HISTORY OF ANTHROPOLOGY 2017 VIRTUAL CONFERENCE
TABLE OF CONTENTS HISTORY OF ANTHROPOLOGY................................................................................................................................. 1 2017 VIRTUAL CONFERENCE........................................................................................................................................ 1 ARCH HISTORY............................................................................................................................................................. 3 The Importance of Gendered Archaeology: Why It’s Important to Archaeological Theory..........................................3 “It Belongs in a Museum!”: Antiquarianism and the Birth of Archaeology....................................................................3 The Changing Tides of History: A Look at Underwater Archaeology in Today’s World................................................3 NEW MEDIA NEW WORLD............................................................................................................................................ 4 The Modern Day Collective Consciousness: Hastags as a Semantic Conumdrum....................................................4 To Post or Not To Post................................................................................................................................................. 4 Love and Math: Online Dating in Young Adults Marks a Significant Change in Norms and Values Concerning Love, Intimacy and Partnership............................................................................................................................................. 4 POPULAR CULTURE...................................................................................................................................................... 5 Night of the Pop-Culture Bloodbath: American Fear, American Horror........................................................................5 The Anthropology of Memes........................................................................................................................................ 5 How has Hip-Hop Influenced Society throughout the Decades?.................................................................................5 BURIAL PRACTICES...................................................................................................................................................... 6 The Magic of Burial Practices: Aztec vs Guanche.......................................................................................................6 The Gift of Kings: Reciprocity Between the Worlds of Sacred and Profane................................................................6 COLONIAL LEGACIES................................................................................................................................................... 7 Colonialism and Anthropological Research in the Phillipines......................................................................................7 Early Explorers of South America: How the First in the Field Developed South American Ethnography by Accident.7 Hmong: A Hidden History............................................................................................................................................. 7 Indigenous Intellect: Property Rights in the Third World..............................................................................................8 OVERCOMING PATRIARCHY........................................................................................................................................ 8 Wife or Co-Writer?....................................................................................................................................................... 8 PRIMATOLOGY.............................................................................................................................................................. 9 In the Shadow of Man – Jane Goodall.........................................................................................................................9 De Waal’s Theory of Morality Being Part of Human Nature.........................................................................................9 LINGUISTICS & SEMIOTICS.......................................................................................................................................... 9 Chomsky and Everett: Universal Grammar Showdown...............................................................................................9 Technology: The Highway to Linguistic Change........................................................................................................10 Give Me a Sign: Semiotics as a Means to Decode and deconstruct Advertising Messages.....................................10 CULTURAL EVOLUTION.............................................................................................................................................. 11 The Polarity of our Psyche: How Positive and Negative Association Shape our Cultural Norms..............................11 Innovation Then Evolution.......................................................................................................................................... 11 BIOLOGICAL ANTH...................................................................................................................................................... 12 Tracing Lineage and Migration using Genetic Testing for Diego Group Alleles.........................................................12 ENGAGING THEORY THEN AND NOW...................................................................................................................... 12 Western Medicine and Witchcraft: How Logic Varies by Culture...............................................................................12 64 Crayons 8 Colors: Universalism versus Relativism within Color Perception........................................................13 “Break A Leg”: A Comparative Anthropological Investigation of Magic in the Performing Arts...................................13 “How to Accept German Reparations.” An Examination of Marcel Mauss’s Theory of Reciprocity After the Holocaust ................................................................................................................................................................................... 13 The James Cook Effect.............................................................................................................................................. 14 Binary Belief............................................................................................................................................................... 14 Aesthetically Speaking............................................................................................................................................... 14 The Power of Sweetness........................................................................................................................................... 15 EMERGING HORIZONS............................................................................................................................................... 15 An Examination of the Subdiscipine of Activist Anthropology....................................................................................15
ARCH HISTORY
of gender ideologies within the discipline of archaeology, an analysis of past and current literature on this topic was performed and various models of gendered archaeology and its benefit to subsequent research are presented.
“ IT BELONGS IN A MUSEUM!”: ANTIQUARIANISM AND THE BIRTH OF ARCHAEOLOGY Adam Wall Script: “It Belongs in a Museum!”: Antiquarianism and the Birth of Archaeology
THE IMPORTANCE OF GENDERED ARCHAEOLOGY: WHY IT’S IMPORTANT TO ARCHAEOLOGICAL THEORY Geneva Collins Script: The Emergence of Gendered Archaeology: Why it’s Important to Archaeological Theory ABSTRACT Since its inception, anthropology as an academic discipline has largely been dominated by men, which contributes to androcentric point of view in the body of anthropological studies. This is especially true in the subdiscipline of archaeology, which exhibited a more rigidly male dominated culture than social and cultural anthropology. This research paper explores the development of archaeology of gender and how the overrepresentation of men in the discipline, coupled with the growth of feminist theory, precipitated the emergence of gendered theoretical frameworks. To determine the effects
ABSTRACT This presentation aims to present a historical overview of antiquarianism and those who practiced it—the antiquarians. Antiquarianism revolved around the study of history almost exclusively through collection of ancient material culture, typically by wealthy individuals and/or nobility, and often for more aesthetic than scholarly purposes. Specific attention will be paid both to the forprofit robbery of tombs and desecration of archaeological sites as well as the direct evolution of this practice into less ethically dubious modern Archaeology. This shift will be detailed primarily through miniature biographies of major figures in the history of the field, with special emphasis on two antiquarians in particular: Giovanni Battista Belzoni, or “The Great Belzoni,” who serves as a representative of the early, often destructive acquisition and subsequent sale of artifacts; and William Stukeley, who in turn serves as something of a transitional entity representing the shift from aesthetics-driven antiquarianism to the knowledge-driven field of modern archaeology.
