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Anthropology Fieldwork: Toblerone

For this fieldwork I am examining chocolate producer, Toblerone. Toblerone is a Swiss chocolate manufacturer which was acquired in the 1990’s by Kraft food, now named Mondelez International. Toblerone has limited availability within the United States however it is/was popular is some portions of Europe.

Mondelez International acquires its Cocoa from several international regions including Peru, South America and the Ivory Coast. However, reports indicate its largest supplier of raw Cocoa is Ghana in North West Africa.

Ghana’s economy is heavily reliant on Cocoa production. Cocoa production takes a significant role in Ghana’s agricultural GDP.

Cocoa production, which has increased through both productivity growth and area expansion, now accounts for nearly 8 percent of GDP, 25 percent of agricultural GDP, 28 percent of foreign exchange earnings, and 5 percent of government revenue. Cocoa farmers have been among the main beneficiaries of the poverty-reduction effects associated with the recent economic growth. The incidence of poverty among cocoa producers was higher than the national average in the early 1990s, but it has gradually declined to a level significantly lower than the national average. Cocoa producers have received increasingly higher prices in recent years, with global price increases largely leading the way until about 2003, and larger shares of prices going to producers since then.

Ghana is an unconventional producer/exporter of Cocoa, compared to many other nations. The Ghana Government has taken an active role in the production, marketing, and exportation of Cocoa. This is conducted through a Ghanaian Cocoa Board which creates and enforces cocoa regulations for the purpose of improving Cocoa producer conditions, as well as collecting producer and buyer taxes.

The Cocoa board has significantly improved conditions within Ghana for Cocoa Producers incomes in the country, particularly in the northern regions.

In 1999 the government developed a strategy to increase production from nearly 335,000 tons to about 500,000 tons by 2004-2005. That goal has been met, and the government is now aiming to increase production to about a million tons by 2010.

Not all aspects of Ghanaian Cocoa productions has been improved, however. Many small cocoa producers use all family members in producing the family income, including children.

A man, woman, and five to six children typically work a unit in Ghana. Farming cocoa isolated areas without adequate infrastructure involves as many as 28 processes, in which children sometimes participate. Cocoa production needs to be “modernized” through labor-saving innovations and labor-substituting capital inputs to discourage or reduce the need to use children (Sarpong).

Efforts have been made by the Cocoa board to advocate increased use of modern Cocoa production technology in Ghana, with some positive results. This includes increased use of pesticides and crop rotation to reduce the need to clear additional cocoa farming land. The Ghana Cocoa Board has explored numerous alternatives in an effort mitigate any negative aspects of Cocoa’s impact on Ghana’s. While balancing the country’s economic needs, environmental impacts, and societal needs are an ever changing balancing act, significant economic improvements have been created for by the Cocoa Board.

It is not sufficient of course that cocoa producers benefit from increased productivity or higher prices; the more important question is whether they produce enough to meet their livelihood needs. Recent surveys suggest that cocoa producers have become better off in recent years (Jackson).

In summary, the conditions for Ghanaian Cocoa producers have improved as a whole, Chocolate production, for companies like Toblerone producer Mondelez International, has been a vehicle for reducing poverty rates in Ghana, even if some non-ideal social and environmental conditions are experienced as a result.

References https://www.odi.org/events/434-production-markets-and-future-smallholders-role-cocoa-ghana

#Cocoa Toblerone Fieldwork

Fair Trade

Per Wikipedia- Fair trade is a foundation whose stated goal is to help producers in developing countries achieve better trading conditions. Members of the movement advocate the payment of higher prices to exporters, as well as improved social and environmental standards. Examples of Fair Trade Organizations include: Fairtrade Osterreich Max Havelaar Danmark Fair Trade Estonia

Social Class and Inequality

https://www.idsnews.com/article/2018/07/opinionunpaidinternships072018

The article ”Unpaid internships are classist” in the Indiana Student Journal creates its argument in a distinctly Bourdieu-ian manner. In part of Pierre Bourdieu’s theories of social capital, an individual’s surroundings and social groups influence your ability to earn income. This journal’s article’s premise states the concept of unpaid internships unevenly benefit high class and income students.

“Unpaid internships favor middle- to upper-class people who can afford to take time that could be spent at a paid job and use it to work for free. While it might be possible for some, for the rest of young people, there is not enough time to split between a paid job — or two — and class, and an unpaid internship.”

This reality, that these unpaid internships are frequently unattainable due to financial constraints, is a concept foreign to high class citizens.

