Illustrated article of the practices in various times and places of shaping skulls into oblong proportions, http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/head-space-artificial-cranial-deformation
Thursday, May 28, 2015
Sunday, May 17, 2015
writing for public, general audiences
Anthropology can be bracing stuff, but too often it is read or viewed only be its own denizens.
This blog essay on the methods of New Yorker writer Malcolm Gladwell points the way to balancing data and drama; (excerpt)
when I use Gladwell with my students, it's as a reminder of the relationship between narrative and argument. Err too much on the side of narrative and you'll weave a captivating tale that might not hold together at the end. However, if you just pile on evidence
without providing a narrative through line, your reader can miss the bigger, brilliant point you are trying to make.
without providing a narrative through line, your reader can miss the bigger, brilliant point you are trying to make.
language localism in USA
from the weekly digest of "most emailed stories" at National Public Radio, npr.org
Look for the sample words given for each state, below, to see if you recognize any of them still alive today.
Sunday, May 3, 2015
visual culture of Type Font
Among the digest of "most emailed stories" at National Public Radio during the final week of April 2015,
Monday, April 27, 2015
slang, a short-lived life
excerpt from http://www.npr.org/blogs/npr-history-dept/2015/04/23/401681334/7-lost-american-slang-words
Dingus, 1890s. A nebulous, unspecified object.
Example: Nineteenth century slang may have crescendoed in the 1890s with this report on a new game: Tiddledywinks. "You take a wink, put it on the dingus, press a tiddledy on the wink and make it jump into the winkpot. ... If you succeed, you are entitled to a difficiety and for every wink you jump into the dingpot, from the duwink you count a flictiddledy and you keep on operating the tinkwinkle upon the pollywog until the points so carried equal the sum total of the bogwip multiplied by the putertinktum and added to the contents of the winkpot or words to that effect and you have won the game." From the Tribune in McCook, Neb., on April 24, 1891. And, while writing about operating a coal stove, a Wisconsin person noted this in the Appeal in Memphis, Tenn., on Dec. 28, 1873: "We turned every dingus in the stove that was movable."
Monday, March 2, 2015
wider anthropology - Anthro Day; also - 4 ethnography features
from March 2015 eNewsletter by email to member from E.L. of the American Anthropological Association
A Message from Executive Director, Dr. Edward Liebow
Response to February 19th, the first National Anthropology Day, was nothing short of amazing. A Congressional Proclamation was introduced to recognize the field. More than 80 college campuses, museums and organizations hosted events to participate in the day. Social media was on fire and we congratulate the student anthropology clubs at Minnesota State University - Mankato, El Camino College and Hunter College of the City University of New York, the selfie photo contest winners who each received $100 prizes. We are in conversations with our sister societies in physical, applied, and archeology, as well as the World Council of Anthropological Associations and the IUAES about expanding our horizons for next year. Mark your calendars: February 18, 2016.
from http://writersalmanac.org/ for March 2, 2015, regarding journalist and novel writer, Tom Wolfe:
In an essay published in 2007, Tom Wolfe argued that the newspaper industry would stand a much better chance of survival if newspaper editors encouraged reporters to "provide the emotional reality of the news, for it is the emotions, not the facts, that most engage and excite readers and in the end are the heart of most stories." He said there are exactly four technical devices needed to get to "the emotional core of the story." They are the specific devices, he said, "that give fiction its absorbing or gripping quality, that make the reader feel present in the scene described and even inside the skin of a particular character."
The four: 1) constructing scenes; 2) dialogue — lots of it; 3) carefully noting social status details — "everything from dress and furniture to the infinite status clues of speech, how one talks to superiors or inferiors ... and with what sort of accent and vocabulary"; and 4) point of view, "in the Henry Jamesian sense of putting the reader inside the mind of someone other than the writer."
[perhaps these same elements comprise best practices for ethnographers keen on conveying a multi-sensory experience of "being there"]
Sunday, January 11, 2015
excavating Place Names - what's in a name?
http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-dark-history-of-seven-places-branded-by-bloodsheed
Tells stories of sadness connected to locations around the USA.
More well known is the Welsh town with the very, very long name of
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwll-llantysiliogogogoch (or Llanfairpwll, or Llanfairpwllgwyngyll, or Llanfair PG, or just Llanfair as it is known by the locals) is on the Isle of Anglesey (Ynys Môn) in Wales (Cymru). [source page]
or this lake in western Massachusetts,
Then there is Keith Basso, "Place Names among the Western Apache," and his book, Wisdom Sits in Places, http://books.google.com/books/about/Wisdom_Sits_in_Places.html?id=NsiEAAAAIAAJ
Thursday, January 8, 2015
big sculpture - the young Mao Zedong
Pictured around 1925, http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/mao-nt-rushmore
This cultural meaning differs in some ways to the oversized heads grouped at Mt.Rushmore and to neighboring Plains Indian leader, Crazy Horse.
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
entomophagy - Man eats bug
[above story from travel publisher Lonely Planet]
Much of the world today, and surely even more in the past includes insects as food source - either seasonal find or cultivated supply.
Interestingly of the term itself, Internet declares first use of the word to date to 1975 (while the practice goes back much earlier).
See also visual authoring team of Peter Menzel and Faith D'Aluzio 2010 Man Eats Bug, http://menzelphoto.com/books/meb.php
Much of the world today, and surely even more in the past includes insects as food source - either seasonal find or cultivated supply.
Interestingly of the term itself, Internet declares first use of the word to date to 1975 (while the practice goes back much earlier).
See also visual authoring team of Peter Menzel and Faith D'Aluzio 2010 Man Eats Bug, http://menzelphoto.com/books/meb.php
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
author interview, "Lives in Ruins" (archeologists stories)
http://hereandnow.wbur.org/2014/11/12/lives-of-archaeologists [radio story with author interview and links]
Essential reading for grad students and others committing to a life in archeology?
Book Excerpt: 'Lives in Ruins'
By Marilyn Johnson, http://www.marilynjohnson.net/new__i_lives_in_ruins__i__123545.htm
Chapter 1 Field School: Context is everything
Field school is a rite of passage. If you are studying archaeology, or even thinking about it, you need to apprentice yourself to an excavation specifically set up to help train field-workers. This usually takes place in a desert or jungle, a hot and often buggy place at the hottest and buggiest time of year. A century ago, field school meant signing on to a dig under the supervision of an archaeologist, who would teach you the fine art of excavating while hired locals did the hard labor. Now the locals work as translators, drivers, guides, or cooks, and the students do the heavy lifting, moving rocks and hauling dirt and slag—for instance, in a foul pit in Jordan that, back in the tenth century b.c., was a copper smelt. "I can't prove it," the lead archaeologist at that site told National Geographic, "but I think that the only people who are going to be working in this rather miserable environment are either slaves . . or undergrads." Students not only work without the prod of a whip, they pay for the privilege. Field schools got that school in their name by charging tuition, quite a lot of it, usually thousands of dollars. Where would archaeology be without these armies of toiling grads and undergrads? Are they the base of a pyramid scheme that keeps excavations going with their labor and fees?
