#anth1002

[gwanth1002]

The textbook defines menarche as the onset of menstruation (Miller, 73). The first picture was taken earlier in the week in my dorm room. It is a picture of some of the essentials a woman may need when she is on her period. The boxes include supplies used during a period, and the chocolate is an essential resource to get through one's period. The reason I chose to do Menarche, and menstruation as a whole, is because of the stigma of talking about menstruation and the fact that it is a taboo topic. Many girls reach menarche in their early teens and experience it until they are around 51 years old, when they reach menopause. When working in the field, an anthropologist may want to analyze the stigma behind menarche and menstruation in different cultures, and the rights of women to the resources they need during menstruation. The textbook also discusses how girls in high-income countries usually reached menarche earlier than girls in low-income countries, and an anthropologist could research the reasons behind this.

The second picture was also taken in my dorm room during the week, and it can be used to describe cultural competence. Cultural competence is defined, among Western-trained health professionals, as awareness of and respect for beliefs and practices that differ from those of Western medicine (Miller,78). The book in the picture, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, is about the lack of cultural competence in Minnesota of Hmong healing traditions. Lia, a Hmong child, develops epilepsy, and the story follows her and her parents' interactions with a US hospital compared to their traditions in healing. For example, the hospital would prescribe medicine for Lia, but the Hmong parents didn’t believe that the medicine helped (and they couldn’t read the instructions) so they didn’t give it to her. They also thought that she had the disease because a dab (evil spirit) stole her soul, not because of a biological reason. The American doctors didn’t understand why they wouldn’t give her the medicine, so they called child protective services because they considered it child abuse. Because of this situation with Lia, doctors at the hospital started to become more culturally competent, so much so that they now employ Shamans for Hmong in the hospital so that they can perform traditional healing ceremonies alongside western ceremonies.

[gwanth1002]

1.       Youth gang

This is a screenshot of the single, “Falling Down” by Lil Peep and XXXTENTACION, playing on my Spotify web browser.

Miller refers the word youth gang to “a group of people, found mainly in urban areas, who are often considered a social problem by adults and law enforcement officials” (p. 144).

XXXTENTACION came to my mind instantly when I read about this word. X is a rapper that was shot dead in June this year. He was constantly in trouble for violent behavior; he was once expelled from school for beating up another student. By the time he was 17, he had already been charged with possession of a firearm, armed robbery, resisting arrest and Xanax possession. He has also violently beat a cellmate for doing “some gay shit” (Miami New Times). He is most notoriously known for abusing his pregnant ex-girlfriend. It was reported that he slapped his ex-girlfriend for listening to another rapper other than himself.

His music combines hip-hop and emo, and mostly sounded depressive. It reflected a life lived with disregard for humanity- both other people’s and his own. Miller (p.145) talks about how many gang members have a personality type called a defiant individualist, which has characteristics that X shows: intense competitiveness, mistrust of others, social isolation, self-reliance, a strong survival instinct.

2.       Secondary group

On the same level, this photo also relates to the word secondary group. Secondary group means “a group of people who identify with one another on some basis but may never meet with one another personally” (Miller, p.140).

X is part of a new wave of Internet-bred music genre known as “SoundCloud rap”- music that embraces internet culture and heavy Xanax use. Lil Peep, another SoundCloud rapper, who died from a Xanax overdose, don’t get along with X. After both deaths, the single, “Falling down” was released just recently. The co-writer of the song couldn’t wait to share this song especially after sharing an old recording of X expressing regret that he never seemingly met Peep. Both artists rap in a similar “emo” fashion, and have face tattoos too- and thus could “identify with one another”. However, as Miller has put it, they will “never meet with one another personally”. Especially since both coincidentally died within a year.

As an anthropologist, I would love to learn more about how personal backgrounds can influence song-writing and song-making.

[gwanth1002]

As defined by Miller, a social group is “a cluster of people beyond the household unit who are usually related on a basis other than kinship, although kinship relationships may exist between people in the group,” (Miller, 132). The above picture was taken at the Capital One Arena stadium in Washington, D.C. at a home game of the Washington Capitals versus the Carolina Hurricanes. I chose this picture to represent social groups because the spectators around the stadium are related through their support of the Capitals hockey team. They are all fans of the team, which is exemplified by some people choosing to wear jerseys to show their support. The tickets for this preseason game were more than $20, so the game wasn’t a free event that would attract anyone that had a couple of hours to spare, but rather an event that would attract fans of hockey and of the Caps. Additionally, many fans came with friends and family, but some also came alone-yet most of them identify on some level as Caps fans, showing that this large group of people in the arena is related on grounds other than friendship or kinship. If I did further research, I would research the degree to which NHL team fans consider themselves a ‘social group.’