THE CHANGING TIDES OF HISTORY: A LOOK AT UNDERWATER ARCHAEOLOGY IN TODAY’S WORLD Maeve Moriarty Script: The Changing Tides of History: A Look at Underwater Archaeology in Today’s World ABSTRACT For this conference presentation I will be examining content relating to the sub-field of Underwater Archaeology within the realm of Anthropology. Similar in theory to its land-based counterpart, Underwater or Maritime Archaeology has evolved over time from brief glances into the past to the preservation and conservation of submerged sites within our oceans. I plan to examine the current discourse available related to shifts in the
ecosystems such as pollution and climate change to search for potential affects on the field of Underwater Archaeology itself in the present day. In order to pursue this topic, I will be engaging in literature review and document analysis of examples of recent discourse published on the subject from peer reviewed or professionally respected sources from a varying array of specialties: anthropology, archaeology, oceanography, climatology for example, in order to gain a rounded understanding of the current information available. It is my hope to draw connections between present day issues on pollution and climate change and coinciding affects, repercussions, and adaptations within the field of Underwater or Maritime Archaeology.
NEW MEDIA NEW WORLD
equipped with extensive semantic roots that have collectively understood significance depending on context. Hashtags, used online for concept organization, indexation, categorization, and application, contain connotative understandings that sustain metaphor; this allows ideas to evolve while catering to ever-changing abstractions and concrete modes of thought. Through hashtags, many ideas are strung together to create a pool of related concepts, and these patterns ultimately shape our understanding of the world. I used literature review and online observation to understand how collective ideas allow hashtags to be useful search terms. The content that hashtags deliver demonstrates how cultural linguistic terms establish correlations between category and concept, and how that relationship contributes to the formulation of metaphor. This project is beneficial to the academic world because it provides insight into the way our rapidly globalizing world creates meaning.
TO POST OR NOT TO POST Beatrice Caffe Script: To Post or Not to Post ABSTRACT As society arguably becomes more complex, so does the discipline of anthropology, with new topics and fields of study presenting themselves such as Digital Anthropology. Within this new sub discipline there are multitudes of questions arising about technology and social media. This project will examine the use of social media as a means of social visibility and the boundaries that it creates and crosses within societies. By utilizing the ethnographic works of Daniel Miller and the Why We Post Project, this project will give insight on the use of social media because it may be beneficial for understanding its role in our future. With this project, I hope to find theories and patterns that may explain the human need to post on social media.
THE MODERN DAY COLLECTIVE CONSCIOUSNESS: HASHTAGS AS A SEMANTIC CONUNDRUM Lily Camara Script: The Modern Day Collective Consciousness: Hastags as a Semantic Conumdrum ABSTRACT Durkheim theorized the existence of the collective consciousness: an ideological cloud with universal reaches— a body of knowledge and a way of thinking. While originally applied to principals of morality, contemporary collective consciousness describes the way in which language functions in society, certain terms
LOVE AND MATH: ONLINE DATING IN YOUNG ADULTS MARKS A SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN NORMS AND VALUES CONCERNING LOVE, INTIMACY AND PARTNERSHIP Kaitlyn Simpson Script: Love and Math: Online Dating in Young Adults Marks a Significant Change in Norms and Values Concerning Love, Intimacy, and Partnership ABSTRACT
The modern world is characterized by its hyperconnectivity in all spectrums that has radically changed the way we live. Focusing specifically on interpersonal relationships, a major shift is taking place in how we seek out, form, and maintain intimate relationships, especially in young adults ages 18-25, as a larger and larger portion of daily interactions take place online on various social media platforms. Looking at platforms and sites geared toward dating and romantic relationships and using previously collected data and document analysis, as well as interviews, we can begin to address the change in the pursuit of intimacy and explore the new directions it has begun to take. In terms of anthropology, a shift in something like intimacy means a vast ripple effect that will no doubt go on to include the institution of marriage and additional changes in family and kinship structures and patterns; the ongoing difficulty with using ethical methods in online research is also included. Ultimately, romantic relationships play important roles in human life across cultures, and by default, the discipline of anthropology itself.