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
eBook at amazon.com, http://www.amazon.com/Lives-Ruins-Archaeologists-Seductive-Rubble-ebook/dp/B00IHZNRQE/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
abandoned civilization sites
Nice collection of pictures and brief descriptions, http://www.urbanghostsmedia.com/2014/09/10-ancient-settlements-abandoned-mysterious-reasons
Saturday, September 13, 2014
annual look at anthropology programs
Each year, the AAA compiles a comprehensive listing of academic programs, museums, government agencies, non-profits, and research firms to assist educators and students at all levels in locating information and resources. Search online now. Alternatively a soft cover copy of the 2014-2015 AnthroGuide can also be purchased for your library or college advising office through the AAA Online Store on AAA's website. Print copies are $70+S/H.
Additionally, we want to hear from you in case you have suggestions for others who might benefit from hearing about the free resource! Please email any suggestions to help us reach parents and students who would like information on this resource. You can reach us at guide@aaanet.org [cross posting from O. Schmid at aaanet.org]
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
cultural heritage (task force), Am.Anthro.Assoc.
created November 2013 at the American Anthropological Association [the following text comes from 2013 Annual Report]
visit its webpage: www.aaanet.org/cmtes/commissions/Task-Force-on-Cultural-Heritage.cfm
AAA Creates CulturalHeritage Task Force
In an effort to respond to threats to both tangible and intangible heritage at both home and abroad (see sidebar), AAA, under the leadership of President Leith Mullings, created a Task Force on Cultural Heritage (TFCH) in November of 2013. The task force aims to offer critical guidelines on the many aspects of heritage management, preservation, and tourism with respect to the role of anthropology and other professionals in this arena, with the ultimate goal of increasing appreciation and understanding of cultural heritage in anthropological and public discourse and to assist the Executive Board in developing effective positions and practices on cultural heritage issues worldwide.
As noted by TFCH co-chair Susan Gillespie (U Florida) cultural heritage issues have become an increasingly important element of the cultural
landscape and loom large in the intellectual and political landscape for anthropology. These issues include continuing debates over preservation
and interpretation of historic materials, the growing heritage and tourism industries, challenges to the intangible heritage and property rights of
living communities and the loss of indigenous languages.
The task force is charged with the following:
Examining what "cultural heritage" means to different constituencies and how it relates to different areas of
anthropological inquiry in order to guide the implementation of AAA positions and practices.
Investigating how other professional associations are dealing with cultural heritage nationally and internationally and incorporate
their best practices in recommendations for new structures or formations that will allow the AAA to become and remain actively
engaged in cultural heritage issues.
Recommending ways to increase training in cultural heritage issues in undergraduate and graduate anthropology curricula and via
continuing education in other venues.
Identify sustainable means for coordinated collaboration among relevant AAA committees and sections as well as with other
professional organizations, trade associations and similar organizations involved with cultural heritage.
Recommending ways for the AAA to become a leading association for national and international dialogue and change regarding
cultural heritage, identifying the special or unique contributions the AAA can make in this regard. A blue-ribbon panel will be organized at
the 2014 AAA meeting in Washington, DC to bring together experts to contribute recommendations.
Helping to draft or coordinate advocacy letters and statements until such time as more permanent entities can carry out that task, and
devise guidelines and protocols for such letters and statements and Recommending initiatives to increase awareness of cultural
heritage issues and to educate the membership and the public about anthropological perspectives on cultural heritage and its
protection. The task force plans to have a regular column in www.anthropology-news.org to disseminate information on cultural
heritage concerns and analysis.
The task force is co-chaired by Susan Gillespie and Teresita Majewski, and other members include Sarah Cowie (U Nevada–Reno), Michael Di Giovine (West Chester U Pennsylvania), T. J. Ferguson (U Arizona), Antoinette Jackson (U South Florida), Rosemary A. Joyce (UC Berkeley), Morag Kersel (DePaul U), Richard Meyers (South Dakota State U), Stephen Nash (Denver Museum of Nature & Science) and Mark Turin (Yale U).
For more information on the TFCH, visit its webpage: www.aaanet.org/cmtes/commissions/Task-Force-on-Cultural-Heritage.cfm.
Friday, July 4, 2014
death & dying, Pet Cemetery edition
Among the well-illustrated, rich subjects for articles at Atlas Obscura is death and dying (mortuary practices around the world).
http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/photographing-pet-cemeteries-a-dignified-death-for-our-departed-pets is about handling of dear pets.
But searching by country, language, culture or topic brings lots of food for thought at www.atlasobscura.com, too.
Sunday, June 29, 2014
land grab - Native America
interactive map shows timelapse of lands taken from earliest residents, http://hnn.us/article/156042
ossuary of Brno, CZ (50,000 souls)
Lots of pictures from wikimedia and a 3 min. video from city of Brno,
This website has an eclectic mix of visual articles from all corners of the world, searchable by topic or location.
Sunday, June 8, 2014
anthro in public - blog of Forensic Anthropology
In today's miscellany of visual stories at www.atlasobscura.com was a story and link to the blog of anthropologist Dolly S. whose "Strange Remains" dwells on forensic subjects. Perhaps it is an example of anthro for wider, public consumption.
Saturday, May 3, 2014
powers of Time Lapse photos played back
Motion picture effect is created by recording still images and playing back as a sequence of frames.
Wedding ceremony being rehearsed [seen on 3 May 2014], http://vimeo.com/93689992
The search string, http://vimeo.com/tag:time+lapse will bring up a set of projects that depict the passage of time. Common themes are clouds moving, sun setting or rising, other weather phenomena developing, growth of plants such as flowers blooming. But occasionally something more directly anthropological appears, such as the ritual of wedding (rehearsal).
