What is Anthropology? By Thomas Hylland Eriksen

What is Anthropology? by Thomas Hylland Eriksen

• Anthropology evolved from a niche academic subject
• It now has real-world applications in understanding globalization, migration, and cultural diversity
• Anthropology is unique because it studies human culture comparatively
• It emphasizes fieldwork and participant observation
• Key figures' contributions include cultural relativism, participant observation, and structural-functionalism
• Anthropology is relevant because of globalization and the need to navigate multicultural societies
• It focuses on cultural variation and local perspectives vs sociology which looks at society in general
• Early anthropologists introduced theories like cultural relativism, participant observation, and social structures
• Anthropology gives unique insights into human diversity
• It is essential in understanding social changes, identity, and globalization

Introduction: Argonauts of the Western Pacific by Bronisław Malinowski

• The Kula is a complex system of ceremonial exchange in the Trobriand Islands
• Malinowski suggests direct, immersive fieldwork, an anthropologist living among the people being studied
• There should be documentation of social structures, observation of everyday life, and record native perspectives
• It is not possible to capture the depth of human culture unless native worldviews are understood

What is The Kula?

• The Kula is a ceremonial exchange system in the Trobriand Islands
• It shows economic, social, and cultural significance
• A good method involves participant observation, learning the language, and documenting customs for accuracy
• Anthropology must capture natives' perspectives to understand cultural practices beyond surface observations
• Modern ethnography was founded by Malinowski, who emphasized firsthand experience
• Malinowski shifted anthropology from armchair theorizing to field-based research

"South Africa: Anthropology or Anthropologies?" by Andrew D. Spiegel and Heike Becker

• Anthropology in South Africa was shaped by socio-political history, especially during apartheid (1948–1990s)
• Conflicts and ideological positions caused divisions
• During apartheid, it conformed to dominant power structures
• There was a split in the discipline with some supporting apartheid, and opposed them
• Post-apartheid there is debate on its role and focus
• Development has been deeply intertwined with the nation's socio-political history and apartheid
• Apartheid policies led to anthropologists aligning with or opposing the regime
• Today there are critical discussions about decolonizing the practice

Thomas Hylland Eriksen's "The Key Concepts"

• Culture encompasses the learned behaviors, beliefs, and symbols that enable group living
• It is not just the fine arts, but daily practices and norms that shape societies
• Society includes structured systems of relationships and institutions that organize individual
• Society provides the framework for culture to be expressed and transmitted
• Holism is the approach of understanding human behavior by considering the entire context
• One should also assess historical, social, and environmental contexts
• Cultural relativism should be used, to understand and evaluate cultural practices within their own context
• Comparative analysis is important to identify similarities and differences across cultures
• By understanding all the complexities of culture one can analyze human behavior and social structures
• A context-sensitive approach is needed in order to study other societies

Susan Wright's "The Politicization of 'Culture'"

• The 'old' concept views culture as bounded and homogeneous
• The 'new' concept sees culture as dynamic
• Indigenous groups used the 'old' concept of culture to gain political rights such as the Kayapo
• Organizations use both 'old' and 'new' notions of culture
• The New Right shifted the focus from race to cultural identity to promote national unity
• Anthropologists must critically assess how cultural concepts are applied and manipulated in politics
• An anthropologist needs to critically examine the application of cultural concepts

Horace Miner's "Body Ritual among the Nacirema"

• The Nacirema is a North American group focused extensively on ritual activity around the human body
• Body Rituals help to counter the belief by the Nacirema that the human body is prone to debility and disease
• Shrine Rooms: Each household has one or more shrines for body rituals, emphasizing importance of health
• Mouth-Rite Rituals: Hog hairs and magical powders for oral hygiene
• Holy-Mouth-Men: Practitioners perform rituals to arrest decay and draw friends
• Medicine Men and Herbalists: Potions and charms protect and heal, stored in household shrines
• Miner's portrayal of the Nacirema serves as a satirical mirror
• It encourage readers to reflect on their own cultural practices
• Oral hygiene and medical visits were described with anthropological jargon
• The approach critiques ethnocentrism

Lila Abu-Lughod's "Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving? Anthropological Reflections on Cultural Relativism and Its Others"

• Western discourses portray Muslim women as oppressed and in need of saving
• Simplified cultural practices justify political interventions
• Cultural relativism is important to understand Muslim women's lives in their own contexts
• The author moves beyond of saving, and calls for focus on global injustices, economic and political conditions
• Western depictions of Muslim women can be political agendas
• There needs to be an understanding of cultural frameworks in order to avoid ethnocentric judgements
• Abu-Lughod advocates for addressing global issues to impact women's lives
• There should be a nuanced understanding when examining cultures

