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Papers On Anthropology
Page 6 of 56
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!Kung San: Cultural Change
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5 pages in length. Before the white man's social infiltration, the !Kung San were a nomadic people content to live their lives without any of the modern conveniences so readily associated with many parts of the world; in fact, there was little knowledge beyond their immediate villages as to what technological advancement actually meant. Theirs was a simple yet satisfying hunter/gatherer lifestyle perpetuated generation after generation with no external intrusion or forced cultural assimilation – until the white man arrived. Bibliography lists 4 sources.
Filename: TLCKung2.rtf
Paper Title: !Kung San: Cultural Change
"Argonauts of the Western Pacific" and "The Nuer": A Discussion of the
Two Classic Anthropological Texts by Malinowski and Evans-Pritchard
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A 5 page comparison of two classic anthropological accounts and the
differences in their ethnographic styles. Outlines the contents of each
account, detailing economics and non-utilitarian and ceremonial aspects
of each group, and compares and contrasts the ethnographic methods used
to record those accounts. Concludes that Malinowski's constant
interruptions of his narration of Trobiand life to insert his
ethnographic perspective illustrate the fact that narrative and
ethnography are not necessarily incompatible. Malinowski in fact became
a stylistic guide for subsequent anthropological works as a new-style
ethnographic science. Suggests that Evans-Pritchard recorded his
account in a manner which did not really differ substantially from
Malinowski but in a manner which he saw no reason to justify, perhaps
using Malinowski's earlier ventures into new-style ethnographic science
as a guideline for his own. Bibliography lists 4 sources.
Filename: PPtrobia.wps
Paper Title: "Argonauts of the Western Pacific" and "The Nuer": A Discussion of the
Two Classic Anthropological Texts by Malinowski and Evans-Pritchard
"Dancing Skeletons": A Review of the Book by Catherine Dettwyler
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A 5 page review of the ethnographic account of fieldwork in medical anthropology. Working among malnourished children in West Africa Dettwyler experienced both professional and personal insight. Although sometimes criticized for her subjective approach to her subject, in reality Dettwyler provides both a a touching human account and a valuable ethnography. Her approach to death as "the ultimate illness", however, is one which is unfortunate. This paper points out that death is in fact a natural component of life. To view death as an ultimate illness is to regard death, a phase which we must all pass through, as a personal and medical failure. No additional sources are listed.
Filename: PPskeltn.wps
Paper Title: "Dancing Skeletons": A Review of the Book by Catherine Dettwyler
"Mortality is Not Relative": James Rachels' Views on the Theory of Cultural Relativism
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A 7 page exploration of Rachels beliefs in regard to what determines certain cultural practices and whether or not there are inherent rights and wrongs in those practices. More specifically, Rachels
explores the question of whether morality is a phenomena that varies according to culture, whether different cultures do in fact operate under
different moral codes. Rachels points out that many cultures even diverge greatly from our Western precepts of right and wrong. He is particularly interested in the theory of cultural relativism, that theory that demands that we view behavior and situations in a world context rather than from the closely defined views of one culture. Rachels sees both positives and negatives in that theory, however. No additional sources are listed.
Filename: PPmoralR.rtf
Paper Title: "Mortality is Not Relative": James Rachels' Views on the Theory of Cultural Relativism
"National Geographic": Political Propaganda or Insight into the Exotic and Fascinating?
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A 6 page discussion of the criticism that has been waged by some authors against "National Geographic". Analyzing those criticisms and evaluating them against one specific article in particular this paper concludes that "National Geographic" is not a political publication and it is not intended to be. The publication's "images are formed, selected and controlled, purveyed and read" (as one author has contended) all right but they are presented for the specific purpose of giving us a view of the exotic and the interesting not the political and controversial. Bibliography lists 3 sources.
Filename: PPntlGeo.rtf
Paper Title: "National Geographic": Political Propaganda or Insight into the Exotic and Fascinating?
"Primate Behavioral Ecology: From Ethnography to Ethology and Back"
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An 8 page review of an article published in the March, 2003 edition of the "American Anthropologist" by author Karen B. Strier. The article's focus is delineated and the content criticized both in relation to the work her literature review encompasses and to work that it does not encompass. Bibliography lists 4 sources.
Filename: PPprimat.rtf
Paper Title: "Primate Behavioral Ecology: From Ethnography to Ethology and Back"
"Rabbit-Proof Fence" and Other Insights into Aborigine Subjugation
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An 8 page discussion of the concept of manifest destiny as it is illustrated in the film "Rabbit-Proof Fence". The author reviews the plot of this film and compares the blatant discrimination experienced by the characters with other acts of discrimination conducted against other aboriginal peoples around the world. Bibliography lists 8 sources.
Filename: PPaboRbb.rtf
Paper Title: "Rabbit-Proof Fence" and Other Insights into Aborigine Subjugation
"The Next of Kin": Bilingual and Bicultural
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A 6 page paper which discusses how
Washoe, from Roger Fouts' "The Next of Kin," written with assistance along with Stephen
Tukel Mills, is bilingual and bicultural. The paper also discusses how this challenges the
powerful notion, and existence, of European ethnocentrism. No additional sources cited.
Filename: RAnextkin.wps
Paper Title: "The Next of Kin": Bilingual and Bicultural
"The Role of Women in Human Evolution"
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A 3 page review of author Margaret Ehrenberg's views on the emergence of gender roles in mankind's evolution. Published in editors Caroline B. Brettell and Carolyn F. Sargent anthology titled "Gender in Cross-Cultural Perspective", this article questions the traditional anthropological explanation of women's role in evolution. No additional sources are listed.
Filename: PPGndClt.rtf
Paper Title: "The Role of Women in Human Evolution"
'Contested Lives'—Debate on Abortion
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A 5 page analysis of the principle points from Faye D. Ginsburg's study of abortion debate, Contested Lives. Ginsburg approaches this debate from an anthropological standpoint that examines the ideologies that motivate each group of activists in one town, Fargo, North Dakota. No additional sources cited.
Filename: 00gincon.rtf
Paper Title: 'Contested Lives'—Debate on Abortion
'Economics' In The New Guinea Highland
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This 7 page research paper examines the tribal societies of the Highlanders of New Guinea as written about by ethnographer David M. Hayano in The Road Through the Rain Forest: Living Anthropology In Highland Papua New Guinea (1990). Specifically discussed are the concept of economics, distribution of labor and services, and wages. Bibliography lists 3 sources.
Filename: Highland.wps
Paper Title: 'Economics' In The New Guinea Highland