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The Value of Rituals

Published on August 16, 2004 by lorenz Posted in anthropology in the news, culture traditions, politics

New York Times

You’ve probably heard that the presidential candidates have been crossing the country arguing about Iraq and taxes, but, as usual, the press has ignored the true anthropological significance of their journeys.

“Ritual is absolutely central to modern politics,” Professor David Kertzer, an anthropologist at Brown University, said. “The press wrings their hands at what they call the lack of substance at conventions, and some people think of political rallies as being outmoded or even dangerous, but rituals like these are essential for creating solidarity and allegiance to a leader.” >>continue

New York Times

You've probably heard that the presidential candidates have been crossing the country arguing about Iraq and taxes, but, as usual, the press has ignored the true anthropological significance of their journeys.

"Ritual is absolutely central to modern politics," Professor…

New Research Study about Traditional Folk Knowledge related to Plants in Albania

Published on August 5, 2004 by lorenz Posted in anthropology in the news, culture traditions, Europe, fieldwork / methods, medical anthropology / ethnobothany

OneWorld Southeast Europe

The overall goal of this project is to provide information, data and instruments to NGOs and policy makers about the persistence of high-quality folk know-hows on local plant foods and herbal medicines, which could be used in the future for promoting and implement eco-touristic activities and for improving bio-cultural conservation and rural development of Northern Albania, especially in the framework of the initiative “Balkan Peace Park” project..

It will be used traditional methodologies of the social and cognitive anthropology, and ethnobiology as well. >>continue

OneWorld Southeast Europe

Unknown Traditions: Tomatoe fights in Malta

Published on July 29, 2004 by lorenz Posted in anthropology in the news, culture traditions, Europe

Today, the inhabitatants of a village in Malta have descended into a field close to Dahlet Qorrot Bay for a massive tomato fight. For two hours, two teams will hurl huge amounts of ripe tomatoes at each other. This tradition was borrowed from Spain, and the newspaper Malta Today raises the question how ‘right’ is it for traditions to be borrowed. Anthropologist Ranier Fsadni answers. Read more in >>Malta Today

The Day of the Dead celebration in Mexico and Fishing in the Solomon Islands

Published on July 28, 2004 by lorenz Posted in anthropology in the news, culture traditions, Latin- and Central America, Pacific Oceania, Visual Anthropology

Nordic Anthropological Film Association (NAFA)

Explore the Chea-villagers’ traditional “Kuarao”-fishing in the Solomon Islands – in an interactive presentation based on professor Edvard Hviding and SOTFilm a/s filmproject “Chea’s Great Kuarao” (1996).

We also have an interactive presentation of The Day of the Dead celebration in Mexico, based on films made by Frode Storaas. >>continue

Nordic Anthropological Film Association (NAFA)

Explore the Chea-villagers' traditional "Kuarao"-fishing in the Solomon Islands - in an interactive presentation based on professor Edvard Hviding and SOTFilm a/s filmproject "Chea's Great Kuarao" (1996).

We also have an interactive presentation of The Day of…

Emphasis on ‘culture’ in psychology fuels stereotypes, scholar says

Published on July 24, 2004 by lorenz Posted in anthropology (general), anthropology in the news, culture traditions, interdisciplinary, journal articles / papers, persons and theories, Us and Them

Currents online, University of California

In an invited lead article in the current issue of the influential journal Human Development, UCSC psychology professor Per Gjerde challenges his colleagues to reconsider popular ideas about the role of culture in human development.

Much of the trouble stems from the use of nations as proxies for cultural units, said Gjerde. Notions of culture are linked to national boundaries and geographical areas, like “East” and “West,” fueling generalizations about “American individualism” and “Asian collectivism,” said Gjerde.

Gjerde is critical of the fieldwork that forms the basis for most notions of culture, saying it has been conducted in “limited and bounded social contexts” and that the fixation on groups has obscured the exploration of variation and complexity within and between human beings.

Gjerde’s model would take a more interdisciplinary approach to the study of culture, incorporating the writings of anthropology and other fields, and it would consider the influence of power, coercion, and class differences on individual psychological development. >>continue

Currents online, University of California

Much of…