ANTH326 Meeting 10 (Draft)

ANTH326 P e ople s a nd Culture s of S ub-S a ha ra n

Afric aMe e ting 10, Nove mbe r 12, 2007

F e e dba ck on Cours e

• R e ce ive d fe e dba ck• Te a ch ing e xpe rie nce• Le a rning e xpe rie nce

Impre s s e d by Concordia

• Dive rs ity of vie wpoints• Thoug htfulne s s , e ve n ins ig h t

Critic a l th inking

• Implica tions of s ta te me nts• P utting in pe rs pe c tive• Us ing diffe re nt a ng le s• Not ta ke a nyth ing for g ra nte d

This Cours e

• Touchy topic s• P a s s iona te• Ge t de e pe r

B re a kthoug h?

• Two we e ks a g o• Dis cus s e d la s t we e k• Me dia c ritique s• J ourna l e ntrie s

B e ha viour

• S ome is s ue s• De ba te s a re fine whe n re s pe c tful• De ba te bubble– R ig h t vs . Le ft– Ca na die ns vs . S e na tors– HD-DVD vs . B lu-R a y

• F irm on dis ruptive be ha viour

Us e of Te rms

• Not ba nning te rms– Us ing te rm s c a re fu lly– De fine te rm s us e d (“tra dition” two we e ks a g o)

• Authors us ing loa de d te rms for e ffe c t– Ina ppropria te in a n a s s ig nm e nt– R e a de rs h ip

• Te rms le s s importa nt th a n conce pts

B roa d Ide ntitie s

• Ke pt me ntioning , worth re pe a ting• Unproble ma tis e d “Afric a n”• Unproble ma tis e d “E urope a n”• Unproble ma tis e d “White ”• Unproble ma tis e d “B la ck”

Ge nde r

• E mbodie d g e nde r• S e xua lity• P e rce ption of body

Que s tions on Rodne y

– S imila ritie s “colonia l unde rde ve lopme nt” with “inte rna tiona l de ve lopme nt”–Diffe re nce s “colonia l unde rde ve lopme nt”

with “inte rna tiona l de ve lopme nt”–Links fina nce a nd de ve lopme nt–Compa re Rodne y with Diop

Note s

–Cons truc ting b iolog y• R a c ia l cons truc ts• Writing s tyle s• One -tra ck mind• P roving point• Ta lking a bout a s ymme trie s–R e de fining “tribe ”– Afric a n is t Obs e s s ion?

–Multi-e thnic s ta te s (pa ra lle ls on s ta te s )–Divide a nd rule , a g a in–De te rminis m–P rototypica l body (pa tte rn re cog nition)–P re -colonia l te nde nc ie s on g e nde r– J ourna lis tic s e tting s– J ourna lis tic re s pons ib ilitie s

–Te chnolog ica l e volutionis m–Line a rity– F e uda lis m to c a p ita lis m

– S trong la ng ua g e– “Culture ” a nd “Civilis a tion”

R odne y

• Guya na• UWI, S OAS• Activis m• Ide a liz e d/s implifie d pre -colonia l Afric a• Impre s s e d by Ta nz a nia

Africa in Globa l E conomy

–Outs ide control?–World B a nk a nd IMF–F a ir-tra de–Micro-le nding–As ia n inte re s ts

Wra p-Up

• Thre a ds from we e ks• Ma king links (Whe re c a n be found? )

“Tra ditiona l Afric a ”

Ora lity

• Ve rba l communica tion– Inc lude s ig n la ng ua g e s , “body la ng ua g e ”– E xc lude writing (but m a y inc lude IM)

• Cha in of d ire c t tra ns mis s ion• Imme dia cy/ins ta nta ne ity/s imulta ne ity• E xcha ng e /dia log ue /ba ck-a nd-forth• Multi-la ye re d/multi-cha nne l

“Ora l s oc ie tie s ”

• “P re -lite ra te ? ”• Writing a s de fining fe a ture ?• F unctiona l lite ra cy?• Writing s ys te ms ofte n e xis t– Coe xis te nc e ora l/writte n

“Tra dition? ”

• S ta tic ?• Old?• Ge nuine ?• Cons e rva tive ?

Tra dition a nd Mode rnity

• Tra dition– Continuity (pe rc e ive d or re a l)– Ch a ng e (h a ppe ning )

• Mode rnity– Dis c ontinuity (with a nc ie nts )– Ch a ng e (pe rc e ive d or re a l)

P os tmode rnis m (P oMo)

• R e a c tion to mode rnis m• Implie d h is toric ity• Cros s bounda rie s• De cons truc t ide ntitie s• Multiplic ity of ide ntitie s /vie wpoints• F le xib ility/fluidity/informa lity/cha os• R e cog nis e a nyth ing ?

Group De finition

• Glos s onyms , e thnonyms• Colonia l cons truc ts (pe rha ps unwitting ly)• Ide ntity c la ims by us e /e xpla na tion

e thnonym• De fine th roug h conta c t/conflic t