1. The terms “use” and “function” are described by Merriam whereas “use” is the concept studied is to increase factual knowledge directly. “Function“ is “an attempt to increase factual knowledge indirectly through the deeper comprehension of the significance of the phenomenon studied.” (Merriam 209)
Scholars in the field tend to agree with Merriam’s assessment for the most part. The only point in question that I gathered from the readings is that there is some discrepancy whether all the activities in a culture have a function. Merriam seems to think that they do or else that activity is not a function of society. Nadel believes that there are varying degrees of function in a society (Merriam 210) but adheres to the same basic definitions of function.
2. The tripartite model of analysis that Merriam uses contains concepts, behavior, and structure.
Concepts are the elements that come into play to integrate music into the life of a society. One concept for example is that of what a society considers music and what it considers to be noise. The manner in which that same society uses and organizes music is an underlying concept of the former. (Merriam 63)
Behaviors are the result, or a translation as Merriam puts it, of a culture’s concept music. Merriam categorizes behavior in this manner, “Four major kinds of behavior can be isolated in respect to the production and organization of sound; these include physical behavior, verbal behavior about the music sound, social behavior both on the part of those who produce music and those who listen and respond to it, and learning behavior which enables the musician to produce the appropriate sounds.” (Merriam 103)
The structure component is the more concrete of the th...
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...to communicate and order to communicate with that person one would need to recognize and be able to imitate that birdcall or song then being able to incorporate into music. (Feld 217-18)
10. Weeping in the Kaluli society is a gender divided phenomena. The men are characterized with iligi-yelema, gana-yelema, and gana-gili-yelema. The women are characterized with gese-yelema, and sa-yelema. Generally the difference between the to gender types of weeping is that the men are more prone to uncontrolled and spontaneous, whereas the women are more given to controlled and melodic weeping. (Feld 262)
The iligi-yelema is sudden and startled, gana-yelema is a loud melodic falsetto, and gana-gili-yelema is loud, melodic shrieking. Gese-yelema is a sorrowful and pitiful melodic from of weeping, and sa-yelema is a melodic weeping that is sung with a text. (Feld 90-93)
The two nonwestern compositions, Ompeh and Maru-Bihag, share few similarities. Although both compositions come from a national, historic background, the compositions are astonishingly different. Being different is not necessarily a bad thing as each composition has its own unique character that creates a beautiful, emotional vibe for the audience. The nationality of Ompeh is African; there are two male soloists’ that combine two of the many languages spoken in Ghana: Ga and Fante. The instruments used in Ompeh are: a bamboo slit drum, a metal bell, a pan rattle, a cylindrical drum, and a large barrel-shaped hand drum. Percussive sounds, complex rhythm, and a call-and-response pattern is featured in the Ompeh composition. One astonishing difference about Ompeh is that death is being referenced in it. What makes this so astonishing is that when you listen to the composition, without knowing the story behind it or the languages, you think of happiness not death (or at least I didn’t).
This essay is an ethnographic study of Whole Foods Market which is located in Kensington, London. Whole Foods Market is a niche supermarket that sells high quality organic and natural products at high prices. In this essay, I will provide a brief orientation of ethics with regards to the concepts of Corporate Social Responsibility - macroethics and Business Ethics - microethics and the theoretical frameworks of consequentialism, deontology and virtue ethics. I will be using deontology framework in ethics devised by Immanuel Kant to assess if the marketing strategy and the products sold at Whole Foods Market support their principle of ‘organic and natural’.
many cultures view as an important part in their way of life. Music ranges from strictly
Reflexivity is a qualitative method of research that takes an ethnography one step further, displaying the personal thoughts and reflections of the anthropologist on his informants. Ethnographies generally take an outside or foreign perspective of a culture, like reading a text, and reflexivity introduces a new component of inside description. Here, the anthropologist may describe personal interactions and experiences with natives and use this inside information to make additional conclusions about the people being studied. The ethnographer may also reflect on his ethnic connections with his informants, or his acceptance into the society, explaining that it provides valuable, inside knowledge of the culture and ultimately leads to a greater understanding of the native people as a whole.
Music are a few things we tend to hear every day. Whether or not it’s from our own ipods, in our cars, or background music to our lives. A song exists for pretty much every feeling and music will be thought of as extremely healing mechanism. Over the years there are various varieties of music that everyone embrace completely different beats, sounds, and evoke different emotions. Such varieties of music is hip hop and rap, alternative music, and rock and roll music. Music incorporates a long line and every single sound and sort of music is tangled together inside each other and influenced by each other. For these reasons, music not solely defines a sort of sound, however additionally recreates lifestyles and defines entire generations. The ability of music will be seen from all differing kinds of music.
When I was a kid my parents always took me to Nathdwara to take the blessings of Lord Krishna every now and then because my parents are so religious. So by going there several times I am also attached to that place. Actually Nathdwara is situated in Rajasthan state and I live in the state called Gujarat and in the city called as Ahmedabad. It takes six hours drive from my city to Nathdwara and this is the only nearest place where I could get mental peace. This is very important place for me and my family because it is a tradition of our family that whoever goes there gives free food to the hungry and poor people. We do so because we think that if we do good work in our life we will be allowed by god to go to the heaven. [The two states on the left are Gujarat and Rajasthan. One in light blue color is Gujarat with the arrows and on the top of it with cream color is Rajasthan. I live in the middle of the state and Nathdwara is at the border of the Rajasthan]
James P. Spradley (1979) described the insider approach to understanding culture as "a quiet revolution" among the social sciences (p. iii). Cultural anthropologists, however, have long emphasized the importance of the ethnographic method, an approach to understanding a different culture through participation, observation, the use of key informants, and interviews. Cultural anthropologists have employed the ethnographic method in an attempt to surmount several formidable cultural questions: How can one understand another's culture? How can culture be qualitatively and quantitatively assessed? What aspects of a culture make it unique and which connect it to other cultures? If ethnographies can provide answers to these difficult questions, then Spradley has correctly identified this method as revolutionary.
