Redefining Gender

It was clear from the quiz on Tue that most have been collapsing sex (a biologically determined attribute) with gender (a socially constructed and performative expression of identity significantly influenced by society's social constructs of gender stratification and difference. Why is gender so important in our society? Why does it continue to be important and to whom?

Here are a couple of definitions you might find useful:

Gender is the cultural definition of behavior defined as appropriate to the sexes in a given society at a given time. Gender is a set of cultural roles. It is a costume, a mask, a straitjacket in which men and women dance their unequal dance. Unfortunately, the term is used both in academic discourse and in the media as interchangeable with "sex." In fact, its widespread public use probably is due to it sounding a bit more "refined" than the plain word "sex"....Such usage is unfortunate, because it hides and mystifies the difference between the biological given - sex - and the culturally created - gender. Feminists above all others should want to point up that difference and should therefore be careful to use the appropriate words.

2) From The Gift by Lewis Hyde found in Chapter 6: “Female Property" in Section II: “Big Men and Little Women,” p. 103:

By “gender” I mean to indicate the cultural distinctions between male and female—not the physical signs of sex but that whole complex of activities, postures, speech patterns, attitudes, affects, acquisitions, and styles by virtue of which a woman becomes feminine (a man “effeminate”) and a man masculine (a woman “mannish”). Any system of gender will be connected to actual sexuality, of course, but that is only one of its possible connections. It may also support and affirm the local creation myth, perpetuate the exploitation of one sex by another, organize aggression and warfare, ensure the distribution of food from clan to clan—it may, in other words, serve any number of ends unrelated to actual sexuality.

Memes vs. Genes: The Shakers as a model of Family, Gender and Religion

The Shakers, a Protestant religious denomination officially called The United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing, originated in Manchester, England in 1772, have only 4 surviving members in Maine today. This means they are practically extinct as a culture -- a perfect example of ethnocide. Why are they nearly extinct? Because they believe in celibacy. Yet they have survived through proselytizing and adopting orphans. What a contrast to the nuclear family in America, what a different relationship to gender organization they have and what a religion (one that teaches ideas that have a negative impact on their "genetic fitness" as Philosopher Dan Dennett said of the Shakers--see his Ted Talk "Ants, terrorism, and the awesome power of memes" http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/116 .)

The name "Shakers," originally pejorative, was derived from the term "Shaking Quakers" and was applied as a mocking description of their rituals of trembling, shouting, dancing, shaking, singing, and glossolalia (speaking in strange and unknown languages). They were taught that their demonstrations of shaking and trembling were caused by sin being purged from the body by the power of the Holy Spirit, purifying the worshipper. Often when they sing their "Shaker songs" they stomp insistently through the performance to perhaps shake out sin.


Regarding gender organization, villages are divided into groups or "families". Each house is divided so that men and women do everything separately. They use different staircases and doors, and sit on opposite sides of the room.

Though nearly extinct as a culture, many Americans are very familiar with Shaker furniture. From Wikipedia: "One of the major attributes of the Shakers was to build. This combined with their dedication to hard work and perfection has resulted in a unique range of architecture, furniture and handicraft styles. They relied on their own skills and natural resources for all these as well as for providing for their family. Shakers designed their furniture with care, believing that making something well was in itself, "an act of prayer." They never fashioned items with elaborate details or extra decorations, but only made things for their intended uses. The ladder-back chair was a popular piece of furniture. Shaker craftsmen made most things out of pine or other inexpensive woods and hence their furniture was light in color and weight."

Here is an article from 2004 on the Shakers in the Boston Globe "The Last Ones Standing":

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/magazine/articles/2006/07/23/the_last_ones_standing/

Ch. 6 Political systems: Indian Caste System

One of the most controversial topic regarding Indian society and culture is its stringent caste system. The word "caste" is taken from the Portuguese word casta. It can be defined as a rigid social system in which a social hierarchy is maintained generation after generation and allows little mobility out of the position to which a person is born. This is a perfect example of Max Weber's theory.

This system dates almost 3000 years back and was formed on the need to form a social order in ancient India. It is still very prevalent as part of India's society. Today, it occurs more in the rural villages than in big urban cities; and more in the social matters of kinship and marriages than in impersonal day-to-day interaction, such as taking the bus. Having been around for centuries, it is highly doubtful that the caste system will die out completely. Its presence will still be felt in the near future.