Sunday, April 13, 2014
material culture - photo project; rubbish from home
http://www.dpreview.com/news/2014/04/12/in-photos-taking-the-lid-off-america-s-trash-cans
is a short intro to the photo & written essays and includes link to project website, http://www.glad.com/trash/waste-in-focus
...photojournalist Peter Menzel and writer Faith D'Aluisio's project called 'Waste in Focus'. The photo series looks at what eight families around the U.S. are recycling, composting and sending to landfill.
is a short intro to the photo & written essays and includes link to project website, http://www.glad.com/trash/waste-in-focus
...photojournalist Peter Menzel and writer Faith D'Aluisio's project called 'Waste in Focus'. The photo series looks at what eight families around the U.S. are recycling, composting and sending to landfill.
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
View the world with these 40 surprising maps
Visual context for worldview in 40 maps: These visual treats will prompt lots of thinking and talking.
Share with others keen on understanding the world and its people.
http://asheepnomore.net/2013/12/29/40-maps-will-help-make-sense-world/
Writing Systems of the World is one example, below.
Share with others keen on understanding the world and its people.
http://asheepnomore.net/2013/12/29/40-maps-will-help-make-sense-world/
Writing Systems of the World is one example, below.
Monday, January 13, 2014
short articles & links to ponder or prompt discussions
as seen in the January 2014 newsletter from www.nextvistalearning.org
Teacher GC explains that words are built from both meaning and structure,
and the importance of history in knowing why words are what they are. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mbuwZK0lr8
and the importance of history in knowing why words are what they are. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mbuwZK0lr8
...Google maps tool for visualizing changes over time. A new site, Timelapse, takes that tool and identifies a number of the most interesting spots, as well as a field for choosing a new spot to examine. ...click on "Explore the World" at the lower right of the gray area, just before the paragraph describing the tool gets going. The Dubai one is fascinating - zoom out enough to see the palm-frond-looking extensions into the gulf. http://world.time.com/timelapse/
...comparisons and simple research on countries around the world using the World Data Atlas, a free app from the Chrome Web Store. The data choices include GDP, unemployment, birth, death, and fertility rates, and much more. You'll have to use Chrome as your browser to get it, of course. http://goo.gl/6pOYcP
This video (~14 minutes) is a promotional piece for the service organization Rotary International, and speaks of the dust storms from the Gobi Desert and the economic future of Mongolia. http://vimeo.com/21202577
Video by a girl telling about potatoes, sprouts, and chemicals that inhibit sprouts. It may well make you think about organic produce in a new way. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exBEFCiWyW0
About approaching historical levels of inequality that could breed violent class conflict. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPKKQnijnsM
For those who advocate for really high standards of testing subjects in school, consider where author Robert A. Heinlein set the bar.
"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects."
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
life on 24th July 2010 - collage documentary
Executive producer Ridley Scott of movie making fame lent his talents to this project the took in video clips from 192 countries, totaling 4500 hours of recording with contributors answering a few simple questions. The resulting 94 minutes gives a glimpse of life on the planet as told by its peoples.
Saturday, August 3, 2013
Fwd: Daily digest for August 3, 2013
Teaching Materials Exchange |
Looking for new ideas and materials for fall term? Check out AAA's new Teaching Materials Exchange. Search by course, syllabus, keyword or even instructor. Or browse through the database of more than 90 syllabi and teaching tools.
Don't forget to submit your materials to share as well.
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
languages & power in R.South Africa
http://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/university-venus/power-language-or-language-power
excerpt
...Although South Africa's Constitution recognises eleven national languages, English – spoken as a home language by only 9.6% of South Africans – has become the language of power; it is the language of government, business, the media, and academia. African languages do not share the same status as English and, to a lesser extent, Afrikaans, which still retains some prominence partly because of its privileged status under apartheid. A degree or course in English at university will help a graduate in accountancy to find a job. Proficiency in isiXhosa (spoken by 16% of South Africans) or Sepedi (9.1%) probably will not.
....
....
Saturday, July 27, 2013
regional USA - Michigan language & map sense
http://melbel.hubpages.com/hub/Michigan-Accent [local accents around the state of Michigan]
http://melbel.hubpages.com/_mas/hub/You-Know-Youre-From-Michigan-When [USA areas seen from Michigan-centric viewpoint]
see the included illustration,
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
scenes from London Anthropology Day 2013
photos online at flickr, http://www.flickr.com/photos/raieducation/with/9308899412/
Here the pages from the new brochure about the A-Level programme.
Since 2005 this national event has welcomed recent college students, those about to enter college and those recently graduated to discover some of the fields and tasks of anthropology as it is offered at the departments around the U.K.
See Also, L.A.D. on Facebook; as well as the Youtube channel for RAI, including the 5 minute overview of the recent A-Level exam for precollege courses in anthropology offered in the U.K., http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gR6kJk8n1DA
See Also, L.A.D. on Facebook; as well as the Youtube channel for RAI, including the 5 minute overview of the recent A-Level exam for precollege courses in anthropology offered in the U.K., http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gR6kJk8n1DA
Here the pages from the new brochure about the A-Level programme.
Write the education officer for further details, education [at]therai.org.uk
Thursday, June 6, 2013
google maps for tribal stories (Memory Places)
Not just for U.S.A. Civil War conflict sites, but also in the people of the Amazon to annotate the online maps with "les lieux de memoires" (memory places that Pierre Nora first described in 1993):
minute 23:20 at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMBJ2Hu0NLw
minute 23:20 at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMBJ2Hu0NLw
Thursday, May 23, 2013
San Francisco, CA (underwater) archeology - Whaling Ship
Breaking the Candace: The 300 Spear Street Project
The Candace was a whaler built in Boston in 1818 that was discovered buried beneath San Francisco that was excavated by Dr. Jim Allan and
archaeologists from William Self Associates, Fresh from a voyage to the Arctic, the Candace limped into San Francisco leaking badly. It was
condemned and never sailed again.
The archaeological investigation revealed not only the Candace but also a ship breaking yard where Chinese laborers dismantled vessels and recycled
their component parts. All these aspects of 19th century life in San Francisco are covered in the three galleries that comprise the online exhibit. Breaking the Candace features a video introduction by Dr. Allan, slideshows, an interactive poster, site plans, a PDF version of the report, and video footage of the wreck being lifted from the site.
Tour the exhibit by clicking the link at the MUA, http://www.themua.org/
The Candace was a whaler built in Boston in 1818 that was discovered buried beneath San Francisco that was excavated by Dr. Jim Allan and
archaeologists from William Self Associates, Fresh from a voyage to the Arctic, the Candace limped into San Francisco leaking badly. It was
condemned and never sailed again.
