03.08.05: The blog has moved to www.antropologi.info/blog/anthropology/, and several broken links have been corrected
Here are the most recent posts on the new blog location:
Monday, October 25, 2004, 10:04
Coming Back Around to Culture - an anthropologist's thoughts about Technology
TechnoTaste
I have come back around finally to the reason I came to School of Information Management Systems in the first place: a belief that the tools and perspectives of anthropology are useful and needed.
In the face of all the new technologies and applications today it’s easy to forget that behavior drives technology. If culture drives behavior, at least to some degree, then it ought to be essential, not only to the way we understand the uses and contexts of technology, but to its design.
It’s not useful to take for granted that there is something fundamentally new about the informational, technical world in which we live. I have a sneaking suspicion that a great deal more is the same than is different. Culture is too important - too pervasive and immutable - to respond on a whim to the development of new technologies, even if they fundamentally change the way we live. >> continue
Monday, October 25, 2004, 08:16
'No Finnish Please, We're Swedish,' Minority Says
Reuters
The tiny community of Korsnas between the farmlands and fishing cabins on Finland's western coast says it is the most Swedish place anywhere -- including Sweden. 97 percent of the population are native Swedish-speakers.
"People here know more about Swedish politicians than about Finnish. They'll watch the Swedish public service news, know who the participants in (Swedish game show) Robinson are and they'll read Astrid Lindgren to their children at night," said Ann-Sofi Backgren, head of Korsnas' municipal council.
The Swedish language has the same official status as Finnish, there are 11 daily Swedish newspapers. "I would claim that without a strong Swedishness in Finland, we have no tie to the Nordics," said Jan-Erik Enestam, environment minister and head of the SFP. >> continue
Monday, October 25, 2004, 08:12
Thousands of Creoles throng Seychelles' capital, showcasing a dying culture?
Utusan Malaysia Online
Women dressed in bright yellow and green swirling skirts joined men in straw hats and colourful cummerbunds, while musicians playing instruments made from bamboo and goatskins led a procession through Victoria.
``The Creoles are a tiny population worldwide, making up only a few million people,'' said Jean Claude Mahoune, an anthropologist and expert on Creole culture at Seychelles' ministry of culture. ``With globalisation and strong western influences, our culture and our language is endangered, if we don't do something to keep everything that is Creole alive,'' he said. >> continue
Monday, October 25, 2004, 08:10
Unmarried Women in Arab Countries: Status No Longer Dependent upon the Husband
Arabnews
Depending on the societies they live in, when unmarried girls reach a certain age which differs from society to society, people begin to refer to them as “old maids” or “spinsters”.
Especially in Arab countries, people still look upon a young unmarried girl as though she were to blame for her state. The girl soon becomes the butt of ridicule, accusations, and meddling by those around her and even those closest to her.
Dr. Bakr Bagader, an anthropology professor at King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah, said: “People differ in the age at which a woman is considered an ‘old maid’. We often see today that the marriageable age is linked to the stages in education because of the responsibilities of making a living and supporting a family. Completing education is thus seen as important and delays marriage for girls. Women no longer feel that their worth or status is dependent upon their husband.” >> continue
Saturday, October 23, 2004, 18:39
Identity Issues in Mongolia - or The Meaning of Surnames
Los Angeles Times / Yahoo
ULAN BATOR, Mongolia — School principal Baast chose the name "Nomad" in keeping with his wandering spirit. Defense Minister Gurragchaa — the only Mongolian to venture into space — settled on "Cosmos." And anthropology student Vanchigdash picked the Mongolian word for wisdom. "It makes me feel rather wise," he said. "I'm very proud of my new name."
Mongolians, long used to using only first names, are reshaping their identities under a government-led initiative to add surnames. First names worked reasonably well in an isolated, nomadic culture. But officials say surnames are now needed to avoid confusion in a more modern society, to help uncover long-buried roots as people delve into their clan histories and to prevent the inbreeding that occurs when you're not sure to whom you're related.