POPULAR CULTURE
NIGHT OF THE POP-CULTURE BLOODBATH: AMERICAN FEAR, AMERICAN HORROR Olivia Gambino Script: Night of the Pop-Culture Bloodbath: American Fear, American Horror
ABSTRACT This presentation will showcase the role of the liminal being as a figure of monstrosity in American cinema. Liminal beings are entities that can not be placed into a single category. This presentation will synthesize the concepts of Victor Turner’s conceptions on liminality and Claude Levi Strauss’s myth as a cultural means to resolving binary oppositions through the framework of the horror movie monster. Turner proposes that liminality is linked to art in the way that it gives humans a safe stage for cultural release. Levi-Strauss notes that the myth provides opportunities to resolve collective problems of classification and hierarchy. This research will be undertaken via the critical analysis of a select few horror films which exemplified the fear of the masses at the time. Research will also be conducted into the events which shaped the conception of the horror film being examined and how the myth allowed the society to compromise the collective psychic distress of binary opposition. Through a series of short critical film critiques, I will showcase the ways in which horror cinema has served as a modern outlet to express our collective fears concerning political, social, environmental, religious, and technological change. Ultimately, this project will foster a greater understanding of the very deep, essential role horror plays in the psychic life of America.
THE ANTHROPOLOGY OF MEMES Sarah Connor Script: The Anthropology of Memes ABSTRACT In our current culture, “memes” are very popular, especially in the spread of internet culture where images with text, or comics, or other ideas that are usually revered as being funny to some times offensive. The idea of a meme is a real concept: memetics studies dissemination of thoughts and ideas over the plane of culture. Memes are saturated in our culture via the internet and are unavoidable; therefore, how do these memes of the internet spread, how do they become popular, and where do they start? This project will study the modern-day memes. Methodologies will include the examination and evaluation of written work such as books and research essays. It will also employ the use of other anthropological theories which would help to understand the relationships our society has with the spread of information. This research will possibly help to understand media today and why our current “memes” spread and evolve the way they do and whether or not they are beneficial or negative.
HOW HAS HIP-HOP INFLUENCED SOCIETY THROUGHOUT THE DECADES? Jaclyn Delgado Script: How has Hip-Hop Influenced Society throughout the Decades? ABSTRACT Hip-hop is a type of music, culture and in some a way of lifestyle, that has been around since the 1970’s and developed out of South Bronx in New York City. Hip-hop is divided into four elements, rapping, djaying, beatboxing and breaking. The other forms that have merged out of the four elements of hip-hop, are hip hop culture and historical knowledge of the movement; beatboxing, hip hop language and hip-hop fashion and style, among others. This project aims to examine how hip-hop culture has influenced society from the 1970’s to present day. This will be seen and discussed through the lens of functionalism, that was developed by Radcliffe-Brown. Functionalism according to Brown is the theory of how parts of a society contribute to the whole of a society. All research will be conducted through document analysis and peer interviews. This research will provide insight of how hiphop has influenced a subculture of African-Americans and Latino communities throughout the decades.
BURIAL PRACTICES
ChicagoFied Museum
THE MAGIC OF BURIAL PRACTICES: AZTEC VS GUANCHE Julia Sulzinger Script: The Magic of Burial Practices: Aztec vs Guanche ABSTRACT This project will examine the similarities and differences between the burial magic in Aztec culture and the aboriginal Berber inhabitants of the Canary Islands. This research will use Bronislaw Malinowski’s understanding of magic as the theoretical basis. He describes magic as having three parts: Ritual, which is something that is done every time the process happens, Fetish, which is a charm that is kept with the person, and Taboo, which is something that is not done because it is considered bad. I will be looking specifically at the religious rituals, such as mummification and ritual sacrifice, fetishes that both the person apart of the burial and the person being buried, and the taboos that each culture have in regard to their burials, such as only having the same gender as the deceased work on the burials. The two cultures being looked at are the Aztec culture in central Mexico between 1300-1521 they were a society that used human sacrifice in their daily life to appease their sun god and the aboriginal Berber’s in the Canary Islands between 10001500 who were a society that were the only native people known to have lived in the region before the arrival of Europeans. Looking at these separate cultures that are from the same time period will give insight into possible
cultural diffusionism and historical particularism within each culture. This research will be beneficial to the understanding of not only the cultures, but burial practices in many different cultures. Research will be conducted through literature review and document analysis that have to do with each culture, and I also hope to find some first had accounts of both cultures burial practices. The aim of this project is to understand the similarities between these cultures and to see how much variation is in both of their burial practices.
