Anthropology Questiuons - Assignment Example

? Anthropology Questions Question Shakespeare in the Bush is a story of an American anthropologist by the name Laura Bohannan. She goes to Africa where she pays a visit to a local tribe called Tiv. During her visit Bohannan carries Hamlet, one of Shakespeare’s writing with her. She intends to use Shakespeare’s writing to prove that the content within Hamlet is universal and can be applied in explaining any culture (Laura 29). The culture of the Tiv involved story telling while drinking local beer, rituals that they called aan artform. When the locals insist that she tells them a story, Bohannan gets a little nervous because she fears that Hamlet may not be applicable within this culture as she had argued with her English colleague. When she tells them Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the locals seems to be discontented and by arguing that the story teller does not understand what the story means. The people of Tiv show frustrations because they believe that they know the meaning of the story better than Bohannan. The differences in understanding of Hamlet are brought about by the fact that the locals do not understand things such as ghosts (Laura 31). These people also believe that water is a good thing and thus they do not believe that someone can drown in the same water. The central points within Hamlet seem to be meaningless in Tiv because the audience have different meanings and understanding of the story. The customs of the Tiv makes them find it alright that Claudius should marry the wife of his brother (Laura 33). From her experience in Africa, Bohannan comes to learn that different cultures understand things differently and as a result there are no values which can be considered to be universal. Question 2 Womb as Oasis is a story which is based on an ethnographic research which was conducted in Hofriyat which is a village in Sudan. The author went to do the research while aware that females within the village were taken through genital mutilation rituals but what she witnessed during her visit was way far from expectations (Boddy 7). The researcher considered the ritual and the custom of female genital mutilation within this village to be meaningless. As days went by, the perception of the researcher for the female genital mutilation began to change as its significance began to be understood and thus its appreciation. The people within the Hofriyat practice Muslim religion and culture and are presented as having strict beliefs. The people of the village organize themselves into groups but few of them are corporate. Endogamy is practiced in the village with people marrying a close kin and preferring marrying people who did not live far away (Boddy 13). The story presents arguments which help the reader to understand the reason why the Hofriyat people persist on keeping their Pharaonic circumcision culture. Regardless of the pressure that the villagers get for the eradication of the custom of female genital mutilation, the reasons why they keep it is described to enhance the understanding of the audience. The Pharaonic circumcision within this village is described as being related to the value of “enclosedness” which the customs and beliefs of the villagers stress within their cultural idioms. The assertion of the paper argues that the Pharaonic circumcision is meaningful for those who go through it because it de-emphasizes the concept of female sexuality while putting emphasis on fertility (Boddy 24). Question 3 The issue of space in the Nationalist Rhetoric of the Hellenic is described within ideological convergences on the politicizing cultural, educational and symbolic structures. The emphasis however lies in the need for cultural protectionism within Greece (Kaldellis 220). The National Rhetoric tries to explain the evolution of Greece and the mixed ideologies which result into disputes with Macedonia. The dispute that occurred between Greece and the new republic of Macedonia caused challenges in international relationships. The Usage of the name Macedonia by the newly formed state from Yugoslavia is explained by arguments on historical and cultural territorial claims of the new state within the Hellenic region. The National Rhetoric explains the issue of space in relation to advocating for ideological change which would result into conflict resolution within the Hellenic region (Kaldellis 231). Question 4 Indigenous people are increasingly migrating to urban centers leading to political implications such as creation of representations which question the governance of the state in relation to social citizenship (Edmonds 302). The social systems of indigenous people in urban centers are very transformative. The concept of land and cities for example is significant among the Aboriginal communities. These indigenous people view the issue of land and space differently. In the reserves, land is perceived as a source of liveliness but when they move into urban centers they consider the lack of space as a source of stress which emanate from the social problems of congestion which characterize urban centers. As a result, there is Aboriginal political representation which has had political implications related to negotiation of indigenous people’s social citizenship and sovereignty (Edmonds 312). Question 5 Cosmology is a concept which attempts to bring an understanding and shaping the universe through experimentation and observations of theorists and scientists. In physics, cosmology has enables us to understand concepts of time as it relates to the universe such as the Big Bang theory and the expansion of the universal space (Hetherington 212). The history of the universe is explained by the experimentations and observations of mathematicians and physical cosmologists. The issue of time is presented through an understanding of the stand of religion and science and their relationship in explaining the origin and history of the universe. Additionally, the place of man in relation to other creatures is explained by metaphysical cosmologists with a view of enhancing an understanding of the concept of reality and nature (Hetherington 219). Philosophical observations are also significant in cosmology because they contribute to the understanding of the universe in relation to the time when it was set into existence. Science and religion are explained by cosmologists as two different views which illustrate different periods of existence of the universe. Works Cited Boddy, Janice (1982). “Wombs as Oasis”. American Anthropologist. Print. Edmonds, Penelope. (2010). “Urbanizing frontiers: Indigenous peoples and settlers in 19th century Pacific Rim cities. UBC Press. Print. Hetherington, Norriss. 1993. “Cosmology: historical, literary, philosophical, religious, and scientific perspectives.” Garland. Print. Kaldellis, Anthony. (2007). “Hellenism in Byzantium: The transformations of Greek identity and the reception of the classical tradition”. Cambridge University Press. Print. Laura Bohannan. 1996, "Shakespeare in the Bush". Natural History. Print. Read More