Tuvalu: That Sinking Feeling

People have been asking me about extra credit, so one of the suggestions that I gave people was to look at the impact of environmental change on certain peoples. I suggested Tuvalu as one case that you might find interested.

You could use this website as a jumping point:

http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/rough/2005/12/tuvalu_that_sin_1.html

There's a bunch of information out there about Tuvalu.

You could look at the impact of global warming on other peoples too, such as the Inuit. Or you could look at the impact of deforestation on people like the Yanomamo in S. America or Semai in Malaysia.

If you choose this route, then make sure to cite your sources and to use more than just the website that I'm emailing to you now.

Be prepared to answer these questions for the final.....

I will ask you to answer some, or all, of the following questions using your readings, class discussions, and experiences:

1) Why is it important to protect the cultural heritages of tribal peoples? Why is it of concern to anthropologists? Is there anything that we can take away from studies of such peoples?

2) Linguists estimate that there are over 7,000 languages spoken in the world today. Nearly half are in danger of becoming extinct in this century. Is it important to preserve such languages? Can we learn anything from these languages?

3) Discuss the Trobriand interpretation of cricket? Explain how the game changed Trobriand society. How is this form of cricket different from the cricket played by the British?

4) What is globalization? Is it something new? Is there anything unique about globalization today? For instance, is culture becoming homogenized? If so, then how? Is it becoming more heterogeneous? If so, then how?

5) What does it mean to say that “time is a gift”? How different is “time is a gift” from “time as money”? How might such a view change our lives? Can you think of any negative aspects to this view of time?

6) Bronislaw Malinowski, in his classic essay Magic, Science and Religion, claimed that each of these was a viable mode of cognition and that most societies exhibit all of them in variable proportions. In what ways does magical thinking persist in contemporary America? Is it likely to persist into the future?

7) In the essay “Deep Play: Notes on the Balinese Cockfight”, Clifford Geertz tries to read Balinese ritual and actions like a text in order to decode the symbols in their society. Leni Reifenstahl, the director of the film “Triumph of the Will”, argued throughout her life that this film was not a Nazi propaganda film, but a documentary. How might a symbolic anthropologist, like Geertz, approach the question of whether this film was a form of Nazi propaganda or a documentary? That is, what do the scenes, colors, and images in the film tell you?

8) What do different origin stories tell people about who they are? Can origin stories coexist in the world?

Reminder: Next Monday is the final for this class. Don't miss this final!

Please email me if you have any questions.

XXX Credit

So today we're watching a classic ethnographic film called "The Ax Fight." For those of you who can't come, you can go to the library, watch this and post a response.

Here are some questions to get you started:

1)Why does the fight start? (Whom do you believe?)
2) What roles do the women play in the violence?
3) What attempt is there to resolve the violence?
4) What, in the end, seems to calm things down?
5) What's the emotional tone during the fight? What sorts of evidence allow you to think that?

Have a good break!

Class on Wednesday--Extra Credit

Hey everyone,

I don't plan on canceling class on Wednesday, but I won't require anyone to be there since it's so close to the holiday. I will offer some sort of extra credit to anyone who attends. We'll probably do some sort of in-class assignment.

Have a good break,

Andre

No Blog Post Due! Work on Paper 2!

That's it!

Assignment #2
Ethnographic Essay
Due: Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008

For this exercise you will be taking the role of an anthropologist conducting participant observation. Your grade for this assignment will be based on: 1) the quality and detail of your notes from your observation; and 2) a typed, well-organized presentation, of your observation with your own analysis of scene that you observed.

Pick a site to conduct your observation. Such a site should be “active.” Here are some suggestions:

1) The Art Institute Museum;
2) One of the city trains or buses;
3) Outside of the 624 S. Michigan Ave. building, i.e. the library.

You will observe, at a distance, about 30 minutes at your chosen site. Do not intrude on others at this site, just watch and listen. Write down what you have seen and heard during your time observing. In your notes, I would like you to: 1) create a physical description of the place; 2) describe the human interactions at the site; 3) and the participants in the interaction. During your observation, think about if any of the interactions convey any meaning, or serve some social function.

In the first paragraph of your papers I would like you to: 1) tell the reader, generally, what you observed; 2) why your paper is important; 3) what your paper will argue, or what your interpretation of the scene demonstrated to you.

