...and introduction of modern means of communication had a far reaching effect on Indian society and economy. Though the Indian society which is based on the caste system is often regarded as a “closed society”, there is still a possibility for changes. Within the framework of the caste itself some kind of mobility is observed. Lower castes have often tried to claim higher status by imitating the life-styles of upper-castes like the Brahmins and Kshatriyas, while the upper castes including Brahmins, attempt to orient their life-styles on the model of the Westerners. This trend has become so widespread that today not only the upper class and middle class people are trying to orient their behaviour, attitudes, beliefs and life-styles towards those of developed societies; but also the entire mass of people are involved in this process. Daniel Lerner calls this process ‘modernisation’. It denotes a process of social change whereby “less developed societies acquire the characteristics common to more developed societies”. The study of social change in India has taken different shapes and directions depending on the nature, shape and direction. Sociologists and social anthropologists from time immemorial have done profound research on the subjects of social change, which is a part of their overall observance of society on a larger perspective. The bias in the studies of social change in India by the sociological and anthropological point of view results from too much concern with culture...
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...Argonauts of the Western Pacific by Bronislaw Malinowski Bronislaw Malinowski and Anthropology In 1910 Bronislaw Malinowski came to London, England. Almost instantly he fell in love with the city and its social structure. He was fascinated by the aristocracy and wanted to be a part of this elite class but he lacked financial capability so he provided the only thing he can offer, his great intellect. He attended the London School of Economics and immersed himself into the field of Anthropology. It was during this time that Anthropology was considered to be an inexact science best studied at a distance due what the nature of their subjects, who they consider as “savages”. As Malinowski began his study of Anthropology, specifically the Australian Aborigines, he found out that the accounts of previous anthropologists were inconclusive, prejudiced and needed a strong dose of scientific discipline. In 1914, he was given the chance to travel and go on a grand tour of Australia and its territories. After three months of travelling, he reached Papua New Guinea and at its east coast, he was able to reach the Trobriand Islands. It is here that he would build his legacy as the father of modern anthropology. The Natives of the Trobriand Islands In his book The Argonauts of the Western Pacific, Bronislaw Malinowski describes the striking features of the Trobriand natives “There are men and women of tall stature, fine bearing and delicate features, with clear cut aquiline profile...
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...The African Dogon Tribe NAME: DATE: Table of Contents |1 |Introduction |3 | |2 |Brief History |3 | |3 |Education |4 | | | | | |4 |Religion |4 | |5 |Art & Social Norms |5 | |6 |Economy |6 | |7 |Conclusion |6 | |8 |References |7 | Introduction: In this paper, I will discuss the brief history of the Dogon tribe which is located in the western side...
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...Hmong World View and Social Structure According to Durkheim (1961), the source of what we regard as sacred or religious lies within our own image. The deities and spirits we pay respect to are but "society transfigured" for in the final analysis we only worship our society. It is society which is both the cause and the expression of religious sentiments through regular ritual representations (Aron, 1967: 53) These rights constitute beliefs enacted for the purpose of preserving a sense of belonging for the participants and maintaining them together as a group. They not only tie the members of the group to each other "but also to the past and the future generations" (Cohen, 1871: 180). Religious ideas, in the words of Bachofen (Leaf, 1979: 118), define fundamental relations in society, showing internal structures similar to the actual behaviour or the believers. The supernatural order is in general based on the social relationships of the group. It validates and regulates these relationships, thereby conserving the social orders. In this paper, I will discuss the social organisation of the Hmong of Laos and Thailand in relation to their religious beliefs in order to see if the two spheres mutually interact to maintain the broader social system. It has been said that ancestral spirits are no more than "a projection of the authority system of the living - the lineage elders elevated to a supernatural plane" (Keesing and Keesing 1971: 309). How true is this of the Hmong? I will...
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...Religion, cultural and fundamental system of beliefs and practices often agreed upon by a community of people. These systems are pursued routinely and faithfully by humans to strengthen their relationship with their deities. Humans have demonstrated a natural inclination towards faith and worship of anything they consider superior, as following rituals and traditions gives them the true sense of order and structure they require in their life. Faith supposedly helps earn goodness and everlasting life, and is used to appease and get favours from the being’s superior. Indigenous and Ancient Religions have shaped the way individuals view the religious world today. Indigenous, the word itself refers to anything that is native to a geographical...
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...At first glance, sport and religion appear to have little in common, apart from being perennial human activities. Religion is transcendent, concerned with the divine, and involves sacred things. Sport is immanent, concerned with the human, and involves profane things. However, a deeper examination reveals that there are at least five ways in which sport and religion are deeply interrelated: first, it can be demonstrated that, in pre-modern societies, ritualized sport was very often part of worship of the gods; second, altered states of consciousness attained during sport have frequently been compared to religious or mystical experiences; third, some modern sporting champions have professed religious faith and attributed their success to divine power; fourth, the devotion of fans to sporting teams and individual “stars” resembles religions fervor; fifth and final, in the modern West, sport has become a functional equivalent of religion for some people. These connections between religion and sport are undeniable, but not uncontroversial. Scholars and critics who have attempted to articulate them and offer explanations for them have encountered pitfalls. Adherents of traditional religions such as Judaism and Christianity have vigorously objected to the equation of sport with religion and of sporting “peak experiences” with religious experiences or mysticism. Christian commentators have questioned how compatible the modern sporting ethos of bodily perfection and fierce competition...