The four major roles excluding the dalits are:

Brahmans - priests, holy men, arbiters
Kshatriyas - kings, warriors, soldiers that protect and guard the country
Vaishyas - businessmen, traders, commercial class
Shudras - farmers, producers, peasants

The lowest class and the one excluded from even being in the list is the dalits. These have it the worst of the worst and as the video explains not even because of government amendments does it fade away from people's customs and beliefs. The true meaning of a social construct.

The Gods Must be Crazy

I just finished watching a film called "The Gods Must be Crazy."

Constantly, I was reminded of how those people we are so quick to call backward, are, in many ways, better off than we are. The introduction of the film provides a uniquely strange view and concept of our culture that we so often take for granted. We are a people who live by numbers: when the clock says 8.00, we wake up. When it gets to 9.00, we act busy, before settling back down at 12.00 to eat. The warm, National-Geographic-esque narration makes Xixo, a bushman and main character of the film, strikingly relatable to the viewer. In many ways, he begins to seem more "human" than we are.

Filled with clean, mild and genuine late 1970's comedy, the film in an enjoyable watch if you view it through the right lens; in my case, the anthropological. Head to your local Blockbuster or *cough* torrent site to get the film. You won't regret it.

Click here to get more info on this film.

Blog by Abraham Hedaya

Barack Obama: A More Perfect Union

A More Perfect Union
Watch Barack's speech on race in America and building a more perfect union.



3/22: Joel asked for a link to video of the Pastor's comments. It's from the Huffington Post blog. I also wanted to note that this is a non-partisan blog. I am in no way promoting any candidate in our class.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/03/21/meet-the-white-man-who-_n_92793.html

Assignment for Thu Mar 20: Ted Talks & the Global Family

I. Talks Hans Rosling: Debunking third-world myths with the best stats you've ever seen


II. MUST SEE: Check out the African American Lives 2 website for insights into family following the forced migration and separation of black families that are the by product of slavery in America. http://www.pbs.org/wnet/aalives/videos/index.html

III. TWo Scenes from HBO's Big Love (polygamy)




QUESTIONS: What are other forms of marriage or family that are NOT mentioned in the Kottak chapter? For instance, miscegnation or green card marriages.

Read the chapter on Life without Fathers in Spradley text.

Ch. 7 Family & Kinship: The The Huli People of Papau New Guinea

Read G. C. J. Lomas's web site entitled "The Huli People of Papau New Guinea" at http://www.gabelomas.org. Read the following webpages (which are labeled by number in the series, you can use the NEXT button and read pages numbered 1, 2, 3, and 5):

1. http://www.gabelomas.org/huli/htms/huli1.htm
2. http://www.gabelomas.org/huli/htms/huli1b.htm
3. http://www.gabelomas.org/huli/htms/huli1c.htm
5. http://www.gabelomas.org/huli/htms/huli1e.htm

Who are the Huli? Where do they live? What type of economy do they have?
There system of family and marriage differs from the nuclear family model.

What are the traditional responsibilities of a Huli bride? Of a Huli husband?
Are family, kinship, and descent as central in your life as they are for the Huli?

Warren Buffet once again World's Richest Man

In the slide show last week, Warren Buffett appears eating Dairy Queen ice cream (which he owns). Veronica knew of Buffett but made a comment about his image that reflects what I was sort of after with the slide show--multiple interpretations of culture. Remember interpretative ethnography? See Chapter 2 of Kottak.

Just read an article about Bill Gates no longer being the richest man in the world. In the article Buffett is revealed as a BIG MAN:

In October, Buffett issued a challenge to members of the Forbes 400 richest Americans list, saying he would donate $1 million to charity if the collective group (or a significant number of them) would admit they pay less taxes, as a percentage of income, than their secretaries.

Days after issuing the challenge, Buffett appeared before Congress to encourage it to keep the estate tax. Armed with a few Forbes 400 issues, he told the hearing that "dynastic wealth, the enemy of a meritocracy, is on the rise."

Kottak defines big man Figure often found among tribal horticulturalists and pastoralists. The big man occupies no office but creates his reputation through entrepreneurship and generosity to others. Neither his wealth nor his position passes to his heirs. p. 114 (5th ed.)

Racism in the DR? They say no..

I read this interesting article long ago about a saying; There is not racism in the Dominican Republic. Because Dominicans are seen as friendly, accepting and family oriented people, it does not surprise me that this saying exists, in America that is.

