Anthropology 308Women, Sex Roles and Culture

• Dr. Siemens• Office-Sierra Hall 240M• Office Telephone (818) 677-4931• Office Hours

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• Email stephen.siemens@csun.edu

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THE SCOPE OF ANTHROPOLOGY

What anthropologists have you heard of?

What did they study?

Harrison Ford as fictional Indiana Jones"There are codes of ethics in archaeology, and I don't think he would be a member. Not in good standing, anyway," said Mark Rose [Archaeological Institute of America] Los Angeles Times 5-23-08 E9

Mary Leakey

Discovered Oldest Footprints

Louis Leakey found fossil

humans

Jane Goodall was first to study chimpanzees in the wild.

Jane Goodall still works for Chimpanzee conservation.

Dian Fossey was first to study gorillas in the wild.

Sigourney Weaver as Dian Fossey

Margaret Mead with Samoan Girls

Deborah Tannen

David Maybury-Lewis(right) Host of PBS series Millenium”Also founder of the human rights group “Cultural Survival”

Sam Dunn used anthropological

training in heavy metal

documentary• Takes holistic view: religion, gender,

social, global and historical perspectives.

• Main obstacle was convincing artists he was sympathetic. – Metal artists gave thoughtful

responses.– Some appeared hostile on camera but

friendly off camera.• Anthropological approach was not

first choice.

Chicago Tribune 4-14-06

Anthropologists You may have Heard of• Indiana Jones*

• Mary Leakey• Louis Leakey• Jane Goodall• Dian Fossey• Margaret Mead• Deborah Tannen• David Maybury-Lewis• Sam Dunn

• Explore Ruins (fictional)• Fossil Hunter• Fossil Hunter• Chimpanzees• Gorillas• Samoan Girls• American Women and Men Talking• Xavante Rights• Heavy Metal Music

*Fictitious anthropologist

Anthropologists in the News

Anthropologists contribute to American society as well as to the

international community of scholars

Maira Martinez

• Forensic Anthropologist• Identifying victims of political

massacres• Families accompany her sometimes• LA Times August 4 A7

Jane MacLaren Walsh

• Studied Crystal Skull donated to Smithsonian

• Skull was made with modern tools• Skull lacks prehistoric style features• LA Times June 8, 2008

• Studied Japanese consumer culture– Worked in Tokyo

convenience stores• Japanese buy exotic Colombian

Giant beetles.– Heads resemble samurai headgear– $350/Giant beetle

• LA Times 5-21-08 A4

• Biodiversity valuable to Colombian, German Viasus, left

• Colombia plans to market more biodiversity

Gavin Whitelaw

Diana FullwileyHarvard

• Analyses genetic markers to connect African-Americans to ancestral populations and African-American kin.– "At most, you're getting 1% of your ancestry…”

• Raymond A. Winbush– “paternal DNA linked him to the Bubi, a people indigenous

to Equatorial Guinea on Central Africa's Atlantic coast, and his maternal DNA linked him to the Tikar people of adjoining Cameroon. He also carried markers common in people of Dutch, French, British and German origin.”

– "The discovery helped me to locate myself more psychologically," he said. "It's all kind of wrapped up in the idea of locating oneself in history."

• LA Times 5-4-08 A6

Richard Applegate• Wrote Samala

dictionary from John P. Harrington’s notes– Samala is a

Chumash Language• Chumash are

native people of Los Angeles

• Santa Barbara Independent 4-24-08

• Chumash financed dictionary• Chumash are relearning language

– Last native speaker of Samala died 1965J.P. Harrington

Anthropologists in the News• Maira Martinez

• Jane MacLauren Walsch

• Gavin Whitelaw• Diana Fullwiley• Richard Applegate

• Identifying Colombian Political Victims

• Crystal Skulls

• Japanese Consumerism• African Genetic Markers• Chumash Language

Other Prominent and Notable Anthropologists

Franz Boas (Father of American

Anthropology)

Marjorie Shostak and star

informant, Nisa

!Kung people

Elinor Ochs Madagascar and Samoa languagesUCLA Center on Everyday Lives of Families

William Rathje Garbology

Claude Lévi-Strauss Kinship and Myth

Jomo Kenyatta Kikuyu and Kenya’s First President

Birute Galdikas Orangutans

Other Prominent Anthropologists

• Franz Boas• Marjorie Shostak• Eleanor Ochs

• William Rathje• Claude Levi-

Strauss• Jomo Kenyatta• Birute Galdikas

• Kwakiutl and Race• !Kung (Bushmen)• Madagascar and Samoa

UCLA C.E.L.F.• U.S. Garbology• Kinship and Myth• Gikuyu• Orangutans

Anthropology Defined• Anthropology is the study of human beings

in a holistic manner.– Holism means appreciating totalities as more

than mere combinations of parts.– There are two ways anthropology is holistic.

