Реферат: Cultural Anthropology Essay Research Paper IntroductionCultural Anthropology

Cultural Anthropology Essay, Research Paper

Introduction:

Cultural Anthropology is a term that is in everyday lives and topics. When one thinks of anthropology they think of the study of old remnants commonly referred to as archaeology. This, however, is not the only form of anthropology. There are four types of anthropology and they are archaeology, biological anthropology, cultural anthropology, and linguistic anthropology. However, Cultural anthropologists are every where and study people of all walks of life. One can find a topic and find some type of study that an anthropologist has conducted on the matter. The following are five articles that explain how anthropologists are every where.

Section: Culture and Fieldwork

Chapter: Corporate Anthropologists, page 24

Summary of Article:

The article talked about how anthropologists play an important role in the corporate environment. Anthropologists have been working with businesses since the 1930 s, however in the 1980 s this field experienced significant growth. This was due to the globalization of business activity and the increased awareness of the importance of culture for business, (Laabs 24). Cultural anthropology is the study of existing people and corporations find this information useful in trying to understand human behavior within their own organization. Business anthropologists have been studying the corporate world for years, on such varied topics as how to encourage more creativity or how best to integrate multicultural learning techniques into an organization s training program, (Laabs 25). Most anthropologists who work in the corporate environment do not use the title of anthropologist. There are currently over 200 anthropologists working in this field. The article then gave an account of one anthropologist s experience in the corporate environment. The article concludes by saying what corporations think of the value that anthropologists add to the companies and that the role will continue to grow.

Anthropologist s Experience:

The anthropologist that contributed to this article was Lorna M. McDougall. She works at Arthur Andersen s Center for Professional Education, which is located in St. Charles, Illinois. McDougall is studying why people from some cultures learn best from lectures, although others learn best through interactive learning, (Laabs 25). McDougall has played a large part in developing Arthur Andersen s Business English Language Immersion Training (ELIT) program. This program builds a language skill that allows for communication between two parties where English may be a second language. This program also provides an awareness of each culture s business ethics. The results of her work have helped instructors, who train Andersen consultants working in 66 countries, be better teachers, (Laabs 25). McDougall is the first onsite anthropologist employed by Arthur Andersen and continues to be a great resource for the corporation. McDougall used an anthropological methodology by listening in on classroom sessions and conducting interviews. From the information that she gathered she noticed that people from certain cultures are used to two-way communication in the classroom, although others just sit quietly while the professor lectures , (Laabs 26). McDougall also teaches some of the management development classes and also contributes to the training classes. Her main areas of concentration for anthropological study include a technique where sometimes a management team proposes an idea and at other times she will propose an idea. She has also studied the meaning of gestures and colors for different cultures. She discovered that white in some cultures means marriage and in others, white means death. All her anthropological work has played a major part in Arthur Andersen s company.

My Experience:

I did my presentation on anthropologists and the role that they play in corporations. Until recently I was aware that culture played a defining role in companies that participated in globalization. I did not however know the role that anthropologists contributed to this topic. I recently worked a Technological Symposium for my company and this was a huge event where people from all parts of the world attended. It was at this convention that I learned that other cultures do business differently than Americans. It is not just a language barrier but a culture barrier. I am also aware of the work that anthropologists contribute to the development of web sites that are viewed worldwide.

Comparison:

The anthropologist s experience and mine are vastly different. She is quite a bit more experienced in the topic of corporate anthropologists. However, she and I both realized that language is not the only barrier that corporations face when expanding the operation globally. As the awareness of this field becomes known it will continue to grow.

Section: Culture and Food

Chapter: Culture and the Evolution of Obesity, page 92

Peter J. Brown (Human Nature, 1991)

Summary of Article:

The article provides a cross-cultural and evolutionary analysis of how both biological and cultural factors in obesity evolved. This analysis explains the sociological distribution of obesity today. It also emphasizes that peripheral body fat (characteristic of women) is a small health hazard compared to abdominal fat (characteristic of men), (Brown 92).

Anthropologist s Experience:

Peter Brown, the anthropologist who wrote the article, gave his perception on obesity. He believes that an anthropological model of culture has significant advantages over the commonly used undifferentiated concept of environment for generating hypotheses about behavioral causes of obesity, (Brown 93). Brown states that the problem of obesity and overweight is that today s industry thrives on the culture belief about having the perfect body and sexual attractiveness rather on the medical perspective. Obesity and being overweight is not just a psychological issue but a serious health issue. Brown claims that there are four facts about the social distribution of society that must be addressed. They are: 1) The gender difference in the total percent and site distribution of body fat, as well as the prevalence of obesity; 2) the concentration of obesity in certain ethnic groups; 3) the increase in obesity associated with economic modernization; and 4) the powerful and complex relationship between social class and obesity, (Brown 94). He goes on to further state that human biology and behavior can be understood in the context of two distinct processes of evolution, (Brown 96). The two processes are natural selection and historical changes in the structure of cultural systems. Furthermore, Brown states Because the concept of culture is rarely considered in medical research on obesity, and because I am suggesting that this concept has advantages over the more common and undifferentiated term environment, it is necessary to review some basic aspects of this anthropological term, (Brown 97). He provides a diagram that explains culture in relation to obesity. He concludes that fatness is symbolically linked to psychological dimensions, such as self-worth and sexuality, (Brown 99) but continues to state that this is not a consistent symbol. In some cultures fatness symbolizes wealth and health. Lastly he concludes that culture and its relation to obesity can be concluded practically and theoretically. First, recognition of cultural variation in beliefs and behaviors related to obesity needs to be incorporated into health programs aimed at reducing the prevalence of obesity. The second conclusion regards the need for more research on the role of culture, as it interacts with genes, on the etiology of obesity, (Brown 101).

My Experience:

As a woman in today s American society I am very aware of the problems and hype about obesity and overweight. I am constantly trying to lose weight or maintain it. I am never satisfied with the way I look. Every where we look thin women are displayed on pedestals and obese and overweight people are shunned. I personally consider somebody who is overweight lacking in sexual appeal and self-confidence. The thinner that I am the more desirable I feel. I know that other cultures do not view obesity in this manner. For example I am sure that a person in South Africa who is overweight is considered to be of great status. I just hope that one day nobody will be looked at or judged on their weight.

Comparison:

I really enjoyed the anthropologist s point of view on the obesity issue. The only thing that I disagree with is that such important issues such as bulimia, anorexia, and other eating disorders were not addressed. In an article in which weight is discussed these issues go hand in hand. For every person who is obese there are three that are fighting an eating disorder, and this is prevalent in all cultures. Peter Brown only once touched basis on the dieting craze that floods the world and this was very brief. Then he states that it is only wealthy women who are obsessed with dieting and this is incredibly false.

Section: Culture and Race

Chapter: White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack, page 134

Peggy McIntosh (1988)

Article Summary:

The article begins by the anthropologist explaining that men have privilege over women. Denials which amount to taboos surround the subject of advantages which men gain from women s disadvantages. These denials protect male privilege from being fully acknowledged, lessened or ended, (McIntosh 135). Then the article proceeds to discuss how whites, whether they realize it or not, have a considerable advantage over other races. She lists twenty-six ways that whites have the upper hand. She then concludes with her personal analysis her experiences.

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