Anthropology and the Human Condition

Human Diversity

Overview
• What is Anthropology?
– The Anthropological Perspective !trangers A"road #ace Culture

• What do Anthropologists study?
– $inship %ender &conomics Community

• Current de"ates ' trends in Anthropology(
– #epresenting Others the Poetry o) Culture World Anthropologies

*Why are the tri"es and the nations o) the world di))erent and how have the present di))erences developed?+ Anthropology ,-./

Why are People Di))erent? Three %eneral Theories
• %eography 0*&nvironmental Determinism+1
– ,-th century idea2 uncommon now

• #ace 0*3iological Determinism+1
– ,-th century idea2 still common

• Culture 0*Cultural #elativism+1
– ,-th to 4.th century idea2 popular now

5n this lecture6 • #ethin7ing *#ace+ – What is #ace? – Do #aces really e8ist? • The 9ourney o) :an6 and Woman – How did we all get here? • *The .i8ed and Culture Ta7es O))+ – What is the *3ig 3ang+ o) Culture? • What is &volution? .orm is .

unctional De)inition< :em"ers o) the same !pecies can mate and have via"le o))spring( – Human "eings 0Homo sapiens1 are one species( • #ace 0or !u"=species1 – :em"ers o) the same species "ut distinctive in some way( #acial classi)ications are arbitrary and non-functional( .What is #ace? • #ace vs( !pecies • !pecies – .

Race: Essentialist Categories Ethiopian Malayan Mongoloid American Caucasoid Blumenbach’s Classification (1775) !cientific" Approach Based on Coherence" of #raits $riginally included Cultural % Biological #raits &ations' (aces' )eoples .

*Old )ashioned concepts o) race are not only social divisive "ut scienti)ically wrong6+ • The 5dea o) #ace is "ased on *coherence+ o) traits 0esp( "iological1( • Traits do not cohere( • ->? o) "iological@ genetic variation occurs within human populations • A? occurs between populations http<@@anthro(palomar(edu@vary@de)ault(htm .

*5ncoherent+ Traits 0&8ample o) 3iological and Cultural Traits1 *A)rican+ and *&uropean+ men wearing *Asian+ "ati7( .

Coherence o) Traits< #ace and &thnicity • *#ace+ is interpretation o) 3iological Traits • *&thnicity+ is interpretation o) Cultural Traits • #acial Theory and Primordial &thnic theory are "ased on an assumption o) within=group *coherence o) traits+( • 3iological and anthropological 0sociological1 research indicate that traits do not cohere enough to ma7e racial or primordial ethnic theories valid or use)ul( .

< Americans use mostly 0"ut not only1 "iological traits to categoriBe people "y *race+( • &8ample 4< When :alaysians 0and !ingaporeans?1 use the word *race+ they mean something closer to what anthropologists call *ethnicity+ .#ace and &thnicity< .ol7 Categories @ !cienti)ic Categories • :ore o)ten than not *)ol7 categories+ 0used in everyday li)e1 con)late race and ethnicity 0i(e( they use "iological characteristics and cultural characteristics at the same time1( • &8ample .

&8ample .< American use o) *race+ • 3ara7 O"ama is )irst *3lac7+ nominee )or president o) a maCor political party( • !ome people Duestion i) he is *really "lac7+2 EOT mainly "ecause o) "iology "ut "ecause o) culture 0e(g( the schools he went to2 the way he tal7s1( .

Racial Categories? #e)lectivity o) !7in? *+ .- . * A3O 3lood Type? #ype B #ype A #ype $ .

actor Analysis 0see Thompson 4.A reading1 – Patrilineage 0C:5O in !ingapore1 • Does this ma7e #ace real? – #ace can "e an important social reality( – #ace is meaningless outside o) society( .Do #aces &8ist? • People can "e classi)ied "ased on "iology( – !7in color – 3lood Type – F=lineage or mtDEA=lineage – ..

Conclusions a"out #ace • #ace is not a scientifically use)ul scheme )or categoriBing human diversity( • 3iological traits do not cohere enough to ma7e race use)ul( • :ental ' attitudinal traits 0e(g( 5G1 cohere even less( • #ace is a set o) social and cultural categories2 #ace is *socially constructed+ .

