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Some new ethnographies (Book reviews)

Published on by lorenz Posted in anthropology (general), anthropology in the news, Asia, books, Caribbean, gender, Northern America, persons and theories, religion cosmology

The Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology has published several new book reviews on its website:

Marc Augé: Oblivion
The French anthropologist breaks new ground introducing the theme of Oblivion (Les formes de l’oubli) – a challenging reflection on memory and forgetting. Through rites, oblivion also structures the relationship between past, present, and future. >> whole review

Denise Brennan: What’s Love Got to Do With It? Transnational Desires and Sex Tourism in the Dominican Republic
In this well-written and compelling ethnography, Denise Brennan examines the “sexscape” of Sosúa, a Dominican Republic beach town. As an ethnography of a tourist “sexscape”, the book makes its substantial contribution to studies of transnationalism >> whole review

Aisha Khan: Callaloo Nation: Metaphors of Race and Religious Identity among South Asians in Trinidad
We read some wonderfully complex family histories (pp. 78-83) showing that neighborhoods, families, and even households, are often comprised of Hindus, Muslims, and even various sorts of Christians, all “living good together.” This is hardy ethnography: finely grained descriptions of the quotidian analyzed with sophisticated theory. >> whole review

Richard Daly, Our Box was Full: An Ethnography for the Delgamuukw Plaintiffs
At the core of the issue is identity and pre-eminence in regards to First Nations self-governance and land. Also, the argument that Daly puts forth regarding the need for this ethnography and its effect in the Canadian courtroom situates the dilemma of being an anthropologist (i.e. someone on the other side) and serving as an “expert” witness for the plaintiffs. >> whole review

>> overview over all reviews

The Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology has published several new book reviews on its website:

Marc Augé: Oblivion
The French anthropologist breaks new ground introducing the theme of Oblivion (Les formes de l’oubli) – a challenging reflection on memory and forgetting.…

Read more

From housewife to mousewive – Anthropological study on women and Internet

Published on by lorenz Posted in anthropology in the news, gender, internet, technology

We’ve already heard of the TIF-woman (a new tech-savvy woman), now we read about “mousewives”. A recent anthropological study (combined with nationwide polling) by Demos shows the traditional housewife has been transformed into a ‘mousewife’ as women drive forward the increasing use of computers in the home. John Craig, the report’s author, said the advent of high-speed broadband was a crucial breakthrough

Some findings:

– half of all women who go online have moved the home PC into the living room so it can play a central role in family life

– Punishment has also changed: Removing internet privileges for children is becoming commonplace

– The PC is becoming the social hub for gossip with family and friends as well as a means of bargain hunting, without leaving the living room.

>> read the whole study in The Scotsman (link updated)

PS: I don’t know how “anthropologically” this study actually has been conducted. Anyhow, I couldn’t find any anthropologists among Demos’ staff

We've already heard of the TIF-woman (a new tech-savvy woman), now we read about "mousewives". A recent anthropological study (combined with nationwide polling) by Demos shows the traditional housewife has been transformed into a 'mousewife' as women drive…

Read more

Secret rituals: Folklorist studied the military as an occupational folk group

Published on by lorenz Posted in anthropology in the news, books, gender, Northern America, websites

The website of The Association of Feminist Anthropology is another place to look for anthropology books and ethnographies.

One of the books reviewed is written by folklorist Carol Burke “Camp All-American, Hanoi Jane, and the High-And-Tight: Gender, Folklore, and Changing Military Culture”:

Drawing from her background as a folklorist and an “insider” who served as a civilian faculty member of the Naval Academy, Carol Burke examines the military as an occupational folk group and unpacks the various aspects of military culture that continue to separate and exclude on the basis of gender. In addition to highlighting the more obvious customs and ceremonies, Burke also attends to the secret rituals and informal aspects that, even when officially “banned,” are still practiced in boot camps, military academies, and aboard submarines and aircraft carriers.

>> read the review (updated link)

>> another review at H-Net

>> more book reviews by the Association for Feminist Anthropology

The website of The Association of Feminist Anthropology is another place to look for anthropology books and ethnographies.

