Basseri and The Nuer
There are many cultures throughout the world, which may be far apart and yet still have similarities. Two of those such cultures, the Basseri, that live in Iran, and the Nuer, whom live in Sudan, have their differences, but also have some similarities. Many of the differences and similarities come from their subsistence strategies and the social and political organization of their societies. With the regions of the world, both the Basseri and the Nuer live in, they’ve had to adapt to the environment they live in along with the limitations imposed by that environment.
Among the differences and similarities of the Basseri and the Nuer, their subsistence strategies are the most diverse in differences and similarities. Both the Basseri and the Nuer rely on their domesticated animals as a source of subsistence. A difference between the Basseri and the Nuer is that the Basseri have goats and sheep to provide the bulk of their subsistence products, while the Nuer use cattle as a source of subsistence. Another subsistence strategy of the Basseri is foraging, which is suited well for their nomadic way of life, by hunting large game and finding plants and mushrooms in the springtime. The Nuer, on the other hand, have a mixed subsistence strategy between pastoralism and horticulture. The Nuer cannot rely solely on either one, so other than the cattle they also cultivate millet, their main crop, and a small amount of maize and beans.
The social and political organization of the Basseri and the Nuer are very much different. The Basseri’s social organization is based upon that of nuclear families; they are also neolocal, meaning that upon marriage a couple starts their own nuclear family in a new tent. After marriage, in order for the couple to begin a new household, the husband usually receives part of his father’s herd and at times, if not given any animals, the husband can work and receive animals as a payment. During the spring, the nomadic tribes can be supported in large numbers in a single camp; while during the winter, camps are setup in smaller groups. The Basseri reckon descent patrilineally where inheritance is usually from father to son. A woman bestows membership rights to her own tribe or her offspring. The Basseri consider themselves one unified tribe because they are all subsumed under the authority of a single leader, the chief of all the Basseri.
Elizabeth Fernea entered El Nahra, Iraq as an innocent bystander. However, through her stay in the small Muslim village, she gained cultural insight to be passed on about not only El Nahra, but all foreign culture. As Fernea entered the village, she was viewed with a critical eye, ?It seemed to me that many times the women were talking about me, and not in a particularly friendly manner'; (70). The women of El Nahra could not understand why she was not with her entire family, and just her husband Bob. The women did not recognize her American lifestyle as proper. Conversely, BJ, as named by the village, and Bob did not view the El Nahra lifestyle as particularly proper either. They were viewing each other through their own cultural lenses. However, through their constant interaction, both sides began to recognize some benefits each culture possessed. It takes time, immersed in a particular community to understand the cultural ethos and eventually the community as a whole. Through Elizabeth Fernea?s ethnography on Iraq?s El Nahra village, we learn that all cultures have unique and equally important aspects.
The housing of the Batek is quite simple and consists of a camp-like structure, with each camp consisting of about five to six nuclear families. Thus, nuclear families consist of a father, a mother, and their children. Their economic organization is based on hunting, gathering and collecting forest products for trade, although hunting is the primary mode of subsistence. Due to the theory of equality both men and women in this society produce and share food. The responsibilities of the women is to daily gather vegetable food while the men concentrate on hunting game, although, roles can be reversed. The equal contributions of each person to the food- supply are considered equally important. No rules are set for separating the activities of the sexes in hunting and gathering food, once the plant resources are depleted, they move to another area within their habitat in order to survive and live.
Since the beginning of time, mankind began to expand on traditions of life out of which family and societal life surfaced. These traditions of life have been passed down over generations and centuries. Some of these kin and their interdependent ways of life have been upheld among particular people, and are known to contain key pieces of some civilizations.
The Zuñi are a large group of people formed by many clans. They are known as an exogamous clan (Page 245; Cultural Anthropology; 14th Edition; Ember), so within their tribal ways one does not marry within one’s own clan, and though one should not marry within the father’s clan, it does occasionally occur more than it seems necessary. (Theodore Frisbie; Encyclopedia) The Zuñi are al...
The way of the Ju/‘hoansi life has changed dramatically in many ways throughout the years. However, it is still possible to reflect upon their original way of life and compare it with their present state of living. Most of the changes occurred due to environmental, economical, developmental, social and cultural changes. All of which play a vital role in determining a Ju’s way of life. Although the land of the Dobe and !Kangwa have developed and changed in recent years, there are still some remnants of how the environment used to be. A significant shift in social and cultural aspects of the Ju/‘hoansi life can be observed in the new environment. However, some important aspects of their culture and belief system are still reflected in their everyday lives.
Herman Melville's Moby Dick is a book which can be read as a general metaphor for the battle between the evil powers of the Devil versus the divine powers of God and Jesus, both try to obtain the souls of mankind in order to assist in each other's destruction. In this metaphor, the Devil is shown through the person of Captain Ahab, God becomes nature, Jesus is seen as the White Whale, and the representation of mankind is the crew. The voyage of the Pequod, therefore, is a representation of a similar voyage of mankind on earth, until the death of Jesus, during the whole thing the influences of these three “supernatural forces” are connected. Thus, the basis of this idea is that in the plot of Melville's book, there are also peeks of the "plot" of the Bible.
