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More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
More about anthropology
Importance of anthropology
More about anthropology
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Anthropology is the study of the development of humankind within their different cultures. When one looks inside a culture, they can see the true aspects and meanings behind a societies behavior and traits. By following the principle that is cultural relativism, one can also determine that no culture truly surpasses another culture, and that each society has key differences that are important to its culture and location. This is a method that can also be seen in many intriguing films from this semester, one in particular being The Emerald Forest. Throughout this essay, this film will be analyzed around one character who greatly represents what it means to truly immerse oneself into a different culture to gain a new perspective, and many key terms in anthropology will be explored through 4 different films from the semester.
1) a) In the classic 1985 film, The Emerald Forest, the dam built at the beginning of the movie poses a prevalent problem to the culture of the Invisible People. A part of
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This can include valuable elements or artifacts belonging to a different culture, and can easily be a violation of their rights. In the 1981 movie, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Dr. Indian Jones seems to be a master of appropriating cultural artifacts coveted by other cultures. A scene that portrays this idea is the scene at the beginning of the film where Indy is determined to steal a golden idol from a South American Tribe. It is obvious by the many booby-traps that protect this idol, that the tribe members do not want this item out of their possession. Though its importance to the tribe is quite clear, Indy dodges the traps in order to retrieve the idol for his own motives. While he does not successfully get away with this mission, his little disregard for the tribe’s important artifact is definitely noted through his reckless attempt to retrieve
Throughout time, many people feel as if they have lost their connection to their cultural from outside influences and numerous disruptions. Disruptions to one’s cultural can be seen in the Picture book The Rabbits by john Marsden and Shaun tan which is an an allegory of the invasion of Australia. Another example is the film avatar by James Cameron. The creators of these works are expressing the effect of man on nature and disruption it brings upon the cultural of the indigenous people who are the traditional owners of the land.
Wade Davis’ article, Among the Waorani, provides much of the content brought to light in Nomads of the Rainforest. His article delves deeper into their culture and motivations allowing one to more fully understand their beliefs, relationships, and savagery. Both the documentary and article attempt to create a picture of their close-knit relationships and their desire f...
They brought real Natives to play the Natives on the big screen and eventually movies were created by Natives themselves. Around the same time was the Hippie movement; many people wanted to be like the Natives they saw in the films even though it was not an accurate depiction of the Natives. They liked the 'positive stereotypes' of the Natives in the movies, the family unity and their strength as warriors. In the 1960's the American Indian Movement (AIM) also began and in 1973 The genocide at Wounded Knee occurred. Jim Jarmusch says “That is a genocide that occurred and the [American] culture wanted to perpetrate the idea that [the natives] these people are now mythological, you know, they don’t even really exist, they’re like dinosaurs.” This shows just how much Americans wanted to belittle the Natives, and despite succeeding for a number of years, the New Age of Cinema commenced and movies like Smoke Signals began what some would look at as a Renaissance. The Renaissance explained in Reel Injun discusses the rebirth of the Native American in the Hollywood films, and how the negative stereotypes went away with time. Reel Injun also makes a point to explain how it impacted not only the films but Americans who watched them, and ultimately America as a
Before the arrival of Europeans in 1492, many of the ancient North Americans lived an archaic hunter-gatherer way of life. This means food was obtained by foraging and hunting. Although methods of hunting and gathering differed between regional zones, some groups had comparable tactics. Both Eastern Woodland cultures and Great Basin cultures had a wide variety of diverse environments throughout there regions and had to learn how to adapt to them. Most of the groups from the Eastern Woodland developed settlements near rivers or lakes, just like most of the groups from the Great Basin, they settled near lakes and marshes fed by rain. These hunter-gatherer groups relied on the wide variety of plants and animals offered by living near water. Some
The Film Reel Injun introduced the world showing films that’s current and numerous clips of classics. This shows the action of distorting which means misleading the impression of Native people from the silent film era of today. Over time, Hollywood shaped the whole image of Native American people. Some people that were highly performed educated on films had personal interviews. This is what made Reel Injun unique. We witnessed Native and Non-Native Americans perspectives. The filmmaker a Cree, Neil Diamond revealed a great way of showing the portrayal of Native Americans in such a way that it distorted the US history and affected the Native Americans. He grew up in an isolated
Ruth Benedict’s anthropological book, Patterns of Culture explores the dualism of culture and personality. Benedict studies different cultures such as the Zuni tribe and the Dobu Indians. Each culture she finds is so different and distinctive in relation to the norm of our society. Each difference is what makes it unique. Benedict compares the likenesses of culture and individuality, “A culture, like an individual, is a more or less consistent pattern of thought or action” (46), but note, they are not the same by use of the word, “like.” Benedict is saying that figuratively, cultures are like personalities. Culture and individuality are intertwined and dependent upon each other for survival.
