Reciprocity in Anthropology Essay

Words: 2162

Pages: 9

Open Document

The way every being experiences the world around us is mostly constructed by the culture we are exposed to and brought up in. The world makes sense to us because of the ways culture influences our perception. We experience the world around us in a time, space, and mentality that are built solely by culture. The Kaluli are a tribal clan from Highland New Guinea who experience their lives through reciprocity. The way the Kaluli form relationships amongst one another, communicate, and practice their everyday lives is based through gift-giving and reciprocity. The Kaluli are socially dependent beings who have constructed a social mechanism in which everyone participates in the art of reciprocity to maintain and build these social relations …show more content…
26) The Kaluli people distribute their labours and efforts in food-gathering by creating a mutual-dependency on one another. (Dr. Clark, Lecture 3) By creating a gift-based economy, there is a never ending cycle of giving, and thus there will always be support for the Kaluli people. (Dr. Clark, Lecture 3) Though western societies might look at the Kaluli gift-giving economy as an outdated method, it has shown to be the most efficient as there is less labour needed to be done by everyone and there is always certainty of being provided for. (Dr. Clark, Lecture 3) The Kaluli have found a form of security through these gift-giving rituals and traditions to make sure that they always have food and support. Through reciprocity, the Kaluli try to achieve a balance in their everyday life, and this has become the means in which they experience their world. There is reciprocity to keep balance of food and relationships. Likewise, the Kaluli myths of how nature, their placement in reality, and their after-world presents a different form of reciprocity and balance. The Kaluli believe that at the beginning of

Essay on Family and Kinship- Blood Relation

Anthropology Short Answer: 1. Culture- is the learned patterns of behavior and thought that help a group adapt to its surroundings. Culture is important in anthropological research because anthropology is the study of human kind and you have to study the different cultures in order to learn about different races and how they live. Culture greatly applies to anthropological research because an anthropologists need to know the traits, lifestyles, and learning methods of the culture they are studying…

Words 578 - Pages 3

Kinship Organization Essay

Affluence: A look at the San and American Societies Band societies serve as the benchmark from which other societies, such as the current modern American society have evolved. The San community is a prime example of this premise. In Cultural Anthropology the authors discuss the roots and details of the San kinship organization in detail. This band society, also known as the “Bushmen” are known to have lived in the Southern Africa (Kalahari Dessert) for thousands of years. Over time, anthropologists…

Words 1074 - Pages 5

Kinship in Horticulcural Essay

Kinship systems in horticultural-based societies provide support for people in all stages of life. With the current mobility of global populations we find ourselves increasingly geographically distant from parents and grandparents. How do we as members of a highly mobile and diverse society compensate for the lack of accessible kin? Members of highly mobile and diverse society compensate for the lack of accessible kin by affiliating with people that share a similarity of culture and beliefs…

Words 389 - Pages 2

preguntas Final Essay

communicate abstract ideas. Social learning would be impossible without language. All of these are reasons language is critical to humanity. 2 points QUESTION 7 1. Which of these statements best describes culture from the perspective of anthropology? Culture is strongly related to level of education. Culturally sophisticated people have higher status than others. Culture is socially transmitted. The culture of some groups is often better than that of others. 2 points QUESTION 8…

Words 2034 - Pages 9

Study guide Essay

Study Guide for Anthropology in a Changing World: Midterm WHAT IS ANTHROPOLOGY? An intellectual poaching license (Cluckholn) A study of the anecdotal A study of social patterns A disciplined patience grounded in participant observation A study of culture WHAT IS CULTURE? “Believing with Max Weber that man is an animal suspended in webs of significance he himself has spun, I take culture to be those webs, and the analysis of it to be therefore not an experimental science, but an interpretive…

Words 2827 - Pages 12

Anthropology: Culture and Corporate Descent Group Essay

academic anthropology - careers that involve the teaching of anthropology at colleges and universities. Academic anthropologists do research, but the objective is more for the contribution to general knowledge. acculturation - culture change resulting from contact between cultures. A process of external culture change. adaptation - patterns of behavior which enable a culture to cope with its surroundings. adjudication - mediation with the ultimate decision being made by an unbiased third party…

Words 6211 - Pages 25

Anthropology Final Review Essay examples

Anthropology Final Review Fields of Social Sciences: Sociology, Psychology, Criminology, History, Economics, Political Science Humanities: Language, Philosophy, Religious Studies Both areas are captured in anthropology, which can be considered the broadest area Anthropology is: 1. Broad in scope 2. Holistic- looking at all aspects through biology and culture, and looking at all internal aspects and how they are linked or related to each other. Everything is absolutely interrelated and can’t…

Words 7326 - Pages 30

Cultural Anthropology Essay

quickly. It is important for them to share their food with all members of their clan to prevent spoilage. Even if a particular hunter did not kill game, it is okay, the philosophy is one day he will and another hunter will not. This is called reciprocity, and it is a very important custom among the Sans, each…

Words 1098 - Pages 5

San Culture Essay

San do not have a formal leader, but they recognize their respected elders as decision makers. The culture is very humble and the communities reach out to one another so that they all have time for their families and extracurricular activities. Reciprocity insures food for everyone. Even though the San do not keep track of different contributions it is still noted. One cannot be considered lazy and not expect consequences to follow, just the same as one cannot be overzealous to try and gain a higher…

Words 631 - Pages 3

Essay about The Study of Human Persons Anthropology

At the present time, the order of anthropology has become a marvelous change from the conventions it utilized thousands of years back. Today, their objective has turn out to be much more confined where they center on human difficulties and questions within the cultures they subsist. Anthropology – “the science of human beings and their ancestors through time and space and in relation to physical character, environmental and social relations, and culture.” [1] It is a system learning the transformation…

Words 4740 - Pages 19