Stories of Culture and Place: An Introduction to Anthropology

289 Pages·2014·3.71 MB·English

by  Michael G. Kenny

Stories of Culture and Place
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STORIES

of CULTURE AND PLACE
An Introduction to Anthropology
Michael G. Kenny and Kirsten Smillie
Copyright © University of Toronto Press 2015
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Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Kenny, Michael G., 1942–, author
Stories of culture and place : an introduction to
anthropology / Michael G. Kenny and Kirsten Smillie.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Issued in print and electronic formats.
ISBN 978-1-4426-0794-1 (pbk.).—ISBN 978-1-4426-0795-8 (bound).—
ISBN 978-1-4426-0796-5 (pdf).—ISBN 978-1-4426-0797-2 (html)
1. Anthropology—Textbooks. I. Smillie, Kirsten, 1979–, author II. Title.
GN25.K46 2014 301 C2014-904974-9
C2014-904975-7
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Contents
List of Illustrations ix
Acknowledgements xi
Preface xiii
Introduction: First Contact xvii
The New World xvii
A Mission from God xviii
Captain Cook in the Islands of Paradise xxiii
Simon Fraser’s Quest xxviii
PART I: THEORY, METHODS, AND CONCEPTS 1
1 Culture Shock 3
Introduction 4
What Do Anthropologists Do? 4
Experiencing the Field 7
Collecting, Organizing, and Analyzing: Research Methods for
Understanding the Social World 14
Ethical Considerations in Anthropological Research 20
Unity and Diversity 21
Conclusion 23
2 Life in the Field 25
Introduction 26
Setting the Stage 26
Contemporary Anthropology 39
Applied Anthropology 40
Conclusion 48
PART II: CLASSIC QUESTIONS IN ANTHROPOLOGY 51
3 Historical Beginnings 53
Introduction 54
Charles Darwin: An Anthropologist? 54
The Myth of “The Savage” 59
Lewis Henry Morgan 64
Conclusion 67
v
CONTENTS
4 Kinship 69
Introduction 70
What Is “The Family”? 71
The Power of Myth 73
The Nature of Kinship Systems 77
Defi ning Kin: Legal Implications 84
Conclusion 88
5 Symbol, Myth, and Meaning 93
Introduction 94
Reconsidering the Culture Concept 95
Comprehending Others 96
Techniques of the Body 98
Culture Goes Public 100
Meaning in Context 104
The Dying and Reborn God 113
Conclusion 114
PART III: CONTEMPORARY ANTHROPOLOGICAL ISSUES 117
6 The Politics of Culture 119
Introduction 120
The Concept of Ownership 121
Traditional Practices, Contemporary Times 129
Culture, Law, and the Role of the Anthropologist 131
Conclusion 141
7 Understanding Gender 1 45
Introduction 146
We “Do” Gender 147
Gender and Social Organization: The Family and the Economy 156
Rejecting the Gender/Sex Dichotomy: Third Genders and
Cross-Cultural Analysis 159
Theory Steering Perception 163
Conclusion 164
8 Race, Science, and Human Diversity 167
Introduction 168
Understanding Diversity 168
The Rise of Genetics 178
Red, White, and Black 178
African Racism 182
Genetic Identities 186
Conclusion 190
vi
CONTENTS
9 Anthropology, Cultural Change, and Globalization 193
Introduction 194
The Language We Use: Important Terms and Concepts 194
Understanding Processes of Change: An Anthropological Perspective 199
The Globalization of Anthropology: Multi-Site Ethnographies
and Virtual Worlds 213
Conclusion 216
Conclusion 219
Glossary 221
References 227
Sources 241
Index 243
vii
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Illustrations
Plates
0.1 The Monstrous Races xxi
0.2 Hawaiian Temple xxv
0.3 James Teit and Wife xxx
1.1 Anthropologist Charlotte Whitby-Coles in India 7
2.1 Bronislaw Malinowski 28
2.2 Franz Boas 33
2.3 Margaret Mead, with Manus Mother and Child 36
3.1 Charles Darwin 55
3.2 Robert Fitzroy 56
3.3 A Fuegian 57
3.4 Aboriginals 58
3.5 Lewis Henry Morgan 64
3.6 Joseph Brant: Mohawk Leader 65
4.1 Cave of the Patriarchs 76
4.2 A.R. Radcliffe-Brown 77
4.3 Trail of Tears 87
5.1 Marcel Mauss 98
5.2 A Dinka Man: South Sudan 99
5.3 Ruth Benedict 101
5.4 President Obama and Emperor Akihito 103
5.5 Sir Edward Evans-Pritchard 105
5.6 Émile Durkheim 109
6.1 Nootka Village 123
6.2 Nootka House 124
6.3 Yuquot Totem Pole 127
6.4 Makah Whaler 130
6.5 Gitksan Village 133
6.6 Greenpeace Protester 139
7.1 Children in Gender-Specific Hallowe’en Costumes 151
7.2 Hijra 160
8.1 Anthropometry 171
8.2 Races of Europe 172
8.3 Mutesa 183
8.4 King of Rwanda 185
9.1 Burmese Refugees Waiting to be Registered by a Thai Policeman 200
9.2 Korean Children with Their American Parents 205
ix