Choosing second names — including the mad dash to name themselves after Genghis — is also helping Mongolians reconnect with their history and rekindle national pride after decades of relative isolation. "A man who doesn't know his ancestors is like a monk lost in the woods" is a popular proverb here. >> continue
Thursday, October 21, 2004, 13:16
Marshall Sahlins wants to make the Internet the new medium for pamphleteering
Creative Commons
Marshall Sahlins wants to make the Internet the new medium for traditional pamphleteering. Sahlins, a celebrated anthropologist at the University of Chicago and the founder of Prickly Paradigm Press, has decided to re-release the press's backlist with "some rights reserved." This week, Prickly Paradigm goes online with the publication of five pamphlets under a Creative Commons license.
"I just want to say that I truly support the idea of the free dissemination of intellectual information, and that I truly lament the various forms of copyrights and patents that are being put on so-called intellectual property. I also lament the collusion of universities in licensing the results of scientific research, and thus violating the project of the free dissemination of knowledge that is their reason for existence. So I consider it an important act to release these books under a Creative Commons type of license. I’m happy, and also a little proud, to do so." >> continue
SEE ALSO:
What is Creative Commons?
Prickly Paradigm Press (Five articles on the bottom of the page are free to download. More will follow later on)
News from the open access movement
Budapest Open Access Initiative
Thursday, October 21, 2004, 08:20
In Asia: From a tradition of universal marriage to non-marriage
The Star Online, Malaysia
Marrying older in life or not at all, ageing, rising number of working women, rural-urban migration and gender equality are the main challenges that families in Asia Pacific face which require various forms of intervention.
Strong family bonds can help to curb social problems. One of the most revolutionary changes in late 20th century Asia is the rise in delayed marriage or non-marriage.
“Asia moved from a tradition of universal marriage to non-marriage and rates in some countries are among the highest in the world, over a space of less than two generations,” says Dr Gavin Jones from National University of Singapore’s Asia Research Institute. >> continue
Thursday, October 21, 2004, 08:10
Modern technology helps reinvigorate traditional values
The University of Chicago Press
An interview with anthropologist Jonah Blank, author of Mullahs on the Mainframe: Islam and Modernity among the Daudi Bohras. The Daudi Bohras are a unique denomination of Indian Muslims, with a worldwide population numbering up to one million.
"Perhaps the most important lesson the Bohras can teach outsiders is that Muslims can indeed embrace modernity while remaining true to their traditions and core beliefs."
"Perhaps the most important way in which technology has bolstered traditional values has been by permitting Bohras around the world to have immediate and constant contact with the dai-ul-mutlaq (the spirtual leader of the community). Due to the dai's crucial importance, Bohras have eagerly pounced on each new generation of communications technology—from fax to email to digital cellphones—to maintain close contact with the dawat (the Bohra clergy)". >> continue
SEE ALSO:
Excerpt from Jonah Blank's book
Wednesday, October 20, 2004, 11:07
"The science of ethnography is an ideal tool to designing mobile phones"
The Feature
People often confuse what they want with what they need when it comes to consumer products. Manufacturers try to collect this information through interviews, but observing users’ behavior in their natural environment can provide better insights. The science of ethnography can be an ideal tool to learn how teenagers use mobile phones and to help shape designs to cater to them.
Last year, a team of researchers went to a sixth-form college in England and for five months observed the way a group of students used their mobile phones. The researchers used these observations, along with periodic interviews, to come up with a concept for a 3G mobile phone that addressed their findings.
The researchers came to the conclusion that mobile phones were not only used as tools for transmitting and receiving information, but were also used as tools to establish and maintain the status of social networks. Mobiles facilitated the “obligations of exchange.” In particular, students have a social contract with each other to give and accept “gifts” in the form of text messages. The gift’s value is derived in part from the message’s content, but it also comes from the fact that the gift was given at all, regardless of its content.
