Final Exam Group 1 When people look at a culture on an average day, people only tend to see broad generalities, usually elements that are stereotyped and seemingly always mentioned in connection with that one culture. A similar habit applied to anthropological studies sometimes. It’s easy to forget how complex one apparently cohesive culture can be approached from. This class as a whole approached India and culture from many sides, and it helped me see the benefits of studying a culture from as many different perspectives as possible to get a thorough analysis. Each of the authors assigned to the class approached a specific element of India from a particular direction, with some authors touching on the same issues from very different angles. For example, Octavio Paz and Margaret Trawick touched on Indian culture, but from two different angles. Paz approached northern India as an ambassador to India focusing on the history and philosophy of India in shaping culture. Trawick, on the other hand, approached southern India as an anthropologist focusing on the construction of families and gender in India. The two images of India and culture presented by the to authors were rather different, however, looking at the two together allowed for a more comprehensive approach to India and the construction of Indian culture. The result between those two authors, as well as in looking at the rest of the authors, was a more complete image of what India is, as opposed to the dreams of a few from one narrow angle. The class also integrated a variety of different bodies of knowledge to approach India and culture from. Ethnography is the traditional practice of social scientists in understanding culture; however, it... ... middle of paper ... ...ste system is the only one of it kinds in the world. It is safe to say that most human societies develop social hierarchies. Quite a few also develop a stratified system with an underlying ideology and relatively standardized marital practices. Europe, until quite recently, had a fully-fledged hierarchical system called feudal system. It had a great deal in common with caste system, though its mechanisms were different. Europe may have almost completely eliminated the feudal system in favor of a very loose socioeconomic class system, but it is not the only one doing so. India is also in the process of swapping out the caste system for the socioeconomic class system, making it not quite as prolific as people tend to consider it to be. It is safer to say that India’s caste system is the world’s strongest surviving stratified hierarchical system.
Pages one to sixty- nine in Indian From The Inside: Native American Philosophy and Cultural Renewal by Dennis McPherson and J. Douglas Rabb, provides the beginning of an in-depth analysis of Native American cultural philosophy. It also states the ways in which western perspective has played a role in our understanding of Native American culture and similarities between Western culture and Native American culture. The section of reading can be divided into three lenses. The first section focus is on the theoretical understanding of self in respect to the space around us. The second section provides a historical background into the relationship between Native Americans and British colonial power. The last section focus is on the affiliation of otherworldliness that exist between
Anderson uses a unique structure of information throughout the chapters of her book. An example of this is found towards the beginning: “In this, as in many other anthropological issues, fieldwork is to theory as air is to fire, illuminating the enticing scope of culture 's complexity… at least is was for me, in the context of a summer of work in India (44).”
Indian society was patriarchal, centered on villages and extended families dominated by males (Connections, Pg. 4). The villages, in which most people lived, were admini...
For this study, researcher classified the cultural identity of the participants as traditional, assimilated, bicultural, or marginalized by how they identified with highly with Indian values, highly with white values, ewally with both, or with none.
Thousands of years ago, Indian society developed into a complex system based on different classes. This system is known as the Caste System. It separated Indians into different castes based on what class they were born into. As thousands of years went by, this system grew larger and became further complex (Wadley 189). This system caused frustration for the Indian citizens because they were receiving inequality.
As Indians living in white culture, many problems and conflicts arise. Most Indians tend to suffer microaggressions, racism and most of all, danger to their culture. Their culture gets torn from them, and slowly, as if it was dream, many Indians become absorbed into white society, all the while trying to retain their Indian lifestyle. In Indian Father’s Plea by Robert Lake and Superman and Me by Sherman Alexie, the idea that a dominant culture can pose many threats to a minority culture is shown by Wind-Wolf and Alexie.
I will split this essay into two parts. Firstly, I will describe to the reader the product of my research, including the main ethnography itself and also the way in which I arrived at the conclusions I did. Secondly, I will critically analyse the process I undertook to gain my data. This will include reflecting on dilemmas such as ethics, choice of field site and other issues that I encountered whilst carrying out my research.
Within every society and every fabric of culture lies a story. These stories portray the very nature of each culture by representing tales of their history, beliefs, and traditions. As individuals recount and pass on the stories of various cultures, the stories represent a different variation that reflects the particular zeitgeist and cultural context of the society in which one tells the story. Society is particularly vulnerable and even impressionable when faced with stories of certain cultures. Often, people judge improperly and prematurely, making one-dimensional views of a culture or society. The goal, then, is to engage the multiple stories within every culture as a method to understand our differences and emphasize the commonalities, which pave the way for greater intercultural dignity and communication.
Embarking on a journey of anthropological fieldwork will undoubtedly include a plethora of setbacks. At its foundation, fieldwork requires developing rapport with the native people in order to gain access of genuine knowledge pertaining to the specific culture being studied. Subsequently, social communication between the researcher and the native people is a key component to the entire process; yet simultaneously it is a root of the many problems a researcher can encounter while in the field. It is no secret that the cultural background of the researcher can often highly contrast the culture he or she enters during fieldwork. This initial cultural adaptation one must undergo while doing anthropological fieldwork is what many in the realm describe as culture shock.
The purpose of this paper is to do a personal assessment of Indian culture. I will also be explaining Hofstede's five dimensional model, will use it to analyze the Indian culture and talk about the five dimensional model from my own observations.
The current manifestations of the caste system are now far more generalized across the Indian subcontinent than was the case in former times. Caste as we now recognize has been endangered, shaped and perpetuated by comparatively recent political and social developments. This is evident even i...
Pandey, T.N., 2014. Lecture 1/14/14: Cultures of India: Hierarchy Structure in India. Cultures of India. U.C. Santa Cruz.
Since as long as I can remember I have been interested in understanding the world around me. While other children were playing games outside, I was at the library reading books about the events in our history that have led to the creation of the world we live in. My interest in understanding humankind followed me into adulthood, and was solidified upon going to India for the first time. I had the opportunity to go to India in 2008 to attend a wedding, which turned out to be a life changing event. Arriving in India opened my eyes to just how diverse the world around us really is. The stark cultural and religious differences I experienced while in India left an urge inside me to learn more about the world around me, and solidified my passion to understand and learn about how our culture, customs, and languages develop, and manifest in our world. Anthropology is a powerful and truly inspiring subject because it provides us the opportunity to see the interconnectivity between our past and our present, as well as providing us the means to
Anthropology: the study of human races, origins, societies, and cultures. Focusing on cultural anthropology has proven to be full of new experiences and new ways of thinking. Through this class topics such as kinship, gender, marriage and cultures have been introduced and discussed. Learning about different societies has allowed me to shed a little ethnocentrism of my own, or at least recognize when I am being ethnocentric. The main subject talked about throughout the quarter was the relationship between America and India. Economically, politically, and in some aspects socially, the two cultures have proved to be, to my surprise, more similar than expected. One of the most resourceful learning tools was being able to Skype with a student from
Siva, Manu. Difference in Cultural Values. India Today (20) 3. 45-48 Retrieved April 03, 2006