Notes for Anthropology-Feb. 20th Mens work and womens work is not the same e erywhere.

Many different !"estions arise# s"$h as who will $ook% &ho will $are for the $hildren% &ho will h"nt% After all# $ooking is a primarily mens task in some other $"lt"res. 'e$oming a $hef is an in$redibly prestigio"s position in Fran$e. (his is ill"strati e of how different $"lt"res ha e different "nderstandings of gender roles. &omens work is# more often than not# symboli$ally less important than mens work. )"bli$ s. )ri ate *pheres After all# think of the thrill that the *an tribe re$ei es when a fresh kill is bro"ght home. (his is the primary food pro ider# and therefore its only nat"ral that their work will be al"ed more. Feminist anthropologists think of how men# in all likelihood# ha e an easier a$$ess to the p"bli$ sphere to win respe$tability. (heres an ethno$entri$ $riti!"e of gender e!"ality. 'oth sides ha e $on i$tions that are firmly rooted in their own $"lt"ral "nderstanding what the respe$ti e roles of men and women sho"ld be. +ender roles sho"ld be ideally per$ei ed as $omplimentary as opposed to e!"al. Formal s. ,nformal )ower Network Formally# men seem to be in-$harge# tho"gh this is definitely not the entire tr"th. ,n reality# women may be infl"en$ing all ma-or de$isions. ,nformation that the anthropologist is able to gain a$$ess to may be determined by his.her gender. ,n the end# the ery notions of gender are $"lt"rally shaped. &hat is it to be a good man or a good woman% (he world of gender is not di isible into male and female alone. (here are many other gender identities.e/pressions. (he world is far more $omple/ to be red"$ed to these two di$hotomies. 0"eer (heory1 (he relationship between genitals# gender identity# se/"al identity# and se/"al pra$ti$es is problemati2ed. (his is a prod"$t of the postmodern re ol"tion# as it highlighted the instability of the se/.gender bo"ndary. ,n many so$ieties aro"nd the world# there are more than two re$ogni2ed gender identities.

3anith of 4man 5i-ras of ,ndia (wo-*pirit person of some Nati e Ameri$an gro"ps. 6athoey of (hailand (ransgender in the 7.*. Age is a "ni ersal prin$iple for so$ial differentiation and $lassifi$ation. ,n irt"ally any so$iety# an indi id"al is treated differently in a$$ordan$e with their age. (his aries# howe er# from $"lt"re-to-$"lt"re and how age is so$ially str"$t"red. 'iologi$al reality of aging is shaped by the so$ietys iew of ario"s life stages. 5ow are elderly iewed in nonind"strial s. ind"strial so$ieties% 8ertain so$ieties ha e distin$t stages between yo"th and old age. 'aktaman of New +"inea1 se en age grades-rit"al passing from one to the ne/t# ea$h with a promotion of rank. )eople who "ndergo $ertain rites together are seen as $losely $onne$ted. ,n many so$ieties# $hildren are so$iali2ed to be both members of so$iety# AN9 men and women. ,n Ameri$an so$iety# there is $hildhood# followed by adoles$en$e# followed by ad"lthood# et$. (hese $o"ld all fall "nder the $ategori2ation of :ites of )assage. 9isting"ishing $hildhood from ad"lthood often entails ario"s :ites of )assage. ;lements of :it"al1 <. :epetiti e# symboli$ so$ial pra$ti$e. 2. *et apart from so$ial ro"tines of daily life. (his means that they m"st be disting"ishable from the other m"ndane pra$ti$es of day-to-day life. =. )redi$table. >. 4ften $onne$ted to myths. :it"als are a way to physi$ally perform beliefs and al"es# and $an th"s be either religio"s or se$"lar. :ites of )assage1 *ol e the problem of how one sho"ld transition from one stage to the ne/t. )"bli$ly mark stat"s $hange.

A$$ording to ?i$tor ("rner# rites of passage helped to sol e the problem of transition. (his also gi es parti$ipants feelings of oneness with a greater so$ial "nit. (his helps to make someone feel a strengthened sense of "nity. ?an +ennep broke down rites of passages into three distin$ti e stages1 <. *eparation 2. @iminality =. :eintegration 8oming of Age :ites of )assage1 (he 6ang"r" of (an2ania re$ei e a moral ed"$ation and are s"b-e$t to physi$al alterations for both genders. 'oys are led away from illage AseparationB# $ir$"Cne er mind. +ender and Age1 (here are important differen$es between gender and age on the basis of prin$iple. 4ne a"tomati$ally $hanges membership between age gro"ps.fairly "nproblemati$. ?ery few $hange their gender.not an e/pe$ted transition for most people or in most so$ieties.