Examine the words and phrasing that Lyell and Hooker used in their letter to the Linnean Society when describing Darwin’s and Wallace’s theory and its discovery. How were they conveying to society the importance of this theory? 2. In your analysis, who did Lyell and Hooker think should receive credit for the theory of natural […]
How is the study of your ancestors biopolitical, not just biological? Does that make it less scientific or differently scientific? What was gained by reducing organisms to genotypes and species to gene pools? What is gained by reintroducing bodies and species into evolutionary studies? The molecular biologist François Jacob argued that evolution is more like […]
Horace Miner’s 1956 piece on the Nacirema has become a classic in anthropology for a number of reasons. Miner’s piece was at once intended to illustrate the pitfalls of ethnocentrism and cultural romanticism while emphasizing the need for cultural relativism and the role of the etic perspective as a descriptive tool. While illustrating the etic […]
Monaghan and Just talk write the perils of the “ethnographic present” as a writing style. Similarly, I argued in my lecture on a culture that using the term “culture” to refer to groups of people can make it harder to see change over time. Discuss what Monaghan and Just mean by the “ethnographic present” and […]
SCENARIO C Building on previous research that shows people of different genders often communicate differently, an anthropologist has been studying how gendered communication affects family interactions. The anthropologist uses recorded conversations from participant families’ homes. The anthropologist also uses documentary footage of family interactions. The interactions are analyzed for information about gendered communication, power relationships, […]
What are some cultural expectations when it comes to funerals? It has been said that more money spent on a funeral can symbolize how loved an individual was. Do thoughts on this? Has society pressured bereaved individuals into believing that elaborate services are necessary? What are some other societal expectations we should keep in mind? […]
Esoteric and Neopagan NRM traditions tend to share a fascination with the individual “Self” as a focus of religious attention. Considering the various religious branches of Satanism and neopaganism, which among these do you feel offers the most in-depth exploration of the Self, and why (you may choose more than one)? Please illustrate your answer […]
How do migrant women contribute to the American community? Which countries do most Migrant women in America come from? What are the economic conditions in those countries that contribute to their migration? Are they a part of global care chains? What types of work do they do-is it domestic and care work traditionally done by […]
The Stadel lion-human figurine and companies like Peugeot discussed in the Harari reading are all part of the culture, specifically the symbolic character of culture. Explain how each of these is example of the symbolic nature of culture, drawing from both the Week 1 lecture and the Harari reading for your answer. Then explain what […]
How is culture produced and reproduced? The social construction of reality is a framework that helps us begin to answer this question. Using the social construction of reality framework how food in one of the below case studies is connected with other facets of culture and how it plays a role in the production and […]
