Cultural Anthropology test

What is a cyborg?

has both artificial and natural components for the purpose of adapting to new environments

What is cyborg anthropology?

- amber case says that being a cyborg doesn't mean having robotic parts, instead it means using tools like phones, computers, and other technology to expand what we can do such as memory, communication, and knowledge

- these tools have become a natural part of how we live, making us dependent on them to function in daily life, explaining why she says we are already cyborgs

Assimilation

process by which a person or a group's language and or culture come to resemble those of another group.

Multiculturalism

an ideology that states that all cultures are of equal value and should be promoted equally within the same nation. In Canada, it is a policy that protects ethnic, racial, linguistic , and religious diversity.

how did assimilation shape Canadian culture

- Indigenous culture is stripped away from Canadian culture

- Indigenous children were forbidden to speak their languages or practice traditions. The aim was to "assimilate" them into Euro-Canadian society.

how did multiculturalism shape Canadian culture

- The Multiculturalism Act legally recognized Canada's diversity and supported the right of individuals to maintain their cultural heritage while participating fully in Canadian society.

- Inspires the celebrations, food, and culture of Canada

- Celebrates the diversity of Canada

Rites of passage stage one

Segergation

- A person undergoing the rite of passage is separated from

the rest of society and from his or her original status.

- This segregation often includes a geographic change as well as a change in physical appearance, such as body paint or special clothing

Rites of passage stage two

Transition/Liminal

- the person going through the rite of passage is becoming his or her new self and learning the new role. Often there is learning, guidance, or instruction from a mentor who has completed the rite,

Rites of passage stage three

Incorporation and Reintegration

- The individual is reintegrated into regular society in his or her new role. Sometimes he or she is marked by tattoos, scars, body paint, or new clothing. In other cases, the individual gives up something to symbolically indicate that one role has ended and another has begun.

- The individual is expected to assume

new tasks and is formally recognized by the society in his or her new status.

rites of passage - Maasai

warrior initiation

Young men are circumcised as part of a ceremony. The circumcision is performed by an elder with ritual knives. The initiate must sharpen the knives himself and bring a ritual cowhide from a cow that had been slaughtered during his naming ceremony. Ice-cold water is poured over his head, a ceremonial paint is splashed on his face, and the circumcision is performed. The warrior must lie on his bed until the bleeding stops and must not let any blood fall on the ground. As you read the passage below, think about how Tepilit’s rite of passage conforms to the three-stage process.

rites of passage - Samoan

Tattooing

In many Polynesian societies, men underwent a painful and lengthy tattooing process to indicate their status as adults.

In Samoa, at adolescence, men of the chiefly or noble rank would have the pe’a (an intricate tattoo covering their body from waist to knee) applied. The process would begin with payment of mats to the tufuga or tattoo artist, a hereditary position of great respect. The tattoo required the support of family during the process. Once the tattoo was complete, the man’s family threw him a party, and the tufuga smashed a water gourd to mark the end of the ordeal.

What are the differences in gender roles in rites of passage? MALE

Male rites of passage are more common than female, with a longer period of adolescence. They can be more painful, especially in warfare societies, and may include scarification, beatings, fasting, genital mutilation, tattooing, and intimidation. These challenges are meant to toughen boys and help them become men.

What are the differences in gender roles in rites of passage? FEMALE

For many girls, the shift to adulthood centers on their first menstruation, marking them as ready for marriage and motherhood. Rites often include lessons on the roles and duties of women, wives, and mothers.

Body Image in Niger

- A fatter shape is more desirable as it is linked to desire

- A fatter shape is associated with status, wealth, and reproduction, especially in the areas where food is scarce.

- culture constructs an ideal body image by shaping what is considered to be attractive and desired based on the available resources

How manly is this?

- Each culture has their own scale of masculinity

- countries such as Scotland and Bhutan viewing skirts as manly and countries like Canada viewing them as not manly.

- In Japan, boys who write poetry are considered unattractive as potential partners, however, in Persian or Iranian culture, poetry is associated with wrestling and is considered manly

Cold Climate Adaptation

- Inuit people created warm and waterproof sealskin clothing, snowhouses (igluit), and other cultural ways of surviving in an extreme environment.

- As the Inuit came into contact with Europeans, their survival methods changed. Today, they adapt using modern tools like snowmobiles, nylon parkas, and central heating.

Warm Climate Adaptation

- The Bedouin cultural adaptations include loose and light clothing to protect them from the sun and sand in the daytime and the cold at night.

- As governments push for permanent settlements and military threats grow, Bedouin culture has had to adapt. In the past, Bedouin women in the Sinai roamed freely while herding animals, but now they often stay indoors in homes with runnin water and have fewer reasons to go out.

Body language

- Body language has different meaning in different cultures

- Eye contact is accepted and encouraged with avoidance of eye contact symbolizing deception or evasion in Canada. However, among many First Nations Peoples, avoiding eye contact with a teacher or parent is polite while making

eye contact with an authority figure is rude and aggressive.

- OK sign and the “thumbs-up” gestures in North America are generally positive, but in many other countries these gestures can be very rude and equivalent to the middle-finger gesture.

What can we communicate through body language

- Range of nonverbal signals that you can use to communicate your feelings and intentions

- In North America eye contact represents respect, a thumbs up is positive, kissing is affection, a smile is friendly, and sitting cross-legged is common.

social distancing - public zone

Public Zone : > 12 feet (3m)

i.e. usually reserved for public speaking and talking to a large group or walking around town

- We will start to notice other people who are within this radius.

