anthorpology
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Anthropology
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Dec 6, 2023
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1. This chapter emphasizes how broad the discipline of anthropology is and how many
different kinds of research questions anthropologists in the four subdisciplines pursue.
What do you think are the strengths or unique opportunities of being such a broad
discipline? What are some challenges or difficulties that could develop in a discipline that
studies so many different things?
Anthropologists take a broad approach to understanding the
many different aspects of the human experience, it is the scientific study of humanity, concerned
with human behavior, human biology, cultures, and societies, in both the present and past
.
Strengths of Anthropology -
It is a comprehensive science. It has an integrative approach that
bridges the social sciences and humanities and has strong links with many disciplines from
biology to the arts. It examines the evolutionary culture of human development and behavior
from multiple perspectives in biology and sociocultural history. Characteristics of their
evolutionary origins as species and diversity.
Unique Opportunities
A four-disciplinary approach
to the humanities (linguistic anthropology sociocultural anthropology archaeology and physical
anthropology) makes the field unique. Subjects with diversity and broad subject areas provide
candidates with an intellectually challenging environment. This subject helps us to better
understand human nature. Anthropology can help reduce racism in history especially in Europe.
Challenges/difficulties Anthropological research is time consuming - Expensive - Information
collected may be inaccurate / biased / distorted.
2. Cultural anthropologists focus on the way beliefs, practices, and symbols bind groups of
people together and shape their worldview and lifeways. Thinking about your own culture,
what is an example of a belief, practice, or symbol that would be interesting to study
anthropologically? What do you think could be learned by studying the example you have
selected?
An example of a traditional practice that is interesting for anthropologists to study is
the practice of circumcision. The practice of circumcision is associated with an older age group
in society. It means entering the maturity stage of a local community. Ceremonies were essential
to the community as they supported the development of community beliefs and traditions. By
studying circumcision rituals anthropologists can learn more about the beliefs and cultural
practices of communities. Ceremonies facilitate the development of cultural norms. The study of
rituals enables cultural anthropologists to understand how communities engage in a variety of
activities that promote interaction. The structural arrangement of this community reveals how
seniority of age groups appears and how it is related to ensuring peaceful relations in society.
3. Discuss the definition of culture proposed in this chapter. How is it similar or different
from other ideas about culture that you have encountered in other classes or in everyday
life?
Fundamentally the best known and important anthropologists and the interdisciplinary
community also take a significantly different and significant approach to defining and
emphasizing the best anthropological definition of culture. Basically, according to most
anthropologist’s culture is technically defined as a set of shared values ideas concepts and basic
rules of behavior that allow society to form social groups in which it can function. It defines the
culture. the parallels between this definition and the one we always teach or encounter in our
daily encounters with culture in the context of our daily lives; It involves a larger plan of the
narrative of life. Since reality is also constantly shaped and constructed in the consciousness of
its members culture is understood to a great extent as dynamic and constantly evolving. Culture
also allows us to understand how the everyday stories and objects of our lives exist in diversity.
And in diversity anthropology always remains at the heart of our values of finding common
ground in our differences and uniqueness in terms of culture.
4. In this chapter, Anthony Kwame Harrison, Bob Myers, and Lynn Kwiatkowski describe
how they first became interested in anthropology and how they have used their training in
anthropology to conduct research in different parts of the world. Which of the research
projects they described seemed the most interesting to you? How do you think the
participant-observation fieldwork they described leads to information that would otherwise
be difficult or impossible to learn?
One is particularly interested in Lynn Kwiatkowski's research on wife abuse in Vietnam.
One found her research to be important because it sheds light on a global problem that is often
understudied. Additionally, one appreciates the way that she uses her anthropological training to
conduct her research in a way that is respectful and beneficial to the community she is studying.
First, one believes that wife abuse is a global problem that is often understudied.
Second, one appreciates the way that Kwiatkowski uses her anthropological training to conduct
her research in a way that is respectful and beneficial to the community she is studying.
Finally, one think that her research has the potential to contribute to the development of a deeper
understanding of the social and cultural sources of gender violence to end this violence.
How do you think the participant-observation fieldwork they described leads to
information that would otherwise be difficult or impossible to learn?
The participant-observation fieldwork described in the chapter leads to information that would
otherwise be difficult or impossible to learn for a few reasons. First, this type of fieldwork allows
anthropologists to spend a significant amount of time with the people they are studying. This
allows them to develop a deep understanding of the complexities of people's lives. For example,
in Lynn Kwiatkowski's research on wife abuse in Vietnam, she was able to spend time living
with a family in a commune in Hanoi. This allowed her to learn about the deep pain and
suffering experienced by abused women, as well as the numerous ways many of these women
and their fellow community members have worked to put an end to the violence. Additionally,
participant-observation fieldwork gives anthropologists the opportunity to learn about the
intersection of global and local forces in people's lives. In her research on wife abuse in Vietnam,
Kwiatkowski was able to learn about the ways in which global social, political, and economic
forces intersect with the everyday experiences of women facing abuse. This allowed her to gain a
deeper understanding of the social and cultural sources of gender violence in Vietnam. Finally,
this type of fieldwork allows anthropologists to learn about the powerful institutional forces that
influence people's lives. In her research on wife abuse in Vietnam, Kwiatkowski was able to
learn about the ways in which the Vietnamese government and law enforcement officials respond
to cases of abuse. This allowed her to gain a better understanding of the institutional barriers that
women face when trying to escape abusive relationships.
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