>> continue
Tuesday, October 19, 2004, 18:26
Japanese Cybercultures - Ethnographic Studies
Leslie M. Tkach-Kawasaki, University of Tsukuba (Japan), Resource Center for Cyberculture Studies
What is your image of Japan? A technologically hip nation of cyber-savvy samurai? A land where culture can be both cute and conformist? In Japanese Cybercultures, editors Nanette Gottlieb and Mark McLelland challenge our perceptions of Japan and the Internet through a range of fascinating perspectives.
Adding to a growing body of ethnographic studies focusing on Internet use in different countries, the three thematic sections of the book -- popular culture; gender and sexuality; and politics and religion -- demonstrate how the use of the Internet is both entrenched in and changing various perspectives of daily life in Japan. >> continue
Tuesday, October 19, 2004, 10:26
Sami Radio
The President of the Saami Parliament, Sven-Roald Nystø, will not run for office next year. Consequently the stage is set for a change of power – for the first time in history, the President could be a woman. >> les mer
Tuesday, October 19, 2004, 08:28
Malaysian Idol - "a space for young people of different ethnicity to interact"
malaysianidol.blogdrive.com / New Sunday Times
Critics dismiss Malaysian Idol as 'empty entertainment' but educators endorse the programme for its unifying factor. Among others, critics had called it a morally decadent programme that might influence local youth to go against Asian values.
Social anthropologist Professor Wan Zawawi Ibrahim from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia's Institute of the Malay World and Civilisation loves the show for its multicultural content. "Malaysian Idol is a space for young people of different ethnicity, faiths and cultures to interact," he says.
Wan Zawawi, whose main areas of research include pop culture and multiculturalism, admires the bond shared by the participants. It has been noted frequently that Malaysian undergraduates are not comfortable mixing with those of different ethnic backgrounds. >> continue
Tuesday, October 19, 2004, 08:20
Acoustic Environments in Change - a multi-disciplinary project
Department of Music Anthropology, University of Tampere (Finland)
The Department of Music Anthropology is an indisputable pioneer of soundscape research in Finland. "The word has been used to describe the field of sounds that surrounds us: noise, music, the sounds of nature, people and technology", PhD Helmi Järviluoma explains.
The Department of Music Anthropology takes part in an international project where the researchers and artists study the soundscapes of six European villages and the changes in their soundscapes. >> continue or go directly to the multimedia presentation Acoustic Environments in Change!
Tuesday, October 19, 2004, 08:18
Academics analyze Godzilla
ap / Corvallis Gazette
He's attacked other monsters and terrorized Japan for decades. Now Godzilla is confronting academics who want to wrestle with his legacy.
The University of Kansas plans to pay homage to the giant lizard later this month, organizing a three-day scholarly conference for the 50th anniversary of his first film. It's not just about celebrating campy creature features. Planners want to provoke discussion of globalization, Japanese pop culture and Japanese-American relations after World War II. Historians, anthropologists and other academics are coming from universities such as Duke, Harvard and Vanderbilt >> continue
SEE ALSO
In Godzillas Footsteps - Conference homepage
Tuesday, October 19, 2004, 08:11
How an Indian migrant group overcame racism in New Zealand
New Zealand News
At the end of this month Auckland City will celebrate Diwali, the Indian Festival of Lights. Public celebration of Indian religious festivals in New Zealand is a recent trend, although Indians have been in the country since 1810 when sailors jumped ship on the Southland coast.
Otago University anthropologist Dr Jacqueline Leckie has researched Indian migration to New Zealand over nearly 200 years. Leckie says such popular events help improve race relations, although racism remains a problem in New Zealand. >> continue
Sunday, October 17, 2004, 20:43
The Future of Anthropology: "We ought to build our own mass media"
Maximilian C. Forte, University of Adelaide, Caribbean Amerindian Centrelink (2000)
Should anthropologists continue to behave as if Anthropology’s most important market consists of anthropologists themselves and their students? I believe that, beyond a very limited degree, this behaviour can be an impediment to the fullest realization of Anthropology’s potential.