Here is an article about a woman who battles racism in the DR country. It caught my eye because it is true; racism is prevalent. Kiini Ibura Salaam writes:

Dominicans have created a myriad of names - morena (brown), india (indian), blanca oscura (dark white), trigueño (wheat colored) - to avoid referring to themselves as black. Nothing prepared us for a weekend field trip to the country where our weekend hosts got to pick the students they wanted to put up for the night. The first picked were the blondes. Standing there desolate and alone at the end were the blacks.

While I had a cordial, comfortable relationship with my host family, on many occasions I felt they might have related to me better were I white. When I would eagerly show them photographs of my friends from weekend trips, their eyes would go straight through my black friends' unsuspecting smiling faces and examine the blondes in the background. "Who's she?" they would ask, "Is she part of your group?"

http://www.nathanielturner.com/kiiniiburasalaam2.htm
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Skin Color has always been used as an ignorant excuse for distinction of class and it does not surprise me that is so in the DR. I just couldn't grasp why people would think that there would be no racism there.

To the Park!

Every summer my family brings the Dominican community in the neighborhood to our park by doing one thing: breaking out the instruments and playing until 3 in the morning. The men play their guitars, their acordion, their tambora, and their guirras and put together and freestyle the night away. The women dance and the children play. It is the most amazing experience I have ever encountered. Just sitting there at the park as my father plays la tambora and I dance away with a fellow Dominican friend. This practice is the Dominican Culture at its best. People just come together, whether they know each other or not, and have fun. Below is a video of what it is all like:

Culture Mix

Dominican Republic's culture comes from African, Taino, and European cultures. One aspect of our culture which we practice during celebration is the dance of "Los Palos." Los Palos is a African originated dance where the music is said to posses your soul and leads to you move a certain way. My family just does it for fun.

I must admit, it is pretty strange and scary when you are just watching it, as opposed to doing it. Many of my Russian friends have joined my family in this dance, so they can vouch for the fact that it's just fun.

I AM DOMINICAN

I LOVE THIS! It's from the show Scrubs about ethnicities. Its about a Dominican woman who is married to a Black man who does not see the difference between her being Puerto-Rican, Mexican or Dominican. It's funny because on one hand you don't want to be judged by your ethnicity but on the other you MUST be acknowledge through it.

Rape and Culture

I read an article in the Times magazine entitled Rape and Culture. After reading it, I wanted to join the women who picketed in front of the courts and let judge Archie Simonson feel my rage. Very few things make me take action but this was ridiculous. Here is the first paragraph:

Two judges raise the question of the victim's responsibility "I'm trying to say to women stop teasing. There should be a restoration of modesty in dress and elimination from the community of sexual-gratification businesses," declared Dane County Judge Archie Simonson, 52. "Whether women like it or not they are sex objects. Are we supposed to take an impressionable person 15 or 16 years of age and punish that person severely because they react to it normally?" Voicing such sentiments, Judge Simonson let a convicted 15-year-old Madison, Wis., defendant off last May with a wrist-tapping probated sentence in the rape of a 16-year-old coed in a high z school stairwell. As a result, Simonson this week is running against five other candidates in the first judicial-recall election in the U.S. in three decades.

To his supporters, Simonson's remarks reflected a troubled quest for proper justice in an era notable both for its sexual liberation and the use of sex as a sales device. But feminists were outraged.

----

The way our culture sees women now has inarguably changed. Here is an example of how our gender has to be forced to watch themselves in case they might give off the wrong message, where if they happen to do so and get raped, it's there fault. Apparently rape is not the issue, the woman is. Furthermore, WE ARE SEX OBJECTS?! This is a judge. A person who guides our laws and sets precedents. This is the precedent for our future, this is a legal definition of women's gender role in our current society; Sex Objects.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,915435,00.html

Not quite fitting in

Sometimes is hard to fit in with your own culture due to small but powerful distinctions. For example: I am from the Dominican Repblic. My Castilian dialect of Spanish sets me apart from my fellow Dominicans who speak the Dominican dialect of Spanish. This forced me to change the way I speak to fit in.

The following is a poem by Michael Ellison called "Light Skin Did"

It is about him being a light skin African American and the issues he came across because of this.

Im sick of Social Constructs too

The following is a poem about how society has manipulated what we see, think and do.