In the remainder of the paper, I would like you to describe the physical description of the place, the human interactions at the site and the participants in the interaction. Organize these in a coherent manor and interpret the behavior at the site.

For instance, if you observe that the space outside of the 624 building is used primarily by smokers, you might argue that this space functions as a space for people to smoke since they are not allowed to smoke inside college buildings. If you notice that smokers outside this building typically interact with each other due to their marginalized status, you might take your analysis a step farther and argue that Columbia students use smoking as a means of creating social networks. You could possibly even read the interaction like an economic anthropology: is there gift exchange between smokers? If so, then what is the significance of the exchange? I encourage you to be creative in your analysis.

REMEMBER: TURN IN YOUR NOTES

Email me if you have questions.

Take Home Quiz--For Next Week

There is no blog post due this week. Your take home quiz (20 pts) should discuss one of the following questions. A thorough response should be approximately 2 pages. You should hand this quiz in by next week.

Oh--You do not need to read the article in your reader about the Zuni origin story. You can, however, read it if you are interested.

1) Bronislaw Malinowski, in his classic essay Magic, Science and Religion, claimed that each of these was a viable mode of cognition and that most societies exhibit all of them in variable proportions.

In what ways does magical thinking persist in contemporary North America?

In what ways does magical thinking persist in your lives at Columbia?

Is it likely to persist in the future?

2) Religious rituals are religion in action. Describe what in fact is accomplished by religious rituals?

Here's a story that you might find interesting.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/us_elections_2008/7699066.stm

Peaceful Rally

Before heading over to Grant Park for what would be one of the largest gatherings of people for any candidate ever, I made sure to leave my wallet at home. I had read interviews with ex-cops that were claiming up to 7,000 gang members could very well be in the park and weaving through the crowd, snatching wallets. I also read about how they had a riot squad on duty, ready to go with beanbag guns. Knowing that one violent incident could spark a huge riot (and Chicago doesn’t have the best track record in the peace department), I was admittedly worried upon entering the event.

To my surprise, it was one of the most sane, organized events I’ve ever been to. People were all sitting in the grass in front of one of the jumbotrons, and in another area people were standing. Everyone was either paying close attention to CNN or talking amongst themselves. Whenever the CNN Projection would announce a new state Barack won, the park would turn into a frenzy of cheering, then, shortly after, it would return to silence.

The crowd was very diverse, like Chicago itself. I saw every nationality and every age imaginable. It seemed that everyone just wanted to come together and be a part of such a historic event. When it was announced that Barack Obama was the president-elect, the crowd went insane. It was like New Year’s in Times Square. There was hugging, kissing, and plenty of screaming. Then, five minutes later, everyone resumed their silence waiting for the speeches to begin.

John McCain gave his concession speech first. Whenever someone would boo, others would shush them. I, personally, wanted to hear what he had to say without some hipster heckling over it. I thought John McCain handled himself in a most gracious manner. He understood how important this election is to so many, and he acted accordingly. He wasn’t belligerent in any way, and whenever someone would boo him, he’d motion with his hands for them to stop. During this speech, some hipster in back of me was constantly throwing in his two cents… “Feeble…This guy is so feeble! Boo! You suck, old man!” I was so close to turning around and telling this idiot to shut his hipster mouth, but before I knew it, the speech had ended.

Then, soon after, Obama gave his speech. The whole audience was completely silent as he spoke. His words were so powerful that you could look around the crowd and notice people crying. This was a truly moving experience. It felt as though a new page was turning not only in politics, but in society in general. Everyone in the audience that night knew they were a part of something great.

As the rally ended, thousands poured out into the street in what resembled a peaceful march more than anything. The rally itself was amazingly peaceful, especially for its attendance. Never have I seen so many people at once in such high spirits.

If anything made me mad about the rally, it was how many people that showed up that had no idea about Obama’s actual policies. There was a good amount of people who simply came to shout “Fuck McCain!” That mentality is sickening because it reflects the intellect of a fifth grader. I would have loved to ask one of them just why they like Obama, based solely on his policies (and not his age, race, and face). But overall, it was amazing to see what can happen when enough people band together for what is right.