COLONIAL LEGACIES
THE GIFT OF KINGS: RECIPROCITY BETWEEN THE WORLDS OF SACRED AND PROFANE Kelly Hughes Script: The Gift of Kings: Reciprocity Between the Worlds of Sacred and Profane ABSTRACT My This work will explore Marcel Mauss’ theories of The Gift and reciprocity through sacrificial rites in Iron Age Ireland, where preservation conditions of wetland deposits result in an especially clear record. Through literary review and synthesis, I address the question of how mortal human societies use sacrificial rites to define a reciprocal relationship with the spiritual world. In Mauss' paradigm of reciprocity, a gift given demands acceptance and repayment from the receiver; this sequence of obligations is a basic mental structure shared by every human being. Sacrifice in this paradigm is a gift from humanity to the supernatural, given with the expectation of repayment. Votive offerings of Iron Age Ireland include symbolic objects as well as human and animal remains, frequently deposited in liminal areas such as caves, sinkholes, wells, and wetlands. Sacrificial rites of the period are characterized by extreme violence to the object or being, resulting in damage beyond what is necessary for simple destruction or death. Existing literature demonstrates the elite status of many Irish Iron Age bog bodies as well as the ritual nature of their deaths and deposition; this work will not argue the identity of the dead nor the conditions of their passing. Instead, I will discuss the implication of their identities in the context of ritual sacrifice. By gifting kings alongside other high-value commodities, sacrifiers of the Irish Iron Age built and maintained a reciprocal relationship between the world of mortals and the world of the divine.
COLONIALISM AND ANTHROPOLOGICAL RESEARCH IN THE PHILLIPINES Justin Ordonez Script: Colonialism and Anthropological Research in the Phillipines ABSTRACT The Philippines has a long and rocky history of militant occupation and colonization by powerful foreign nations. This has not only had detrimental effects on the Filipino culture and economy, but has also hindered anthropological research in the country. Before outside contact, the Philippines was an archipelago with many different tribes and chiefdoms with distinct cultures. Since then, years of pillaging and war has decimated much of the art, literature, and architecture that existed long before the initial arrival of the Spanish in the 16th century. Bruised from the brutal rule of Spain, the US, and Japan, the Philippines has had a difficult time with its new neocolonial society. We’ll explore some anthropological theories that highlight the processes and extent of colonial damage in the Philippines, and how it has hindered the study of Filipino anthropology.
EARLY EXPLORERS OF SOUTH AMERICA: HOW THE FIRST IN THE FIELD DEVELOPED
SOUTH AMERICAN ETHNOGRAPHY BY ACCIDENT Vivienne St John Script: Early Explorers of South America: How the First in the Field Developed South American Ethnography by Accident ABSTRACT Before anthropology and field participation were prominent when studying indigenous peoples and cultures around the world, some men, unknowingly, presented some the earliest evidence of detailed ethnographical accounts from the elusive native tribes in South America. The following presentation will reconstruct the travels of three different men during the past five centuries. We will examine and analyze how these early explorers provided anthropological and ethnographic observations and evidence whilst studying the foreign land and culture; and, how their interactions with the natives has evolved and progressed, and how these explorer’s claims influenced the forthcoming environmental decisions. The purpose is to emphasize the journals and detailed records of the explorers, which reflect the current ways of thought during their respective eras and how their perspectives impacted and influenced the native cultures while devastating the rain forests and the untouched tribes in South America.
INDIGENOUS INTELLECT: PROPERTY RIGHTS IN THE THIRD WORLD Shaun Federmeyer Script: Indigenous Intellect: Property Rights in the Third World ABSTACT Since the dawn of the Imperial Age of Europe the “uncivilized world,” what we now call the “third world,” has been systematically oppressed. At the center of this oppression is the extraction of any resource or wealth deemed to be of value to the industrialized, “western world.” Beyond simple material extraction, and seemingly harder to value and regulate, is the extraction of indigenous knowledge for profit without recompense. Many industries are culpable to this systematic theft of knowledge, yet some stand out. The pharmaceutical and agricultural industries are well known in the developing world for taking advantage of local knowledge and resources with little or no expectation of profit sharing or compensation of any kind. Thankfully, times are changing, and there are steps that can be taken on local, state, and international levels to ensure that cultures are no longer pillaged of their sacred knowledge.
HMONG: A HIDDEN HISTORY Naomi Doherty Script: Hmong: A Hidden History ABSTRACT The Hmong are an Asian minority group coming from Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, and China. They do not posses their own country, they inhabit others and live in remote hard to get to places, usually steep mountainsides. After the Vietnam War ended waves of Hmong came to United States, where they were promised asylum, because of their ties to the war by means of working for the CIA. In this research paper I will be asking why the Hmong did not integrate well into American society like other Asian immigrants and why American Citizens did not know the role of Hmong in the Vietnam War or why they were granted asylum by the CIA. I hope to grasp a better understanding of the CIA’s role in the secret war in Laos through the training and misuse of the Hmong. I also hope to answer the question how the CIA both set the Hmong up for success and for failure by insufficiently granting them asylum in the US.