- The closer they get, the more we become aware and ready ourselves for appropriate action.

social distancing - social zone

Social Zone : 4 - 12 feet (1.5m - 3m)

Within the social zone, we start to feel a connection with other people. We can talk with them without having to shout, but still keep them at a safe distance.

E.g. Distance you keep from strangers that you may have some interactions with, like: cashiers at a store, or a clerk at the bank

social distancing - personal zone

Personal Zone : 1.5-4 feet (0.5m - 1.5m)

In the personal zone, the conversation gets more direct, and this is a good distance for two people who are in deep conversation.

social distancing - intimate zone

Intimate Zone < 1.5 feet (< 0.5m)

- When a person is within arms reach or closer.

- We can also see more detail of their body language and look them in they eyes

E.g. Romance, immediate family, best friends.

Economic Systems and Culture - Foraging

Production: berries, fish, food

Distribution: In foraging societies, people share what they have and take turns giving and receiving. They don’t store or hoard resources, and personal achievements aren’t seen as important. Food is shared right away, and everyone helps the group survive. There are few or no social classes.

Economic Systems and Culture - Horticultural

production: corn, beans, squash

Distribution: In a redistribution system, goods are gathered in one place and then shared out. Every 12 years, the whole village had to move because the soil became worn out.

Economic Systems and Culture - Agricultural

production: surplus crops. They could store their extra crops in case of a bad harvest in the future

Distribution: Societies share less and divided into social classes with populations of peasants supporting classes of nobles, priests, and kings in ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, China, and South America

Economic Systems and Culture - Industrial

production: produce the food and goods needed for support or maintain oneself in factories.

Distribution: Industrial societies have a market economy where price, supply, and demand are often more important than family ties and personal status.

Economic Systems and Culture - Postindustrial

production: In a postindustrial economy, most jobs focus on providing information through services. Because of the digital world, people now often buy a CD online, which reflects that they are buying the information on the CD, instead of the CD itself.

Distribution: Today, many products are shared online as digital files because information is a big part of what’s made. Due to globalization, things can be made and moved across the world. For example, your T-shirt might have cotton from India, be sewn in China, printed in Mexico, and sold in Canada.

Negative impacts of globalization

- only the lowest paying jobs left for locals in Dominican with many struggling to find employment

- many Dominican women go near the resorts in hopes of marrying a wealthy man

Positive impacts of globalization

- Changed the food we eat with more cultural diversity

- People able to connect through technology. Information can flow easily between borders and in remote location.

- Internet has provided people with access to information that may have been censored and provides forums for people to communicate what is happening in their country.

Matrilineal

This is a kinship system in which people trace their ancestry through their mothers.

Patrilineal

This is a kinship system in which people trace their ancestry through their fathers.

Bilineal

This is a kinship system in which people trace their ancestry through their mothers and fathers.

In which way do most Canadians trace their Ancestory

Most Canadians trace their ancestry through both their mothers and fathers.

What is the divorce rate in Canada and the U.S. for arranged marriages

Arranged marriages have a 5 to 7 percent divorce rate in Canada and the U.S.

Marriage Trends

- Husbands are not the only breadwinners.

- It is not as difficult to attain a divorce in our society.

- More couples are choosing not to get married.

- More couples are having children outside of marriage.

- Common-law relationships are more common and acceptable.

- More same-sex couples are getting married.

- Interfaith and interracial marriages are more common.

- Fewer couples are choosing to have children.

- There has been an increase in the number of married couples that originally met online.

Functions of marriage - Na marriage

In this culture, their language has words for mother and children but not for father or marriage. Women live with their brothers and other relatives on their mother's side. Men help raise their sisters' children. At night, men visit women for sex. There's no jealousy, and people can choose their partners freely, often meeting through simple gestures.

Functions of marriage - Bhil arranged marriage

In some cultures, like the Bhil of India, marriage is more about family, raising children, and economics than personal feelings. Parents or elders arrange marriages to connect families, believing this is too important to leave to love. In many places, marriage comes first, and love is expected to grow later.

Polygyny

One male, several females marriage

Advantages:

- Symbol of wealth and status

- Wives provide the labour to work the fields

- wives get the benefit of their husband’s labour for chores and tasks that only men are permitted to do.

- Many wives report that they also enjoy the company of their co-wives in sharing the work of producing, processing, and preparing food and caring for children.

Disadvantages:

- Emotionally and financially difficult

- May not love all of his wives equally and therefore it would not be fair to the man or his wives.

- stress on women, one that consistently produces low self-esteem, depression, and psychological distress

Polyandry

One female, several males marriage

Advantages:

- men work together to support their wife and any children she bears.

- keeps land from being divided up

Disadvantages:

- The wife has an increased workload since she must look after all the husbands and all the children3

Self-concept in Western societies

- See themselves more positively than they really are

example: westerns see that a bad mark on a school assignment can be considered a minor mistake, the teachers fault, or a case of bad luck in some way.

Self-concept in Asian societies

- use the concept of shame. are closely tied to people with obligations, and are overly concerned with what people think - - Concept of shame would strongly motivate them to try and avoid getting a bad mark in the first place.

- Self concept is closely tied to a persons family roles and obligations. Making a mistake has consequences not only for the individual but also for his or her family. To be considered a good person you must avoid humiliation for you and your family, so it is better to prevent mistakes and save face

Similarities in self-concept

- people perceive themselves positively; they tend to like themselves and feel that they are good people in general