The archaeological investigation revealed not only the Candace but also a ship breaking yard where Chinese laborers dismantled vessels and recycled
their component parts. All these aspects of 19th century life in San Francisco are covered in the three galleries that comprise the online exhibit. Breaking the Candace features a video introduction by Dr. Allan, slideshows, an interactive poster, site plans, a PDF version of the report, and video footage of the wreck being lifted from the site.
Tour the exhibit by clicking the link at the MUA, http://www.themua.org/
Thursday, March 7, 2013
online "Saving 10,000 lives" at YouTube
On March 6, 2013 the director, Dr. Rene Duignan, presented his 51 minute movie about the high rate of suicide in Japan to members of the news media & the National Diet. He documents the problem, the causes, the solutions, and the social consequences. Mental health professionals, researchers, teachers, friends and family members may benefit from this open discussion of a difficult topic.
http://tinyurl.com/saving10000 [full movie just uploaded], http://www.saving10000.com [website, including trailer for movie]
Friday, March 1, 2013
New short film: The Huala of China's Sanchuan Region
See the huala (trance mediums/ shamans) among the Mangghuer people of the Sanchuan Region, on the northeast Tibetan Plateau. The movie is intended for a general, rather than an academic, audience, so please feel free to share the link with your students, neighbors, grandmas, etc. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUjLwtix2_U
The Gods Incarnate - The Huala of China's Sanchuan Region
This film is about ordinary people who incarnate deities. These people are called huala in the Mangghuer language. Huala are found in the Sanchuan Region, on the northeastern Plateau, in China
[G. Roche]
Monday, December 17, 2012
rock song of USA, Japan cliches
Here is a highly polished, context-free, series of icons and stereotypes presented in the form of a music video from USA expat in Japan, A. York.
The presentation includes a playful, self-aware, ironic or parodic dimension.
But as an example of a Cultural Production, it is heavily laden with popular, commercial or commoditized meanings.
Monday, December 3, 2012
Friday, November 30, 2012
small town photo albums online - social analysis & visual anthro fodder?
http://miserybay.usanethosting.com/wordpress/category/features/album/
Comes from the weekly online newspaper, The St. Johns Independent, or sjindy.
Citizen reporters supply some of the photo sets.
And while there is little context or captioning, still there is some social & cultural information that can be extracted from these sources.
To locate this county seat in middle Michigan, USA, map search by postal (Z.I.P.) code 48879.
The population is about 7,000 and in 2006 it celebrated 150 years since its foundation in 1856.
Monday, May 21, 2012
Egyptian Archaeology, podcast 'academic minute'
In today's Academic Minute, the University of Toronto's Mary-Ann Pouls Wegner describes some recent finds from an archaeological excavation in Abydos, Egypt. Wegner is assistant professor of Egyptian archaeology in the Department of Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations at Toronto. She also serves at Project Director for the North Abydos Votive Zone Project. Find out more about her here. A transcript of this podcast can be found here.
Read more: http://www.insidehighered.com/audio/2012/05/21/egyptian-archaeology
Inside Higher Ed
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
archeology from satellites
In today's Academic Minute, Jason Ur of Harvard University explains how archaeologists are using declassified satellite images to locate previously unknown ancient sites. Learn more about the Academic Minute here.
link: http://www.insidehighered.com/audio/2012/05/15/satellite-archaeology
Friday, March 30, 2012
languages live and die
Recent feature stories on (Internet audio & transcripts) Radio:
There are some 7,000 spoken languages in the world, and linguists project that as many as half may disappear by the end of the century. That works out to one language going extinct about every two weeks. Now, digital technology is coming to the rescue of some of those ancient tongues.
http://www.npr.org/2011/04/14/135402002/dying-language-speakers-wont-talk-to-each-other [4/2011]
Manuel Segovia and Isidro Velazquez are the only two people in the world who still speak Ayapaneco. This centuries-old language of Mexico is in danger of becoming extinct, and yet, the two aren't talking. An anthropologist working on a dictionary with the two aging men described Segovia as a "little prickly" and Velazquez as "more stoic."
Manuel Segovia and Isidro Velazquez are the only two people in the world who still speak Ayapaneco. This centuries-old language of Mexico is in danger of becoming extinct, and yet, the two aren't talking. An anthropologist working on a dictionary with the two aging men described Segovia as a "little prickly" and Velazquez as "more stoic."
Shoshone is one of many American Indian languages that is in danger of becoming extinct. But 10 Shoshone high school students from rural Idaho, Utah and Nevada hope to become future guardians of the language. This summer, they're spending six weeks at the University of Utah for the Shoshone Youth Language Apprenticeship Program.
A study based supported by the National Geographic Society and the Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages identifies regions around the world where languages are dying. We hear some words from these disappearing languages.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
music class - bringing in diverse human experiences
While visiting a high school choir class, the anthropologist in me found ways to introduce vocal art to illustrate some of the variety of music expression. Surely there are more or better references to sample, but these came first to mind:
-(
-(
-(Swiss; USA) yodeling
-(USA) work songs to synchronize group exertions
-(USA) Sacred Harp (shape note singing) in hollow square
-(USA) rapping (cf. Bobby McFerrin vocal percussion)
-(USA) vocal jazz 'scat singing'
-(Scotland) mouth music (imitating instruments)
-(ancient Britain) slaves brought to Imperial Rome: novelty of singing in 3rds
-(Bulgaria) women's chorus singing in 9ths and 7ths
-(Central Asia) Tuva "throat singing"
-song circles for healing
-(India) mantra repetitions
These could be extra-credit assignments for students to report to the class (or in writing to the teacher), for the teacher to playback samples (Wikipedia; Wikimedia), to demonstrate and challenge students to produce each of these.
Why don’t other animals produce or consume such things as dance, music, visual art...
Humans feel motivated to create and consume many artistic forms. Why don't other animals produce or consume such things as dance, music, visual art, verbal arts of story and lyric and declamation?