Setha M. Low's "Spatializing Culture: The Social Production and Social Construction of Public Space in Costa Rica"

• Social Production refers to the physical creation influenced by historical, economic, and political factors
• Social Construction pertains to interpretations, and symbolic values people assign to spaces
• Public plazas are vital communal areas for identifying cultural identities
• These areas reflect the community's values and traditions
• Various bodies vie for control such as local communities, and commercial entities
• These differences shape the plazas

J. Clyde Mitchell's The Kalela Dance: Aspects of Social Relationships among Urban Africans in Northern Rhodesia

• The Kalela Dance is a traditional dance in urban African communities
• The dance is a means for expressing social identities and relationships
• Participants use the dance to assert affiliations, social statuses, and solidarities,
• The dance reflects the complexities of urban social interactions such as ethnic identities

Jean Rouch's ethnographic film Les Maîtres Fous

• It documents possession ceremonies where people become possessed in order to embody the spirits of colonial rulers
• The rituals included imitating colonial officials
• The film had graphic content and portrayal of indigenous practices
• A religious sect whose members perform possession rituals were known as the Hauka Movement
• Participants mimic colonial authorities through trance-induced performances
• The film raises ethical questions about documenting indigenous ceremonies
• The film can be used to understand resisting colonial power structures

Archie Mafeje's "The Ideology of 'Tribalism'"

• Tribalism is an externally imposed construct
• Colonials used that imposed concept to manage and control the people
• It is not an inherent characteristic of African societies
• Tribalism simplified social structures in order to divide and rule
• Mafeje highlights the persistence of 'tribalism' where there are continual conflicts
• It hinders national unity and development

Marianne de Laet and Annemarie Mol's "The Zimbabwe Bush Pump: Mechanics of a Fluid Technology"

• The Zimbabwe Bush Pump is a hand-operated water pump with durability, and adaptability
• It is a study exploring the dynamics of 'fluid technology'
• It is well-suited to the rural Zimbabwean context
• The authors describe that the Bush Pump's adaptability is what makes it fluid
• Its definition extends beyond components to include social and cultural roles within communities
• There is not a binary state but a spectrum when looking at working order and maintenance
• It is the result of collective contributions over time, rather than a single inventor

Alex Blanchette's "Herding Species: Biosecurity, Posthuman Labor, and the American Industrial Pig"

• Disease outbreaks in industrial pig farming are prevented using biosecurity protocols
• It includes controlling animal movements, facilities, and indicators
• Posthuman Labor refers to practices transcend human-centered frameworks
• There is interdependence between human workers and animals
• In farming, workers manage animal behaviors, health, and environments
• Biosecurity protocols and relationships, workers have to manage animal welfare and industrial production
• Protocols involve controlled movements and sanitation practices
• Posthuman Labor focuses on managing animal welfare within industrial systems

Cecil Helman's "Introduction: The Scope of Medical Anthropology" from Culture, Health, and Illness

• Medical anthropology examines how different cultures understand the causes of health, treatments,
• Also explains how these beliefs relate to biological factors
• Cultural definitions can vary, affecting how health is perceived and managed
• Healthcare provide effective care by understanding cultural perspectives
• Cultural and social factors influence perceptions of health, illness, and healthcare practices
• Different societies have unique understandings of health which affects treatments
• Incorporating cultural understanding into medical practice enhances patient care and health outcomes.

Margaret Lock and Vinh-Kim Nguyen's "Anthropologies of Medicine" from An Anthropology of Biomedicine

• The field transitioned from examining indigenous practices to analyzing biomedicine
• This shift acknowledges that biomedicine is influenced by factors such as political factors
• Biomedicine is not a monolith and varies across societies
• Anthropologists employ ethnographic methods to study medical systems
• This helps in understanding patient and practitioner perspectives
• This approach reveals that health practices are socially constructed influenced by local factors

Susan Levine's Medicine and the Politics of Knowledge, focusing on 'Introduction' and 'Testing Knowledge

• Power dynamics shape medical knowledge and practices
• Apartheid had an impact on healthcare disparities and the marginalization of traditional healing
• Biomedicine and tradition are tested with healers and regulators
• The Traditional Health Practitioners Act of 2007 had the aim to regulate healers
• South Africa's history has influenced recognition of medical practices.