I also used the picture above to describe a secondary group, or “people who identify with one another on some common ground but who may never meet with one another or interact with each other personally,” (Miller, 132). The Capitals have many fans around the Washington and Maryland/Virginia area, and the groups that come to see the games live often vary from game to game. I used the same picture to describe a secondary group because, although the fans all have hockey and being Caps fans as a common ground, it’s unlikely that each person knows or has met all the people in the arena during any given game. From my experience going to the Caps game, during and after the match, people didn’t mingle too much out of their primary group and usually left the arena quickly after the game finished. So, these fans do not necessarily know each other on a personal level, however, a good portion of them identify as Caps fans and supporters. If I was to do further research, I would want to see how many devoted fans-i.e. fans that go to nearly every home game-know each other and have interacted with each other to the extent that they would now be classified from as a primary group.

[gwanth1002]

The Miller textbook defines invention as the spread of culture through contact. Trains were invented in the United Kingdom in 1804 by Richard Trevithick. Trains modernized the way people traveled and exchanged goods. It also connected distant places, for example, a trip from New York to California now takes a couple of days instead of a couple of months. Trains changed over to rapid electric transit systems in the 19th century through technological advances. One of the most important factors in the development of modern trains was the steam locomotive. The steam locomotive was not best suited for urban environments or underground operation. The invention of electric traction in 1890 created smoke-free subway system. I would conduct further anthropological research into the countries that do not have underground subways. 

The Miller textbook defines modernization as political consolidation through the state, technological innovation, literacy, and options for social mobility. The subway is an important form of technology that exists. Specifically, in New York, around 5.7 million people ride the train every weekday. This is the 6 train that goes from downtown Manhattan (near the Brooklyn Bridge) to the Bronx. I usually take the train in the upper east side where there has been more modernization in the subway lines. Recently, the Q train was expanded into the Upper East Side through Second Avenue. They are considering adding more stops and expanding the train line into Harlem. This addition cost $4.5 billion for only 3 stops. It has become a key part of the Upper East Side and has eased travel for many residents. I would conduct further study into the cost of subway additions and how it affects low-income neighborhoods like Harlem. I would want to learn if it furthers gentrification and displacement in New York City. 

[gwanth1002]

The first picture is of a Red Bull car I saw while walking on campus. It was a very strange sight to see since I was not sure if it was meant to be advertisement or how someone wanted their car to look. Modernization is defined as a model of change based on belief in the inevitable advance of science and Western secularism and processes, including industrial growth, consolidation of the state, bureaucratization, a market economy, technological innovation, literacy, and options for social mobility (Miller 275). The picture reflects the key concept because the car represents different aspects of modernization. First the car itself is an example of technological innovation of transportation. Most Americans depend on cars. Roads, signs, and traffic laws have become part of our culture. Red Bull is a symbol for the market economy, since people choose between thousands of drink options. I think Energy drinks also represent the idea of industrial growth, since people use them to increase productivity. I would do anthropological research on whether people view energy drink companies as positive or negative, especially because of their popularity with younger generations.

The second picture is of the new cross walk on Hst. Students walk frequently between Kogan Plaza, Gelman Library, District House, Lisner Auditorium, Marvin Center, and various food trucks. It is important to remember that this project cannot be considered a development project. Project cycle is defined as the steps of a development project from initial planning to completion: project identification, project design, project appraisal, project implementation, and project evaluation (Miller 280). This picture relates to this key term because, although the crosswalk is not an example of development in the anthropological sense, the steps taken to complete it were like those outlined in the definition of project cycle. Project identification was seen when students and community leaders recognized the need for a new crosswalk about ten years ago when, “…pedestrians have recently begun crossing in the middle of the street in larger numbers than usual after the District House entrance was renovated and food trucks flooded the streets” (Grace and Schonfeld). Student leaders were consulted to create a solution for this problem which threatened student security and safety. Project design was demonstrated as GW had to create and submit a design that would be accepted by the District Department of Transportation. Students witnessed the project implementation as the new crosswalk, sign, and barriers around planters were installed. I think Cultural fit (defined as a characteristic of informed and effective project design in which planners take local culture into account) is an interesting term to consider in this example because of the mixed student response (Miller 280). From personal observation, it seems that more students use the crosswalk and less jaywalk, but it is not uncommon for students to cross wherever is the most convenient. The negative student response is also reflected in the supplemental image found on the GW student meme Facebook group; it can be debated if GW adequately designed this project. Convenience has long been known to be an important value of college culture. Although this project is an improvement, students view it as insufficient. If I were to do additional research, I would want to see if development projects are more successful when community members instead of institutions are involved in their design and implementation.

