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Anthropology and Race – Discussions in the Classroom

Published on March 10, 2005 by lorenz Posted in anthropology (general), anthropology in the news, persons and theories, Us and Them

Interesting thoughts by Alex Golub incl. links to articles.

“I spend a lot of the class slowly unprying my student’s idea of race. “Why are so many african americans professional athletes?” becomes “Why are so many professional athletes african american?” (because there are millions of african americans and very very few professional athletes).

Then I try a thought experiment: if excellence in athletics is explained by genetic endowment, perhaps Australia’s dominance in Rugby League is due to the Australian Rugby gene? Obviously not, say my students, since Australians are white, and our weirdo American intuitions only like genetic explanations for non-white people.”

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Interesting thoughts by Alex Golub incl. links to articles.

"I spend a lot of the class slowly unprying my student’s idea of race. “Why are so many african americans professional athletes?” becomes “Why are so many professional athletes african american?” (because…

AAAs Anthropology News March: Tsunami, Unemployment, Muslims in Thailand

Published on March 8, 2005 by lorenz Posted in anthropology (general), anthropology in the news, culture traditions, fieldwork / methods, journal articles / papers

Here are three more articles from the Anthropology News March 2005 by the American Anthropological Association:

Vishvajit Pandya: “When Land Became Water”. Tsunami and the Ongees of Little Andaman Island
I had a chance to visit the Ongees in the last weeks of January to find out how my old friends explained the tsunami and what they planned for their future. >> continue

Carrie Lane Chet: Work and Unemployment in the Global Labor Market
Since the fall of 2001, I had been conducting ethnographic fieldwork among unemployed high-technology workers in and around Dallas, Texas. >> continue

Raymond Scupin: Polarized Cultural Stereotypes Contribute to New Violence
The Thai government’s insensitivity toward the people and cultures of South Thailand is undoubtedly one factor contributing to the new violence in this region. >> continue

Here are three more articles from the Anthropology News March 2005 by the American Anthropological Association:

Vishvajit Pandya: "When Land Became Water". Tsunami and the Ongees of Little Andaman Island
I had a chance to visit the Ongees in the last weeks…

Malaysian indigenous people seek land, cultural rights

Published on March 4, 2005 by lorenz Posted in anthropology (general), anthropology in the news, Asia, indigenous people / minorities

Yahoo Asia News / AP

Malaysia’s indigenous tribes are hoping that a planned revision of a colonial-era law will grant them ownership of forests that their ancestors inhabited for more than 10,000 years, activists said.

They say the centuries-old culture and lifestyle of peninsular Malaysia’s Orang Asli, or “Original People,” have been threatened by developments such as airports, dams and highways that force tribes to move out of their homes _ located in forests owned by the state _ into semi-urban settings.

“Our main concern is land,” said Juli Edo, an anthropology professor at Kuala Lumpur’s University Malaya who belongs to an Orang Asli tribe. “We want a legal backup for the right to own land,” he said Wednesday. >> continue

Yahoo Asia News / AP

Malaysia's indigenous tribes are hoping that a planned revision of a colonial-era law will grant them ownership of forests that their ancestors inhabited for more than 10,000 years, activists said.

They say the centuries-old culture and lifestyle…

Dissertation in Anthropology put online before it will be published as a book

Published on February 22, 2005 by lorenz Posted in anthropology (general), anthropology in the news, Asia, language, Open Access Anthropology and Knowledge Sharing

Anthropologist P. Kerim Friedman (Temple University) published his dissertation on the web before it will be published as a book! “No need to wait for the book”, he writes. In an earlier post, Friedman encouraged anthropologists to use the Internet to share their knowledge and support the “Open Access” – philosophy.

About his dissertation he writes:

“This dissertation examines contemporary linguistic markets and language policy in Taiwan in terms of the historical processes of state formation, class alliances, and identity politics, drawing upon Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of linguistic markets and Antonio Gramsci’s theory of hegemony as well as the literature on nationalism and linguistic ideology.

Emphasis is placed on the historical processes underlying the construction of Taiwan’s linguistic markets as Taiwan’s linguistic nationalism emerged throughout history, focusing on the continuities and changes across Qing, Japanese, KMT and DPP rule.

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Anthropologist P. Kerim Friedman (Temple University) published his dissertation on the web before it will be published as a book! "No need to wait for the book", he writes. In an earlier post, Friedman encouraged anthropologists to use the Internet…

Anthroscope – a new anthropological radio show

Published on February 15, 2005 by lorenz Posted in anthropology (general), anthropology in the news, Open Access Anthropology and Knowledge Sharing

The Oracle

Created by Professor S. Elizabeth Bird as a means of promoting an anthropological perspective in the local community, the pilot broadcast of Anthroscope, a radio call-in show hosted by University of South Florida’s Department of Anthropology, was well received, eliciting feedback from several people.

Bird’s guests on the program were associate professor Lorena Madrigal and professor Susan Greenbaum. An urban anthropologist, Greenbaum talked about the negative effects of inner-city redevelopment. Madrigal, a biological anthropologist, discussed her views on evolution and creationism.

Bird said the purpose of the radio program is to address anthropological issues that have a direct relation to people’s lives. She said later topics might include the obesity epidemic in America and ethical issues regarding the ownership of Native American remains. >> continue

The Oracle

Created by Professor S. Elizabeth Bird as a means of promoting an anthropological perspective in the local community, the pilot broadcast of Anthroscope, a radio call-in show hosted by University of South Florida's Department of Anthropology, was well received,…