Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons^™

Status And Prosociality In Egalitarian Societies, Zachary Garfield

Department of Anthropology: Theses and Student Research

Egalitarian societies have been the subject of significant academic attention for their unique cultural qualities, both as a representation of a distinct political category, and as a base line in the context of biological and cultural evolution. Although the domains and degrees of egalitarianism vary cross-culturally, certain characteristics seem universal. Egalitarian societies are nonstratified social systems that lack hereditary statuses with ascribed coercive power. In egalitarian societies leadership is achieved and dependent upon personal qualities and individual behavior. Leaders are granted authority but lack coercive power and rely on techniques such as persuasion to exert influence over others. Multiple theories …

Ei Espacio Y La Identidad En Un Contexto Transnacional, Katherine Michelle Norris

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

La migracion transnacional ha puesto en dud a las perspectivas tradicionales sobre la migracion internacionalla cual fue caracterizada anteriormente como un cambio pennanente de residencia entre dos estados-naciones, Y la cual ultimaruente Ileva a la asimilacion en el destino del migrante. Sin embargo, en contraste a los migrantes internacionales que han sido estudiados anteriormente, los transmigrantes toman medidas, hac en decisiones, y experimentan preocupaciones conectadas con dos 0 mas sociedades simultaneamente (Mendoza, 2006). Para comprender mejor el proceso de la migracion transnacional en su contexto completo, es importante explorar y entender las causas y los efectos de la transformacion espacial …

An Analysis Of Personal Adornment At Fort St. Joseph (20be23), An Eighteenth-Century French Trading Post In Southwest Michigan, Ian B. Kerr

Masters Theses

Since 1998 Western Michigan University archaeologists have investigated Fort St. Joseph (20BE23), an 18th century mission, garrison and trading post located in present day Niles, Michigan. The project’s research directive focuses on exploring notions of identity formation and its material expression in light of the prolonged and persistent cultural contact between Native Americans and Europeans at the site.

This thesis seeks to further this directive by exploring how personal adornment materiality both structures and broadcasts individuals’ social identities. By employing an intrasite spatial analysis of the assemblage of adornment artifacts from recognized domestic contexts at Fort St. Joseph this thesis …

Of Dice And Men: An Ethnography Of Contemporary Gaming Subculture, Christopher Shane Brace

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Tabletop roleplaying is a dynamic and flourishing hobby that has become increasingly accessible to a wide variety of participants. The games themselves, as well as the gaming subculture, offer players a number of personal and Social benefits that continue to enrich their lives long after they leave the table. Using Goffman's theories of Dramaturgy and Frame Analysis, this paper seeks to examine the positive impact of gaming in three key areas.

The first is an analysis of the subculture which includes the evolution of the games, the growth and diversification of the roleplaying community, and the current shift in stereotypes …

Label Use And Mixed Race Asian Americans: Discourses, Performances, And Boundaries, Ellen Macdonald

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

A person's identity is not fixed or stable, rather it changes over time and even from moment to moment (Nagel 1994). Throughout an individual's life he or she constantly cites discourses that relate specific appearances, actions, and behaviors to certain labeled social categories and those discourses make an individual intelligible as an acknowledged type of person (Butler 1990). The self, or identity, that someone presents at any point in time is comprised of the different types of information, both verbal and nonverbal, that the person provides to his audience (Goffman 1959). Labels are one verbal source of information that can …

The Clash Of Human Rights Principles And National Security Concerns: The Implications Of The Readmission Agreement Between Ukraine And The European Union On The Rights Of Unaccompanied Migrant Children, Kateryna Ustymenko

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study is the analysis of the efforts of the European Union to stop the flow of irregular migration to the European Union and its impact on the lives of unaccompanied migrant children, who find themselves in a transit zone between the EU and Ukraine. This study will provide a general overview of the issue of unaccompanied migrant children, the analysis of international legal protections granted to unaccompanied migrant children, and the overview of the discrepancies between international law and actual practices based on the example of Ukraine in the context of bilateral Readmission Agreement between Ukraine and the European …

Identifying And Analyzing The Use Of Space In Ancient Mayan House Mounds In Kancab, Yucatan, Mexico, V. Camille Westmont

Kaleidoscope

No abstract provided.