“People who are privileged enough to have had unpaid internships often tell people to “save your money” but neglect to realize that saving money when you are living paycheck to paycheck is an oxymoron. The two do not coexist.”

By limiting the ability of low income students to partake in internships, which in turn can be used to improve earning potentials, class stratification is reinforced and strengthened. Further increasing the social standing of high class students who are able to pay their bills without needing to earn a paycheck to do so.

Fieldwork #8 Kinship Diagram

The most notable part of my diagram is the circumstances my nieces' birth. As diagramed, both of my brothers are currently married but have daughters from a prior relationship. The diagram does not note both brothers had their children at a younger age.

Nationality and Ethnicity Fieldwork

The exhibit is an excellent demonstration of the intersection of multiple Cultural concepts, especially Nationalism and its impact on its citizenry based on their ethnicity. The fact the subject of this exhibit is African descendants living in Germany provides an interesting if not serendipitous backdrop for the Ethnicity and Nationalism chapter of this textbook. With the knowledge of German’s history, the concepts listed within the Cultural Anthropology text will be related to many of the individual examples of Germany immigration. (WARNING, graphic multimedia included.)

Hans Hauck is an example of many Cultural concepts but the first concept we will examine is assimilation. Or at least, attempted assimilation. Hans was born in Germany to a German mother and an Algerian father. Hans’ father was a member of the Algerian Military which occupied Germany following World War 1. Hans was unable to assimilate fully into his society as the animosity of the German citizenry to the occupying military forces apply to Hans as well. Hans attempted to assimilate in to German society between the world wars by joining the Hitler Youth, however even this could not override his biracial heritage. Eventually Hans was placed on trial as an “undesirable” and sentenced to sterilization.

Unfortunately for Hans, his difficulty assimilating into German society does not end there. In 1942 Hans willingly joined Germany’s army in WW2, which was conducting one of the largest Genocides in modern history. As the embedded video shows, Germany’s genocide was waged upon many different ethnic groups. All ethnic group were not seen as members of Germany’s “Aryan Master Race” were subject to relocation and extermination during this genocide.

To relate back to Hans, his desire to assimilate into his home society went so far as to willingly join a genocide of a group of people to which he belonged (undesirable nonwhite Europeans.) Unfortunately for him, he was eventually wounded and captured by the Soviet Union. While Hans eventually managed to return home to live out his life, he continued to experience discrimination as a result of his ethnicity.

Moving away from the heavy topics of war, let us examine Art and its use in culture. Another concept on display in the exhibit is the use of ethnic boundary markers. Many of the exhibit subjects discuss the use of music as a tie to their ethnic history. Whether Kikuyu, Kiswahili, or other languages, artists like Kofi Yakpo who immigrated to Germany use the music of their birth home as a cultural tie to the homeland and uses it to distinguish their identity from the larger German culture.

This concept of ethnic boundary markers is contrasted by the concept of cultural melting pots. Many of the display subjects discuss the idea that their society is a type of melting pot. Where their distinction as members of their born land fade, instead adopting the cultural norms of their new society.

The intersection between melting pot and ethnic boundary markers is situational negotiation of identity. Many immigrants both feel the need to assimilate into the melting pot of their community and country, but also desire to maintain some ethnic boundaries to distinguish themselves from their neighbors. This leads to the need to switch identities as the situation requires. Onejiru discussed the desire to both express one’s African roots musically while also creating music in German. By acknowledging the importance of both aspects of one’s heritage, immigrants like Onejiru can maintain cultural attachments to their historical and new homelands.

#Fieldwork

10/18 Attendance Post

Hans Hauk A biracial man born to a German mother and a black Algerian. Hans' father was a soldier in WW1 who was part of the force occupying German. This lead to severe discrimination against Hans by other Germans. Hans was eventually sterilized by the State and never overcame the stigma of being black in early 1900's Germany.

10/18 Attendance Post

Hans Hauk A mixed man born to a German mother and a black Algerian. Hans' father was a soldier in WW1 who was part of the force occupying German. This lead severe discrimination against Hans by other Germans. Hans was eventually sterilized by the State and never overcame the stigma of being black in early 1900's Germany.

Bafokeng Inc.

Race and Racism in the Dominican Republic. A concept map.

A brief summary of notable non verbal communication I observed in one day. The gestures were experienced at both work and school.

The face palm and its variants.

We’ve all been there before. Sometimes you hear something so incredibly….. “are you serious???!” that the only possible response is closing your eyes and trying to wish the speaker out of existence. Usually my response when listening to customers at work. The associated emotion is incredulousness.