It's all about social constructs if you think about it.

Conforming to White America

There's nothing like a great and funny poem to show how people conform to white America.


"If that's what's expected about me"

Yellow Rage

There's nothing worst than people thinking that they know you just because of where you come from. These ladies are a perfect example of the rage that boils inside of me when people start talking about my culture (Being Dominican) as if they have experienced everything that I have been through with it, just because they went to the country on a 5-day resort stay -in.

*Caution: Inappropriate Verbal Content*

Dominican Culture and Values

I saw the previous post and felt that it did no justice in introducing what the Dominican culture is really about. Here is a perfect description from wikipedia; not to broad and not to specific:

Relationships and communication

Ethnologist's say that Dominicans practice particularist, as opposed to universalist, social ethics. By this, they mean that family networks and friends are more important than universal rights. As a practical matter, this means that Dominicans are more likely to achieve gains through who they know rather than by following strict rules or procedures, the latter being what people in universalist-ethics countries do. Dominicans depend on social savvy, trust, indirect communication, and consensus. These values are reflected in popular sayings like "everything is done through the help of others" and despues de la excusa, nadie se queda mal or "desde que se invento la excusa, nadie queda mal" (After the excuse was given, everybody got along fine.)

Dominicans are gifted at the art of indirect communication. The phrases "no hay problema" (There's no problem) "es usted que sabe" (It's you who knows, meaning "I hear you, and while I'm not sure I agree, I'm not going to argue") are popular and heavily used manners of deflecting disagreement. In the small society which is "the Dominican Family," it is highly important that people not embarrass each other nor be seen to act with malice. Ideally, one wishes to develop "confianza" with as many people as possible. Again, who one knows is a much more important than any law or absolute standard of conduct.

Dominicans value openness, warmth, hospitality, and personableness. In rural parts of the country, residents may be seen offering complete strangers a meal or coffee. On public transportation, people start friendly conversations with people they don't know, in contrast to the norms of Europe or the United States. It is good Dominican form to be willing to converse with anyone, and good form to inquire about the health of one's acquaintances' family, even if one does not know the family. In the rural poor areas, anyone can reasonably expect to walk in to a house and be offered coffee or a meal, though the large urban areas are quite a contrast to this form of life.
----

I can personally attest to these few paragraphs. From life mentality to values and attitude, I posses all these qualities because that is how I have been raised. They made me into who I am and see much benefit in being that way. Because of this lifestyle I see my self as a strong, social and down to earth woman.

Just side not in regards to the last post about women being inferior I shall say this: Life to me is about family only because I want it that way. I am an Honors student and I know I can make a career in finance which I will do for a few years for financial purposes. But my sincere fulfillment of personal achievement is that of raising a family. Family is more important than anything in the world because when worst comes to worst, family will be there no matter what.

Stuff White People Do

I was looking through NPR which is, as clearly said in their About NPR section:

"NPR (National Public Radio) is an internationally acclaimed producer and distributor of noncommercial news, talk, and entertainment programming."

Reading through I found this interesting article under Race and it goes as follows:

---
Race
'Stuff White People Like' Hits a Nerve


Mac computer, bicyclist, recycling bin, sushi.

Favorite things? Above, #40, #61, #64 and #42 on Christian Lander's list of "Stuff White People Like." iStockPhoto; Getty Images

Talk of the Nation, February 26, 2008 · What do expensive sandwiches, co-ed sports, public radio and recycling have in common? According to blogger Christian Lander, they all fall under the category of "Stuff White People Like."

Just over a month old, the controversial and provocative blog has almost 4 million hits. Lander says he started the blog as pure satire and was surprised to see it take off as quickly as it did.

Critics charge that the list is racist, stereotypical, and conflates race with economic status. But Lander maintains that the blog is in the spirit of good, provocative fun: "Irony" is #50 on the list, "Having Black Friends" is #14, and Lander — who says almost everything he does is listed — plans to add "Self-Importance" soon."

You can read the LA Times for a different opinion: http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-rodriguez25feb25,0,1952462.column
----

As I skimmed through the website I could not help but laugh. I understood that it is all fun and satirical but in one interesting manner, I understood the origins of such conclusions.

For example: #73 Gentrification

(http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpress.com/2008/02/22/73-gentrification/).

It reads as follows:

In general, white people love situations where they can’t lose. While this does account for the majority of their situations, perhaps the safest bet a white person can make is to buy a house in an up-and-coming neighborhood.

