#morganjohnson

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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.

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The Miller textbook defines the term world religion as “a religion that is based on written sources, has many followers, is regionally widespread, and is concerned with salvation” (Miller 203). This is a picture of Grace Church in Manhattan, NYC I took on Saturday. Grace Church is a 19th century Episcopal Church, a denomination of the Christian faith. The Miller textbook explains that about 2 billion people are followers of Christianity throughout the world. Grace Church is not the only Christian church in Manhattan as there are many sprinkled throughout the city. If I were to conduct further research, I would like to study why there is constant war amongst the world religions when in fact some are quite similar to each other. For example, Islam and Christianity both worship God and have many of the same prophets. 

The Miller textbook defines the term religious pluralism as “the condition in which two or more religions coexist either as complementary to each other or as competing systems” (Miller 204). Grace Church is an example of the religious pluralism in New York City as there are people with many faiths within NYC. I know there is a high Jewish population at NYU and safe spaces for Muslims to practice and worship as well. If I were to conduct further research, I would like to examine the differences between religious pluralism in NYC vs. London or Paris. Is one city more tolerant than the other and why?

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Miller’s Cultural Anthropology defines the term communication as “the process of sending and receiving meaningful messages” (Miller 173). This photo was taken at my church back in Bel Air, MD on Sunday. I chose this picture for communication because church is a perfect example of communication that occurs between the preacher and the audience. The preacher is sending meaningful messages about God and communicating life lessons to church members. For me, this communication is vital as I feel like I can function better after attending church. If I were to conduct further research regarding communication and church, I think it would be interesting to reveal the communication differences between denominations and which form of communication is preferred by the members. For example, the Catholic church worships and communicates differently than the Pentecostal church. Therefore, I would like to know which way is more effective for church goers. 

Miller’s Cultural Anthropology defines the term global language as “a language spoken widely throughout the world and in diverse cultural contexts, often replacing indigenous languages” (Miller 187). The second photo I have is of a sweatshirt my parents got for me while in Portugal last week. Although the main language in Portugal is Portuguese, they told me that most people there could speak English. English is a global language that, like the Miller textbook states, is being used for both linguistic and economic opportunities. In non-English speaking tourist destinations, such as Lisbon, speaking English is an almost necessary skill to acquire in order to attract the English-speaking population. I would like to know why while other cultures are adopting global languages in order to globalize but here in the US we are not learning multiple languages from a young age.

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In the Miller Cultural Anthropology textbook, the term achieved position is defined as “a person’s standing in society based on qualities that the person has gained through action” (Miller 140). This photo of the White House represents a president’s achieved position as the highest official in the United States. In order to become president, one should have respectable qualities and has demonstrated through action that she/he is capable of becoming the president. President Obama is a good example as having an achieved position that he gained through his intelligence and well-respected actions. If I were to conduct further research, I would like to understand why some people have risen high with low achievements and have been able to obtain honorable positions although not qualified. 

The textbook defines the term social stratification as “a set of hierarchical relationships among different groups as though they were arranged in layers, or ‘strata’” (Miller 139). While the White House represents achieved position, it can also represent the social stratification in America. The unequal divide between race and class means that some groups hold more power, education, and human welfare like Miller describes. And the people working in the White House and other branches of the government are either fighting for this divide or against it. Therefore, with the current president and party, the White House can be seen to represent the top layer (1%) of people in America. Already knowing most of the history behind why America’s social stratification is the way it is, I would like to know what the social stratification is like in non-Western cultures.

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In Miller’s Cultural Anthropology textbook, the term patriarchy is defined as “the dominance of men in economic, political, social, and ideological domains” (Miller 144). This is a photo of the White House I took last weekend and I think it perfectly symbolizes patriarchy in America. The United States, like many other countries, is a historically patriarchal society. Although in recent times we are finally seeing women break the glass ceiling, men still unfairly dominate the majority of domains throughout society. The 2016 election between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump exemplifies how the patriarchy still runs deep in American society; along with the recent Kavanaugh allegations and a system that completely ignores victims of sexual abuse. Therefore, as the White House symbolizing both America and our government, we are still rooted in patriarcal traditions that are completely damaging and unfair to women. If I were to conduct further research, I would like to study societies that are not patriarchies and observe how they treat women.

The textbook defines the term family as “a group of people who consider themselves related through a form of kinship, such as descent, marriage, or sharing” (Miller 123). This photo was taken last weekend at a NASCAR race in Delaware my family went to. From left to right is dad, my mom’s brother, and my cousin from my mom’s side. I typically only see my mom’s side of the family a lot more and during holidays my dad spends his time with my mom’s family. Therefore, from my dad’s perspective, family is formed more so through marriage. If I were to conduct further research, I would like to understand the importance of family between different ethnicities in American society. 

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