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Reflection on cultural diversity
Final exam of cultural diversity
Reflection on cultural diversity
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“The heart of studying anthropologically lies in critically examining and understanding the concept of culture, the learned and shared ideas, feelings and behaviors and the product of those behaviors which are characteristic of any society.” (Moro, Magic, Witchcraft, and Religion, 2012).
To gain an understanding of the century long battle of Tibet’s resistance to China and their attempt to eradicate Tibetan culture requires a thorough look into their historical political events as well as their traditions of philosophical and religious beliefs. The Tibetan sovereignty debate and their battle is two-fold… First, whether or not the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has the right to claim Tibet as “an integral part of China” (Walt van Pragg, The Legal Status of Tibet, 2010) therefore giving them ownership of Tibetan territory… Secondly, whether or not Tibet is being forced into adopting China’s current political ideologies and cultural practices and give up rights to their own unique cultural, linguistic, religious practices, and political ideologies that structure in Tibetan society.. If this is the case, how did this occur and why, and what are the implications of this debate? In the case of Tibet and China, this debate has become the rights to freedom of culture, which has lead to what has now become one of the most politically controversial human rights issues amongst the countries of the world and the United Nations. When we bring an anthropological perspective to the matter of the cultures in questions, we can examine both sides and determine whether or not there is a human rights issue due to cultural differences that have perhaps are influenced by their particular society’s religious/philosophical doctrine and ultimat...
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...nes - Office of the Historian." The Chinese Revolution of 1911 -
1899–1913 - Milestones - Office of the Historian. USA Department of
State, n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.
"Brief Biography." His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. The Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, n.d. Web. 01 Apr. 2014.
Pillay, Navi. "China Must Urgently Address Rights Violations in Tibet – UN Senior
Official." UN News Center. UN, 02 Nov. 2012. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.
Religion in China. (2014, April 20). Wikipedia. Retrieved April 24, 2014, from http:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_China
China accuses US of meddling after Obama-Dalai Lama meeting - Hindustan Times. (2014, February 22). http://www.hindustantimes.com/. Retrieved April 24, 2014, from http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/china-accuses-us-of- meddling-after-obama-dalai-lama-meeting/article1-1186941.aspx
The goal of the anthropologist is to come to understand the beliefs and behaviours of the cultures around them, without judgement. When one scrutinizes Western rituals, we often have difficulty seeing the strangeness of our own culture. To understand those around us, we must first be able to understand ourselves. In this paper, I will attempt to critically summarize and analyze Horace Miner’s “Body Ritual among the Nacirema”.
The Chinese have repeatedly tortured, imprisoned, and murdered Tibetans all for what they claim is national unity. While the oppression of the Tibetan people began in the 1950’s with the invasion of China, it continues just as strongly today. From religious oppression and unfair trials to the torture of nuns and monks, the Chinese abuse even the most reverent aspects of Tibetan culture. Political prisoners, whether they are monks, nuns or lay people, are tortured with utter disregard for human rights. Chinese laws have also been established to eradicate the Tibetan people entirely. Women often must endure forced abortions and sterilization due to Chinese birth policies. Through all of these crimes against humanity, China repeatedly commits acts of genocide as established by the United Nations.
Desjarlais, R., & Throop, C. J. (2011). Phenomenological approaches in anthropology. Annual Review of Anthropology, 40, 87-102. doi: 10.1146/annurev-anthro-092010-153345.
Cultural Anthropology: The Human Challenge, 14th Edition William A. Havilland; Harald E. L. Prins; Bunny McBride; Dana Walrath Published by Wadsworth, Cengage Learning (2014)
Nanda, S and Warms, R.L. (2011). Cultural Anthropology, Tenth Edition. Belmont, California: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. ISBN – 13:978-0-495-81083-4.
Schultz, Emily A. & Lavenda, Robert H. 2005, Cultural Anthropology, 6th edn, Oxford University Press, New York, Chapter 3: Fieldwork.
It has happened to most native peoples, they’re pushed out of their homelands by a big, foreign power. Peoples’ rights get violated, and they are treated as second class citizens. Native Americans, Africans, Siberians, Indians, it has happened to all of them. In Asia, a new superpower has risen up, communist China, and has gained a massive amount of influence, using the largest military in the world. The native peoples in the western borderlands have suffered the greatest, and most people have heard about the struggle of Tibet. Most of us, however, have not heard of another, more violent crackdown, on the Uyghur people. This paper will take you through all the inner workings of the conflict, from the background, to the reasons, to the violence.
Ruth Benedict’s anthropological book, Patterns of Culture explores the dualism of culture and personality. Benedict studies different cultures such as the Zuni tribe and the Dobu Indians. Each culture she finds is so different and distinctive in relation to the norm of our society. Each difference is what makes it unique. Benedict compares the likenesses of culture and individuality, “A culture, like an individual, is a more or less consistent pattern of thought or action” (46), but note, they are not the same by use of the word, “like.” Benedict is saying that figuratively, cultures are like personalities. Culture and individuality are intertwined and dependent upon each other for survival.
Stein, Philip L., and Rebecca L. Stein. The Anthropology of Religion, Magic, and Witchcraft. 3rd. Upper Sadle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2011. Print.
Firstly anthropologists studied here have given us the over arching structural importance of religious ritual to social power in unity and cohesion of ideas provided by such rituals. TO do this though they had to examine the actual rituals in society and the purpose they also serve within the temporal space they occupy.
Apart from helping improve the lives of other people, anthropologists try to use knowledge shape anthropology’s main content. John van Willigen says that, “much authentic anthropological knowledge is scattered throughout journal from a broad array of disciplines, and in the fugitive literature of technical and contract reports,” and because of that anthropological knowledge has little effect on shaping anthropology’s main content which is the opposite of what should be done (Rylko-Bauer, Singer and Willigen 2006). Knowledge should be incorporated into the main contents which should be an utmost importance for “academically based applied anthropologists” (Rylko-Bauer, Singer and Willigen 2006). Applied anthropologists also speak of a “theory of practice” whereby meaning a group of standards that forebode or clarify how information produced by applied studies is rendered into action which “can refer to factors” that directed effectual application of such knowledge either in policy growth, interference, or decision making(Rylko-Bauer, Singer and Willigen
McGee, Jon R., and Richard L. Warms. Anthropological Theory: An Introductory History. 5th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2012. Print.
In Tibet one might use the words “religion” and “culture” almost as synonyms, especially for the arts—literature, drama, painting, and sculpture. Not only were they inspired by religion, but religion was their very raison d’être (Pal 18).
Culture and society, while important terms to the field of anthropology, are often misunderstood or misused by new students. They are frequently used in daily life, but with a somewhat different context and meaning than those used in anthropological discussions, hence the misunderstanding. They refer to concepts which act as foundations of this field, and it is difficult to make sense of both old and new studies or ideas without them.
Culture is an important concept in anthropology. Culture is defined as, "sets of learned behavior and ideas that human beings acquire as members of society. Human beings use culture to adapt to and transform the world in which they live." (LS:512). Culture has been used in anthropology to understand human difference, but within this understanding there have been benefits and drawbacks to the ideas of culture. Finally, the study of language and humans as symbol using creatures helps us have perspectives on different parts of the world. All anthropologists share a certain reliance on culture to have a starting point in understanding human experience as a whole.