Us and Them | antropologi.info

Interview with Sámi musician Mari Boine: Dreams about a world without borders

Published on November 15, 2004 by lorenz Posted in anthropology in the news, culture traditions, globalisation, indigenous people / minorities, Saami, Us and Them

Six Degrees, Helsinki

Europeans romanticize American Indians but they forget that the Sámi are the indigenous people of the northern countries. What do you think about this?
In Norway people began recognising this connection through a continuous stream of information that I was providing. I truly feel that things are happening and changing in Norway that weren’t even considered ten years ago; not only me, but many Sámi artists think the same.

There is some progress, but do you think it is too late for the younger Sámi generation?
Sadly it is too late for the older generation. However, when I see young children studying the Sámi language in school, like my niece, and I hear how rich she speaks it, I know that they don’t carry the same shame that we did.

Would it be possible for Sámi from different countries to have an independent state?
No, that is a dream but, I don’t know… I don’t think it’s realistic. In 100 years it could happen, but also in 100 years there could be no borders at all – that would be even more perfect. >> continue (updated link)

Six Degrees, Helsinki

Europeans romanticize American Indians but they forget that the Sámi are the indigenous people of the northern countries. What do you think about this?
In Norway people began recognising this connection through a continuous stream of information that I…

Germans as Indians: Ethnographic images explore an unsettling cultural exchange

Published on November 12, 2004 by lorenz Posted in anthropology in the news, art, Europe, indigenous people / minorities, migration, Native American, Us and Them

Boston Globe

Photographers Andrea Robbins and Max Becher, who have work up at the Bernard Toale Gallery, are anthropologists of a sort. They document explosions of one culture within another, which occur through migration, colonialism, but also through odder means, such as appropriation.

They’ve photographed a town in Washington that sells itself as Bavarian, with chalet-style architecture, signage in a Germanic font, and lederhosen worn during parades — even though the town has no historic ties to Germany. Their work examines the strange gaps and attractions between societies with a cool, deadpan eye.

That particular interest in German culture shows up in the pair’s exhibition at Toale, ”German Indians.” Certain people in Germany enjoy dressing up in traditional Native American garb. >> continue

Boston Globe

In Britian: The local pub is the heart of the community

Published on November 10, 2004 by lorenz Posted in anthropology in the news, books, culture traditions, Europe, fieldwork / methods, Us and Them

Manchester Online

MOST people believe the local pub is far more important to their community than the church, according to a survey published today. Kate Fox, social anthropologist and co-director of the Social Issues Research Centre, was asked to comment on the findings.

She said: “The survey confirms the status of the pub as a central part of British life and culture, a unique institution, vital for sustaining local communities. The bar of the pub is one of the very few public places in England where it is socially acceptable to strike up a conversation with a complete stranger,” she said.

“At the bar, the normal unwritten rules of privacy and reserve are suspended – we are granted temporary `remission’ from our conventional social inhibitions, and friendly conversation with strangers is regarded as entirely appropriate and normal behaviour.” >> continue

Manchester Online

Biased media: Are African Students Respected?

Published on November 5, 2004 by lorenz Posted in Africa, anthropology in the news, Europe, media, Us and Them

PRICILLA DE WET, Utropia, University of Tromsø, Norway

While watching TV within a circle of Norwegian friends and a Sudanese friend, a documentary about the living conditions in Sudan started. I couldn’t bear the look of disappointment on my Sudanese friend’s face. None of the world’s giant media companies ever dare to show such negative realities about their own countries, namely America and Europe.

The biased broadcasting of Africa by international media companies is of great concern to many Africans living in European countries. This kind of pessimism retards the progress of reaching our ethical goal as a world community for making the world a better place as it promotes disrespect for Africa’s peoples. >> continue

PRICILLA DE WET, Utropia, University of Tromsø, Norway

Why you always get a present you don’t want – Social Sciences and Gift-Giving

Published on November 4, 2004 by lorenz Posted in anthropology in the news, gift economy gift giving, persons and theories, Us and Them

The Daily Telegraph

Millions of pounds are wasted each year because few understand the secret language of giving Christmas gifts. Why do we go through with it? Because the Christmas present is about kinship and power; taste and insight; symbolism and values. Over the years, it has become a rich source of PhDs, projects and papers for anthropologists, ethologists and sociologists, not to mention a legion of psychologists.

Gift-giving in primitive human societies was seen by the French ethnographer Marcel Mauss as a way of forging bonds with strangers. Decades ago, the distinguished University of Chicago anthropologist Prof Marshall Sahlins noted that the closer the kinship between the donor and the recipient, the less emphasis was placed on reciprocity and the more on sentiment. >> continue

The Daily Telegraph