CULTURE,DIFFERENCE,PREJUDICE
Pleasenote:Thelecturenotesareasummaryofthemostimportantpointsraisedinthelectures.They
donotincludealltheinformationinthelectures.Additionalsubstantivepoints,aswellasexamplesand
explanations,areprovidedinclass.Thetestandexammaycoverallandanyoftheinformationinthe
lecturesandtheassignments.Whilethesenotesmayhelpyouinstudying,theyarenotasubstitutefor
thelectures.
STUDYQUESTIONS
Thesearefourquestions,alsolistedelsewhereonthewebsite,thatarelikelytobeaskedaboutinone
formoranotherontheexam.
1. Howdoescultureandlanguagemakehomosapiensparticularlyadaptable?
2. Explainhowthefourfieldsofclassicanthropologyaroseintheimperialistcontext.
3. Differenceinitselfdoesnotcauseprejudice.Thenwheredoesprejudiceagainstpeoplewhoare
differentcomefrom?
4. Whatisan"invented"categorysuchas"race"?Inwhatsensedosuchcategoriesexist(arereal)?
HUMANUNIVERSALSANDDIFFERENCES
beingableto“haveculture”is“programmed”byourgenes
the“program”enablesculture-specificwaysofacting,livingandthinking
Universals(language,culture)areinnate:transmittedviagenes(throughsex)
Particulars(languages,cultures)arelearned:transmittedviasociety(largelythroughtalk)
Socialtransmissionmuchmoreflexiblethangenetictransmission:majorchangescanoccurwithouta
changeofspecies
WHYTHEDIFFERENCES?
Specificlanguagesandculturesdeveloptocopewithspecificenvironmentalandsocialcontexts(niches)
(Culturecanchangethenicheitself)
Withinallspecies,groupscancomeintoconflict,oftenoverresources
Inhomosapiens,thesegroupsmaybeadaptedtodifferentniches,andthismaybeaccompaniedby
prejudicesabouttheother.
ORIGINSOFANTHROPOLOGY
Modernanthropologydevelopedinthe“West”toexplainthe“rest”anditsdifference
Context:TheAgeofImperialism(latenineteenthtomid-twentiethcentury)
Thegeneralpublicandearlyanthropologistsunderstoodthenon-Westintermsofthreekindsof
difference:
A.LINGUISTIC(LANGUAGE)[LINGUISTICANT.]
B.CULTURAL[(SOCIAL)CULTURALANT.]
C.PHYSICAL/RACIAL[PHYSICAL(BIO)ANT.]
D.MATERIAL[CULTURALANT.ANDARCHAEOLOGY]
Thisisalsohowmostwesternnationsunderstoodthemselves.
Erroneously,alllanguagesandcultureswererankedonanevolutionaryscale,fromprimitivetoadvanced
PHYSICALTYPEANDPREJUDICE
Race:afolknotion,notascientificnotion
Human“races”arenotscientificallybutpopularlydefined
Racesdoexist,butnotasascientificcategory.
But,ratherastheresultofsocial,cultural,and/orlinguistic“invention”(alsoknownas“construction”).
Thisisillustratedbythe“onedroprule.”
Manypeoplesoftheworld(andmanypeopleinCanada)donoteasilyfallintothenineteenthcentury
categoriesofwhite,black,yellow,andred.
Inventiondoesnotcreatefromscratch,butcategorizesandrecategorizeswhatexistsinnatureandcan
beobserved.
Italsorecategorizesoldercategories,respondingtothehistoricalcontext.
RACEANDPOWERRELATIONS
Racialclassificationsaremadeinthecontextofrelationsofpowerwithinsociety
TheblackraceandwhiteracewereinventedalongwithslaveryintheAmericas
“Whiteness”meantfreedom,soneededtobe“protected”
Majorerror:Believingthatinventedcategoriesareagivenratherthanconstructed.