the social construction of identity: - correct answersseeing identities as relational and contextual rather than an innate attribute or essence of the
... [Show More] individual or groupTo see identity like an anthropologistWe need to critically examine—-essentialist ideasAnd also-mythologies surrounding individual choiceAnthropologists see identities as social and relational, contextual, its not simply how you define yourself but how others define youRelationships that produce identity understanding self through other people identifying you\marked categories & unmarked categories - correct answers-a marked category is what or who is seen as standing out, as different from the norm (the ones socially recognized as different)-an unmarked category refers to people or things considered 'normal' and taken for granted in the sense of requiring no notice or explanation.Those who define what normal is. They are unremarkable, these are the ones who define the others, they are the standard by which others are found deviant or inferior or different-Not about difference - what is important in traits of someone in a community that can define peopleex. Who 'looks American'?Do Texans speak with an accent?Why do women performers want to be called 'actors'?Why have the French eliminated 'Mademoiselle' from official documents?Is Obama a'black' President or a 'biracial' President? And, what was George Washington or George Bush?\rhetoric or myth of choice - correct answersthe mistaken assumption that people's identities and life circumstances can be explained as a result of their individual choicesThe Rhetoric of choice or myth of choice:-Renders invisible -- bothpeople's unequal access to all kinds of resources and opportunities, and-Who possesses and who lacks the Power to Define "normal" or to create ranking orders by which we judge [e.g. good, better, best]\hybridization and syncretism - correct answersthe process of creating new cultural forms by combining new elements with existing practices and understandings\politics of everyday life - correct answersthe ways power relations are acted out and experienced in routine social life\social space - correct answersthe ways social relations and distinctions are mapped onto physical locations\state - correct answerscentralized government with coercive powerContrast state power and with non-state forms of political organization:-Today there are no stateless societies because all territories [except Antartica? Whose is that?] are part of a nation and under some national government-[though Somalia and some cases of 'state collapse' and protracted war, mean that in some places there is no effective central government in control]We take centralized power for granted because we live in a state system:-"take me to your leader" is what the space alien always says to the earthling or vice versa-What Europeans encountered when they explored and colonized were societies that didn't have such clearcut leadership institutions or positions, more egalitarian and participatory political formsStateless societies-Could have different kinds of leaders, but the power of authority really rested on the compliance of the populace, and systems of social obligations-Not on force or coercion, -In contrast state powers have armies, police, etc to deploy\social order - correct answersculture prevents chaos through established values and practices that regulate behavior\rule of law - correct answersno one is above or outside the law\equality under the law - correct answersthe same laws apply universally to every citizenContradictions between democracy (political equality) and capitalism (economic inequality):-Democratic laws/ institutions promote ideas of political equality (one man one vote)-While large concentrations of wealth go largely unchecked in the economic realm and are translated into political power "the best government can buy" as the saying goes-One result is thatBasic human needs go unmet even in the context of huge gains in productivity, profits, and labor-saving devices, etc.\militarization- - correct answersthe subordination of civilian perspectives and needs to those of themilitary and the increasing investment of resources in war and war-related activities\commodification - correct answersthe process of turning something into an object of market exchange that can be bought and sold for profitConcept: commodification:Means making something into a commodity, A commodity is something that can be bought and sold for profitCould be a crop, a manufactured good, a service, a resource like land or water, even knowledge [i.e. "intellectual property" etc.Commodification is central to capitalism:We take commodification for granted, but it is an on-going social processTo understand capitalism and commodfication:It helps to contrast it with economic systems or activities that operate without capital, even without money, without producing for profit, without buying and selling as a way of life\privatization - correct answersthe process of opening up or shifting to private (particularly corporate) ownership resources or services that had been managed by government or communally shared by the public\industrial capitalism - correct answersfactory-based capitalism, sometimes called Fordism or FordistIndustrial capitalism- [sometimes called Fordism or Fordist capitalism] assembly lines, mass production of goods, manufacturing\postindustrial capitalism - correct answerscapitalism based on a service-economyrise of "services" in place of tangible productsMichael Moore's 'Capitalism- A Love Story' makes the point that unlike capitalists of the past-- the Wall Street traders and Big Banks, etc. that dominate today are not even producing products that serve us in order to generate their wealthE.g. derivatives fulfill no human need\flexible accumulation or flexible capitalism - correct answersprofiting through international divisions of labor and capital mobility, associated with out-sourcing and global assembly line\consumer capitalism - correct answersbuying and consuming products is invested with great cultural meaning, and seen as expressing individual and group identityRefers to the cultural and economic focus on consuming [buying] as a way of life, Buying as a means of self-expression and identity formation, and as the distinguishing features of different social categoriese.g. 