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Anthropology Final
- 1. Nduka Onuchukwu Essay 2 RACE Anthropology Final Anthropologist define race (Guest 197) as a false system of classification that includes no biological biases. Instead, race is categorized by the human species, as different physical character traits such as color of skin, hair color, shape of nose and other various body parts. This causes major problems within our society, because within the human race, we've connected the classifications of certain races to expected ideologies, practices, intelligence, and living capacity for civilization. (Guest 197). The negative impacts on race based classification has been continuously shown throughout our society today. One example according to anthropologists, is that this false classification system has no strong biological basis. It was once thought up by humans, as a scientific theory, that was taught to be true through a large period of human history. The belief of biological differences throughout humans has constantly lead to the isolation, dehumanization and murder of millions of humans, throughout the African genocides, and during the Nazi regime during the late 1930's. The Concept of race is very unstable, and changed drastically throughout the years of the United States. The U.S Census (Guest 213), provides information on the changing and categorizing of race within the people in it's borders. At first, around 1850, there were only 2 races (White or Black), which the third meaning a mix of White and black (mulatto). As the years pass, more Race categories are created within the census to simply accommodate and define the people who reside in the U.S. The race Mulatto (Guest 213) was also removed. This suggests that the concept of race is not a stable theory, but simply a social construct, being changed among humans. The isolation of race has also created predetermined roles within different groups of people. An example of this, is the famous poem, The white Mans Burden written by Rudyard Kipling during the height of imperialism by western civilization in 1899. The point of the poem was to highlight that it was the Western, European nations duty to educate the savages around them, and molding them into their way of life and religious practices. The common belief was that it was the right thing to do, but in reality, it lead to more violence, strife and new hatred for
- 2. neighboring African tribes and the western countries themselves. Many people view race is inaccurate but very powerful. The lingering deep rooted ideals of Racial Ideology (Guest 224) still lingered throughout post World War Two, and strongly effects us today. It has determined our since of who should be in a higher class, as well at the bottom. One famous example, is Redlining throughout the expansion of suburbs in the U.S. This system dictated the funding given to certain neighborhoods. As the white population moved out of the urban area and into the suburbs, blacks were denied access to new housing and loan options to start a new life and gain property. Whites were given loans by banks in order to build assets. In America, the amount of wealth you have is strongly determined by the property you own. Blacks however, were denied access to suburbs, and were unable to gain property as easily as whites. They were denied, and had to live in urban areas and apartments which slowly started losing income. The borders drawn, are shown on a map in areas which become poorer, or hazardous to live in. As a result, less money was being funded to maintain certain areas, which lead to clearly defined and poorer areas. As the fight for equal rights came to a close during the late 60's and 70's, Blacks were finally given a chance for an equal opportunity to progress their lives. However, the lines were already deeply drawn through past legislation and Institutionalized Racism (Guest 223). As the race issue starts to die out, the problem in our capitalist based society, became a class issue, which in turn, continuously raises the issue of race back to the surface, due to the victims of redlining during the 50's and 60's. Black families were already at a disadvantage when starting a new life, living in poor areas, exposed to gang violence and unstable households. Affirmative Action Legislation has been passed to help African Americans to have easier access into colleges and funding to support a household, to encourage a workforce and stabilize a community that was once strongly discriminated against. Hence, Redlining was a serious method of Institutionalized racism, which utilized the the American economic system in order to caste out a group of people. The effects of Redlining are still very clear felt till this day.