A gym as defined by the Oxford Dictionary states that it is a “membership organization that provides a range of facilities designed to improve and maintain physical fitness and health.” Within our society, the culture of a gym or health club is comprised of those who wish to maintain their physical health, as well as form a bond for like-minded people to support one another with their health goals within a shared environment. I have chosen to observe and understand the culture that embodies the Westford Regency Health Club, a local Massachusetts gym with higher than average membership pric es and a higher end reputation in comparison to the average franchised gym, such as Planet Fitness. I chose this particular gym for the sole fact that it is labeled as a “health club,” rather than a gym, which brings about the notion that it is somehow superior in regards to its facilities and membership privileges. For my research, I used an inductive method including participant-observation, as well as field notes gathered from my visits as a new member.
Ethnography Works Cited Missing Anthropology is defined, in the most basic terms, as the study of other cultures. This field can subsequently be divided into more specific sections, and contain more precise defining characteristics, but this definition is essentially all that is needed. Anthropology is a science that attempts to look at other cultures and draw conclusions to questions that are raised while studying. An anthropologist is someone who accepts what is presented before them and is driven by an urge to understand each presentation as thoroughly as possible. Once the concept of anthropology is accepted, one must identify the means of reaching the goal of this field.
"Music is a common experience and a large part of societies. In fact, anthropologists note that all human communities at all times and in all places, have engaged in musical behaviours. Music as a mode of human activity is a cultural phenomenon constituting a fundamental social entity as humans create music and create their relationship to music. As cultural phenomeno...
Some may say music is just music; a song is just a song. However, music plays an enormous role in our psychology, because a single song has the ability to bring about many kinds of thoughts and emotions in the listener. Music is subtly one of the main factors in which people identify with certain groups and establish their belonging in society. It shapes people’s perspectives on how the world functions and the roles they play within it. Music can function the same way in a culture; it can reflect many of the culture’s values and ideologies. Music can have many effects on culture and the people’s idea of who they think they are within that culture. Music can serve in a way that promotes cultural identity and pride, yet it could also play a role in the separation of social and economical identities in within cultures.
Music: the art of organized noise. The blend of pitch and rhythm combined in different mediums and enjoyed by our ears. A very interpretive art, music isn’t very clearly constricted or defined by one definition. With so many varieties of music, it’s difficult to say what aspect is really the most important. Some people think music’s history and the appreciation of music are the most important aspects to take into consideration. Some think complex in rhythms and melodies make the best music. Some people devote their whole lives to studying one genre of music in order to fully understand how that genre works. While all of these aspects of music are important, none of them can truly be compared with each other on a fair playing field. Music of different genres, eras, and geographic backgrounds were written for different purposes, different people, and different settings. Still, there is still one overarching theme that applies to all forms of music new or old: the way the composer presents his or her creation. The performance and presentation of a work of music is like the icing on the top of a cake. The cake may be the best you’ve ever tasted, but if the icing on the outside doesn’t look appealing or doesn’t taste good, chances are you’ll take a different piece of cake with better looking frosting next time. The performance of music is what appeals most to people. With live performance, an artist must “sell” his or her creation. They must put smile on their face and convey to the audience that this is their music and through the music explain why it’s awesome. They must persevere through whatever the stage, the audience, and their surroundings give them and put on a good show. In today’s popular music though, this aspect of showma...
The problems of ethnocentrism tend to manifest themselves in the philosophy of history, when philosophers attempt to interpret empirical history in teleological terms. Ethnocentrism arises whenever the researcher attempts to universalize the Western subject-position. In sociological terms that have been widely popularized since Sumner, ethnocentrism involves one first identifying with an in-group, with whom one shares certain observable characteristics (culture, language, physical features, or customs, for example).[1] The belief in shared characteristics leads to an assertion of identity, and this belief in turn influences attitudes. Our attitude toward the in-group is one of favouritism, whereas our attitude toward the out-group is one of
One cannot generalize or predict all human behaviors, thought processes, morals, and customs. Because human nature is dominated by different types of cultures and societies in various parts of the world, this can often lead to misunderstanding which ultimately leads to the illusion of cultural superiority, and in most cases this can lead to genocide - the systematic murder or annihilation of a group of people or culture. Anthropology is the study of humans, our immediate ancestors and their cultural environments this study stems from the science of holism - the study of the human condition. Culture is crucial in determining the state of the human condition, as the cultures are traditions and customs that are learned throughout an individual
Cultural anthropology has taught me a lot in such a short time. This class has been very eye opening to me and has made me think more about the different cultures around me and just how important it is to learn about them. One of the things I have learned is how religion is related to culture. Culture is behaviors of a community such as the food they make, the music they listen to, and the rituals they take part in. This can be very similar to religion because a culture is based off of their religious beliefs. Some cultures do not eat pig because it is against their religious beliefs. Some cultures listen to particular songs because it is based off of their religious beliefs. Another thing cultures relate closely to is languages. Without language