The movie entitled The Education of Little Tree is about a young boy who is brought up by his Cherokee grandparents during the Great Depression, following the death of his parents. They teach him about a way of life that is very different from what he is used to, and is much more in-tune with nature. The state comes to find that the boy is not in school, something very European, and forces him to attend an oppressive school run by the state which forbids anything “Indian” related. Throughout the movie, there are stark contrasts made between the Cherokee and European way of life. It becomes evident that cultural influences have an effect on the young boy and they can be seen through the process of acculturation, the sensitive period for culture
also films that could have been seen for a small price, but if one has the time
In “Avatar”, the concept of cultural relativism is explored in numerous ways. The main character, Jake Sully, is a prime example of cultural relativism. As Jake submerges himself among the Na’vi and their culture, he begins to realize the culture, viewing it from the Na’vi perspective. After falling in love with a native, Neytiri, Jake realizes the innocence of the Na’vi and how they are simply trying to protect their homeland. He begins to understand the value in scared places to the Na’vi, most notably the Tree of Souls. Only after living with Na’vi and seeing the destruction of the military does Jake truly understand the value within the Na’vi people. Another prevalent film that conveys the theme of cultural relativism is “The Emerald Forest”. The son of Bill Markham, Tommy, is kidnapped at the start of the movie, spending the rest of his
It analyzes similarities and differences in various cultures and societies. Culture is learned and affects our perception of the world throughout our life. Overtime, a sense of cultural superiority is formed amongst individuals who are constantly exposed to their own culture. Anthropology can help eliminate culturally based biases, also known as ethnocentrism. It is a common practice we all in engage in when evaluating other cultures, however, by practicing anthropology this allows us to learn about other cultures by placing themselves into the cultural environment allows us to learn the traditions and customs by experience. Marjorie Shostak`s study of the !Kung people revealed that they organized themselves differently than Western cultures, which included solving conflicts with discussion, communal behavior, and basic living traditions. Moreover, by interviewing and living in this cultural environment, Shostak was able to empathize with the !Kung people and she also considered that all humans share an emotional life, which is important when studying the history of our human
Anthropology is concerned with studying human beings, both in the past and present. From another perspective, Anthropology is the study of the “Other” or of populations whose culture is different from one’s own. The questioning of these differences in prior centuries led to theories of inherent biological distinctions between Westerners and non-Westerners as well as divisions in evolutionary characteristics of their cultures. Michel-Rolph Trouillot, in a chapter of his book entitled “Anthropology and the Savage Slot: The Poetics and Politics of Otherness”, argues that Anthropology as an academic discipline acquired these theoretical outlooks before its emergence as an actual discipline. As a result, “Anthropology fills a pre-established compartment within a wider symbolic field, the ‘Savage’ slot” (Trouillot 2003:9). By utilizing the resource of Trouillot as well as Moberg, Perry, and Moore, I will illustrate that the Savage Slot and the “Savage” or “Other” are theoretical concepts fashioned with the creation of the West and consequently the field of Anthropology.
Culture is presented as a source of conflict or pride for the characters and the effect of culture is to depict how non Western lifestyle is often neglected. The disregard for non Western culture is portrayed as negative, detrimental, and a source of identity crises for those whose culture is being neglected. Adichie manipulates culture throughout the novel in order to emphasize the importance of culture to personal identity and one’s authenticity, highlight the dangers of cultural intolerance and ignorance, and expose the misconception of the superiority of Western
Culture and society, while important terms to the field of anthropology, are often misunderstood or misused by new students. They are frequently used in daily life, but with a somewhat different context and meaning than those used in anthropological discussions, hence the misunderstanding. They refer to concepts which act as foundations of this field, and it is difficult to make sense of both old and new studies or ideas without them.
Hirsch, E. 1995. “Introduction, Landscape: between place and space” in Hirsch, E. (ed.) The Anthropology of Landscape: Perspectives on Place and Space. Oxford : New York: Clarendon Press.
The idea of using an holistic approach in Anthropology is not only demonstrated throughout these works, but the downfalls of failing to use holism is shown as well. When discussing perspective, the standpoint of the individual and the relationship he or she has with the subject or area of study is of vital importance. Any pre-conceived notions one has entering into a study can affect the process and validity of gathering information in the form of facts. In the tale, the men were unable to gather reliable information because they had already made up their minds about what the elephant looked and acted like. Anderson, however, was able to observe from both a participant standpoint and an onlookers point of view when collecting information regarding her various cultures of study. Ones culture provides a frame of reference that places limitations on the way people of varying cultures look at one another (Tversky and Kahneman). If one has only knowledge and experience of their native culture, they will have difficulty comprehending the world around them