Anthropology 308
Women, Sex Roles and Culture
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Dr. Siemens
Office-Sierra Hall 240M
Office Telephone (818) 677-4931
Office Hours
– Tuesday and Thursday 8:20-9:20AM 3:30-4PM
– and by appointment
• Email stephen.siemens@csun.edu
3x5 Card
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Name
Reason for Class
Previous Anthropology
Email Address
Anything else you want Dr.
Siemens to know about you and
your interests.
THE SCOPE OF
ANTHROPOLOGY
What anthropologists have you
heard of?
What did they study?
Harrison Ford as fictional Indiana Jones
"There are codes of ethics in archaeology, and I don't think he would be a
member. Not in good standing, anyway," said Mark Rose
[Archaeological Institute of America] Los Angeles Times 5-23-08 E9
Mary
Leakey
Discovered Oldest
Footprints
Louis Leakey
found fossil
humans
Jane Goodall was first to study chimpanzees in the wild.
Jane Goodall still works for Chimpanzee conservation.
Dian Fossey was first to study gorillas in the wild.
Sigourney Weaver as Dian Fossey
Margaret Mead with Samoan Girls
Deborah Tannen
David Maybury-Lewis(right) Host of PBS series Millenium”
Also founder of the human rights group “Cultural Survival”
Sam Dunn used
anthropological
training in heavy
metal
documentary
• Takes holistic view: religion, gender,
social, global and historical
perspectives.
• Main obstacle was convincing artists
he was sympathetic.
– Metal artists gave thoughtful
responses.
– Some appeared hostile on camera but
friendly off camera.
• Anthropological approach was not
first choice.
Chicago Tribune 4-14-06
Anthropologists You may have Heard of
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Indiana Jones*
Mary Leakey
Louis Leakey
Jane Goodall
Dian Fossey
Margaret Mead
Deborah Tannen
David Maybury-Lewis
Sam Dunn
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Explore Ruins (fictional)
Fossil Hunter
Fossil Hunter
Chimpanzees
Gorillas
Samoan Girls
American Women and Men Talking
Xavante Rights
Heavy Metal Music
*Fictitious
anthropologist
Anthropologists in the News
Anthropologists contribute to
American society as well as to the
international community of scholars
Maira
Martinez
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Forensic Anthropologist
Identifying victims of political massacres
Families accompany her sometimes
LA Times August 4 A7
Jane MacLaren
Walsh
• Studied Crystal Skull donated
to Smithsonian
• Skull was made with modern tools
• Skull lacks prehistoric style features
• LA Times June 8, 2008
• Studied Japanese consumer culture
– Worked in Tokyo convenience
stores
Gavin Whitelaw
• Japanese buy exotic Colombian
Giant beetles.
– Heads resemble samurai headgear
– $350/Giant beetle
• LA Times 5-21-08 A4
• Biodiversity valuable to Colombian, German Viasus,
left
• Colombia plans to market more biodiversity
Diana Fullwiley
Harvard
• Analyses genetic markers to connect
African-Americans to ancestral populations
and African-American kin.
– "At most, you're getting 1% of your ancestry…”
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Raymond A. Winbush
– “paternal DNA linked him to the Bubi, a people indigenous
to Equatorial Guinea on Central Africa's Atlantic coast, and
his maternal DNA linked him to the Tikar people of
adjoining Cameroon. He also carried markers common in
people of Dutch, French, British and German origin.”
– "The discovery helped me to locate myself more
psychologically," he said. "It's all kind of wrapped up in the
idea of locating oneself in history."
• LA Times 5-4-08 A6
Richard Applegate
• Wrote Samala
dictionary from John
P. Harrington’s notes
– Samala is a Chumash
Language
• Chumash are native
people of Los
Angeles
• Santa Barbara
Independent 4-24-08
J.P. Harrington
• Chumash financed dictionary
• Chumash are relearning language
– Last native speaker of Samala died 1965
Anthropologists in the News
• Maira Martinez
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• Identifying Colombian Political
Victims
Jane MacLauren • Crystal Skulls
Walsch
Gavin Whitelaw • Japanese Consumerism
Diana Fullwiley • African Genetic Markers
Richard Applegate • Chumash Language
Other Prominent and Notable
Anthropologists
Franz Boas
(Father of
American
Anthropology)
Marjorie
Shostak
and star
informant,
Nisa
!Kung
people
Elinor Ochs Madagascar and Samoa languages
UCLA Center on Everyday Lives of Families
William Rathje Garbology
Claude
Lévi-Strauss
Kinship and Myth
Jomo Kenyatta Kikuyu and Kenya’s First
President
Birute
Galdikas
Orangutans
Other Prominent Anthropologists
• Franz Boas
• Marjorie Shostak
• Eleanor Ochs
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William Rathje
Claude Levi-Strauss
Jomo Kenyatta
Birute Galdikas
• Kwakiutl and Race
• !Kung (Bushmen)
• Madagascar and Samoa
UCLA C.E.L.F.
• U.S. Garbology
• Kinship and Myth
• Gikuyu
• Orangutans
Anthropology Defined
• Anthropology is the study of human beings
in a holistic manner.
