in the middle of this millennium. That was Dong Son cultural community. This culture attained a degree of development higher than that of others at that time in the region and had its own characteristics but still bore the features of Southeast Asian culture because of the common South Asian racial root (Southern Mongoloid) and the water rice culture. Different development routes of local cultures in various areas (in the deltas of Hong (Red) river, Ma (Horse) river, Ca river and so on...) joined together to form Dong Son culture. This was also the period of the very "embryonic" state of Vietnam in the form of inter- and super-village community, which come into being and existed in order to resist invaders and to build and maintain dykes for rice cultivation. From this pattern of "embryo" state, primitive tribes grew into nations. The period of Van Lang-Au Lac culture (lasting for nearly 3,000 years up to the end of the first millennium before Christ) in the early Bronze Age with 18 Hung kings was regarded as the first apogee in the history of the Vietnamese culture, which was typified by the Dong Son bronze drum and stable technique of cultivating water rice. The post-Chinese domination period was
To what extent did the "Cwl Cymru" phenomenon change perceptions of contemporary Welsh culture? How profound have these changes been?
98029940 MSC3S02 - Media and Culture in Wales Dr D. Barlow + Dr J. Blackwood Hand in Date - 21/03/03 Culture Essay 5 - To what extent did the "Cwl Cymru" phenomenon change perceptions of contemporary Welsh culture? How profound have these changes been? To what extent did the "Cwl Cymru" phenomenon change perceptions of contemporary Welsh culture? How profound have these changes been? I shall look at this question with respect to how it totally changed global views of Wales. I start by looking at Wales and what was to define it before the advent of Cool Cymru. This will serve to fully define the hugely different perception and state of welsh culture before and after Cool Cymru came into being, and also the events that led up to its occurrence. I will then look at Cool Cymru itself and show precisely what it did as a phenomenon to create an entirely new image for Wales. Prior to the Cwl Cymru phenomenon there was a very different perception of Wales and it's culture, both globally and internally. The most recent perception of Wales has built up over many hundreds of years. There are many different influencing factors in the construction of a welsh identity, I will now discus the most enduring ones. The nineteenth century was very important in the development of Wales. It was then that saw great industrialisation of places such as Merthyr Tydfil and Swansea, and
Relationships are necessary for all humans to define and comprehend each other and the world around them. Discuss this quote with reference to the set text (Maestro) and two other texts of your choice.
Relationships Essay Question: Relationships are necessary for all humans to define and comprehend each other and the world around them. Discuss this quote with reference to the set text (Maestro) and two other texts of your choice. Relationships are necessary for human beings to understand each other as well as themselves as individuals. This view is clearly supported in the novel Maestro by Peter Goldsworthy, where Paul Crabbe learns about others, himself and life through his relationship with Keller, the band, Megan and Rosie. The film Sliding Doors (1998) and the novel Family Tree by Katherine Ayres also demonstrate the way relationships are essential if individuals are to grow and develop. In the novel Maestro, the relationship between Paul and Keller is vital for both of them. Paul and Keller rely on each other as they each undertake a journey to try to define themselves and the world around them. Paul's music lessons with Keller teach him to be more perceptive and sensitive as well as being less self-absorbed. Early in the novel, Paul is depicted as an arrogant, self-centered adolescent who is insulted by Keller's refusal to let him play and he runs home 'vowing never to return'. This contrasts with the adult Paul's reflections of 'I find it hard to understand how much I came to love the man, to depend on him'. (P13) The contrast in the voice of the young
Children and warfare, are their rights being violated?
Cultural Anthropology CHILDREN AND WARFARE, ARE THEIR RIGHTS BEING VIOLATED? "My parents refused to give me to the LTTE so about fifteen of them came to my house-it was both men and women, in uniforms, with rifles, and guns in holsters.... I was fast asleep when they came to get me at one in the morning.... These people dragged me out of the house. My father shouted at them, saying, "What is going on?", but some of the LTTE soldiers took my father away towards the woods and beat him.... They also pushed my mother onto the ground when she tried to stop them." -girl recruited by the LTTE in 2003 at age sixteen I have read two books written by anthropologists about African, Asian and European, Middle Eastern countries that use children as part of the military at a young age. Children at War by P.W. Singer that describes child soldiers where they are sent off to fight in war-torn hotspots from Colombia and the Sudan to Kashmir and Sierra Leone. P.W. Singer explores the evolution of this phenomenon, how and why children are recruited, indoctrinated, trained, and converted to soldiers and then lays out the consequences for global security. Enemy Lines Warfare, Childhood, and Play in Batticaloa by Margaret Trawick. Margaret Trawick lived and worked in Batticaloa in eastern Sri Lanka, where thousands of youths have been recruited into the Sri Lankan armed resistance