OVERCOMING PATRIARCHY
WIFE OR CO-WRITER? Eden Oleson Script: Wife or Co-Writer? ABSTRACT I have chosen to research the life and works of Mary Leakey, British paleoanthropologist, for my research project. Mary Leakey is most famous for her fieldwork with her husband Louis Leakey and her discovery of the Laetoli footprints in Tanzania. I will examine her contributions to anthropology and paleoanthropology, and her role as a model for women in any field. The majority of my research will be used to critique her marriage to Louis Leakey. My research will shed light on their teamwork and the misplacement of credit in their findings. Mary Leakey’s story is an example of many other female anthropologists who conducted research and were overshadowed by men in their field. I will be using peer reviewed journal articles, papers written by Mary and Lewis Leakey, and other forms of research for my presentation. This project will provide insight to Mary Leakey, her work, and the struggles of being a female anthropologist in her time
PRIMATOLOGY
IN THE SHADOW OF MAN – JANE GOODALL Ingrid Beha Script: In the Shadow of Man – Jane Goodall ABSTRACT Jane Goodall is recognized as a renowned ethologist, anthropologist, and primatologist. At the age of twenty-six, Goodall traveled to Tanzania to learn more about humans’ closest relatives, chimpanzees. In the year 1960 when Goodall first began her research, many scientists could not grasp the idea of an animal being remotely similar to humankind. Not only were people looking down on her work because she was a female, but also because it was highly controversial to compare intelligent beings to what we presumed to be barbaric animals. The research conducted by Goodall and her successors revealed that chimpanzees behave in a way similar to humans; they establish their own social hierarchy, develop family units, and fight to maintain their territory. Her research and observations changed our understanding of animal behavior and led to a better connection between chimpanzees and humans.
DE WAAL’S THEORY OF MORALITY BEING PART OF HUMAN NATURE Jessie Solliday Script: de Waal’s Theory of Morality Being Part of Human Nature ABSTRACT
Frans de Waal is a primatologist at Emory University whose research focuses on primate prosocial behavior. Waal theorizes about the evolutionary past of humans by observing conflict resolution, cooperation, and food sharing among extant non-human primates. He believes that morality does not come from God or any external source, but rather it comes from a long line of evolutionary history. Therefore, Waal theorizes that morality is part of human nature and he supports this theory with research on primate empathy, sympathy and preference for equality. This analysis will investigate Frans de Waal’s research on primate behavior to determine whether it sufficient supports his theory that morality is part of human nature. A review of Waal’s literature, as well as analyses of his individual research articles, will be conducted. This analysis will gain insight into whether reciprocity and empathy sufficiently describe the basis for morality. Understanding morality can contribute to the advancement of human self-awareness and quality of life.
LINGUISTICS & SEMIOTICS
often contending, theories put forward that explain how this linguistic phenomenon occurs in humans. The theory of universal grammar, put forward by Noam Chomsky, states that there is a biological component that is inherent in human brains that allow them to acquire language. However, not all agree with this theory. Daniel Everett has studied a group of people called the Pirahã, in the central Amazon area, for over twenty years. Everett states that this language does not follow the universal grammar theory, therefore disproving it. He has also put forward his own theory about how humans acquire language, concerning culture. These two theorists have often clashed over these views, making public declarations about the others work. One could say it has turned into a feud of sorts. To better understand this conflict, this project will look at Chomsky’s and Everett’s conflict over their contending theories. This will be done by utilizing their respective written works, interviews, and other such ways they have conveyed their theories and viewpoints on each other’s theories. Through this analysis, one should be able to have a better grasp about two major theories concerning language acquisition in humans and their conflicting viewpoints.
TECHNOLOGY: THE HIGHWAY TO LINGUISTIC CHANGE Robert Lovato Script: Technology: The Highway to Linguistic Change
Patrick Moore, Frances Lake, Yukon, 2004. Catalog # VMC-04-pa
CHOMSKY AND EVERETT: UNIVERSAL GRAMMAR SHOWDOWN Brianna Addington Script: Chomsky and Everett: Universal Grammar Showdown ABSTRACT A defining characteristic of humans is the use of symbolic language to convey meaning. There have been several,
ABSTRACT The development of mobile communication technology has resulted in an accelerated change in language. Over time society's start to move and communicate at an increased pace; The use of slang and jargon in texting and social media, becoming a virtual short hand. The development of this “Virtual Shorthand” in turn changes the way language is used via linguistic change. Throughout one's life, we develop certain pattern both socially and linguistically. Language change is propelled by the use of slang and jargon in texts and social media, transforming language at an increased rate. The purpose of jargon or slang is efficient and effective communication. By a process of document analysis and literature review I plan to determine how the speed with which language change occurs is affected by the development and use of jargon or “slang” in technology. Anthropological linguist most known for collaboration in the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis Sapir said, “Language moves down time in a current of its own making.” He suggested that this current had a ‘drift’referring to the idea that languages do not follow a straight unilineal path instead moving and transforming along the way.