Recognizing patterns and relationships, then applying ones known by experience to new material is something that characterizes human minds and hearts. In abstract terms this search for meaning is an extension from the core motivation in spoken (and thus also written) language. For some reason a given musical phrase, movement sequence, or choice of words stands out in a person's mind. It "means" something or resonates with a feeling or concept in one's own mind, as yet perhaps not articulated into a definite form. The artist answers a specific itch by producing sequences of pattern and meaning. The audience may dwell on a novel piece of work to grasp it, or in dim recognition of knowing it from another place or medium. Alternatively the audience may be actively seeking something to touch the itch they feel, and therefore browse rapidly through the works until they find something partly or fully connected to the meaning they are seeking. In the case of visual arts, the elements of composition, light, texture, narrative (intertexuality) or context could spark the feeling of recognition and personal meaning attached to the work. In other words the meaning can be perceived indirectly, incidentally and thus unintentionally.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
radio on Fridays, "Science Friday" each week
The list of topics discussed is at http://www.sciencefriday.com/topics/
Among these are
ARCHEOLOGY, http://www.sciencefriday.com/topics/c130400/
ANTHROPOLOGY, http://www.sciencefriday.com/topics/c130200/
MUSEUMS, http://www.sciencefriday.com/topics/c050300/
Among these are
ARCHEOLOGY, http://www.sciencefriday.com/topics/c130400/
ANTHROPOLOGY, http://www.sciencefriday.com/topics/c130200/
MUSEUMS, http://www.sciencefriday.com/topics/c050300/
Sunday, December 18, 2011
"the Indians" and "the colonists" in 1750s N. America
Discussion of interaction between colonists in North America and the native peoples, as written in Fur and Fortune: in Part III (after the French and Indian wars of 1750s-60s) the narrator (of the audio book version) refers to "The Indians." And yet this catch-all phrase sweeps together groups big and small, ones friendly and hostile to "The Europeans" or to "The English Speakers." Elsewhere there are some smaller categories such as Five Nations or Algonkian tribes. But it would probably be more true to experience of those on the ground at the time to refer to themselves not as categories of some abstract Nation (which is the label we organize citizens by today) but according to their location, local leader or some other term of limited scale. For the author perhaps the analytical goal of grouping anonymous souls into competing interests is useful, but probably this corresponds little to the local experience that motivated and guided the people being so labeled. Forever there is a tension between analytical abstraction and anonymity on the one hand and names and faces of individual lives and significance on the other hand.
[reference, Fur, Fortune, and Empire: The Epic History of the Fur Trade in America]
Friday, December 9, 2011
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
underwater cultural resources (conference reports)
The Inaugural Asia-Pacific Regional Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage begins next week in Manila, Philippines (http://www.apconf.org/).
The Museum of Underwater Archeology will post the proceedings online (over 80 presentations and posters) at the MUA's new research tool website in the coming weeks, http://www.themua.org
The Museum of Underwater Archeology will post the proceedings online (over 80 presentations and posters) at the MUA's new research tool website in the coming weeks, http://www.themua.org
Saturday, October 29, 2011
underwater archeology - diver's photos
The MUA is excited to announce a new research tool based on experimental crowd-sourced image collecting. In an effort to capture the changes over
time on an in situ shipwreck, sport divers and archaeologists have contributed photographs of a single wreck over the span of several years.
Our goal is to recruit additional images from divers who have visited the site. As the image collection grows so too will the opportunity to study
site formation processes over time.
Our inaugural shipwreck subject is the SS Yongala, submerged in Australian waters. Some of the submissions received so far lack detailed information
regarding the specific area of the wreck pictured. We strongly encourage anyone with additional knowledge of individual photos, the wreck in
general, or further images to contribute to contact us at research@themua.org . We will also consider creating additional galleries
to highlight other appropriate wrecks if there are a sufficient number of submissions.
This is an experimental project for the MUA; we will continue to refine the look and feel of the tool based on the level of public participation.
The gallery can be viewed by clicking on the link on the home page here: http://www.themua.org
time on an in situ shipwreck, sport divers and archaeologists have contributed photographs of a single wreck over the span of several years.
Our goal is to recruit additional images from divers who have visited the site. As the image collection grows so too will the opportunity to study
site formation processes over time.
Our inaugural shipwreck subject is the SS Yongala, submerged in Australian waters. Some of the submissions received so far lack detailed information
regarding the specific area of the wreck pictured. We strongly encourage anyone with additional knowledge of individual photos, the wreck in
general, or further images to contribute to contact us at research@themua.org . We will also consider creating additional galleries
to highlight other appropriate wrecks if there are a sufficient number of submissions.
This is an experimental project for the MUA; we will continue to refine the look and feel of the tool based on the level of public participation.
The gallery can be viewed by clicking on the link on the home page here: http://www.themua.org
Monday, October 17, 2011
what is anthropology about?
October 2011 the department of anthropology at University of South Florida was threatend with closure, so graduate students there created a beautiful response to answer the question, "what is anthropology for? [relevance]: http://prezi.com/vmvomt3sj3fd/this-is-anthropology/
Monday, August 22, 2011
amazon basin & archeology sites world-wide (Google "street view")
Using the well tested array of cameras facing in multiple directions, Google Streetview goes to the Amazon ecozone as well as to cultural heritage sites worldwide,
APPLIED ethnography of the libraries in Illinois
Here is an example of using anthropology to answer some basic questions of the Taken-for-granted contexts that we find ourselves immersed in unreflectively.
[excerpt] The ERIAL (Ethnographic Research in Illinois Academic Libraries) project -- a series of studies conducted at Illinois Wesleyan, DePaul University, and Northeastern Illinois University, and the University of Illinois's Chicago and Springfield campuses -- was a meta-exercise for the librarians in practicing the sort of deep research they champion. Instead of relying on surveys, the libraries enlisted two anthropologists, along with their own staff members, to collect data using open-ended interviews and direct observation, among other methods.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
radio story from the annual Crow Fair (5-day festival in S.E. Montana)
2011-08-10 096 Crow Fair I: Gathering the Tribes
A century ago the six Crow Reservation Districts came together for a cultural gathering with other Great Plains tribes. The Crow Fair honors that tradition with a "giant family reunion under the Big Sky." Every third weekend of August the Apsaalooke Nation puts on a five-day festival in southeastern Montana, with a parade, Pow Wow, rodeo, and traditional and fancy dancing. In 1977 a team of NPR producers and recordists spent a week collecting sounds and interviewing people at this annual event. This early ambient sound-portrait breathes with the arts and activities of the Crow people.
Part one of two. Listen…
Thursday, July 28, 2011
bronze age - so many dolmens on the SW Korean peninsula
www.dolmen.com has an option for English and Japanese, too. The site dates to 2001, so there is not a lot of video, blog feedback or panoramic views and maps, but it does introduce this wealth of ancient society, quoting that 19,000 of the world's known 55,000 dolmens are located in the Jeollanam-do (sw province) of South Korea.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
socio-linguistics, American English: Getting on well, thanks
** American English: Getting on well, thanks ** http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/news/world-us-canada-14285853
The debate over the use of Americanisms has divided readers of these pages in recent weeks. Here, American lexicographer and broadcaster Grant Barrett offers an American perspective.