– Holism means appreciating totalities as more
than mere combinations of parts.
– There are two ways anthropology is holistic.
• 1) Comprehensiveness. Because anthropology is
holistic its study includes all humans of all places
and all times.
• 2) Interrelatedness. Because anthropology is holistic
any human group should be studied in its entirety,
finding connections among economics, politics,
religion, language, etc.
Nature and Nurture
• A hundred years ago anthropology was the
same as “racial” studies.
– Biological determinism was the prevailing
view.
– Eugenics was popular.
• Eugenics seeks to “improve” a population by
identifying those with “good” genes and promoting
their reproduction. Those with “bad” genes are
prevented from reproducing.
– Nazi extermination of Jews was eugenics.
• Eugenics is inhumane and mistaken about genetics.
Cultural Determinism
• Franz Boas argued that the important sources of
behavioral differences between societies were
learned rather than inherited.
– Boas changed the prevailing view to cultural
determinism.
• Boas decreased the importance of biology to
anthropology and increased the importance of
learned culture.
• Margaret Mead extended Boas argument to
women and men.
– The significant differences between women and men
are learned rather than inherited
Gender vs. Sex
• Sex refers to biological
reproduction.
– Sex is a result of nature
• Gender refers to
language categories.
– Gender is learned, a
result of nurture
• Indian women build
road and Indian men
wash clothes.
– Gender roles are
learned
Anthropological Subfields
Subfields are results of differences in
methods.
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Physical (or Biological) Anthropology
Archeology
Linguistic Anthropology
Cultural Anthropology
Physical Anthropology
• Physical Anthropology
uses biological methods.
Physical anthropology
studies human origin,
related species & variation.
Archeology
• Archeology uses
excavation methods and
sampling.
– Archeology studies artifacts.
Linguistic
Anthropology
• Linguistic Anthropology uses linguistic
methods.
• Linguistic anthropology
studies language in use.
Cultural Anthropology
• Cultural
Anthropology
uses participant
observation.
– Cultural
anthropology
studies cultures
of living people.
• This class is
about cultural
anthropology.
Tylor’s Definition of Culture
“Culture ...taken in its widest... sense, is
that complex whole which includes
knowledge, belief, arts, morals, law, and
custom, and any other capabilities and
habits acquired by man as a member of
society.”
Features of Culture
Definition stresses that culture is:
1) a whole: complex with many interdependent
parts.
2) acquired: not inborn (distinct from race)
capacity for culture is inborn (large brain,
speech mechanism).
3) culture depends on an ongoing society for
existence.
Additional points not in
definition
• Culture includes behavior as well as ideas. Practices are
significant even if not conscious and not explained. People
can not explain all of their own culture (Like language)
• Culture is symbolic. Culture is a system of meanings.
Meaning results from relations between different areas of
experience, e.g., religion and subsistence.
Consequences of the Features of
Culture
• The social aspect of culture is linked to its
function as an adaptive strategy
• Culture as a systemic whole is shown in the
relation of subsistence and politics.
• Since culture is acquired, cultures vary.
Culture is Social
• Living in social groups that
transmit culture is the adaptive
strategy of humans.
• All humans have learned
transmitted skills for acquiring
food called subsistence
techniques.
Cultures are complex wholes
• Parts of a culture are interrelated.
• E.g., subsistence limits or enables politics.
– Without a surplus there are no full time leaders.
A Yanomamö warrior
line-up is a political
accomplishment of the
headman. However, he
must still grow all his
food in his garden.
Yanomamö horticulture
provides no surplus.
Culture is Acquired and
Varies by Group
• Since culture is acquired it varies.
• Even biological needs are met in different
ways.
– Shelter is a biological necessity but it shows
cultural identity.
– Eating
Anthropological Axioms
1. Culture determines much of our attitudes, rules
and action. (Cultural determinism)
2. Cultures are diverse, evidenced by the wide
variety of ways doing things and reactions to
situations.
3. Cultures provide evaluative frames that are not
appropriately applied to each other. (Cultural
Relativism)
Ethnocentrism and Cultural
Relativism
• Ethnocentrism is usually defined as a belief
in the superiority of one’s own culture.
– Evident superiority is based on culture bound
values, applied unconsciously
• Cultural Relativism is usually defined as a
belief in the inherent worth of all cultures.
– A culturally relative person does not believe in
superiority of his or her own own culture.
Ethnocentrism vs.
Cultural Relativism in Methodology
• All humans are inherently ethnocentric.
– Culture supplies us with values which we need.
• The basis of ethnocentrism is application of values to people who do not share them.
– Applying outsider’s values usually leads to conclusion of outsider superiority.
• Cultural relativism avoids applying outsider values.
– Suspending judgment is necessary for understanding.
– Evaluation of cultural practices should be in terms of values of the
actors.
• Values are relative but truth need not be.
– Science seeks explanations through observation
– Observations are made intersubjective by careful procedures.
Ethnocentrist vs. Relativist
• Masai culture is inferior to
American culture since a
Masai man may have
several wives.
• Bena Bena culture is
inferior to American
culture because people
touch genitals in greeting.
• Masai value multiple
wives.
• Bena Bena value touching
genitals.