ISS 210 1st Edition Lecture 16 Outline of Last Lecture I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX X XI XII XIII XIV XV Apollonian Pueblo Indians Dionysian Plains Indians Mississippian Agriculturalists High Plains Culture Cheyenne Comanche Courtship Cultural Convergence Sun Dance and Buffalo Hunt 1845 Cultural Interference Cultural Persistence Rebus Principle Kanji Cultural Crystallization Morimento Belief Ritual and Conformity Signs and Symbols Outline of Current Lecture I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX X XI XII XIII XIV XV A Zande Youth Zande Granary Chinese Funeral Ritual Chinese Funerals Xi Bo Chinese funeral 3rd year Clothing and Conformity Nature Culture Contrast Research Orientation Cross Culture Studies of Alcohol A natural experiment Drunken Comportment Cross Culture Variation Horgarth s Gin Lane Normative Behaviors Gender Differences Current Lecture I II III IV V VI A Zande Youth Portrait of a Zande youth identified as Makana wearing a barkcloth roko apron with his hands on his hips A boy like Makana told Evans Pritchard that a witch has caused him to injure himself by tripping on a root while running in the forest at night Once we understand the native conception that witches exist and can use their powers to injure people their beliefs and behaviors become intelligible to us even if we don t accept their premises Zande Granary Zande understand that termites weakened granary causing it to collapse to seek shelter from the sun under the granary everyone does Zande did think that witchcraft brought the tow chains of event together Chinese Funeral Ritual Controversy Can rituals be effective if people are not conscious of the symbolism Response the reader or participant may appreciate symbolic relationship and respond to it even if he or she cannot articulate its meaning China has been an argrarian society for millennia Land is life and is held collectively by families Ones rights to land and social identity derives from the family and ones place in the family derives from ones relationship to the ancestors Chinese funeral customs provide ritual release even without conscious understanding of the meaning of the symbols The rituals derive from complex notions about the dead persons soul Each family member performs prescribed rituals in order of their status in the family The ritual reinforces social values based on hierarchy birth order and prerogative The common people see this as serving the spirits Scholars and educated people see this as a way to unite hearts and establish order Chinese Funerals Xi Bo Xi Bo silver or yellow paper squares folded in boat like shape to represent ancient money Xi Bo are given as gifts to the decease and burned during the ritual to ensure the deceased will have wealth in the afterlife Chinese funeral 3rd year Each member of the family hosts an open house during the week Visit to the grave and as in previous years gift and prayers are offered at the gravesite A site is rented at the local temple and the monks perform rituals A household table with food candles and incense is set up Xi Bo and pictures are burned at the end of the ritual The food is left for the spirits and the monks Clothing and Conformity Body conformity or lack of is an indication of social commitment The harnessed body tight dress and rigid body control short hair and uniforms symbolize discipline and conformity ex police Unkempt and bizarre dress for non conformists religious prophets or social rebels Ec hippies and anchorites VII Nature Culture Contrast Where social hierarchies exist The upper ranks take on symbols of disembodiment separating themselves from the animal physical plane Etiquette masks and denies the animal nature of the elites The lower ranks are associated in varying degrees with corporality and nature Inability to curb their natural impulses A sense of rhythm Creature releases belches flatulence Natural ability vs hard work VIII Research Orientation Emic an actor based perspective Eskimo belief in animal souls and reincarnation Etic an observer based perspective Ecological impact of limiting hunting IX Cross Culture Studies of Alcohol Non problematic drinking The association of drinking with any kind of specifically associated problems physical economic psychological social relational or other is rare among cultures throughout both history and the contemporary world Is normal in both statistical and sociological terms To say that alcohol related problems are scientifically abnormal Does not deny the suffering of those afflicted by such problems Such factual statements often confuses with moral judgments about its merit X A natural experiment While ethanol produces well understood neurochemical changes the wide variation in social and behavioral outcomes of drinking can only be explained with reference to cultural factors and to culturally determined beliefs about the effects of drinking Alcohol related problems are associated with specific cultural factors relating to beliefs attitudes norms and expectations about drinking Most problems linked with drinking crime violence disorder accidents spousal abuse disease etc are associated with excessive abnormal drinking XI Drunken Comportment Over the course of socialization people learn about drunkenness what their society knows about drunkenness and accepting and acting upon the understandings thus imparted on them they become the living confirmation of their society s teachings There is overwhelming historical and cross cultural evidence that people learn not only how to drink but how to be affected by drink In simple terms people who expect drinking to result in violence become aggressive to feel sexy amorous disinhibiting demonstrative XII XIII XIV XV Cross Culture Variation Negative or inconsistent beliefs and expectations are associated with higher levels of alcohol related problems Temperance dry Nordic or ambivalent drinking cultures in UK US Scandinavian and Australia associated with violent and anti social behavior Generally positive beliefs and expectations are associated with significantly fewer alcohol related problems Non temperance wet or integrated drinking cultures in Mediterranean and South American culture largely peaceful and harmonious behavior Can change shift to ambivalent negative beliefs in previously positively integrated drinking cultures Neighborhood pubs compared with city Centre clubs Continental Europeans fear the spread of British drunken comportment Horgarth s Gin Lane A Gin Epidemic Started in