The debate over the use of Americanisms has divided readers of these pages in recent weeks. Here, American lexicographer and broadcaster Grant Barrett offers an American perspective.
Friday, July 22, 2011
Politicization and Archaeology
Fears About Politicization of Israeli Archaeology
The heads of four major archaeological institutes at Israeli universities have written to Limor Livnat, the country's culture minister, to ask that she withdraw proposed changes to the Antiquities Authority Law, Haaretz reported. Currently the chair of the Antiquities Authority Council must be a scientist who is a member of the Israel's National Academy of Sciences. Livnat has argued that the pool of candidates isn't large enough, and she wants to be able to select someone after consulting with the National Academy of Sciences, but not necessarily from that body. The academic institute leaders argue that this shift is an attempt to put a right-leaning scholar in charge of the council and its work.
[from Inside Higher Ed.com, http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2011/07/22/qt#265849 ]
Monday, July 18, 2011
crossing Neanderthals and H.Sapiens Sapiens 35,000 years ago?
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/07/neanderthal-human-mating/
emerging details continue to surface
emerging details continue to surface
Thursday, July 7, 2011
naming a baby - what does it mean or indicate?
Naming Trends And How Parents-To-Be Face 'Baby-Name Hostility'
[excerpt] from radio, www.npr.orgWhen people find out they're expecting, choosing a name for their baby can be one of their most stressful tasks.
Part of that stress is because there has been a "baby-naming revolution" over the last half-century, says Laura Wattenberg, who wrote The Baby Name Wizard: A Magical Method for Finding the Perfect Name for Your Baby.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
archeology; graffiti; Israel
Archaeologists Unscramble Ancient Graffiti In Israel
June 19, 2011 Tomb graffiti is "a spontaneous verbal outburst" that can help archaeologists learn more about ancient communities. The history sleuths decipher the messages and learn about the personal and private lives of ancient Jews.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
London Anthro Days 2011; also at U.Manchester
University of Manchester School of Social Sciences
'Discover Social Anthropology': 30th June 2011
http://www.socialsciences.manchester.ac.uk/disciplines/socialanthropology/undergraduate/discover/
This is a departmental open day to enable teachers and 6th form students to discover what social anthropology and its new A-level is all about and can mean for their teaching/studies.
[L.A.D. 2011 DETAILS TO FOLLOW]
'Discover Social Anthropology': 30th June 2011
http://www.socialsciences.manchester.ac.uk/disciplines/socialanthropology/undergraduate/discover/
This is a departmental open day to enable teachers and 6th form students to discover what social anthropology and its new A-level is all about and can mean for their teaching/studies.
[L.A.D. 2011 DETAILS TO FOLLOW]
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
linguistics quirk, "foreign accent syndrome"
wherein a damage suffered to a specific spot in the language processing region results in systematic shifts in vocal production so that the person gives the impression of speaking with a foreign accent:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/06/01/136824428/a-curious-case-of-foreign-accent-syndrome
[excerpt]
When Karen Butler went in for dental surgery, she left with more than numb gums: She also picked up a pronounced foreign accent. It wasn't a fluke, or a joke — she'd developed a rare condition called foreign accent syndrome that's usually caused by an injury to the part of the brain that controls speech.
Butler was born in Bloomington, Ill., and moved to Oregon when she was a baby. She's never traveled to Europe or lived in a foreign country — she's an American, she says, "born and bred."
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/06/01/136824428/a-curious-case-of-foreign-accent-syndrome
[excerpt]
When Karen Butler went in for dental surgery, she left with more than numb gums: She also picked up a pronounced foreign accent. It wasn't a fluke, or a joke — she'd developed a rare condition called foreign accent syndrome that's usually caused by an injury to the part of the brain that controls speech.
Butler was born in Bloomington, Ill., and moved to Oregon when she was a baby. She's never traveled to Europe or lived in a foreign country — she's an American, she says, "born and bred."
Monday, May 9, 2011
online journals of anthropology around the world
...web listings for most of the anthropological journals in the world. This information has been placed on the World Council of Anthropological Associations webpage
http://www.wcaanet.org/
The journals are listed under "Publications," with some 500 journals in all, a proportion of which offer free access to all of their articles on-line.
http://www.wcaanet.org/
The journals are listed under "Publications," with some 500 journals in all, a proportion of which offer free access to all of their articles on-line.
Monday, April 25, 2011
local identity - Cornwall in England
via radio on April 25, 2011:
In England, Cornwall Pays No Mind To Royal Wedding
Prince William, who's second in line to the British throne, is marrying Kate Middleton on Friday. The images and voices that will fill the airwaves that day will portray a kingdom full of loyal and joyous subjects. But in Cornwall, where the map says it is part of England, they don't feel very English.
http://www.npr.org/2011/04/25/135697378/in-england-cornwall-pays-no-mind-to-royal-wedding
In England, Cornwall Pays No Mind To Royal Wedding
Prince William, who's second in line to the British throne, is marrying Kate Middleton on Friday. The images and voices that will fill the airwaves that day will portray a kingdom full of loyal and joyous subjects. But in Cornwall, where the map says it is part of England, they don't feel very English.
http://www.npr.org/2011/04/25/135697378/in-england-cornwall-pays-no-mind-to-royal-wedding
Monday, April 11, 2011
toys and gender and language
Gender stereotypes woven into language of toy ads
(word cloud to visually represent which words are most often used to market/package toys)
Friday, April 8, 2011
linguistic fun. FW: LOL
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12893416
LOL around the world
- mdr (and derivatives)
- חחח/ההה
- 555
- asg
- mkm
Thursday, April 7, 2011
mapping Online Dating word choices
Visualizations of online dating language, http://www.boingboing.net/2011/04/05/visualizations-of-on.html
R. Luke DuBois... became fascinated with the language used in the profiles. So he overlaid data from 19 million online dating profiles onto US maps.
[interview with Turnstyle magazine] ...In addition to color-coded maps by gender, he also scanned a Rand-McNally Road Atlas into his computer and replaced the city names with unique words. "Not the word people used the most [in their dating profiles] – but the word that was used uniquely in that place – the word that shows up there more than anywhere else," said DuBois. The atlas maps are labelled with 20,000 unique words. He rattled off some combinations:
Dallas – "rich" Houston – "symphony" Santa Cruz – "liberal"
Atlanta – "God," "company," "coca," "jazz," "protestant"
R. Luke DuBois... became fascinated with the language used in the profiles. So he overlaid data from 19 million online dating profiles onto US maps.