Sources:

1.            https://www.gwhatchet.com/2018/05/30/officials-introduce-plans-for-new-h-street-crosswalk/

2.            https://www.gwhatchet.com/2018/10/01/officials-to-install-new-h-street-crosswalk-this-week/

Supplemental Image:

[gwanth1002]

Miller defines invention as “the discovery of something new.” (Miller 262) For this I chose the Capital Bike share system in Washington. The bike was invented in 1817 by Baron Karl von Drais in Germany. The concept of a bike share is also very new and it only possible with modern technology. Washington DC is a tourist city where tourists would be hard pressed in using their cars for many destinations in the city. They often do not bring their own bikes so this fills void. DC is just generally a more pedestrian society where people walk most places. The bikes allow people to get to places a little bit more quickly as opposed to walking. This type of project would not work in a more rural or suburban area. As an example, in Greenville SC everyone owns a car and is always the primary mode of transportation. There are not that many urban areas where this type of project would be successful. Considering this chapter deals a lot with poverty, I would like to study whether or not people in poverty are ever able to actually use these and if they receive any benefit.

Miller defines social capital as “the intangible resources existing in social ties, trust, and cooperation.” This term was talked about within the context of development is poorer countries. Instead of large top down measures for development many agencies have used grassroots methods where work is done by small local groups. These local groups are more likely to have social capital among the local populace. This trust makes it easier for these groups to dispense aid to people who may be unwilling to deal with outsiders. An example of this is when the US army tried to develop parts of Afghanistan and the locals did not trust the improvements they made. As an example of social capital I chose a picture of a sweatshirt to represent the fraternity/sorority system as a group. These groups rely on social ties, trust, and cooperation to survive. The relationships between fraternities and sororities is necessary for them to cooperate in charity work such as profit shares. If I could do fieldwork I would like to study how effective grassroots development is and if it is better than top down methods.

[gwanth1002]

Miller defines development as “change directed toward improving human welfare.” (Miller 260) For this I chose the International Development Association (IDA) on H street. The IDA is the part of the World Bank which assists low income countries by giving out loans to develop local economies. The IDA is one of the largest sources of assistance for the world’s 75 poorest countries, 39 of which are in Africa, and is the single largest source of donor funds for basic social services in these countries. From 2011-2018 they have given 86 million people access to safe water, 657 million people essential health services, and trained 8.4 million teachers. The IDA works with countries to support micro-credit loans which is another term in the textbook and is defined as “a small cash loan made to low-income people to support an income-generating activity.” (Miller 261) These are used to support small business owners who live in countries which do not have a healthy financial sector of their own.

Miller defines an extractivist industry as “a business that explores for, removes, processes, and sells minerals, oil, and gas, that are found on or beneath the earth’s surface and which are nonrenewable”. (Miller 279) For this I chose the Exxon station on M street. Exxon is a natural gas company in the business of extracting oil from the ground for profit. Extractivist industries often have violent with native people and Exxon Mobil is no exception. In 2001, they were sued by Indonesian villagers for human rights violations. The villagers accused Exxon knowing about the abused of the Indonesian Security Forces who were hired to protect the the companies assets in the region. These abuses included rape, murder, torture, etc… The litigations are still going on today. If I could do fieldwork, I would like to investigate other human rights violations perpetrated by other extractivost industries

[gwanth1002]

The Miller textbook defines the term diffusion as “the spread of culture through contact” (Miller 262). The first photo was taken at Georgia Brown’s on 15th street this past Friday. The restaurant serves traditional black southern food that is typical to many African American households. The menu consisted of food like fried chicken, collard greens, and cornbread. While I was there, many of the restaurant goers were of diverse backgrounds who were indulging in traditional Soul Food. Therefore, I felt that this restaurant exemplifies diffusion as African American culture is being spread and enjoyed by all. If I were to conduct further anthropological fieldwork, I would like to study which aspects of African American culture are most diffused into overall American culture and why. For example, AA food has diffused into American culture more than AA beauty standards. Why is that?

The Miller textbook defines the term cultural fit as “a characteristic of informed and effective project design in which planners take local culture into account” (Miller 270). The second photo was taken inside the United States Institute of Peace building on Constitution Ave. USIP is a federal institution that aims to promote global peace through grassroot initiatives. My professor for my Religion in International Affairs class works for USIP and held class there, where we spoke to individuals whose job is focusing specifically on cultural fit and religion. Their goal is to develop culturally fit projects in order to establish security and peace between conflicting actors. If I were to conduct further anthropological fieldwork, I would like to study how cultural fit plays out on the ground and if local actors are susceptive to it or treat it as Western intervention regardless.