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... Corinna Sullwold |Religion Name |Cult of Pharaoh - Ancient |Mayan/Aztec - Ancient | |Origins of the religion: |Between 10000 and 7000 BCE a group of ancient Egyptians settled in the Nile Valley. |Mayan religion was founded c.250AD which is the rise of the Mayan civilization | |It's Founder, dates, Key Figures, Historical |7000 – 3000 BCD the people became organized into separate villages. After 3000 BCE |(http://www.religionfacts.com/mayan-religion) | |Development, Cosmogony (creation stories), |hieroglyphics were developed after the independent villages become united under one |Aztec formed between the 12th and 15th centuries AD. | |Myths |kingdom. They were then ruled by one imperial Pharaoh. |(http://www.aztec-history.com/aztec-timeline.html) | | | |Religion for both cultures was a central part of their daily lives. They prayed and | |HOW THE RELIGION STARTED … | ...
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...Dr. Brook Anthropology 5 March 2012 Midterm 1 Espinal 1 Part A (2) Participant observation, for many years, has been a hallmark anthropological study. In recent years, the field of education has seen an increase in the number of qualitative studies that include participant observation as a way to collect information. Qualitative methods of data collection, such as interviewing, observation, and document analysis, have been included under the umbrella term of "ethnographic methods" in recent years Aspects of observation discussed herein include various definitions of participant observation, some history of its use, the purposes for which such observation is used, the stances or roles of the observer, and additional information about when, what, and how to observe It is also a structured type of research strategy. It is a widely used methodology in many disciplines, particularly, cultural anthropology. Its aim is to gain a close and intimate familiarity with a given group of individuals (such cultural group, or a particular community) and their practices through an intensive involvement with people in their natural environment, usually over an extended period of time. Observation methods are useful to anthropologists in a variety of ways. They provide researchers with ways to check for nonverbal expression of feelings, determine who interacts with whom, grasp how participants communicate with each other, and check...
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...Fishing Community The fisheries sector plays an important role in food consumption, nutrition, employment and export. The sector contributes more than 5% of Bangladesh's GDP and 9% of its export earnings and it employs 1.4 million people. From time immemorial, a large number of Bengali people have depended for their livelihood on fishing and related occupations. Fishermen in rural Bangladesh usually live a community life in neighbourhoods or villages around the water bodies. They cooperate closely with one another not only in fishing, or in the cooperative utilisation of fishing grounds, but also in economic activities, such as marketing and purchasing, and in social life and family affairs. They have lived communally for many generations, creating in the process their own history, distinct traditions, and patterns of daily life. Traditionally, fishermen have been Hindus. After analysing the report on the CENSUS of 1872, WW HUNTER had concluded that Muslims clung closer to the land and did not follow any trade in sowing or harvesting seasons to supplement their income. But like Hindus, they worked as fishermen, boatmen, or house builders during seasons when their labour in the field was not required. For Hindus, fishing has a traditional link with the caste system and is hereditary. Hindu fishermen believe their occupation to be sacred, although in the cast hierarchy, the fishermen are ranked the lowest of all occupational groups. But fishing is hardly a hereditary or a sacred...
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...Joseph Nye in The Powers to Lead defines what he believes to be a leader and the skills necessary to be a leader. Greg Mortenson, the focus of Three Cups of Tea, fulfills Nye’s definition of a leader. After failing to summit K2, Mortenson stumbled upon a small Pakistani village and began a journey that would not only change his life, but the lives of thousand of children in Pakistan. While building schools in Pakistan, Mortenson has helped transform the mindset of an entire nation about the value of education. Nye says that two-thirds of Americans believe they are in “leadership crisis” (Nye pre). After the collapse of the sub-prime housing market and recent economic struggles, who can blame them? Those who are looking for a leader, however, need look no further than Greg Mortenson. Joseph Nye defines a leader as one who “helps create and achieve shared goals” (Nye 18). A leader must act in a triangular system that involves the leader, his followers, and the context in which the situation exists (Nye 21). Mortenson works effectively as a member of the leadership triangle. He acts as the leader and his followers are the towns, villages, and refugee camps that receive the benefits of his schools, water systems, and community centers as well as his assistants and the members of the Central Asia Institute. The context in which Mortenson exercises his leadership is as equally important as the other two parts of the triangle. As Nye quotes Karl Marx as saying, “Men make...