One of the books reviewed is written by folklorist Carol Burke "Camp All-American, Hanoi Jane, and the High-And-Tight: Gender, Folklore,…

Read more

"Dull anthropology" – Book review: A Society Without Husbands or Fathers

Published on by lorenz Posted in anthropology in the news, Asia, books, gender, persons and theories

“Despite the fascinating content, the book is a methodical anthropological study, and thus heavy going at times. One longs to hear more Na voices, to read more stories of their ways”, David Loftus writes in his review of the book A Society without Fathers or Husbands: The Na of China by anthropologist Cai Hua. His critism reminds on debates in the 1980s and 90s (“How could such interesting people (anthropologists) doing such interesting things (fieldwork) produce such dull books?”). While the debate contributed to some more personal ethnographies (personal reflections on fieldwork, multiple voices etc), postmodernism led to some totally unreadable accounts.

The reviewed book is about a matrilineal society where “genetic fathers have no recognized kinship with children, and no part in their upbringing”. Furthermore, “men and women take multiple sex partners. “An attempt to monopolize one’s partner is always considered shameful and stupid,” Cai Hua writes, “and the villagers will mock it for a long time.”

>> read the whole review on blogcritics.org

ON MATRILINEAL SOCIETIES SEE ALSO:

Eggi’s Village. Life Among the Minangkabau of Indonesia (another matrilineal society)

Contemporary matriarchal societies: The Nagovisi, Khasi, Garo, and Machiguenga

Matriarchy: history or reality?

Anthropologists: U.S. Marriage Model Is Not Universal Norm

MORE ON ACADEMIC WRITING:

How To Speak and Write Postmodern

Karla Poewe: Writing Culture and Writing Fieldwork: The Proliferation of Experimental and Experiential Ethnographies

"Despite the fascinating content, the book is a methodical anthropological study, and thus heavy going at times. One longs to hear more Na voices, to read more stories of their ways", David Loftus writes in his review of the…

Read more

Taking American Race Relations on the Road…to Africa / Rituals in Ghana / Men and Masculinities in Africa

Published on by lorenz Posted in Africa, anthropology in the news, books, gender, journal articles / papers, Us and Them

The African Studies Quarterly is an Open Access Online Journal for African Studies.

In their recent issue there’s an article by anthropologist Rebecca Gearhart on Taking American Race Relations on the Road…to Africa:

“As an anthropologist who leads undergraduates to East Africa, I am in hot pursuit of a way to help my students avoid taking the particular way in which Americans understand race with them to Africa. So far, I have been unsuccessful in prying my students loose from the color-coded framework that has organized race relations for them throughout their lives. American notions of race often become obstacles to understanding how social relationships are negotiated outside of the American context. (…) Social relationships in Kenya are not defined by skin color the way they are in America. From a Kenyan perspective, “race” might be translated as: cultural heritage, first language, home district, family name, profession, and/or ethnic affiliation.”

>> continue

Their recent issue has lots of interesting book reviews, among others Joseph Adjaye’s ethnography “Boundaries of Self and Other in Ghanaian Popular Culture”. Adjaye studies his own society:

Joseph Adjaye offers us an inspiring ethnography of several rituals among the Akan, Krobo, and Bono in Ghana. The book offers a vivid impression of the (post)colonial transformations of libations, funerals, naming ceremonies, female initiation practices and two festivals (Bakatue and Apoo), which the author tries to explain by using and refining different theoretical approaches. The strength of this book is situated in the author’s personal experiences. As the eldest son in an Akan family, he has to take up specific rules during rituals.

>> continue

Another book review: Men and Masculinities in Modern Africa. Edited by Lisa A. Lindsay and Stephan F. Miescher:

“This book is the first collection of its kind to focus on the practices of masculinities especially in West Africa. Covering early colonial period through post-independence, the editors and contributors discuss how masculinities have been constructed and contested in sub-Saharan Africa. The book challenges stereotypes of African men as inferior and victims of colonialism.”

>> continue

The African Studies Quarterly is an Open Access Online Journal for African Studies.

In their recent issue there's an article by anthropologist Rebecca Gearhart on Taking American Race Relations on the Road...to Africa:

"As an anthropologist who leads undergraduates to East…

Read more