Measuring Maya Politics: Demographic Research On Ancient Community Relations, Jacob A. Welch

Kaleidoscope

No abstract provided.

Bemis, Alfred Hall, 1883-1956 (Sc 527), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "additional files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 527. Photocopies of manuscript entitled “Destiny,” which concerns Alfred Hall Bemis’ five years of residency in Pulaski County, Kentucky, and a brochure used by Bemis to advertise his lecture on the life, philosophy and background of the hill people of Kentucky.

Learning Without Being Taught: A Look At How Schools, The Home And The Neighborhood Influence "Race" Conceptualization, Owen Christopher Gaither

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Where do we get our ideas about the concept of `race'? The conceptualization of `race' has long been a topic of interest in the social sciences and society in general. The word `race' has been used and defined in different ways and different purposes throughout U.S. history. The definition of `race' therefore is arbitrary, changing according to the situation, but the consequences of how the word `race' is used are concrete and effect peoples lives daily. This research, in accord with much of the literature on the topic, shows that public schools play a major role in the conceptualization …

Redefining, Crafting, And Re/Presenting Contemporary Ethnicities: Honduran National Identity, 1994–2006, Cordelia A. Frewen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Since the last quarter of the twentieth century, Fourth World populations, including those in Honduras, have been steadily gaining partial recognition of cultural rights; yet often official discourses of national identity continue to subsume cultural traditions of indigenous and Afro-descendant communities. Honduras's heterogeneous ethnic pluralism has historically been combined to promote a more cohesive national identity of a homogenized, mayanized, indo-Hispanic mestizaje. Exclusion and mis- or under-representation of indigenous groups is reinforced by popular imagination, particularly in the cultural heritage and tourism sectors. Firmly situated within regional Latin American and global trends, over the past two decades, official discourse on …

A Survey Of Non-Classical Polyandry, Kathrine E. Starkweather, Raymond Hames

Department of Anthropology: Faculty Publications

We have identified a sample of 53 societies outside of the classical Himalayan and Marquesean area that permit polyandrous unions. Our goal is to broadly describe the demographic, social, marital, and economic characteristics of these societies and to evaluate some hypotheses of the causes of polyandry. We demonstrate that although polyandry is rare it is not as rare as commonly believed, is found worldwide, and is most common in egalitarian societies. We also argue that polyandry likely existed during early human history and should be examined from an evolutionary perspective. Our analysis reveals that it may be a predictable response …

Articulating Sexuality: A Critical History Of Gay And Lesbian Anthropology, Carly Fox

Social Sciences

The purpose of this paper is to explore anthropological discourses regarding sexuality and relate them to the lived experiences of individuals. The paper is divided into two interrelated sections: historical and theoretical. Section one identifies a subfield within anthropology, gay and lesbian anthropology, most prominently represented by The Society of Lesbian and Gay Anthropologists (SOLGA), and traces its emergence within the wider discipline of anthropology. It highlights the foundational scholars and theoretical shifts that have been crucial in defining the subfield as it is today and looks at how early anthropologists approached sexuality in general, and same- sex sexuality in …

Eating Behaviors And Body Composition Among College Freshmen: The Effect Of Dietary And Commensal Culture On Biological Outcomes, Amelia E. Sancilio

Lawrence University Honors Projects

As new college students become autonomous eaters, they may independently develop behaviors related to food that fulfill both biological and cultural purposes. I report here on the results of a biocultural, mixed-methods study of 21 students’ first term of college residence. Interview data and anthropometric measurements permit exploration of the interaction between a shift in participants’ cultural surroundings, physical condition, and food-related thoughts and actions. Participants’ goals of fulfilling their student responsibilities and maintaining social relationships predominantly dictated when, where, and what they ate, while their level of satisfaction with these behaviors was associated with whether their actions were consistent …

Fatty Acid Composition In The Mature Milk Of Bolivian Forager-Horticulturalists: Controlled Comparisons With A Us Sample, Melanie A. Martin, William D. Lassek, Steven J. C. Gaulin, Rhobert W. Evans, Sheela S. Geraghty, Barbara S. Davidson, Ardythe L. Morrow, Hillard Kaplan, Michael Gurven