- 3. Essay (1) - Lineage/Kinship For 1a. The Kinship arrangement being displayed in the first graph is a Patrilneal descent ( Guest357). This means that kinship is only passed down through the males of the family. Even if related, if the relative is a girl, if she marries, she does not pass down the linear kinship. This is described through the Omaha (Guest 357) naming system. As for figure two, the chart being displayed is a Matrilineal Kinship (Guest357). This is the Omaha naming system where the kinship is passed down through the females of the family. With this system, if the ego's mother has a brother, the ego recognizes that Mothers brother, as father (MoBr). 1.B - As growing up in the United States, we are taught the history of our nation growing up. While we're young we learn the roots of how Western Europeans established themselves in America. We make a claim to a common founder when we claimed our Independence From Britain and our first president, George Washington, was our founding father in establishing America. We as a nation give a ton of respect to Washington, And as a whole, he is seen as a hero. With the definition of a Clan (352), there is no documentation or record confirming genealogical matches, but it's within our culture to accept him as a founding father. There is an argument that he United States itinerants a Lineage (352), because we are involved in select our new present every 4 years. The President is a documentation of the leader of our country that date back to the first founder. Ever since then, we have been involved in deciding who the next president is, to continue the lineage of presidents.
- 4. Essay 3 Art and Media Piece of Art name: - Sugar Shack Ernie Barnes Former NFL player Ernie Barnes depicted piece in 1972 of popular art (Guest 660) from his childhood. The picture depicts people of a African Americans getting together at event within the club, called the Sugar Shack. The scene of the painting seems to be in mid party, with everyone dancing to various music such as jazz (saxophone) and other genres. Ernie stated within the small description, that he liked to depict the characters in his paintings in motion, and moving. Based on the description found under the painting within the website, Ernie Bares painted this depicting growing up within the south. He visualized his past and recalled that specfic scenery through his aesthetic experience (Guest 661). Barnes targets people, his age relating to going out to these events. African Americans who lived in the south, mostly later teens. The older man sitting down during the dance, implies to me that the theme and music is for the younger audience and not the old. This painting, the Sugar Shack relates to Ernie Barnes point of view on life as a black male growing up. The meaning of the painting would change drastically if other races were introduced into the painting, but it is only depicted with blacks. This factor of the painting highlights the clear segregation going on at this time the painting was created. The women in the picture are in the forefront, dancing with the men. This seems to be a main focus of the painting, displaying heterosexual relationships within his point of you. This could depict on how Ernie learned to interact with girls growing up, and where he would meet them. Other factors that highlight romance and sexuality in the picture his the banner by Marvin Gaye, and his song title I want you. This song in reality was a popular song around the time period Ernie painted. It is a slow, romantic type song which further depicts the mood of the party. As for the economics and political aspects of the painting, there are few indications. However the Sugar Shack
- 5. by first hand appearance seems to be a lower end club, as opposed to higher end clubs available at that time, maybe only used by whites. As a researcher, for this scene in particular, I would be more interested in many smaller factors throughout their pictures. Instead of being more concerned about where they were, I would be more interested in how they danced with someone of the opposite sex, as well as how close they would be together. I would also look at factors such as any use of alcohol before or during a party, and gauge how much is consumed. I would also pay attention to how they simply talked to their peers during a party. Looking more in the painting, I'd also ask and find out the type of clothes acceptable to wear at the time, as opposed to not partying or going out to a club. For how I would conduct the research, is first I would compare the scenery and subject matter of this picture, with others of different people of a different race (white) or social class. I would keep the same age range, to compare how people of the same age but different class and race spend time going out and/or meeting someone else. Then I would attempt to preform Participant Observation (Guest 84) within the party within the subject matter of the Sugar Shack. would party, while keeping an anthropological perspective of how the party plays out, how they dance, talk to girls and etc. After I finish, I would compare any of the paintings or forms of media I collected from my first samples of people of different classes, with my findings and ethnographic study of The Sugar Shack to complete my analysis. Class and Inequality Essay 4 Throughout the four theorists studied, I find Karl Marx the most convincing. Karl Marx was a widely known philosopher of his era. His theories of class and inequality are still highly debated and talked about today as a hot topic when it comes to the working class and owners themselves. Karl Marx thought of two main terms that dealt mostly with factory production. One was the Bourgeoisie (Guest 400), (Owners of factories, higher class) and the other were the lower class workers, Proletariat (Guest