Also common, pointing with the whole hand. This is indicates disbelief with a health mix of disagreement.

BYE!!

(Enough said)

A shrug and raised hands. The gesture can have several meanings but primarily indicates some form of apathy to the current situation. The secondary emotion is usually amusement, or resignation, or annoyance.

Bonus image.

It might not be a hand gesture, but the side eye is too iconic and occurred to many times to not include on the list. Frequently (very, very, frequently) used to silently express disbelief towards whatever nonsense the speaker is stating.

#Fieldwork4

1. I chose the 2200 block of Park Avenue. This location is near a friend’s house and is usually quiet with the exception of the MTA buses that run through the nearby intersection. 2. The primary difference today from other day I have been in the area are the smells; which are unusually distinctive today. Multiple charcoal grills can be smelled during the afternoon which can be expected on a Sunday afternoon. An additional new observation is the ethnicities of the pedestrians in the area. The residents in this area are primarily young Caucasians. However, the majority of pedestrians today were African American bus passengers, seemingly commuting to and from work. 3. Normally the areas has pedestrians dog walking and jogging for exercise. Today, there were very few people on foot for any purpose and those observed did not appear to be residents of the neighborhood. Instead they were commuting through this neighborhood. 4. The primary temporal difference in this location observed today compared to other days is due to Churches. This particular block has two churches on the corners. The churches bring large number of non-residents into the area. The impact of the Church membership becomes evident once you observe its members. As mentioned previously the local Residents are primarily young Caucasians. However, on Sundays the majority of people seen in the area appear to be of African descent, dressed in traditional African garb, speaking African languages including Swahili

Fieldwork Assignment #2

For this assignment I am not using the biological definition of “Want” and “Need” I am using operational definitions as following: Needs: Any item that that is mandatory for achieving, maintaining, or improving my current life style. Wants: Anything achieved as a result of my needs and the results of being able to afford my current lifestyle. Compared to my classmates, there are some striking differences in possessions. In particular the number and price of my electronics as well as household furnishings. This is mostly due to me being at a stage in my life where more wants can be afforded. However, there is also a corresponding increase in needs, to support the lifestyle difference. This can contribute to many issues, including lifestyle inflation. Most students will not experience lifestyle inflation issues while attending school, due to not yet progressing in their careers. Another major difference is the length of time I have spent shopping for my own items. As a college students, most classmates are at the beginning of their self reliance journey. I have been shopping for myself for many years and have acquired a lot of unneeded wants. Item $Cost Need/Want Reason for acquisition TV’s 1500 Want Desire to play video games in high definition Computer 900 Want Desired for ease of home computing. Phone 200 Need Some form of phone is needed generally and specifically to communicate at work. Xbox and games 400 Want Recreational multimedia. Keyboards (2) 60 Want Ease of computing while not sitting at a desk Dress clothes (Suits/shirts/pants/ties/vests) 1500 Need Requirements for work Casual wear (Jeans/shirts/etc) 1000 Want Some clothes are necessary but not this amount. Want to be fashionable. Dress footwear 400 Need Requirements for work Casual footwear 300 Want Some are necessary but not this amount. The want to be fashionable Furniture/Kitchen appliances 0 (Gifted) Want Desired for comfort and convenience Dishes/cutlery 300 Needs Some are necessary for cooking, but not this amount. Textbooks 250 Needs Requirements for school and improving lifestyle Charcoal grill 210 Want Desire for both grilled food as well as social events centered around grilling. Watches 100 Want Desire to be fashionable at work Jewelry/accessories 100 Want Desire to be fashionable Toiletries/hair care products 100 Want It is possible to live without the hair care products; using a less expensive hair style. But some toiletries are necessary such as deodorant

Fieldwork Assignment #1: The Business Suit

What is modernly known as a Business Suit has its fashion origins within France and England. Arising within these countries in the early 19th century, a fashion movement emerged personified by a type of socialite know as “Dandy.”

A quintessential example of a Dandy is a fashion pioneer of England named Beau Brummel. Beau popularized the Dandy look which consisted of tailored jackets, pantaloons, and other finery. These custom fitted suits were seen as both travel and casual wear necessities for the young modern socialite.

“High-collars, perfectly starched cravats, and tailor-fit jackets, vests, and trousers in complimentary colors were all part of the dandy's look during the first half of the nineteenth century.”