[interview with Turnstyle magazine] ...In addition to color-coded maps by gender, he also scanned a Rand-McNally Road Atlas into his computer and replaced the city names with unique words. "Not the word people used the most [in their dating profiles] – but the word that was used uniquely in that place – the word that shows up there more than anywhere else," said DuBois. The atlas maps are labelled with 20,000 unique words. He rattled off some combinations:
Dallas – "rich" Houston – "symphony" Santa Cruz – "liberal"
Atlanta – "God," "company," "coca," "jazz," "protestant"
GIS and underwater archeology - example from Florida
David Conklin, a recent graduate of the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, describes his work at Little Salt Spring in Florida. David used GIS and videography to produce a photomosaic image that could be used for recording context within an excavation level.
Clicking the link on the home page of the Museum of Underwater Archeology, http://www.themua.org
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
pronunciation and identity - British Regions
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12619718
[excerpt] ...This is because US audiences tend to identify the British accent with notions of social standing and refinement rather than geographical location, according to London-based film critic Ray Bennett of the Hollywood Reporter magazine, who spent 30 years living in North America.
"I'm from Kent, and people would ask me if I knew the Beatles," he says. "They think a British accent is like that of Alistair Cook. They aren't particularly conscious of regional differences.
"To them, an English accent is, basically, one that connotes class."
[excerpt] ...This is because US audiences tend to identify the British accent with notions of social standing and refinement rather than geographical location, according to London-based film critic Ray Bennett of the Hollywood Reporter magazine, who spent 30 years living in North America.
"I'm from Kent, and people would ask me if I knew the Beatles," he says. "They think a British accent is like that of Alistair Cook. They aren't particularly conscious of regional differences.
"To them, an English accent is, basically, one that connotes class."
Saturday, February 19, 2011
about endangered languages (UNESCO Redbook project)
sample entry for VULNERABLE level of endangerment within the boundaries of Peru (62 languages endangered; 10 of these at the vulnerable level; example - the Quechua spoken in and around Cusco)
Saturday, February 12, 2011
qualitative methods (ethnography) book
via the Council for Anthropology and Education (Am.Anthro.Assoc section):
Subject: [CAE_listserv] RE: Book for Qualitative Methods
...At the risk of being immodest, I would recommend the second edition of "Designing and Conducting Ethnographic Research," which is book one of the seven volume, exhaustive, Ethnographer's Toolkit. Book One is designed to be a comprehensive overview of qualitative and ethnographic research, from when it's appropriate through how to collect AND analyze data to issues of interpretation and ethics specific to such data. Jean J. Schensul and I have authored the entire series, minus book four, which is an edited volume of chapters describing cutting edge supplementary ethnographic methods, written by various authors who are experts in the use of those specific techniques.
The first edition of the entire Toolkit (1999) is available from Altamira Press, which is a division of Rowman and Littlefield. They also are publishing the second edition of the Toolkit; Book One is done and available for purchase; Books 2-5 (conceptual frameworks (2), essential data collection techniques (3: interviewing, observing, participant observation, and confirmatory ethnographic surveys), complementary data collection techniques and issues (4), and data analysis and interpretation (5)) will be available in early summer, and the final two books, Ethics and Relationships in the Field, and Team Research and Research Partnerships, will be available in fall. The latter two books are entirely new for the second edition, as are a number of the chapters in book 4.
Take a look at Book One; I think that it's what you would want for your course; I've used it myself for the same purpose and students loved the profuse examples and the reading level. We attempted to keep the content at a very high level, but make the text itself quite accessible. So while it's a "primer", we didn't dumb it down
Subject: [CAE_listserv] RE: Book for Qualitative Methods
...At the risk of being immodest, I would recommend the second edition of "Designing and Conducting Ethnographic Research," which is book one of the seven volume, exhaustive, Ethnographer's Toolkit. Book One is designed to be a comprehensive overview of qualitative and ethnographic research, from when it's appropriate through how to collect AND analyze data to issues of interpretation and ethics specific to such data. Jean J. Schensul and I have authored the entire series, minus book four, which is an edited volume of chapters describing cutting edge supplementary ethnographic methods, written by various authors who are experts in the use of those specific techniques.
The first edition of the entire Toolkit (1999) is available from Altamira Press, which is a division of Rowman and Littlefield. They also are publishing the second edition of the Toolkit; Book One is done and available for purchase; Books 2-5 (conceptual frameworks (2), essential data collection techniques (3: interviewing, observing, participant observation, and confirmatory ethnographic surveys), complementary data collection techniques and issues (4), and data analysis and interpretation (5)) will be available in early summer, and the final two books, Ethics and Relationships in the Field, and Team Research and Research Partnerships, will be available in fall. The latter two books are entirely new for the second edition, as are a number of the chapters in book 4.
Take a look at Book One; I think that it's what you would want for your course; I've used it myself for the same purpose and students loved the profuse examples and the reading level. We attempted to keep the content at a very high level, but make the text itself quite accessible. So while it's a "primer", we didn't dumb it down
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
big archeology in Indiana
http://www.npr.org/2011/01/03/132412112/the-prehistoric-treasure-in-the-fields-of-indiana
It's 1988. Workers building a road in Mt. Vernon, Ind. damage an ancient burial mound, causing a treasure trove of silver and copper to pour from the ground. A bulldozer operator decides to grab some of the treasure. He ends up in prison for looting.
It sounds like the plot of an Indiana Jones film, only it's not a movie. The treasure belonged to a mysterious and advanced culture that flourished in the Eastern and Midwestern U.S. nearly 2,000 years ago. Because it predates the written record, this prehistoric culture doesn't have a Native American name but in the 1800s, archaeologists dubbed it the Hopewell Tradition.
It's 1988. Workers building a road in Mt. Vernon, Ind. damage an ancient burial mound, causing a treasure trove of silver and copper to pour from the ground. A bulldozer operator decides to grab some of the treasure. He ends up in prison for looting.
It sounds like the plot of an Indiana Jones film, only it's not a movie. The treasure belonged to a mysterious and advanced culture that flourished in the Eastern and Midwestern U.S. nearly 2,000 years ago. Because it predates the written record, this prehistoric culture doesn't have a Native American name but in the 1800s, archaeologists dubbed it the Hopewell Tradition.
An exhibit of artifacts from the Hopewell site, curated by the Indiana State Museum and on display at the Angel Mounds State Historic Site in Evansville, Ind. through Jan. 14, is raising some fresh questions about these ancient Americans.
