Central issues in anthropology : a journal of the Central States Anthropological Society最新文献

This article describes a new synthesis of social science theory, the “relational perspective,” which is a holistic, cross-cultural, and interdisciplinary approach focusing on the phenomenology of personal and relationships as key factors influencing the development of culture and identity in folk and urban societies. Four ideal types (the tribe, peasantbased society, early modern society, and the bureaucratic planning system) are briefly described. Futher, it attempts to illuminate the “urban bias” of modern social science.

To determine specific characteristics useful in sex determination in Cercopithecus ascanius crania, 17 cranial measurements and 10 cranial indices were derived from twenty-seven adult male and seventeen adult female crania and were subjected to discriminant function and canonical analysis. Significant differences between male and female skulls included overall size, especially in the palatal and orbital areas of the cranium. Important differences also existed in the shape of the palate, orbits, and cranial vault in relation to the facial region. Comparison and application of the results of this study to data on other Old-World monkey species indicated that information useful in assessing possible panprimate patterns of sexual dimorphism may be inferred, as differences between male and female crania in the orbital, facial, and palatal areas were common to other species investigated.

All societies have formal means of settling disputes. An individual may, however, astutely manipulate conflicting institutional rules, especially in the context of rapid culture change and successfully circumvent all jural procedures. In this article a traditional Mossi woman formally changes her social status to that of “Christian” and in so doing enlists the norms of the church to assist her in disposing of an unwanted common-law husband of 5 years in a socially acceptable manner. The rules of the church defined her sexual union as illicit and required that it be terminated if she were to receive baptism. This was precisely the end she had in view, though Mossi custom would have made such a move more difficult and embarrassing.

An optimum diet model like those used in ecology is developed for an archeological test. Predictions are made for subsistence and settlement patterns of hunter-gatherer of populations on Martha's Vineyard. The results indicate the future potential of this model for hunter-gatherer groups in general.

Piecing together evidence from the historian, the archivist, the political scientist, and the ethnographer, Dr. Moss, in the C.S.A.S. Distinguished Lecture, describes the changing southern Italian family. In this brief essay he describes the traditional family as one adapted to a medieval feudal society that must now face the task of adjusting to an urban and industrialized society. The question of the survival of the unit is left unaswered but the reader is left with a real understanding of the dynamics of family life in South Italy; both yesterday and today.

This article probes the place of sexuality in Anang culture as mirrored through folktales, drama, and observation of real behavior. The authors show that the “fit” between real culture and folklore is almost perfect in the area of sexuality. Important also is the ability of the authors to show the usefulness of folklore analysis to ethnographic research and to share important data from a segment of human social life that is not often made available.

The complex interrelationships among ritual, life course transitions, and altered states of consciousness (ASCs) are examined on a theoretical level. ASCs are an important and relatively new concept in anthropological studies of transition and change. Hypersuggestibility, a characteristic of ASCs, is the key element of this analysis.

Birthday parties are analyzed as a life course ritual. Their efficacy in facilitating transition is evaluated in light of the issue of the potential of a series of less intense rituals versus the potential of one major ritual for effecting change. Stress is a crucial element of this problem. A symbolic analysis of those elements of birthday parties relevant to the main thesis supports the conclusion that birthday parties are a significant life course ritual in American culture.

Since 1934, the Amish-Mennoite community of Plain City, Ohio has shifted its religious affiliation from the Old Order Amish Church to several more liberal Mennoite denominations. Research conducted in this community in 1977 indicates that this change in religious affiliation has resulted in major changes in other aspects of culture, including language, family patterns, occupations, and education. The results of this study suggest that the Mennonite churches may serve to facilitate the movement of Amish individuals into mainstream American culture.