CULTURAL EVOLUTION
GIVE ME A SIGN: SEMIOTICS AS A MEANS TO DECODE AND DECONSTRUCT ADVERTISING MESSAGES Richard Schock Script: Give Me a Sign: Semiotics as a Means to Decode and Deconstruct Advertising Messages ABSTRACT This project will briefly introduce the subject of semiotics in the context of media analysis. This presentation will introduce the subject of semiotics to the viewer, providing background information on the founders of the field as well as later theoreticians. Using the work of media critic and professor of communications Sut Jhally as a jumping-off point, particular focus will be placed on the role of advertising as it relates to the concept of Commodity Fetishism as discussed by Karl Marx in his groundbreaking treatise, Das Kapital, with the intent to introduce and elaborate on the connection between advertising’s use of symbols to create or ascribe meaning, and the resultant tendencies to fetishize brand names and symbols. Discussion will include some key terms of the semiotician as well as an examination of the dialectical processes involved in advertising, structuralism as it relates to the codification – or rather de-coding of symbolic messaging systems and a brief look at what has been termed the ‘Ethnography of Consumerism’ – that is, Market Research intended to demonstrate non-academic applications of anthropological theory and practice.
Photo by Yamandu Hilbert
THE POLARITY OF OUR PSYCHE: HOW POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE ASSOCIATION SHAPE OUR CULTURAL NORMS Dylan Wicker Script: The Polarity of our Psyche: How Positive and Negative Association Shape our Cultural Norms ABSTRACT Throughout history, traits within human evolution have been naturally selected to further its survival in a changing world; whether the adaptation is physical, mental, or both is not the focus of this paper. Inherited traits can be viewed in a cultural context as well, since society and biology are often closely intertwined within each other’s development, and the concepts of positive and negative association – feeling good when you do something right, bad when you do something wrong – has always been a driving force in our socio-cultural evolution. The goal of this report is to track the cyclical and consistently morphing nature of human decisions that are ruled by positive and negative association. As far as research methods go, the most efficient research methodologies to employ would be literary analysis of psychological texts discussing the topics of positive and negative association, then reviewing historical documents tracing the development of certain cultures to identify instances in which the psychological framework can be applied. Through this lens I hope to uncover yet another machination of human cultural evolution, apply it to humanity’s current status in our world, and predict its
future course utilizing both historical and psychological models.
INNOVATION THEN EVOLUTION Joseph Keith Script: Innovation then Evolution ABSTRACT Leslie White’s revolutionary idea on the evolution of culture through innovation and invention of tools sparked the paradigm shift into an era of Neoevolutionism. Leaping forward using Tylor and Morgan’s unilineal evolution model Leslie White explained the changing wealth of society credited to the ability of humans to create tools to harness and control the energy needs of a population. The aim of presentation will be to delve into the origins, reasoning and reactions of the ideas of Neoevolutionism to explain the hasty evolution of human existence through shared cultural developments. Humans are social animals and through the use of civilization we have been able to store energy through the manipulations of our cultural tools and ideas, but how and when are these changes happening and at what frequency? The project reviews literature that encompasses culture and evolution through tool use. Kroeber’s model of the Superorganic and Leslie White’s ideas of Neoevolutionism are used to create a Pecha Kucha. This research will help explain the importance of tools to a culture and join and delve into the twenty first century enlightenment and tools created for globalized evolution.
BIOLOGICAL ANTH
TRACING LINEAGE AND MIGRATION USING GENETIC TESTING FOR DIEGO GROUP ALLELES Angelicia Obregon Script: Tracing Lineage and Migration using Genetic Testing for Diego Group Alleles ABSTRACT In popular culture there has been a recent interest in genetic markers being used to track heritage. To ensure understanding I will include a brief overview of genetics, specifically terminology and how alleles function. In anthropology genetic testing can being used to track lineages in groups and with enough data can map early migration patterns of their ancestors. To achieve useable data, they must find reliable markers that are specific enough to each group. Use of the Diego Blood Group looks at alleles related to Amerindians where a secondary study set out to track migration of these groups with hopes of furthering anthropological interest in this area. This study also hopes to eventually use genetic markers to understand culture aspects such as language and diet.