- 6. 400). He used this as a central argument, In identifying a class struggle between the two, the bourgeoisie, profiting from the longer hours and less paid work that the Proletariat would preform. He urges in his famous book, Communist Manifesto (Guest 401), that the lower Proletariat has a job to rise up and change the current capitalist system of work distribution. Compared to Pierre Bourdieu, who values education as the key focus in moving upward in stratified societies ( Guest Page 402). Social Mobility (Guest 402) is what Pierre Describes if an individual is educated enough to provide, and create connection within his or her lifetime, in order to become a higher class. Max Weber centralizes his theory on a more deterministic point of view when it comes to a person's class. He explains non-Monterrey aspects, such as Prestige (Guest 402), which was more of reputation and influence, rather than wealth and value. According to Max Weber, your prestige could effect your life chances (Guest 402) for generations to come. People have more of a life chance if they have easier access to the right education, nourishment and resources throughout their lifetime. Max believes that people with more Life chances realize their main goals in life, and strive to achieve. Leith Mulling came up Intersectionality (Guest page 406), with has more of a modern and complete form of what determines an persons class. She asses how race and gender, as well as a person's class shape someones social mobility. These factors deal with a persons personal background as they grow up and what they experience. The reason I find Marx's view to be the most convincing, is because, he describes class as an overall struggle. Regardless of appearance, sex, nationality, or class, there will always be an underlying struggle between you and a higher authority. In the text, Karl Max provides an example, That even white collar professionals and managers are still part of the lower Proletariat(Guest page 401) because those people still rely and conform to a Bourgeoisie. Within our society today, specially in a strong capitalist- based economy, this is especially true. People in already well off jobs, are still unhappy with their bosses, or lifestyle, and seek ways for social mobility. The outcome with capitalism,
- 7. is that if a person reaches their desired class, there will always be someone else who re-fills that lower position, thus renewing the class struggle. This is the basis of arguments for Socialist economic view points, and communism. As long as our American culture adopts Capitalism, the conversation about Marx's theory will remain heavily relevant. As we gain easier access to the rest of the world, we view other nations economic system and not just our own. We've experienced how communism and it's negative sides during the cold war, however we did discover that there were more moderate approaches and socialist views. This requires more taxing and sharing of the wealthy, to give to the lower classes in order for a stable economy. This is a lighter approach to the strict control of property by the government that communism proposes. In the future, we've already started looking at theories such as Intersectionality (Guest 406), to reprimand past discrimination within the U.S during the civil rights movement. In order to view other class systems, we would need to limit an individuals prestige (guest 402). Many wealthy individuals have a lot of intangible influences, that can lead to fraud and abuse of any economic system. Migration Essay 5 As for Migration, My mom was born in America, and so was my grandma. On my Mothers side, she cannot trace her ancestry back, due to slavery, and being brought here forcefully. On my mothers side, she was pushed to the Untied States. However my mom was born in a poorer area of Trenton and was pulled (Guest 492) by the more peaceful, farming lifestyle down south in Georgia. She was pushed (Guest 492) away by the unstable living condition that my grandma lived, within Trenton, and eventually she moved too. There she lived with her aunt for a while, to raise farm animals and have a safe environment. Once she moved back to Trenton, she finished school and moved on to Rutgers University. My mom wanted to attend college, so she could start living her own life away from her parents, and aunt in the farm. There she met my dad, who was a migrant from Nigeria. He grew up
- 8. in western Africa, and wanted to study abroad and start his own business within America. He seemed more of an Entrepreneurial Immigrant (Guest 502), and he was more pulled to the united states, than pushed. Back in Africa he was well off, and was not effected by any persecution or money matters. From Nigeria, he migrated to America and lived in Edison, once there he was pulled to live In New York to start his own business of exporting goods to Greece and Nigeria.