ESI Publications

Breast milk fatty acid (FA) composition varies greatly among individual women, including in percentages of the long-chain polyunsaturated FAs (LCPUFA) 20:4n-6 (arachidonic acid, AA) and 22:6n-3 (docosahexaenoic acid, DHA), which are important for infant neurological development. It has been suggested that owing to wide variation in milk LCPUFA and low DHA in Western diets, standards of milk FA composition should be derived from populations consuming traditional diets. We collected breast milk samples from Tsimane women at varying lactational stages (6–82 weeks). The Tsimane are an indigenous, natural fertility, subsistence-level population living in Amazonia Bolivia. Tsimane samples were matched by lactational …

Northern Lights: Fourth World Nations And The Geopolitical Dance In The Arctic, Heidi G. Bruce

Capstone Collection

Over the past decade, the Arctic region has received increased attention from climate scientists, politicians, and transnational corporations. Human-induced climate change is causing glaciers to recede, resulting in new northern sea passages that are highly sought after by businesses and governments alike. Deeply affected by this increased northern exposure are Arctic Fourth World nations – politically and culturally distinct nations encapsulated by states – that have lived in the Arctic for millennia. This paper examines the impacts that expanded northern sea routes are having on Arctic Fourth World nations and the conflict mitigation approaches being used in the region. Research …

A Lone Nut In Compton:Lessons In Community Engagement With Treepeople In South Los Angeles, Jason Schlatter

Capstone Collection

The following study was conducted as an exploration of the community engagement practices of the Los Angeles based nonprofit organization, TreePeople. The intention of this study was to foster a deeper understanding about the theories and practice of the “outsider” TreePeople’s community engagement initiatives in the region of South Los Angeles, with particular emphasis on the communities of Compton, Inglewood, and historic South Central. I attempted to synthesize a collective narrative about the way TreePeople interacts with its constituents and community partners by drawing upon the experiences and perceptions of TreePeople staff, community partners, and community members. The individual experiences …

From Pupusas To Chimichangas: Exploring The Ways In Which Food Contributes To The Creation Of A Pan-Latino Identity, Sarah B. Fouts

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Framed through the standardizations of food and generalizations of people, this research explores the shifting ingredients of migrant identities and the ethnic foodways carried with them as they cross the border into the United States. Using ethnographic observational fieldwork, content analysis of menus, and semi-structured interviews with restaurant staff and migrant workers, this study examines the transnational narratives of the day laborer population and their deterritorialized food culture in post-Katrina New Orleans. Further, this research explores this flow of people and culture through a globalization lens in order to achieve a more holistic understanding of the “migrant experience” and how …

Casa Samba: Identity, Authenticity, And Tourism In New Orleans, Lauren Lastrapes

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Casa Samba is a cultural organization and samba school that has been operating in New Orleans’ performance scene since 1986. The group has been run by an American couple, Curtis and Carol Pierre, since its inception. Their son, Bomani Pierre, has been raised in the Afro-Brazilian drumming and dance practices that Casa Samba teaches and performs. Life histories of the group’s founding family are the basis of this qualitative case study. Using the details of individual lives and the context that these details provide, this dissertation seeks answers to two key questions: How and why does an American couple …

Deep Play, Urban Space, Adolescent Place: A Multi-Sited Study Of The Effects Of Settings On Adolescent Risk/Reward Behavior, Benjamin A. Shirtcliff

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The extant literature on the play behavior of youth normalizes adolescent behavior in public space as transgressional, resistant, and in need of social control. The dissertation counters this trend by looking to see if physical qualities, peer effects, and neighborhood context of settings play a deeper role in youth behavior. The study documented urban context, peer effects, physical features, and play behavior across 21 urban settings in New Orleans. Unobtrusive observations employed a highly innovative technique based on YouTube videos and analyzed using hierarchical linear modeling. Coded observations of risk-taking and prosocial behavior demonstrated some stability in behavior amongst adolescents—“youth” …