• 1) Comprehensiveness. Because anthropology is holistic its study includes all humans of all places and all times.

• 2) Interrelatedness. Because anthropology is holistic any human group should be studied in its entirety, finding connections among economics, politics, religion, language, etc.

Nature and Nurture• A hundred years ago anthropology was the

same as “racial” studies.– Biological determinism was the prevailing

view.– Eugenics was popular.

• Eugenics seeks to “improve” a population by identifying those with “good” genes and promoting their reproduction. Those with “bad” genes are prevented from reproducing.

– Nazi extermination of Jews was eugenics.• Eugenics is inhumane and mistaken about genetics.

Cultural Determinism• Franz Boas argued that the important sources of

behavioral differences between societies were learned rather than inherited.– Boas changed the prevailing view to cultural

determinism.• Boas decreased the importance of biology to

anthropology and increased the importance of learned culture.

• Margaret Mead extended Boas argument to women and men.– The significant differences between women and men

are learned rather than inherited

Gender vs. Sex• Sex refers to biological

reproduction.– Sex is a result of nature

• Gender refers to language categories.– Gender is learned, a

result of nurture• Indian women build

road and Indian men wash clothes.– Gender roles are

learned

Anthropological SubfieldsSubfields are results of differences in

methods.

• Physical (or Biological) Anthropology• Archeology• Linguistic Anthropology• Cultural Anthropology

Physical Anthropology• Physical Anthropology

uses biological methods.

Physical anthropology studies human origin, related species & variation.

Archeology• Archeology uses

excavation methods and sampling.– Archeology studies artifacts.

Linguistic Anthropology

• Linguistic Anthropology uses linguistic methods.

• Linguistic anthropology studies language in use.

Cultural Anthropology• Cultural

Anthropology uses participant observation.– Cultural

anthropology studies cultures of living people.

• This class is about cultural anthropology.

Tylor’s Definition of Culture

“Culture ...taken in its widest... sense, is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, arts, morals, law, and custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society.”

Features of Culture

Definition stresses that culture is:1) a whole: complex with many interdependent

parts.2) acquired: not inborn (distinct from race)

capacity for culture is inborn (large brain, speech mechanism).

3) culture depends on an ongoing society for existence.

Additional points not in definition

• Culture includes behavior as well as ideas. Practices are significant even if not conscious and not explained. People can not explain all of their own culture (Like language)

• Culture is symbolic. Culture is a system of meanings. Meaning results from relations between different areas of experience, e.g., religion and subsistence.

Consequences of the Features of Culture

• The social aspect of culture is linked to its function as an adaptive strategy

• Culture as a systemic whole is shown in the relation of subsistence and politics.

• Since culture is acquired, cultures vary.

Culture is Social

• Living in social groups that transmit culture is the adaptive strategy of humans.

• All humans have learned transmitted skills for acquiring food called subsistence techniques.

Cultures are complex wholes• Parts of a culture are interrelated.• E.g., subsistence limits or enables politics.

– Without a surplus there are no full time leaders.

A Yanomamö warrior line-up is a politicalaccomplishment of the headman. However, he must still grow all his food in his garden. Yanomamö horticulture provides no surplus.

Culture is Acquired and Varies by Group

• Since culture is acquired it varies.• Even biological needs are met in different

ways.– Shelter is a biological necessity but it shows

cultural identity.– Eating

Anthropological Axioms

1. Culture determines much of our attitudes, rules and action. (Cultural determinism)

2. Cultures are diverse, evidenced by the wide variety of ways doing things and reactions to situations.

3. Cultures provide evaluative frames that are not appropriately applied to each other. (Cultural Relativism)

Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism

• Ethnocentrism is usually defined as a belief in the superiority of one’s own culture. – Evident superiority is based on culture bound

values, applied unconsciously• Cultural Relativism is usually defined as a

belief in the inherent worth of all cultures.– A culturally relative person does not believe in

superiority of his or her own own culture.

Ethnocentrism vs.Cultural Relativism in Methodology

• All humans are inherently ethnocentric.– Culture supplies us with values which we need.

• The basis of ethnocentrism is application of values to people who do not share them.– Applying outsider’s values usually leads to conclusion of outsider superiority.

• Cultural relativism avoids applying outsider values.– Suspending judgment is necessary for understanding.– Evaluation of cultural practices should be in terms of values of the

actors.• Values are relative but truth need not be.

– Science seeks explanations through observation– Observations are made intersubjective by careful procedures.

Ethnocentrist vs. Relativist

• Masai culture is inferior to American culture since a Masai man may have several wives.

• Bena Bena culture is inferior to American culture because people touch genitals in greeting.

• Masai value multiple wives.

• Bena Bena value touching genitals.