Once Father Mapple speaks about Jonah and the whale, it becomes clear that Herman Melville's 1851 novel has a connection to the Bible and Christianity. Melville fills Moby Dick with several biblical allusions, and the novel's main characters are linked symbolically to figures in the Bible. Melville alludes to the Bible in Moby Dick to mock Christianity. He uses his primary characters of Ishmael, Ahab, and Moby Dick to make God seem like a judgmental being who has no pity on sinners unless they obey him. He also portrays faithful Christians as outsiders who
Moby-Dick is the one American story which every individual seems to recognize. Because of its pervasiveness into our country’s collective psyche, the tale has been reproduced in film and cartoon, and references to the characters and the whale can be found in commercials, sitcoms, and music, proving the novel to still be relevant today. It is the epitome of American Romanticism because it delves into the human spirit, the force of imagination, and power of the emotions and the intellect. The novel praises and critiques the American society in sharp and unequivocal terms, while, at the same time, mirroring this mixed society through the “multinational crew of...the Pequod” (Shaw 61). Melville, through his elaborate construction of the novel, “makes the American landscape a place for epic conquest” (Lyons 462). The primary draw of this novel is the story itself: a whaling ship, headed by a monomaniac, and the pursuit of a whale, or the American dream and its attainment, making a clear “connection between Romanticism and nationalism” (Evans 9). The novel calls upon the reader’s imagination, emotions, and intellect to fully understand the journey of the story, the journey which takes the reader on a most unusual trip into the soul of mankind.
Valerie has successfully portrayed the picture of change in gender role within the ethnic community. She has cited an example of Sansei. In the book, it is said that the older generation was purely patri...
During the 15th century, as the Renaissance flourished in Italy, a separate movement of the Renaissance emerged in the Netherlands. The Netherlands, located north of Italy, independently developed a distinct artistic style that incorporated Gothic influences and emphasized observation of nature, symbolism, and attention to detail. Both Flemish and Italian artists were focused on accurately depicting physical realism through the use of chiaroscuro and linear perspective. However, some Italian artists such as Fra Angelico focused on spiritual message rather than naturalism. Each regions’ styles also often vary in materials and theme. For example, Flemish paintings integrated religious themes into secular settings. This was the result of wealthy patrons and merchants commissioning a broader expanse of subjects in Northern art. Italian Renaissance art, however, was predominantly religious. Giant altarpieces were created mainly for public display in churches and
My Big Fat Greek Wedding is a film made in 2004 directed by Joel Zwick that evidently portrays several sociological concepts throughout the film. This film highly demonstrates the sociological topics of gender and culture all through the movie. The roles of gender, gender stratification as well as gender stereotyping are exemplified during the film. As for culture, the film displays subculture, counterculture, ethnocentrism, cultural relativism and cultural diffusion. My Big Fat Greek Wedding focuses on a single 30-year-old Greek woman, Toula Portokalos, who works at her family’s restaurant. Toula’s life takes a turn when she unexpectedly falls in love with a man who is not Greek. The film revolves around Toula’s family as well as her boyfriend,
Matrilineal descent can greatly impact gender roles and norms. In the Trobriand Islands, the biological father of the child doesn’t play a significant role in the child’s life instead the mother’s brother (or uncle) is the primary male decision maker. With the child being apart of it’s matrilineal descent, the mother has the power over the child vs the biological father. Thus compared to patrilineal societies, women have greater power over the children.
As the seventeenth century began the Catholic Church was having a hard time bringing back the people who were swept away by the protestant reformation. The conflict between the protestant had a big influence on art. (Baroque Art) The church decided to appeal to the human emotion and feeling. They did so by introducing a style called Baroque. Baroque was first developed in Rome and it was dedicated to furthering the aims of Counter Reformation. Baroque was first used in Italy than later spread to the north. In this paper I will argue that the Italian Baroque pieces were more detailed and captured the personality of the figure, in contrast and comparison to Northern Baroque pieces that aimed to produce a sense of excitement and to move viewers in an emotional sense leaving them in awe. I will prove this by talking about the different artwork and pieces of Italian Baroque art versus Northern Baroque Art.
Today, I will be talking about a group of people who are known as the “Arabs’ purist representatives” (in cite). People who love to live near the desert and are not interested with the modern city life. They are more into the simple and peaceful lifestyle and way of living. There are around 4 million people, spread among Egypt, Syria, Palestine, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Iraq, Morocco, Sudan, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya. Today, my speech is about the very interesting and unique Bedouin tribes. What is interesting about the Bedouins is that despite the changes and advances that happen around the world, they are still attached to the traditions they were raised on, without changing a thing. Although they have a lack of education,
The early and high Italian renaissance art differed tremendously from Northern European art. The main component of Italian artwork during the “rebirth” era was religion. Artists outside of Italy mainly focused on the everyday life and were popular because of technological advances. Political instability introduced powerful families and city-states that commissioned various artworks. A grand interest in humanism provided wonderful details in both sculptures and paintings. The only difference between Italian and Netherlands artwork seem to be the focus on religion. As public opinion was starting to get its deserved attention in the late sixteenth century, focus was now more on the everyday life, rather than depictions of narratives from The Old and New Testament.