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...There are different cultural practices of people across the world that varies in one way or the other. According to Crapo (2013), a careful study of these cultures reveals that although there are some fundamental differences in the practices, sometimes it is common to find some similarities. In this study, I will focus on comparing the rites of passage between two communities in different countries. Each culture has its own rites of passage and its unique ways of celebrating such events. Some of these practices may have been restructured due to globalization and modernization that is turning the world into a global village. However, many communities still maintain their traditional heritage, preferring to continue with these practices despite the changes brought about by globalization. In this study, I will compare and contrast the cultural rites of passage among the Egyptians and that of the Hindus. I will be confirming even although these two cultures differ in their rites of passage practices, they also share a number of cultural values. Hindus have been able to maintain their cultural practices despite the changes that are taking place in the global world. Although they have embraced modernization, they have been able to maintain most of their cultural practices not only in their home country in India, but also in various other parts of the world where they live (Rinehart, 2004). On the other hand, the Egyptians have maintained their heritage within their country. Most of...
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...Introduction: The scope of defining rural in today’s context is becoming overwhelmingly difficult as the gap between urban and rural divide is being narrowing down with the growth of modern communication and technology. Therefore, ruralness perhaps can be best understood with the meaning provided by the specific context in which it is described. For our case rural areas are large and isolated areas of a country, often with low population density and limited access to knowledge and resources. However, when rural areas put together as homogeneous community with similar constraints and opportunities, it may then dictate the representation of the total population and economic scenario of a country such as Bangladesh. The population is predominantly rural with about 76.61 percent of the total population living in rural areas and directly or indirectly engaged in a wide range of agricultural activities (BBS, 2001) Bangladesh witnesses a gradual increase in the share of the industrial and service sectors to GDP over the years yet agriculture remains a fundamental sector with Contribution of 22% to GDP and Absorption of more than 60% of national workforce. The agricultural business in Bangladesh is mainly centers round three types of agents including producers, traders and consumers. The traders are not doing anything special but gaining the extra profit from change of hands. This system exploits the producers directly by not giving the appropriate share they actually...
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...TITLE PAGE TRENDS OF NEGATIVE THEMES IN NIGERIAN HOME MOVIES (A STUDY OF FOUR HOME MOVIES) BY OGBONNIA CHINAZA. C MC/2006/118 A PROJECT PRESENTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF MASS COMMUNICATION, CARITAS UNIVERSITY, AMORJI-NIKE, ENUGU. IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE AWARD OF BACHELOR OF SCIENCE DEGREE IN MASS COMMUNICATION JULY, 201 DEDICATION I dedicate this work to God Almighty for his unfettered love. He is the only guide to my life and studies and he dispenses his grace freely. Also to my parents Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Ogbodo Ogbonnia and my brothers Arinze, Nnamaka, Chukwunonyerum, I remain grateful for their moral and financial support. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I wish to acknowledge and appreciate all who fired the flame in one way or the other. First, I thank God, the almighty father who has given me life, knowledge, wisdom and strength to accomplish my work. My special gratitude goes to my head of Department, Damian. U. Agboeze who despite his crowded daily programme as the HOD would readily attend to his students and his fatherly advice. My immense gratitude also goes to my supervisor Justina Obi who devoted her time to supervise, correct and criticize this research work to make it a reality. I can never forget the service of my lecturer, Ferdinand Obasi, who made things...
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...The post-modern family Over 30 years ago, C. Wright Mills (1959) described the post-modern period as one in which the economy would shift employment from heavy industry to non-unionized clerical, service, and new industrial sectors. He foresaw the rise of multinational corporations, trouble in the social welfare system, and decline in human freedom and choice. At that time he wondered how the human family would respond to and adjust to this new period in world history. Post-modernism, by no means simple to define, is characterized by a "close reading" of small units rather than general theorizing about big ideas. The postmodern tends towards elaboration, eclecticism, ornamentation, and inclusiveness; it dismisses the existence of an absolute reality and is deeply suspicious of the concept of human progress (Doherty 1991). If we define the current ongoing effort to remake contemporary family life as the post-modern family, such a definition carries with it overtones from the definition of postmodern art and literature. In these fields the term post-modern signals the end of a familiar pattern of activity and emergence of new areas of endeavour whose activities are unclear and whose meanings and implications are not yet well understood. Thus, the post-modern is characterized by uncertainty, insecurity, and doubt (Stacey 1990). Full consensus on the definition of the emerging post-modern family structure has not been reached, despite recognition of the need for better understanding...
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...While the amount of access does vary, just the fact that everyone is includedat least on some levelwhen it comes to meeting the essential needs of living is significant. Much of !Kung life consists of caring for one another and there is a strong effort put forth to keep everyone relatively on the same status level. A great example of this exists in the traditions of hunting. When a man returns to the village after killing a large animal, there is a certain role-playing he is expected to participate in. As people approach him about what happened, he pretends that nothing worth mentioning took place. This signifies to the rest of the !Kung that the hunt was a success as they continue to inquire for further detail. The successful hunter continues to tell his story, however, if he appears to be too proud the people will not hesitate to make jokes as a means of humbling him. The credit for the hunt invariably goes to the one who made the arrow (which, although rare, can be a woman as well as a man) and it is his (or her) duty to divide the meat fairly between everyone in the village. One way or another, either directly or indirectly, everyone will be given a part of the animal. The !Kung also have a "network" of relationships among them called hxaro relationships in which gifts of various quantities and qualities are given. Men have these relationships with other men and women have them with other women. Each adult has around five or six people with whom they exchange gifts. This...
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