Cultural anthropology

‘Space of place’ and ‘space of flows’ denote two spatial logics that refer to the meaning and dynamic of places. ‘Space of flows’ is comparable to the logic of traditional civil society. This implies a local place with an identity where people live and work. People feel connected to the ‘space of place’ through the social practices and embedded social networks. That is also the reason why people want to move or stay in such places (due to the experiences). An example of the ‘space of place’ is…

Culture is a very complex aspect. When you start talking about culture it is everything related to a society. Culture is the way of life. The food you eat, the clothes you wear, the language you speak in, the religion you follow all are aspects of culture. The beliefs, values and symbols that they accept generally without thinking about them, and that are passed along by communication and imitation from one generation to the other. The settlement study of Ranipura village in Tikamgarh district…

I have never seen this film before and was very curious about it. I wasn’t sure what to expect. Since the subject matter is about an interracial relationship I wasn’t sure how upfront or crude it would come across. I have to say I was very surprised. While you can see different instances of stereotypes some of which I was surprised to see. I expected there would be stereotypes about the black man and later his family or the white girl and her family. However, I was surprised to see the…

In his article "The Promise of Sociology", Mills defines “sociological imagination” as the ability to see things socially, and shows how they interact and affect each other. "Neither the life of an individual nor the history of a society can be understand without understanding both." As this quote shows, Mills believes that the individual cannot understand themselves as individuals, yet they can’t understand their role in society without this understanding. Therefore it is required to understand…

Symbolic Interactionism focus is on wanting to understand society. They focus and argue on the micro, the small day to day interaction with peers, groups etc. The way we engage in things and the way we do things. Symbolic Interactionism argues that human behavior is not an objective fact. You attach the means to what people do. The emphasis is on habits, the norms that build society. Society depends on symbolic culture, language and meaning, which examines the roles of people day-to-day…

One could argue that economic disinterest observed by Marcel Mauss in the Gift and Karl Polanyi in the Great Transformation can ultimately be aligned with Adam Smith’s claim, which is that individual desire to attain more material goods is the natural cause of exchanges between people. In this point of view, Polanyi could be criticized for associating economic self-interest exclusively with market transactions instead of considering the various ways economic self-interest could be displayed in…

other geographical locations all over the world, especially in Asia. How countries have gotten they way they have to this day has been through trade, human movement and political and cultural influences that spread out in a span of over hundreds of years. The creations of states and countries are created through cultural differences and political influences; however there are many arguments over how those paths are created through either trade or unnecessary force. Tina Harris’s (2013, 4) book…

This course has certainly influenced a new interpretation of the way I perceive the world. The complex, dynamic and unique effect that culture has on every individual is astonishing. This course has taught me the numerous diverse ways culture is defined, and how it shapes every aspect of our being as humans. Culture is sets of values and beliefs that are transmitted across generations. In which, every dimension contributes to our overall survival. This course required us to look within our own…

believe in help define who we are and helps develop relationships with other people. The country of Poland has a very unique and diverse culture. From the first ruling dynasty to gaining its independence, the country of Poland has gone thru many cultural changes. Much of Poland’s culture lives within its history, language, religion, government and within the people. Poland, which is located in Central Europe, is a country just east of the border of Germany. Countries also surrounding Poland…

When I think about my personal epistemology and how I come to know what I know and how my beliefs are formed I often think of the age old philosophical question of the tree falling in the forest. "If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?" If knowledge exists and we don’t discover it, does it still not exist? In AD 157 physicians first noticed that the heart was responsible for pumping blood and speculated how this process worked, but it was not until…