The pitfalls of ethnocentrism and cultural romanticism

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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 perspective, his piece also makes one wonder how the same rituals would be systematically described through an emic lens. As one might observe when reading Nacirema, interpretations of data presented through another’s viewpoint may result in rather an ethnocentric view, even when the Other is no stranger at all.

On the other had, etic perspectives are invaluable if they account for all three ‘Components of Culture.’ Observing patterns of behavior and material culture is not enough. A valuable and accurate etic perspective must account for the attitudes, values, and beliefs that inform and perpetuate those patterns and objects. Miner’s reporting on the Nacirema was not necessarily inaccurate, though it demonstrates that belief systems are rather harder to access than performances. The Nacirema today are not unlike the Nacirema as they were in 1956. Most if not all of the rituals he observed are still engaged in in much the same manner.

Every reader tends to pick up different lessons from Miner, sometimes remarkably so. Given what you have just read, address each of the following questions:

  1. What do you think about the functions of the lifeways of the Nacirema – what practical matters are addressed in their symbolic manners?
  2. Given that the piece was written in 1956, how do you think the Nacirema would be represented in today’s society? Provide a contemporary comparison to any one of the rituals Miner observed in 1956.
  3. Using the information in the Voice Threads and outside sources, what are the respective roles and values of emic vs etic perspectives? Both are valuable, but which do you think is most illuminating or useful in ethnographic representations?
  4. Select one of Miner’s rituals of focus. How would an ethnographer or local describe that same ritual through an emic perspective?

Reducing organisms to genotypes and species to gene pools

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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 a tinkerer than like an engineer. In what ways do we seem like precisely engineered machinery, and in what ways do we seem like jerry-rigged or improvised contraptions?

The theory of natural selection

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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 selection? Were the authors being objective and balanced in their support for Wallace and Darwin? What keywords or phrasing led you to your conclusions?

Read the following passage, taken from the letter coauthored by Darwin’s colleagues, Sir Charles Lyell and J. D. Hooker. The letter was read at the meeting of the Linnean Society held in London on July 1, 1858. During this meeting, the two men also presented papers written by Charles Darwin and Alfred Wallace.

 

London, June 30th, 1858.

MY DEAR SIR,—The accompanying papers, which we have the honour of communicating to the Linnean Society, and which all relate to the same subject, viz. [that is to say] the Laws which affect the Production of Varieties, Races, and Species, contain the results of the investigations of two indefatigable naturalists, Mr. Charles Darwin and Mr. Alfred Wallace.
These gentlemen having, independently and unknown to one another, conceived the same very ingenious theory to account for the appearance and perpetuation of varieties and of specific forms on our planet, may both fairly claim the merit of being original thinkers in this important line of inquiry; but neither of them having published his views, though Mr. Darwin has for many years past been repeatedly urged by us to do so, and both authors having now unreservedly placed their papers in our hands, we think it would best promote the interests of science that a selection from them should be laid before the Linnean Society.

Taken in the order of their dates, they consist of:—

1. Extracts from a MS [manuscript]. Work on Species, by Mr. Darwin, which was sketched in 1839, and copied in 1844, when the copy was read by Dr. Hooker, and its contents afterwards communicated to Sir Charles Lyell. …

2. An abstract of a private letter addressed to Professor Asa Gray, of Boston, U.S., in October 1857, by Mr. Darwin, in which he repeats his views, and which shows that these remained unaltered from 1839 to 1857.