... years ago ( ( ( the )orm is )i8ed and culture ta7es o))(+? What were the maCor routes ta7en "y humans out o) A)rica? What are the signi)icance o) the $alahari Australia 5ndia and Central Asia in understanding the *Courney o) man+? How does !pencer WellsI interest in and portrayal of !an people in the )ilm compare to that o) Jee Wilmsen and others we will read a"out in this course? Why does the Wells argue that *Old )ashioned concepts o) race are not only socially divisive "ut scienti)ically wrong+? 5) he is correct what are the implications )or societies li7e !ingapore? How do we e8plain di))erence without the concept o) race? • • .9ourney o) :an • • • Why does !pencer Wells descri"e his research as tracing the Courney o) Man? What is meant "y the comment in )ilm that *A)ter H.

http<@@news(nationalgeographic(com@news@4.4@.4@photogalleries@CourneyKo)Kman@ 9ourney o) MAN< Tracing the F chromosome ..

Tracing %enetic Ancestry • F=chromosome< Paternal 0.ather1 Jineage – Only :en have F=Chromosomes 0LF vs( LL1 – F=Chromosomes pass down )rom )ather to son without recom"ining • :itochondrial DEA 0mtDEA1< :aternal 0:other1 Jineage – &veryone has mitochondria 0a microscopic organism that lives in our cells1 – We inherit our mitochondria )rom our :others – :utations in mtDEA reveal :aternal Jineages .

http<@@www(mygenetree(com@articles@types=o)=dna=tests@mitochondrial=dna(php .

Populating Jand and !eas< How People Came to !outheast Asia .

.

. years ago ..M>H .

M>H .. years ago ..

years ago Coastal :igration to !undaland SUNDALAND ...M>H .

Hawaii M>H .. years ago *Out o) Taiwan+ 0:alayo=Polynesian1 To !a"agascar To !icronesia . years ago Coastal :igration MH .To Polynesia (Fiji....

H...:alayo=Polynesian &8pansion • *Out o) Taiwan+ MH . C(&( 0MH. years ago1 • !pread o) genes language culture and technology – 3NT all together? . years ago • 3roadest &thno= Jinguistic Dispersal prior to ...

? *Out o) Taiwan+ – M4.:alayo=Polynesian &8pansion • Janguage and Culture !pread )rom Taiwan • .? *5ndigenous+ and other !ources • People 0genes1 Janguage Culture and Technology do not all spread together .arming Technology spread )rom Taiwan ' Papua Eew %uinea? • People 0genes1 mi8ed< – M4.? )rom Coastal :igration – MA.

(O :illion Fears Ago – Homo erectus 0)irst out o) A)rica1 • 4..orward+ and *. years ago – :odern Homo sapiens* PWells calls this *the %reat Jeap . ..*The ..H.orm 5s ... . to H.irst 3ig 3ang+ in modern Human cultural evolution( :ar7ing a Dualitative di))erence "etween Homo sapiens and others2 li7e Homo erectus( 0pp(.1 http<@@anthro(palomar(edu@tutorials@physical(htm .i8ed ( ( (+ • 4(H :illion Fears Ago – Homo habilis 0the *handy man+1 • .

. • Human diversity is primarily cultural not physical or racial( http<@@anthro(palomar(edu@tutorials@physical(htm .*( ( ( and Culture Ta7es O))+ • 3iological change in humans has "een largely ' literally superficial )or H... years.

years have the same capacity )or Culture – i(e( all Q$ung !an all other A)ricans all &uropeans all Chinese all :alays all 5ndians ( ( ( &very"ody( ... to . ... ...All Humans have the !ame Capacity )or CNJTN#& • Culture is a cognitive capacity )or concept )ormation( • All mammals 0and some other species li7e "irds1 share this capacity( • HumanIs Cust have an e8tremely more comple8 version than other species( • All humans alive today2 and all humans who have lived )or the past H.

