Cultural Anthropology 2022

  Culture is made up of a number of symbolic systems, which allow us to find meaning in our experiences.   Language,   Race and gender of three of these systems which seem particularly important to understand right now. Language and Culture are intimately connected, but what is the nature of this relationship? no relationship language determines culture (Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis) Culture determines language Lang uage  and culture are part of a larger cognitive system (influence each other) The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis  states that language determines the way we think by setting up cognitive structures through which we interpret the world around us. This in turn patterns our thoughts and behaviors. Anthropologists analyze human language across time and space and always with a mind to its relationship to culture. They may also study primate communication for a window into early human language as well as a way to identify the unique features of human language.  The parts of  language  are: ph

  Aspects for Comparison: In order to understand the development of anthropology as a discipline and the notion of CULTURE in particular you should have know a  brief definition of each of the major theoretical schools  that we covered in class as well as the ability to compare and contrast the theories on the basis of the following criteria: definition of culture  (singular, plural, ideological, adaptive) methodology  (how are hypotheses created and data collected) synchronic vs diachronic  (temporal focus for analysis) empirical vs speculative  (scientific method) emic  (insider)  vs etic (outsider) (perspective) It is also important to understand that theories are  culture bound  and as such are inherently  biased  because they are  a product of the culture at the time in which they are created . They ask questions that are relevant to the cultures which create them according to their understanding of the nature of reality. being aware of this ethnocentric bias is important to under

 Resources to get to know Hatebase PRESENTATION 1)  https://hatebase.org/citizen_linguist 2)  https://hatebase.org/faqs 3)  https://hatebase.org/how_it_works 4)  https://hatebase.org/in_the_media 5)  https://hatebase.org/citations 6)  https://hatebase.org/vocabulary_updates 7)  https://github.com/hatebase/Hatebase-API-Docs 8) Blogs :  https://hatebase.org/news 9) Recordings  -  https://migsinstitute.podbean.com/e/mapping-online-hate-a-discussion-with-chris-tuckwood-the-sentinel-project/ -  https://www.gaamac.org/page/technology-and-hate-speech-friend-or-foe - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVwsJRrE3Xw -  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92pO2ebgaCA - https://j-b.filemail.com/d/ltxmewvzvdbdopn

  Anthropologists, Cultural Relativism, and Universal Rights By  Carolyn   Fluehr - Lobban Cultural relativism, long a key concept in anthropology, asserts that since each culture has its own values and practices, anthropologists should not make value judgments about cultural differences. As a result, anthropological pedagogy has stressed that the study of customs and norms should be value-free, and that the appropriate role of the anthropologist is that of observer and recorder. Today, however, this view is being challenged by critics inside and outside the discipline, especially those who want anthropologists to take a stand on key human-rights issues. I agree that the time has come for anthropologists to become more actively engaged in safeguarding the rights of people whose lives and cultures they study. Historically, anthropology as a discipline has declined to participate in the dialogue that produced international conventions regarding human rights. For example, in 1947, when th

  Field Experiences: 1. Guatemala & Yucatan 2. Belize 3. Beach Channel (LI) & New Orleans 4. USA Communities -Working in familiar and unfamiliar environments -Working as an outsider/insider -establishing rapport -sticky situations ·       Ethics informants academic community funders ·       The problem with power and the researcher’s “gaze” ·       Protecting your informants: remembering who you work for ·       Jealousies and disturbances -Combatting “Observer’s Bias” (GUMPERZ) ·       Group interviewing ·       The “aside” ·       Creating relationships of trust -Recording and writing up Experiences in the field— ·       Keeping the peace ·       Catch 22s ·       The epiphany of the “other” ·       Between Class clown to town idiot Emic perspective—getting at voice/person/identity ·       Using    personal narrative ·       Biography and life history ·       Validating memory ·       Validating the individual experience Choosing a focused theme from the journals/notes etc ·