'niche marketing', yuppies, dinks, gen-Xers, millenialMost of those labels/categories began as marketing concepts to identify consumers\subsistence production - correct answerseconomic activity that is geared for producers' own use orconsumption rather than for the market or for profit\reproductive labor - correct answersunpaid work performed to maintain the well-being of the individual, family, or community rather than for pay or for profit\modernities - correct answersthe idea that there are different and multiple contemporary ways of living in the modern world that are culturally defined but cannot be understood as traditional\global assembly line - correct answersthe organization of a corporation's workforce and activities so that various tasks are carried out by workers in different countries\international division of labor - correct answersdifferent roles in the global economy are played by different regions, in particular different kinds of work and products predominate in the global south compared to the global north\neoliberalism - correct answersthe idea that unregulated markets, private wealth, and corporations can provide the best solutions in all domains of society-Neo= new; liberalism= relates to 'free' as in the concept of the 'free market'-Neoliberalism is the view that markets [private wealth, capitalists, corporations] should be allowed to allocate and distribute resources, goods, and services-Rather than governments, international authorities, or communitiesIs the idea that markets should be relied on to make important decisions about the allocation of resources and the distribution of wealth, and that this is rational or neutralNeoliberalism and myths of rationality:-Contrast with the idea that these decisions involve social values [not simply economic or monetary value] and should be public choices-Neoliberalism an extreme form of capitalist ideology, promotes ideas of competition, "freedom" from regulation/government, sees private wealth as good for society-Claims about 'free' markets and 'rational' accounting obscure patterns of economic and political inequality-Questions and decisions about policies and social institutions are made to appear as straightforward technical issues and evaluated in terms of monetary costs, rather than seen as questions about social values assessed in terms of implications for social life\moral economy - correct answerseconomic relations and behavior are shaped by cultural meanings and values\homo economicus - correct answersthe idea that human behavior can be explained by rational calculations of maximizing benefits to oneself"Homo economicus," the bottom line mentality, and neoliberal ideologyapplying market logic to everything reduces life rather than enhancing it"Homo economicus" is the idea that people are always operating according to rational economic calculations to maximize their own situation\What are some examples that illustrate that identities are socially constructed? - correct answersAnthropologists see identity as something produced through social relationship Anthropologist-Fredrik Barth defined 'ethnicity' as " the social organization of culture difference.'Ex. Ethnicity is the social organization of culture difference.People are not inherently socially different. Society construct ideas on identity.\How are social categories important in people's lives? - correct answerssocial categories :Are culturally meaningful social distinctions, though they may appear to be simple descriptions of realityIdentities involve relations of Inclusion and belonging:-Social categories imply exclusion-Us/them relationships-We define ourselves in relation to the Other Cultural, linguistic, religious, etc. differences are often mapped onto or mobilized in relation to inequality, conflict over resources, struggles for domination, etc.\How is globalization related to cultural difference? - correct answersCulture, power, and difference:-Unilineal, eurocentric, colonial notions of culture and progress supposed that "Westernization" would homogenize everyone on the European model-In this view, cultural identities would disappear as modernity advanced -This is where some of the references to "tribal" warfare and "ethnic violence" come from, the myth that identity is primitive or 'pre-modern'Identity and globalization:-Local, cultural, regional, religious, and other identities have not been dissolved or rendered obsolete by colonialism or by globalization-In fact new lines of difference emerge in new contexts,hybridization, syncretism, revitalization, and the production of new forms go hand in hand with globalizationIdentities and The limits of choice:-Individuals always choose within a larger context-[within economic and other constraints]-Context includes cultural notions of what is normal, desirable or valued -As well as what is abnormal, stigmatized, undesirable, inferior....\What is wrong with describing violence in Africa as 'tribal conflict'? - correct answers...\What are some distinctive features of state power? - correct answersWhat is distinct about state power?:-Is coercion, violence, force-controls legitimate exercise of violence (can execute people, not murdering people), higher level of organization that has centralization of power-Thus states have standing armies, police, etc. to enforce compliance-In fact one definition of the state is that it has a monopoly on legitimate violence "Legitimate" violence:-Thus the state can wage war, can police and incarcerate, can "execute"people [as opposed to murdering them]-This aspect of the state is related to profound forms of hierarchy and inequality- because relationships based on interdependence and compliance are superseded by monopoly on force\How was order maintained in stateless societies and in other social contexts without resorting to state enforcement? - correct answersw/o government, societies are regulated by...social order: -This refers to the way society is organized [and people's everyday behavior is guided] through norms of behavior, moral discourses, and cultural beliefs.-Ideas about hierarchy, entitlement, status, responsibility, authority, power and so on are built into the fabric of everyday lifeHow could entire societies function without government?:-Many societies in the past were small-scale face to face, -People depended on their neighbors and relatives for survival, so social pressures were very effective in getting people to conform-Social rules such as respect for elders create order\In what ways are governing and laws related to culture? - correct answersLaw and governing are cultural:=they include values, assumptions, and ideologies...