What is &volution? • :erriam=We"ster Dictionary 0http<@@www(m=w(com@1< – a process o) change in a certain direction – a process o) continuous change )rom a lower simpler or worse to a higher more comple8 or "etter state – a process o) gradual and relatively peace)ul social political and economic advance • These are all BAD definitions according to contemporary scientific research in the field of evolution!!! .

*Jower !impler Worse6 to Higher :ore Comple8 3etter+ • Contemporary evolutionary thought does loo7 at emergence o) comple8 systems out o) simpler ones( 3ut6 • *Jower to Higher+ and *Worse to 3etter+ are value Cudgments EOT science( • *Comple8ity+ only means *more wor7ing parts+2 NOT *"etter+ Progress# .

ittest6 0Darwin #evisited1 .!urvival o) the .

*!urvival o) the .ittest+ versus *!urvival o) the :inimally AdeDuate+ • 3oth mean the same thing 0though the second may "e slightly more accurate1 • They have di))erent social implications 0the )irst has "een used in Custi)ying eugenics in ways the second might not1( .

*%radual and #elatively Peace)ul 6 Advance+ • :uch evidence shows that evolution may proceed through *punctuated eDuili"rium+< periods o) relative sta"ility punctuated "y relatively rapid change( • &volutionary change may "e *peace)ul+ "ut may "e very violent( • *Advance+ is yet another unscienti)ic value= Cudgement 0i(e( *advanced+ civiliBation vs( *primitive+ civiliBation1( .

!o6 What is &volution? • Change in a system over time resulting in a qualitatively di))erent system( • The qualitative di))erence may or may not entail greater complexity( .

!ome &8amples o) &volved !ystems • • • • • • • 3iological !pecies Janguage 3ird !ongs &cosystems !ettlement Patterns :odes o) Production $inship !ystems .

. years ago • !ocially and Culturally – Fes – !ome aspects o) human society and culture are qualitatively di))erent than human society H.. . years ago( .. years? • 3iologically – Eo 0not su"stantially1 – 3iologically humans are not qualitatively different )rom each other or )rom humans alive H. .... .#ecent Human &volution? • Human evolution in the past H.

1 .H.H.. – H . years ago • Humans start routinely planting and harvesting )ood • !urplus production 0especially o) grains – rice wheat etc(1 PWells calls this the *!econd 3ig 3ang+ 0The mportance of !ulture" pp(. .Agricultural #evolutionP 0a(7(a( Eeolithic #evolution1 • ..=....

( !ettled Populations 4( !pecialiBation in non=agricultural production R( 5ncreased interdependence >( 5ncreased trade and e8change H( Hierarchy and !tate 3uilding Comple8 !ocial Eetwor7ing :esopotamian Siggurat< #epresentation o) !tate Power .Agricultural ' !urplus provide conditions )or< .

. – 4 H.rom H H..... yrs ago Nr"an Centers appear in< :esopotamia &gypt 5ndus Talley 0H H.irst Nr"an #evolution • • • • . y(a(1 Central ' !outh America 04 H. y(a(1 ..=> H. y(a(1 China 0R O..

!econd Nr"an #evolution .... years ago1 !econd Nr"an #evolution is associated with the 5ndustrial #evolution 0since a"out 4. yrs ago1 !ome call this *:odernity+ . .irst Nr"an #evolution was associated with the Agricultural #evolution 0a"out ..

-A.. C(&(< .. C(&(< O. C(&(< R "illion ...4 C(&(< A(R "illion . C(&(< 4 "illion ...-O/ C(&(< H "illion 4.-/A C(&(< > "illion . C(&( . y(a(< O million .Population %rowth Population &8plosion )rom a"out ./H. million .O. .O4. "illion .-R.

A )ew )inal thoughts on social and cultural comple8ity ( ( ( • Are greater comple8ity and all evolutionary changes a *good+ thing? – :ilitarism? Hierarchy? Patriarchy? – As Wells points out settled agriculture actually reduced Duality o) li)e )or most individuals 0e(g( more disease less autonomy war)are1 • 5s everything in industrial society more comple8 than a )oraging society? – Compare #u$%hoansi 7nowledge and rec7oning o) 7inship to that o) the average !ingaporean? .