(http://www.fashionencyclopedia.com/fashion_costume_culture/European-Culture-19th-Century/Ditto-Suits.html)

(http://www.illustrationartgallery.com/acatalog/RainerBeau-G.jpg)

Following the rise in popularity for the expensive, custom-fitted Dandy wear, mass produced “Ditto Suits” soon followed.

“Introduced in 1860, the ditto suit offered a loose-fitting ready-to-wear outfit made from the same color and type of fabric."

(http://www.fashionencyclopedia.com/fashion_costume_culture/European-Culture-19th-Century/Ditto-Suits.html)

These generic reproductions enabled the middle class to partake in the burgeoning fashion trend, eventually leading towards modern business wear.

While lacking some of the pomp and flamboyance of the original Ditto suit, modern suits are still tailored clothing designed to grant an air of gravitas to an event. A well-fitting, clean, and neat Business Suit is a necessity for every professional’s closet. From interviews, meetings, presentations, to any other work event, Business Suits are meant to convey a professional demeanor conducive to a corporate work environment. My Business Suit in particular is constructed of polyester, rayon, and cotton, and is produced in China.

Textile(cloth and fabric) production within China have been linked to worsening environmental conditions for decades. One of the most impacted districts within China is the textile producing district of Xinjiang, and in particular the town of Hotan.

(https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/water-02042015152217.html/xinjiang-hotan-pref-map.jpg/image)

Hotak (or Khotan) has been a noted producer of silk, cotton, and other textiles even prior to the time of Christ. Part of the town’s ability to produce textiles is due to the Tarim River, which runs through the region, and supplies the region with drinking water.

“With China’s rise to one of the global leaders in textile production and export in the 1990s, Xinjiang experienced a boom in cotton production. The historically high cotton prices led most of the land cultivators in the Tarim Basin to switch to the labor-intensive activity of growing cotton, which in turn led to more population growth, greater land degradation, and increased water scarcity. Large tracts of unused land were converted into cotton fields, which often involved reclaiming land previously considered unusable because of its higher salt content. To flush out the salt content of the land, large volumes of water from the river were drawn and then piped back to the river, thereby reducing the quantity and quality of the water arriving downstream.”

The change in river water quality within Xinjiang led to changes in residents’ water consumption practices. Some local residents who previously relied upon Tarim River for their house water switched to ground wells to avoid salt and other river pollutants. This caused highly unexpected side effects.

“Xinjiang is ranked in the top five provinces that have the highest proportions of excessive arsenic— caused by natural geological conditions—in their village wells. Arsenic was first discovered in Xinjiang’s water in 1983 in a village called Kuitun in the Junggar Basin. The origin of the contamination began in the late 1960s when villagers switched from drinking river water with lowlevels of arsenic to a well that was highly contaminated.34 Over the next two decades, villagers developed serious health problems, including skin irregularities, fatigue, heart problems, and cancer.3”

(https://www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/xinjiang_dec08.pdf)

These water quality issues were not limited to the 20th century. Despite government efforts to improve ecological conditions in the area, many residents of Xinjiang are still facing difficulties accessing clean water.

“A water conservation project in a remote prefecture of China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) begun two decades ago has yet to bring clean drinking water to more than half of the area’s population, according to officials and local residents.

The conservation report said 20 years after the water project had begun, only 750,000 people in the prefecture had access to clean drinking water, while in areas such as Hotan’s Niya (Minfeng) county, up to 80 percent of the population did not.”

(https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/water-02042015152217.html)

Globalization as a whole has greatly benefited much of the world. However each facet of globalization can be a dual edged sword. The global economy creates markets which companies could have never reached without globalization. However, the new opportunities available to textile producers often come at a cost to local residents, with effects that are sometimes never mitigated. Cancer, heart disease, and skin irregularities are all documented side effects of textile pollution of the Timur river within Xinjiang province in China. Remember, the next time you put on your suit and go to work, someone might have developed an illness to provide the fabric resting on your back. Have a good day at work, dear!

#fieldwork #globalization

Uneven Development. As long as man lives, some will have and some will only be able to dream of having. With the multi lane highway and urban development in the distance, you can see the underdeveloped favela slums of Brazil. 6% of Brazil’s population is estimated to reside in favelas.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Favela

#unevendevelopment #favela

Beam Me Up, Scotty! Thanks to modern technology, concepts thought as sci-fi are within the real of reality. Quantum teleportation is a REAL and current technology that allows the transfer of information at the speed of light over vast distances. The future is now. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_teleportation

#spacetimecompression #dammitjim

Increased Migration. Improvements in transportation technology (not to mention Medical technology) enables Migration over long distances.

#Globalization Increasemigration

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