=They tend to reflect concerns and experiences of more powerful segments of societyAttention to culture-reveals the power hidden in what purport to be objective and neutral administrative rules, ideas, and actions-Reveals the conflict between lived, local cultural understandings and the dominant cultural understandings embodied in law and bureaucracies-Notions like "white collar crime" mark crimes done by wealthy as less badWe can see these processes at work nationally and globally:-Crime, security, and public order are culturally defined, ---Practices of 'racial profiling,' stop&frisk, -U.S. discourses that criminalize undocumented immigrants from global south, Post 9-11 discourses equating Islam with violence, culture:-What some see as a freedom fighter is another person's terrorist (US consitdered Nelson Mandela a terrorist when he was fighting apartheid-WMD --whose nuclear weapons are seen as a threat and whose are not?-Order and threat are defined from a particular perspective\How can a universal law have varied effects? - correct answersLimits of equality under the law:-In the context of great economic and political inequalities there is a -Contradiction between ideals of equality as represented by lawAnd the great concentration of wealth and power under capitalism-And the different circumstances faced by segments of societyWhat appears neutral, impartial, and universal may have very different consequences:-for different social groups because their circumstances are different-The law referred to by Anatole France really is a law designed [by the wealthy and powerful] to regulate the poorUniversal rules, practices and policies are diverse in their effects:-Ideals of the Rule of law and equality under the law-Mask the question of - 'who makes the laws?'-Less powerful groups are subject to laws that do not reflect their interests or values =Less powerful groups have less say in law-making and are subject to laws that don't reflect their interests or values\What is meant by privatization? - correct answersprivatization: the process of opening up or shifting to private (particularly corporate) ownership resources or services that had been managed by government or communally shared by the public\What is meant by Neoliberalism? - correct answersneolibralism: the idea that unregulated markets, private wealth, and corporations can provide the best solutions in all domains of society\What is meant by flexible accumulation/flexible capitalism? - correct answersflexible accumulation or flexible capitalism: profiting through international divisions of labor and capital mobility, associated with out-sourcing and global assembly line\Privatization, Neoliberalism, flexible accumulation/flexible capitalism; how are these three concepts related? - correct answersprivatization: the process of opening up or shifting to private (particularly corporate) ownership resources or services that had been managed by government or communally shared by the publicneolibralism: the idea that unregulated markets, private wealth, and corporations can provide the best solutions in all domains of societyflexible accumulation or flexible capitalism: profiting through international divisions of labor and capital mobility, associated with out-sourcing and global assembly lineFlexible accumulation and the changing form of capitalism:globalization of capital, "off-shore" production, "outsourcing"capitalists' ability to shift rapidly to more profitable areas [often in the global south where labor has few rights, the environment is not protected, etc. ]disinvestment in infrastructure like buildings and in highly skilled workers\What are some of the ways that the global is local and vice versa? - correct answers...\How is migration related to capitalism? - correct answersinequality, instability and migration:-Inequality produced by capitalism is spatial and geographic-Resulting in Migrant labor- seasonal or longterm, local or international-Rural to urban migration- individuals or households move to cities for work-International migration - documented and undocumented immigrants-Communities become more transient, families and extended kin groups are separated, -Migration and inequality also produce divided cities- slums, ghettos, -shanty towns vs. gated enclaves and wealthy neighborhoods New economic and social geographies associated with capitalism:-Urban/rural and global north/global south are produced through relationships-Cities receive concentrations of investment and government resources while rural areas are sources of cheap labor and products-This is both economic and cultural- some places symbolize progress/wealth /opportunity -while others seem hopeless and backward, -but it is socially constructed through policies and actions not a feature of the places themselves\How does an anthropological perspective challenge the neoliberal claim that the "free" market is a neutral, rational method for allocating wealth, goods, and resources? - correct answersFair trade is supposed to be neoliberal market and is supposed to equalize profits but growers didn't have a lot of choice.\In what ways do economic choices involve cultural values? What are some examples from films, readings, and lectures that illustrate these themes? - correct answers...\essentialism - correct answersSees identity as an essence, an inherent quality or characteristic of the individual or groupSees identity as unchanging, fixed, given, primordialSees identity as independent of context, and outside of history,This approach, for example, sees Africans as defined by tribe and views Muslims as sharing a single culture defined by IslamEssentializing, naturalizing, biologizing, biological determinism:Essentialist views of difference are sometimes mapped onto biological or observable physical features, "naturalizing" or "biologizing" or "racializing"Related concept: 'biological determinism' -the notion that physical facts of nature or biology cause human behavior and explain social differences\Shankar - FOBs and the model minority - correct answers-Shows identities as every day practices [not essences, but interactions and behaviors]-Speech styles mark social categories (that label and identify groups of people)-Intersections of class, color, ethnicity, and gender are reflected in Silicon Valley social categories-Social categories Are culturally meaningful social distinctions, though they may appear to be simple descriptions of reality-For example, many so-called "FOB"s in Shankar's case study, were NOT Fresh off any Boat, not new arrivals; They were second or third generation Americans.The negative FOB label in fact marked class, not arrivalwhat is meant by model minority?a stereotype that asian americans are highly educated, economically self sufficient and contribute positively to american societywhat 's wrong with this idea?obscures racism and class inequality and creates n [Show Less]