Symbolic anthropology

Clifford Geertz became the face of the discipline of anthropology during the 1970s. With his new approach to synthesizing fieldwork and his conceptualization of the connection between biological evolution and cultural evolution, his work transcended the boundaries of discipline by altering perspectives and frameworks in fields such as philosophy and biology. During the same decade, playwright and writer Alice Walker influenced a resurgence of Zora Neale Hurston’s publications on the Black…

interesting part is the poor perspectives of scientist who do not validate a different path taken by ethnographer that is not guided by the scientific method. For example, “the term ‘ethnography’ is not listed in the index of Education and Culture: Anthropology Approaches (1963). In the over view of the article by George Spindler, the Anthropologist is not describe as an ethnographer but rather as a consultant, as a research whose greater contribution is the holistic approach to research an…

Before Binford made his argument that archaeology was holding a backseat in anthropology, and needed to make a necessary transition towards a systematic view of culture, archaeology used a direct historical approach. By studying modern native cultures one could start at the top of each archaeological layer and work down (working the way back in time). Sir Edward B. Tylor represented cultural evolutionism in archaeology. He believed that there was a purpose in the development of society and…

anthropological theory as well as the perception of mental health. After the end of World War II and throughout the Cold War, a large demand for new university programs and faculty emerged due to the GI bill. This allowed many more Americans to study anthropology as a profession, shifting professional positions from governmental work to teaching jobs in new universities. The tension during this time of war gave way to new anthropological theories as well as a return to cultural evolution. For…

author presents the academic theory regarding the culture and history of clothing in Rajasthan and its impact on the identity. Culture is like a text in a book that needs interpretation to be fully understood . It is a cluster of ideas, which have symbolic meaning such as the different language, rituals, clothing and the like. It needs to be interpreted and understood like someone critically analyzing a piece of literature. This is important for the outsider to accurately understand the…

sixty current performers, I was able to obtain ethnographic evidence that presents a paradox of individuals gaining self-confidence and self-acceptance, by being pushed outside their comfort zones. By utilizing Geertz’ system of interruptive/symbolic anthropology, I was able to examine how this self-discovery occurs, and what it means for the larger Wesleyan community as…

Writings by white, male, upper-class individuals dominate the canon of Western History. While such a dominance does not negate their scholarship, the voices of the marginalized—women, the poor and ethnic minorities—are not represented in this limited historical viewpoint. Many mid-20th century historians felt that there was a need to counter this inequality of representation. For example, E.P. Thompson, Clifford Geertz and Natalie Zemon Davis each generated works that revealed the history of a…

Culture and communication are said to go hand in hand with each other. Technology has brought in new manifestations of culture and how it affects people relating to one another. Technology is said to change the ways in which people communicate and what they understand to be their ‘cultures’. Many questions come to mind when thinking of culture and communication in today’s society, such as: ‘How technology has an effect/ influence on how one meets people?’ or ‘How it effects ones self-esteem/ego…

Terry Eagleton (2016) is a complex whole of society. Culture includes the society's identity, language, values, beliefs, law, customs, and cuisines. It's the social norms and behaviors that are found in the human society. It's a concept central in anthropology that encompasses a range of phenomena's transmitted through the social learning in the human society. It is a sum of customs, attitudes, and beliefs distinguished from one group to the other. It's transmitted through material objects,…

Historical/Sociological Lens: The advancements of communication have affected not only the amount and widespread reach of political communication, but also have affected the perception of importance of partisanship (or nonpartisanship) in society. Historically, partisanship in the press and in politics has been something citizens clung to for dear life. Their party was a part of their identity, and an extension of their values and their selves. Partisanship was also predominantly segregated…