ENGAGING THEORY
THEN AND NOW
64 CRAYONS 8 COLORS: UNIVERSALISM VERSUS RELATIVISM WITHIN COLOR PERCEPTION Makayla Whitney Script: 64 Crayons 8 Colors: Universalism versus Relativism within Color Perception
WESTERN MEDICINE AND WITCHCRAFT: HOW LOGIC VARIES BY CULTURE Celeste Bunten Script: Western Medicine and Witchcraft: How Logic Varies by Culture ABSTRACT By Azande standards, Western Medicine does not satisfy logic. By Western standards, Azande notions of witchcraft as a means of healing do not satisfy logic. Logic will be defined as “a particular mode of reasoning viewed as valid or faulty” according to Merriam Webster. The concept of “common sense” as a universal construct inhibits bjectivity because it implies that common sense is applicable to all cultures and subsequent systems of logic. This research will mainly look at the work of E.E. Evans-Pritchard and Matthew Johnson. In this presentation I will explore what logic means from culture to culture and if anthropologists can understand and explicitly define logic in other cultures. This research will apply literature review, document analysis, and interview to a post-processual methodology. It is anticipated that there is a framework that all logic shares.
ABSTRACT The world around us is made up of natural objects and man-made worlds filled with blue skies, green trees, and multi-colored buildings. These objects are an everyday part of an individual’s life worldwide, but how and why we label colors the way we do differs between cultures. For example, English children and Himba tribal children obtain color categories through similar growth processes; however, they label colors differently. Where English speakers would differentiate between dark blue, dark green, dark brown, dark purple, dark red, and black, a Himba child would group all of these colors together as “zoozu”. A major debate has continued for centuries involving how individuals use their surrounding environment and learned culture to interpret color categories. Two formal debates to consider include: universalism and relativism. Universalism, as first proposed by Noam Chomsky, believes that all human beings have the same structural biology, which is that our brains and eyes are all wired the same way. Therefore, this theory believes the development of color terminology across cultures has absolute universal constraints. Contemporary research has brought to light language affects color perception primarily in the right visual field activating language regions in the left hemisphere, showing color naming reflects both universal and local determinants. Relativism, following the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, believes that color terms vary from language to language pointing to a more culture-specific phenomenon. This follows the theory of linguistic relativity in which it is examined whether language influences thought and language structures, such as how someone
names a color. Color has been found to exhibit both biological and linguistic properties; therefore, I will conduct a study comparing biologically how our brains create pathways to observe colors and linguistically how separate cultures attribute color terms with culture specific phenomena. This research will aim to find a cross reasoning between neurological evidence and culture specific evidence showing that both viewpoints need to be examined when looking at color terms cross-culturally.
“ BREAK A LEG”: A COMPARATIVE ANTHROPOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION OF MAGIC IN THE PERFORMING ARTS Veronica Brooks Script: “Break a Leg”: A Comparative Anthropological Investigation of Magic in the Performing Arts ABSTRACT Some claim that “magic” is just make believe, an illusion that children believe in, or a “primitive practice” as claimed by Classical Cultural evolutionists like James Frazer. However, British Social Anthropologists, E.E. EvansPritchard, claimed that magic is ration. In this presentation, I will compare the theory that magic is a primitive form of religion, an idea from the Classical Cultural Evolutionists James Frazer and Edward Burnett Tylor, with Marcel Mauss and E.E. Evans-Pritchard’s theory that magic is real, valid, and used in everyday life. Using ethnographic data, and research, I will also investigate the ritual practices, taboos, and fetishes used in magic, as theorized by Bronislaw Malinowski, with examples from the performing arts.
“ HOW TO ACCEPT GERMAN REPARATIONS.” AN EXAMINATION OF MARCEL MAUSS’S THEORY OF RECIPROCITY AFTER THE HOLOCAUST Amanda Alster Script: “How to Accept German Reparations:” An Examination of Marcel Mauss’s Theory of Reciprocity After the Holocaust ABSTRACT After the war, survivors of the Holocaust were granted reparation gifts (money) to repay back the wrongdoings and war crimes committed by Nazis. Many survivors
refused to receive these gifts as they saw it as “blood money." Many accepted/filed right away, or later in their lives eventually wound up accepting forms of reparation. This project aims to apply Marcel Mauss’s theory of reciprocity from “The Gift" to analyze reparations following the liberation of Nazi camps. Mauss describes gifting as a total social fact in the sense that it is the glue that helps hold a society together by acts of exchange. I propose to research what type of gifting this was, and how the implemented rules of reciprocity (to give, receive, and to repay) apply after a nation was torn apart by antisemitism and the mass murder of millions of people. This study will revisit Mauss’s theory, review recourses from the United States Holocaust Museum, and study the work of Susan Slyomovics book, “How to Accept German Reparations," to analyze accounts and other interviews of Slyomovics relatives who survived the Holocaust and were "awarded" reparations.
THE JAMES COOK EFFECT Tyler Robinson Script: The James Cook Effect ABSTRACT History is a fickle thing that can leave a lot of blank spaces left up for the interpretation of the people. However, some of these interpretations are challenged due to conflicts in evidence, new findings, or simply a different point of view on the matter. This is the case of the debate between Marshall Sahlins and Gananath Obeyesekere, which explores whether the native people of Hawaii believed the explorer James Cook to be one of their deities named Lono. Sahlins and Obeyesekere’s debate led to the question of whether the natives of Hawaii had the same rationality as Westerners and any other distinction would paint them in a bad light, belief of Obeyesekere, or that different groups of people have different types of rationality and patterns, Sahlins’ view. The purpose of this presentation is to dissect this debate and see how their
differing views have influenced anthropology and the way we look at the past.
