Reading Responses
1) Body Image and Identity
Key Themes and Topics Discussed
Fat never fails to elicit powerful emotions in the contemporary society because it relates to appearance and the health of the body. Providing focus on the experiential and physical dimensions of the fat issue results in a relationship between the material world and culture. Fat materiality and culture is a volume that is valuable that portrays fresh ways to think about the presented matter in avoiding obesity. Fat generation is evoked by the way that individuals treat their bodies thus avoiding conserving the fats. Fat and weight should be lost based on a variety of reasons and especially on the health ground. The global changing trend of food globally and labor conversations turns to the extensions of food. The talk about food is fully concerned in regard to the fat talks. Eating disorders is the major theme of the section as it results to unfavorable body shapes and unhealthy living (Popenoe, 8).
Questions Arising From Key Themes and Topics Discussed
Is fat associated with beauty? Beauty is more than that that meets the eyes. Beauty is regarded differently from the distinct societies. How does fat connect to gender and social classes? On the basis of gender, beauty is regarded differently as those women with large body sections such as buttocks are regarded to be more beautiful. However, the men with a high level of fat association are not connected to beauty because of their body sizes which are not attractive. Smaller body sizes are referred to be more attractive. Additionally, those individuals that are fat are mostly viewed to be from the high-class society and of the prominent races. Mostly those from the black races are associated with fat because of health maintenance unawareness and ignorance.
Ethnographic Observations
Fat activism is efficient as it aims at transforming the general thinking of individuals based on the bias of anti-fat that is incorporated in social attitudes. Fat activism is the only answer to obesity with the increasing occurrence of fat fear this is because individuals are not fully into the concept o living unhealthy. However, several individuals view the perception that anti-fat movement will not be beneficial in regard to their health. Anti-fat is viewed as unhealthy because those with low fat in North America are associated with a low-class society which is a wrong assumption.
2) Cultural (Mis) Representation
Key Themes and Topics Discussed
Anthropologists play a crucial role in creating knowledge which is crucial in developing cultural representation. Rosado has contributed greatly on cultural representation through research activities which help in generation of information about the culture. Research helps in understanding how culture contributes to the low understanding of grief and sadness. The development of knowledge is thus crucial in facilitating cultural development and emotional changes adaptation capability. Anthropology is not prescriptive because it is triggered by the issues frequencies in the society. This helps in increasing the ability of individuals to handle emotional changes through the developed knowledge in regard to history and culture (Phillips, 4).
Questions Arising From Key Themes and Topics Discussed
The rage that is born from grief means that a man has to kill another. This is because the man needs surrounding that will facilitate him to carry out his anger. This act, therefore, generates hopes as the individual is fully able to drop and throw all the anger that he held initially. How can fury be born from sorrow and how was sorrow restricted through headhunting? Rage, grief as well as head haunting work together in a self-evident manner. Head haunting was that assumed to be influenced mainly by sadness which builds inside a man. Headhunting is also believed to be effective in generating a social balance between individuals. Such circumstances help in understanding the origination of grief since one is characterized by anger (Rosaldo, 4).
Ethnographic Observations
Societies fail in understating the origin of grief because they ignore the fact that sadness is a major trigger. Sadness causes a man to grief which then triggers the desire to haunt another being in the search for a favorite surrounding that helps in relieving the accumulative anger. In order to understand the basis of grief, one must pass through sadness. The alternative to grieves is head haunting as this helps in releasing sadness. Grief cannot be understood without getting involved in suffering situations that generate anger. Grief is mainly caused by suffering or emotional changes in regard to loss.
3) Arts, Culture, and Representation
Key Themes and Topics Discussed
Arts expressions are generated from distinct practices in serving different functions in the society. Fine arts are created typically for the purpose of developing functional value in skills development and aesthetic beauty. Arts can be utilized as a catalyst for change as well as history root. This helps in connecting individuals of a particular culture to the prior events thus suggesting fresh ideas as well as fresh insights. For example, modern dancers in both the 21st century and the 20th century shifted from the traditional movement which was structured in fresh ways of body movements (Rosaldo, 21).
Questions Arising From Key Themes and Topics Discussed
What is the importance of arts in regard to culture representation? It is of less importance that arts can be utilized to define the general definition of arts as it is of crucial significance. Arts are therefore more useful as anthropologists utilize the impacts and the whole meaning of specific form in regard to cultural expression.
Arts are crucial in representing the culture as it is utilized in making life even better. These forms of arts include photographs, sculpture, and paintings. Performing arts are also essential in defining and representing the culture. These arts include dance, theater and music. Artistic expression has developed in the world today in the provision of outlets that are in regard to traditions, beliefs, thoughts as well as feelings. Arts additionally develop cultural advancement due to the knowledge providence of knowledge about beliefs development.
Ethnographic Observations
Culture provides more chances for development to arts. This is because it provides the basis where the fresh ideas can be incorporated. This helps in adapting to changes easily as the type of changes that are developed helps in improving different societal changes. Arts help in representing the culture in that individuals are able to develop feelings as well as the traditional beliefs. Arts presents different interpretations ranges as a particular story in regard to culture do not have to be retold as intriguing and beautiful as arts depicts everything.
4) Anthropology and Development: Critiques of Modernity
Key Themes and Topics Discussed
Anthropology development utilizes international aid and international development as the major objects of its development. The major theme of anthropology development is triggering social actions from the different agents in the attempt of making economic, political and technical modification in a particular location. Achieving economic stability requires the development of innovative ideas that are not tied to history (Robbins, 21). Development cannot be achieved through history as modernization is characterized with advancement which requires fresh thoughts and solutions to the existing societal development issues. Market integration helps in ensuring that stability is achieved through eradicating poverty as it is the major influence of development failure.
Questions Arising From Key Themes and Topics Discussed
Why are those individuals that are involved in development willing to get rid of history and the involved lessons that it might offer? In order to achieve modernization, the developers are willing to get rid of history because it hinders advancement. History prevents individuals from becoming innovative because of the cultural ties that are related. Eradicating history helps in the development of fresh and modernized ideas that offers solutions to the issues of development. What influences failure of planned development? Failure to effectively eradicate poverty influenced planned development failure. In achieving development the particular areas are supposed to be characterized by stability which is not achieved often. Poverty eradication can be achieved through technological transfers, marker integration as well as investments. This helps in modernization development as stability and independence are achieved. What makes development be driven externally rather than based on internal basis? Development is driven from the external sources because of lack of internal capability to maintain development. The internal basis is mostly characterized by poverty which hinders the internal capability of influencing development.
Ethnographic Observations
Modernity from the perspective of anthropology appears as a theoretical ad straightforward elusive. Modernization is a processed product which helps in defining modernization based on different time period. This concept involves rationality and capitalism development. Modernity is not a tangible concept and this, therefore, makes it difficult to define cultural and social constructions. Traditional resistance prevents modernity from being achieved fully as innovativeness cannot be achieved. Integration of political, social and economic concepts helps in achieving development as the concepts provide the basis for improvement.
Work Cited
Phillips, Ruth B. Unpacking Culture: Art and Commodity in Colonial and Postcolonial Worlds. Berkeley [u.a.: Univ. of California Press, 1999. Print.
Rebecca Popenoe. Feeding Desire. Fatness, Beauty, And Sexuality Among a Saharan People. 2004. Copyright.
Renato Rosaldo. Ilongot Headhunting 1883-1974. A Study In Society And History. 1980. Copyright.
Robbins, Richard. "Culture and Meaning." Cultural Anthropology: A Problem-Based Approach 4th Ed. Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2006. 1-38. Print.