We do not have to depend on the mass media to call on our expertise and bemoan every occasion that they fail to do so. We can become our own mass media -- that is the freedom and independence offered by these new technologies.
We should aim to place ourselves on the same footing as any of the better cable television broadcast networks, via the Internet. We could produce our own documentaries and news reports, an Anthropology-focused “open university,” present the expertise of noted anthropologists, and have all of our willing fieldworkers act as “correspondents.” Wide international coverage and multi-lingual programming should be relatively easy for us. Our own audiences would see and hear us both on regular computers and on WebTV >> continue
READ ALSO
Building Anthropology’s Global Future: Via the Internet? (long version)
Sunday, October 17, 2004, 13:18
The Anthropologist as Barman - Durham Anthropology Journal fulltext online
Adam R. Kaul, Durham Anthropology Journal
My doctoral research looks at the way in which tourism is changing and interacting with the performance and meaning of traditional Irish music. I carried out over 14 months of fieldwork in a small, rural Irish village of under 600 people, called Doolin, in northwest County Clare.
Anthropologists and sociologists are relatively new to the field of tourism, but I would argue we have some powerful qualitative tools at our disposal that can contribute to a much richer understanding of tourists and tourist destinations. This is true not just for tourist populations, but for other mobile or shifting groups like asylum seekers or economic migrants.
We need to start discussing the everyday realities of doing fieldwork, the potential problems and opportunities, in much more detail in the literature, and how they might be used as units of analysis in and of themselves. >> continue
SEE ALSO
More articles in Volume 12 / Issue 1 Durham Anthropology Journal (Formerly Dyn)
Friday, October 15, 2004, 14:03
James Acheson the 2004 winner of American Anthropological Association's award
Eurek Alert
University of Maine anthropology and marine sciences professor James Acheson has been named the 2004 winner of the American Anthropological Association's Kimball award for effecting change in public policy. Acheson will receive the Award at the association's annual meeting in San Francisco in November.
"In the past few years, my primary contribution has been to use 'rational choice theory' to show under what conditions groups of people will and will not develop rules to conserve the resources on which their livelihood depends," Acheson says. "This has led me into a far more theoretical realm – namely trying to understand the circumstances under which people develop rules in general."
Acheson has studied the system of self governance in the Maine lobster industry and has chronicled the circumstances under which lobster fishermen developed informal rules and lobbied for formal laws to conserve the lobster stock. >> continue
READ ALSO
James Acheson: Capturing the Commons (University Press of New England)
Friday, October 15, 2004, 08:11
A secret writing system used only by women in China's Hunan province
The Straits Times Asia
MADAM Yang Huanyi, 98, died in a remote part of China's Hunan province last month. There was nothing unusual about her death, except that she was the last person on Earth who had mastered a secret writing system used only by women in that region.
Today, the number of people who understand nushu well comes to less than 50 worldwide. Most of them live in Madam Yang's Jiangyong county. The residents there want to exploit its potential as an attraction for tourists. This has alarmed linguists, anthropologists and other experts, who are worried that the ancient writing system will be defiled through such commercial exploitation.
Nushu, believed to have been invented almost 2,000 years ago, was used exclusively by women in western Hunan and parts of adjoining Guangxi region. >> continue
Thursday, October 14, 2004, 23:12
The Job of a Design Anthropologist at Microsoft: A Video and a PPT-Presentation
On Microsoft Norway's homepage you can watch a video about design anthropologist Anne Cohen Kiel's research in peoples' homes (in English)
Link to the video (wmv-file, 5 min)
Link to a Powerpoint presentation about her work
SEE ALSO
Microsoft hires five anthropologists
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