3. An Essay by Mr. Wallace, entitled “On the Tendency of Varieties to depart indefinitely from the Original Type.” This was written at Ternate [island in eastern Indonesia] in February 1858, for the perusal of his friend and correspondent Mr. Darwin, and sent to him with the expressed wish that it should be forwarded to Sir Charles Lyell, if Mr. Darwin thought it sufficiently novel and interesting. So highly did Mr. Darwin appreciate the value of the views therein set forth, that he proposed, in a letter to Sir Charles Lyell, to obtain Mr. Wallace’s consent to allow the Essay to be published as soon as possible. Of this step we highly approved, provided Mr. Darwin did not withhold from the public, as he was strongly inclined to do (in favour of Mr. Wallace), the memoir which he had himself written on the same subject, and which, as before stated, one of us had perused in 1844, and the contents of which we had both of us been privy to for many years. On representing this to Mr. Darwin, he gave us permission to make what use we thought proper of his memoir, &c. [and so forth] and in adopting our present course, of presenting it to the Linnean Society, we have explained to him that we are not solely considering the relative claims to priority of himself and his friend, but the interests of science generally; for we feel it to be desirable that views founded on a wide deduction from facts, and matured by years of reflection, should constitute at once a goal from which others may start, and that, while the scientific world is waiting for the appearance of Mr. Darwin’s complete work, some of the leading results of his labours, as well as those of his able correspondent, should together be laid before the public.

We have the honour to be yours very obediently, Charles Lyell, Jos. D. Hooker.

The cultural construction of gender and sexuality

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This week, we’ve learned about anthropological and historical perspectives on the cultural construction of gender and sexuality, as well as changing frameworks for understanding the complexities of sex itself. As described in the lecture, anthropologists talk about gender as a performance, rather than simply identity. We do gender according to norms, roles, and ideologies that we learn – and unlearn.

This assignment asks you to draft guidelines for a Martian visitor who is trying to learn more about gender.  Drawing on your own experiences as a member of the human community:

  1. What does the Martian need to know about gender?
    • (Note: you do not need to share your own gender identity to answer this question; you can instruct them according to your understanding of any gender)
  2. How do people in your community get enculturated into gender roles?
    • Where can the Martian find helpful advice and examples on doing gender? What kinds of sources/spaces/materials might provide further insight and detail?
  3. Why might your instructions to the Martian differ from someone else’s guidelines about gender?

Personal aspects of the material culture

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Students can comment on especially the social, behavioral, ideological (e.g. beliefs), and very personal aspects of the material culture around them, which they are of course noticing more because of the emphasis in an archaeology class. You might consider these questions about the material of your everyday life:

 

Questions: 

1. what different artifacts did you use or see today that you do not normally?

2. How did an artifact take on new meaning today?

3. What symbolism is inherent in some everyday artifacts in your life today that an archaeologist/outsider would not know about?

4. What items did you use in the course of the day, and where are they deposited?

5. What might be the most confusing aspects of your life for future archaeologists if your house were buried in a volcanic eruption right now?

 

Discuss the role of genetics and environment in shaping personality traits

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Discuss the role of genetics and environment in shaping personality traits. Provide examples and discuss how nature and nurture interact in personality development. Critically evaluate the effectiveness of different therapeutic approaches in treating depression, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, psychodynamic therapy, and pharmacological interventions.

Explain the concept of cognitive dissonance theory

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Explain the concept of cognitive dissonance theory and provide real-life examples to illustrate how individuals might experience cognitive dissonance and resolve it. Analyze the impact of social media on adolescent development, including its influence on self-esteem, identity formation, and social relationships.

Explore the phenomenon of bystander intervention in emergencies

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Discuss the factors contributing to the development and maintenance of eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, and evaluate the effectiveness of various treatment approaches. Explore the phenomenon of bystander intervention in emergencies. Discuss the factors that influence whether individuals are more or less likely to intervene in emergency situations.

Explore the relationship between stress and physical health outcomes

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Critically evaluate the evidence for and against the existence of repressed memories. Discuss the controversies surrounding repressed memory therapy and its implications for clinical practice. Explore the relationship between stress and physical health outcomes. Discuss the physiological mechanisms through which stress affects the body and strategies for coping with stress.

Explore the role of culture in shaping gender identity and gender roles

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Explore the role of culture in shaping gender identity and gender roles. Discuss how cultural norms and expectations influence the expression of gender and the experience of gender dysphoria.