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Cultural values and the spreading of AIDS in Africa

Published on December 1, 2004 by lorenz Posted in Africa, anthropology in the news, culture traditions, gender, medical anthropology / ethnobothany

Christian Science Monitor

Awareness levels around the world are higher than they’ve ever been, but so is the pace at which the virus spread, according to the report. The real hurdle, say observers, is translating awareness into behavior change, and the effort often runs up against longstanding and strongly held cultural values.

African men who have become disempowered through a history of colonialism, racism, and poor economic prospects are unwilling to give up the power they hold over women, says Suzanne Leclerc-Madlala, head of anthropology at South Africa’s University of KwaZulu-Natal.

“I don’t think we’re putting enough emphasis on changing men’s behavior,” says Ms. Leclerc-Madlala. She says a key solution is for male African leaders – whether politicians, sports figures, or traditional rulers – to take a stand, admit publicly that men’s behavior is a problem, and urge men to change. >> continue

Christian Science Monitor

Awareness levels around the world are higher than they've ever been, but so is the pace at which the virus spread, according to the report. The real hurdle, say observers, is translating awareness into behavior change, and the…

Unmarried Women in Arab Countries: Status No Longer Dependent upon the Husband

Published on October 25, 2004 by lorenz Posted in anthropology in the news, gender, Middle East

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

Arabnews

Women struggle for power in Sápmi

Published on October 19, 2004 by lorenz Posted in anthropology in the news, gender, indigenous people / minorities, Saami

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

Sami Radio

A secret writing system used only by women in China’s Hunan province

Published on October 15, 2004 by lorenz Posted in anthropology in the news, Asia, culture traditions, gender, language

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. (article no longer online)

MORE INFORMATION
A language by women, for women. Scholars try to save unique Chinese script (MSNBC / Washington Post)
Links to more websites at Yahoo

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…

Papuan anthropologist wins award for study on gender issues

Published on August 30, 2004 by lorenz Posted in anthropology in the news, Asia, gender

The Jakarta Post

A Papuan anthropologist, Marlina Flassy, has been declared the winner of the Peniti Emas community research award, capping a series of science and technology achievements by people in the remote province.

Marlina’s research conducted in 2001, found changes to the value systems of the patriarchal Papuan communities, which had begun to provide women with access to education to improve their prospects for marriage.

“In the past, when a man proposed to a woman, he gave the woman only a package of kain timur (eastern cloth) as a bride price. But now, the higher the educational background the bride has, the higher she will be priced, sometimes amounting up to Rp 50 million (US$5,500),” the lecturer of the state Cendrawasih University in Jayapura said. (no longer available online)

The Jakarta Post

Marlina's research conducted in 2001, found changes to…