White people like to live in these neighborhoods because they get credibility and respect from other white people for living in a more “authentic” neighborhood where they are exposed to “true culture” every day. So whenever their friends mention their home in the suburbs or richer urban area, these people can say “oh, it’s so boring out there, so fake. In our neighborhood, things are just more real.” This superiority is important as white people jockey for position in their circle of friends.

They are like a modern day Lewis and Clark, except instead of searching for the ocean, they are searching for old properties to renovate.

In a few years, if more white people start moving in, these initial trailblazers will sell their property for triple what they paid and move into an ultramodern home.

Credibility or money, they can’t lose!

When one of these white people tell you where they live, you should say “whoa, it’s pretty rough down there. I don’t think I could live there.” This will make them feel even better about their credibility and status as neighborhood pioneers.
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Not to say that this is true but this is what my aunt has been telling me for the past 4 years when speaking about my neighborhood, thus this is not such an alien idea to me.

http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpress.com/full-list-of-stuff-white-people-like/

CH. 3 - Culture: Recipe for culture from Natalie's Group

FROM NATALIE:

Hey guys! I wanted to post the poem I read in class for any of you who enjoyed it and wanted to read it again. Me and my group members had an awesome time writing it. We thought it was straight to the point and made you think. We would like to hear what people in the class had to think about the poem. For instance, what they liked, or maybe didn't like about it. Enjoy!


"Recipe for culture"

by Group 5

Culture is integrating
and forever changing.
As individuals or as part of a group,
our core values are all part of the soup.

The different types of soups represent the difference in our lives
As people, as groups, and how we civilize.

Oh, how women have come so far
From housekeeping, to office working,
these are examples of how were integrating.

From slavery to unity
How things have changed
We've come together
but still kept our names.

All these recipes for different soups
What are your ingredients?
THINK.
Now, sit in your groups.

Ch. 6 Politcal Systems: Wealth, Power and Prestige (Max Weber's Theory)

Max Weber formulated a three-component theory of social stratification--wealth (property), power (political power or party class), and prestige (social status and honor).

The three constitute the three sides of a triangle, so to speak, regarding a person's status in society or the "life chances." How do these slides suggest the malleability, the shifting status and integration of these elements?

The man in with the Dairy Queen ice cream is Warren Buffet. He is once again the world's richest man.

Ch.5 Making a Living: Commenting on Corn

Chapter Five introduces us to the adaptive strategies humans have used to make a living. Hunting, gathering (foraging), horiticulture, and agriculture. This week I want to focus specifically on the product CORN to aid us in understanding how industrialism leads to the alienation of producers from their products. Click here to learn about the zillion uses of corn including for biofuel.

By Thu Mar 6th at noon, post a comment after watching the following videos for our class discussion of Making a Living:

1. A conversation with director of the documentary KING CORN (watch all 3 parts)
2. A TED Talk about the Omnivore's Dilemma, looking at humans and the world from the plant's point of view. He introduced to me the concept of permaculture, and
3. A TED Talk about developing a commodity exchange for maize (corn) in Ethopia.

This is your homework for Thursday's class. Take notes and bring your notes to class. Also make a comment on the blog below by Thu at noon (click COMMENTS at the bottom of this post). What you could comment about is:

• How did corn become so important to us according to the director of King Corn? What do you think about that?
  
• How much corn do you think you consume in your diet? What did you learn that was new about corn in our culture?
  
• What did you think about the permaculture example Pollan presented?
  
• How might what you learned about corn from these videos provide a great example of how culture is learned, shared, integrated, all-encompassing, and/or symbolic?
• What did you learn about Ethiopia's production of corn and what it says about small farmers' knowledge of markets?
  
• Anything else you'd like to share relevant to MAKING A LIVING chapter.
  

This will help us take a look at how agriculture and the possibility of permaculture can transform our relationship to what we eat, how we eat, how consumers get what they eat and how we might transform our relationship to the environment and to agribusiness.



FOOD NEWS: A Conversation with 'King Corn' Filmmaker: Part 1

Pt. 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5bAfPsUAb8&feature=user
Pt. 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2vARSdg7bw&feature=user



TEDTalks Michael Pollan: The omnivore's next dilemma



Talks Eleni Gabre-Madhin: Building a commodities market in Ethiopia
Note: Maize is another word for corn