anthropology in the news | antropologi.info

Anthropology and Colonial Violence in West Papua

Published on November 27, 2004 by lorenz Posted in anthropology (general), anthropology in the news, Pacific Oceania, Us and Them

Eben Kirksey, Westpapua.net

Most 19th century anthropologists who participated in violent colonial encounters reinforced popular prejudices, depicting apuans as inherently violent savages. Others, however, wrote critiques, and even conducted letter campaigns, about the savage nature of the “civilizing mission. >> continue (link updated)

(Link via SOSIG – What’s new)

Eben Kirksey, Westpapua.net

New Compendium on Yanomami Language and Culture

Published on November 24, 2004 by lorenz Posted in anthropology in the news, books, indigenous people / minorities, language, Native American

IPS News

After 15 years of research, ”we have concentrated our efforts on producing something more useful and rich in information than a simple dictionary — a book that can support the didactic measures that the Venezuelan society and state have the obligation to undertake with respect to the indigenous communities,” anthropologist and linguist Marie-Claude Mattéi told IPS.

It is more than a mere dictionary, instead serving as an encyclopaedic manual that can be used in Yanomami schools and for outsiders studying the Yanomami language and culture.

”A high-speed globalisation process is taking place in the world, but at the same time there is a revival of interest in minority groups and a vindication of traditional ways, to keep ethnic groups from being lost. In Venezuela, under the new constitution and the government of Hugo Chávez, there is a desire to do something,” said Mattéi. >> continue

IPS News

After 15 years of research, ”we have concentrated our efforts on producing something more useful and rich in information than a simple dictionary -- a book that can support the didactic measures that the Venezuelan society and state have…

Study says USA wastes nearly half its food

Published on November 24, 2004 by lorenz Posted in anthropology in the news, food and drink, Northern America

Science Blog / University of Arizona

Timothy W. Jones, an anthropologist at the UA Bureau of Applied Research in Anthropology, has spent the last 10 years measuring food loss, including the last eight under a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Jones started in the farms and orchards, went on through the warehouses, retail outlets and dining rooms, and to landfills.

What he found was that not only is edible food discarded that could feed people who need it, but the rate of loss, even partially corrected, could save U.S. consumers and corporations tens of billions of dollars each year. Jones’ research evolved from and builds on earlier work done at the University of Arizona. Archaeologists there began measuring garbage in the 1970s to see what was being thrown away and discovered that people were not fully aware of what they were using and discarding.

Those earlier studies evolved into more sophisticated research using contemporary archaeology and ethnography to understand not only the path food travels from farms and orchards to landfills, but also the culture and psychology behind the process. >> continue

Science Blog / University of Arizona

Urban Legends: Do Eskimos really have 100 words for snow?

Published on November 21, 2004 by lorenz Posted in anthropology (general), anthropology in the news, culture traditions, indigenous people / minorities, inuit, language

i have a phoenix – Reviews by a librarian

Everyone thinks the Eskimos have 100-plus words for snow. Everyone is wrong. They don’t. In the book The Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language, Pinker writes:

“Where did the myth come from? Not from anyone who has actually studied the Yupik and Inuit-Inupiaq families of polysynthetic languages spoken from Siberia to Greenland. The anthropologist Laura Martin has documented how the story grew like an urban legend, exaggerated with each retelling.”

Later, Pinker quotes linguist Geoffrey Pullum: “Horsebreeders have various names for breeds, sizes, and ages of horses; botanists have names for leaf shapes; interior designers have names for shades of mauve; printers have many different names for fonts…, naturally enough.” >> continue

i have a phoenix - Reviews by a librarian

Everyone thinks the Eskimos have 100-plus words for snow. Everyone is wrong. They don't. In the book The Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language, Pinker writes:

"Where did the myth come from?…

“Prosumers”: Consumer Anthropologist Uncovers Proof of New Species of Consumer

Published on November 20, 2004 by lorenz Posted in anthropology in the news, corporate & business anthropology, technology

RedNova News

Twenty-five years after Alvin Toffler coined the term “Prosumer” in his book The Third Wave, Consumer Anthropologist Robbie Blinkoff says the Prosumer is officially here to stay and that this holiday season is their coming of age. “It is now the producers — companies, manufacturers, marketers and retailers, who need to adapt,” said Blinkoff.

A Prosumer is part producer part consumer. Prosumers are engaged in a creative process of producing a product and service portfolio with guidance from trusted friends – the companies they’ve trusted for years and the new ones they’ve come to love.

“9/11 unleashed a full scale remapping of the cultural landscape. People were and are re-establishing their identities,” said Blinkoff. Prosumer trends include scrapbooking, book clubs and the re-emergence of knitting. In each case, people engage in a activity that connects the actors to membership in larger social circles. Blinkoff points to the I-Pod. It starts with those white headphones, he says, the outward sign that you belong to the I-Pod tribe. >> continue

RedNova News

Twenty-five years after Alvin Toffler coined the term "Prosumer" in his book The Third Wave, Consumer Anthropologist Robbie Blinkoff says the Prosumer is officially here to stay and that this holiday season is their coming of age. "It is…