[opening excerpt from radio on Jan. 3, 2011]
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
homo sapiens sapiens from 400,000 years ago instead of 200,000?
via yahoo news this week; includes a few "related content" stories at the foot of this feature story from Israel,
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101227/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_ancient_teeth
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101227/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_ancient_teeth
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Fall issue of AnthroNotes (Smithsonian Inst.)
Table of Contents, fall 2010 includes:
Tourists and Strangers: An Anthropological Perspective by Lyra Spang
Going Native: The Anthropologist as Advocate by Robert Laughlin
Backyard Ethnography: Studying Your High School by Carolyn Gecan
Being a Refugee: Humanitarianism and the Palestinian Experience by Ilana Feldman
Friday, December 17, 2010
anthro mix of insider-outsider viewpoints
anthropologist Edmund Carpenter, who had this to say about his mentor at Penn, Frank Speck:
Great ethnologists do more than record: they reveal…they entered their subjects emotionally,
intellectually, then revealed what they experienced within…What was needed, he said, was
the power of language, harnessed to humanistic ends 'by men who, if such exist, possess both
the scientific mind and the literary touch'.
[source] Edmund S Carpenter. 1991. "Frank Speck: Quiet Listener."
In: The Life and Times of Frank G. Speck, 1881-1950.
Roy Blankenship, ed. Philadelphia: U Pennsylvania Publications in Anthropology, Pp.78-83.
Great ethnologists do more than record: they reveal…they entered their subjects emotionally,
intellectually, then revealed what they experienced within…What was needed, he said, was
the power of language, harnessed to humanistic ends 'by men who, if such exist, possess both
the scientific mind and the literary touch'.
[source] Edmund S Carpenter. 1991. "Frank Speck: Quiet Listener."
In: The Life and Times of Frank G. Speck, 1881-1950.
Roy Blankenship, ed. Philadelphia: U Pennsylvania Publications in Anthropology, Pp.78-83.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
kerfuffle - What is Anthro... Science or Humanities?
excerpts from some well considered responses to the early December exchanges on blogs and op-ed columns of NYTimes, which ultimately led to statement by the American Anthropological Association on Monday, December 13: http://www.aaanet.org/about/WhatisAnthropology.cfm
[W. Beeman] Nor do we beat our breasts over the investigative excesses of the 19th and early 20th Centuries. The world is a very different place than in the colonial era, and anthropologists, like all seekers of knowledge, must shake off the past and move forward trying to pursue our discipline--the most humanistic of the sciences and most scientific of the humanities and social sciences.
[H. Lewis] ...Indeed, it was the founder of American anthropology, Franz Boas, who most fully exemplified the scientist engaged in the struggle for human rights.
[W. Beeman] Nor do we beat our breasts over the investigative excesses of the 19th and early 20th Centuries. The world is a very different place than in the colonial era, and anthropologists, like all seekers of knowledge, must shake off the past and move forward trying to pursue our discipline--the most humanistic of the sciences and most scientific of the humanities and social sciences.
[H. Lewis] ...Indeed, it was the founder of American anthropology, Franz Boas, who most fully exemplified the scientist engaged in the struggle for human rights.
Friday, October 22, 2010
podcasts with Practicing (applied, mainly private sector anthropologists)
as listed to date at http://www.aaanet.org/cmtes/copapia/Profiles-in-Practice-Podcast-Series.cfm
The podcast series features interviews with:
The podcast series features interviews with:
- [Listen] Patricia Clay, a fisheries anthropologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
- [Listen] Judy Tso, owner and consultant of Aha Solutions
- [Listen] Kevin Bialy, an international program officer at the National Institutes of Health
- [Listen] Megan Hawkins, a cultural resource specialist with the Research Corporation of the University of Hawaii, where she is working with the US Army
- [Listen] Lee Cerveny, a research social scientist at the US Forest Service
- [Listen] Cheryl Levine, a social science analyst at the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
using films to illustrate anthro experiences/observations
via e-list for CAE, council for anthropology and education
(1) The French film "The Class" about a first year teacher is a great one about cross cultural communication. It has a few great scenes with a boy who is from Burkina Faso and he has to translate his own expulsion interview from a Parisian public school to his mother. Language has a lot to do with all of the events that lead up to his expulsion as well.
(2) I have used the Star Trek (The Next Generation) episode "Darmok" in which the captain of the Enterprise must communicate with an alien who communicates using only metaphors. I use it to engage intro classes with linguistic concepts. The conversation (unless you have dedicated anti-Trekies in the class) usually highlights relativism and the need to understand context in any communication.
(1) The French film "The Class" about a first year teacher is a great one about cross cultural communication. It has a few great scenes with a boy who is from Burkina Faso and he has to translate his own expulsion interview from a Parisian public school to his mother. Language has a lot to do with all of the events that lead up to his expulsion as well.
(2) I have used the Star Trek (The Next Generation) episode "Darmok" in which the captain of the Enterprise must communicate with an alien who communicates using only metaphors. I use it to engage intro classes with linguistic concepts. The conversation (unless you have dedicated anti-Trekies in the class) usually highlights relativism and the need to understand context in any communication.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
bride prices - child marriage essay
Among the many disturbing and thought-provoking audio slideshows at mediastorm.com is this one about girls being wed before reaching adulthood in many countries [7 minutes 34 seconds] http://www.mediastorm.com/clients/the-bride-price-for-icrw
[caution for younger viewers: 2/3 of the way along is the self-immolation attempt]
[caution for younger viewers: 2/3 of the way along is the self-immolation attempt]
Monday, September 13, 2010
losing in translation
http://funnytranslator.com/ lets you type in a phrase, then it translates to another language, then back to English. This cycle repeats for the number of round-trip translations you specify. This vividly illustrates what happens in literal (word-level, not full context-level) translation. Saturday, September 4, 2010materials and experiences from Peace Corps livesActivities and lessons based on Peace Corps Volunteers' cross-cultural experiences http://www.peacecorps.gov/wws/publications/ Building Bridges: A Peace Corps Classroom Guide to Cross-Cultural Understanding Uncommon Journeys: Peace Corps Adventures Across Cultures Voices From the Field: Reading and Writing About the World, Ourselves, and Others CyberVolunteer Letters: Stories From In-service Peace Corps Volunteers Insights From the Field: Understanding Geography, Culture, and Service Looking at Ourselves and Others Culture Matters: The Peace Corps Cross-Cultural Workbook Folk Tales: Stories From Peace Corps Countries Around the World Crossing Cultures: Peace Corps Letters From the Field
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