BINARY BELIEF Philip Pantages Script: Binary Belief ABSTRACT Within each culture, there are a multitude of unique parts that help to keep it functioning in ways that fulfills the needs of that society. One such part that helps societies meet those needs are myths, which are stories that aim to support and validate the specific moral order of a society, as defined by American mythologist Joseph Campbell. These stories evolve over time to match the ever-changing social roles and ethical laws of different cultures. Myths provide knowledge, lessen anxiety and aim to build a sense of community within cultures. For the purposes of this project, I will be examining how myths fulfill those certain needs of societies through what is called binary opposition, and how those myths can be used to indoctrinate people into a belief system. Binary opposition was an idea proposed by structuralist Claude LeviStrauss, who defined it as the universal logic of dualities. One example of a contemporary myth that uses binary opposition is the Star Wars saga. This saga will be used as a unique case-study to reveal how people can use binary opposition within myths in order to convince others of subscribing to a belief system.
AESTHETICALLY SPEAKING Brian Corbett Script: Aesthetically Speaking ABSTRACT One of the most important tenets of anthropology is to fully and accurately understand human beings in the contexts of their own cultures. To do this, anthropologists use categories of human behavior to compare and contrast between different cultures, such as gender, class, religion, political and economic system, kinship system, etc. One of the debates that is present in the discipline today is whether or not ‘aesthetics’ can be applied as a crosscultural category of social analysis. In this presentation, research will be done on some of the main arguments for and against the proposition through document analysis. In Key Debates in Anthropology, Howard Morphy defines aesthetics as the “qualitive effect of stimuli on the senses,” or essentially, for the purposes of this presentation, the valuation of an artistic experience. An example of this would be anytime you see a picture and make a judgment about it, such as deciding that the colors used in a specific painting are soothing, or deciding a drawing of a face isn’t good enough because it’s unsymmetrical. This valuation is
solely subjective and happens only within the mind of an individual; a mind shaped by culture and experience. If the proposition that aesthetics can be used to examine cultures is found to be true, proponents believe it could lead to an understanding of feeling and perception in individuals from other cultures that could not have been available before. However, many in the field think that the concept of ‘aesthetics’ is not for anthropology to question, for the concept of aesthetics itself is too ideologically confined to different contexts of experience. In addition to document analysis, I will be looking to foundational theory in anthropology to see how it can help or hinder the argument that a category like aesthetics can be used to compare cultures in anthropology. The scope of this research is to find out if another aspect of culture that has not been looked at can be accurately observed. If so, the artistic interpretations and judgments on a piece of art can be known and analyzed, providing a more holistic view of the human mind.
THE POWER OF SWEETNESS Jane Kuszmaul Script: The Power of Sweetness ABSTRACT This research paper will investigate Sidney Wilfred Mintz, a cultural anthropologist who lived from 1922 to 2015. Mintz was influenced by Marx’s dialectical materialism, and used that thinking as applied to anthropology in the United States. His work ranges from studying the proletariat in three Caribbean islands, to most recently analyzing the economic globalization of the soybean. The main objective of this research, is to figure out how food and power are related, and what Mintz’s research contributed to Anthropology as a field. To conduct this research, contemporary documents will be analyzed from the time of Mintz, and in the modern day. Hopefully, this research will reveal the importance and influence that food has on culture, and in what ways this power is exemplified and used.
EMERGING HORIZONS
AN EXAMINATION OF THE SUBDISCIPINE OF ACTIVIST ANTHROPOLOGY Sierra Farquhar Script: An Examination of the Subdiscipline of Activist Anthropology: ABSTRACT The purpose of this research is to examine the variety of elements that compose activist anthropology as a subdiscipline of socio-cultural anthropology. Theory of activist anthropology is built on the assertion that attentive and meticulous scholarly research and active political responsibility and engagement can coexist responsibly. Activist anthropologists propose that understanding cultural problems and issues through a political lens has the potential to produce superior research outcomes. My research objectives included examining different perspectives, understanding the potential impact that activist anthropology can have, and researching how activist anthropologists maintain the objectivity necessary for empirical study whilst engaging with political perspectives and positions. To accomplish my objectives, I used methods such as literature review and document analysis to provide a broad perspective on the subdiscipline. Through my research, I have been able to understand and outline the arguments for and against the implementation of methods and strategies of activist anthropology. .
“The world in which you were born is just one model of reality. Other cultures are not failed attempts at being YOU: they are unique manifestations of the human spirit” –Wade Davis