I have a very elementary level of understanding of anthropology. One of the things I’ve always read or been told is anthropologists don’t judge other cultures in general as moral or immoral. But when it comes to child marriage, and the culture in which this is considered the norm, given that children are so often harmed by this, can this be declared by anthropologists as immoral? Instead of merely making observations or trying to understand the culture behind this, go a step further and say this should not be?

I know ancient man had tool work, but this is the first I've heard of anything this old involving construction. https://www.reuters.com/science/zambia-find-shows-humans-have-built-with-wood-476000-years-2023-09-20/

I am wondering this because, in his book Lourenço da Silva Mendonça and the Black Atlantic Abolitionist Movement in the Seventeenth Century, the historian José Lingna Nafafé argues that slavery was not an established practice in present-day Angola, and that Angolans were coerced into the slave trade by the Portuguese.

For example, he says the following:

Customary practices such as ocombas and ynfucas used for building communities in West Central Africa were used by the Portuguese for their own ends. They appropriated these terms, which sounded natural to the Mbundu people, but the way they applied them changed the Angolans' understanding of them. To the outside world these terms would appear to be used in accordance with Mbundu practices. However, they were taken out of context and used to serve a purpose for which they were not intended - to obtain slaves. The buying and selling of enslaved people was not an established practice; the Portuguese aligned their criminal acts with the Angolans' cultural practices.97

I am not going to go into details but I want to read "Ancient Society" by Lewis Henry Morgan, but through the virtue of being old it is bound to have some mistakes so before I read it I want to familiarize myself with contemporary understanding of that era. Any amount of books, lectures, etc. would be great, I am genuinely interested in this field so it would be exciting to become an amateur expert of sorts

I'm enrolled in Anthropology and was given access to some lecture slides that struck me as wrong during class. Basically my teacher made the assertion that hormones cannot be proven to affect human behavior. Testesterone was the given example, according to this slide, males being more aggressive due to natural testesterone is a misconception. Can someone explain this better? When I raised my hand and asked what about the animal kingdom, I was told that its incompariable.

COMMON
MISSCONCEPTIONS
Biological determinism.
• Some actors in our society have historically portrayed
gender differences as innate.
• Gender disparities are seen as something inevitable.
• In the nineteenth century in the UK and the US men’s
larger brains was used to justify a supposed superior
intelligence and naturalize female oppression.
• Sociobiology: idea that male aggression has biological
basis. Due to natural selection, male aggression must
have been an important part of human survival.

This seems to be a bit of a politicized topic... the examples he kept using were simple, foolish gender differences like "girls like pink and boys like blue" or "women are good at cooking and men are good at labor", and these *are* examples of how gender has been histroically portrayed as innately different. But the hormones? You're telling me that male aggression has no biological basis? Isn't increased aggression a side affect of T replacement therapy?

I guess maybe this is more a question for an animal subreddit but I can’t find one that I feel like I can ask it.

I just threw my tissue into a small bin from like 6 feet (nothing impressive) but it had me wondering:

can other animals throw things accurately? or is it only humans who can because we have more of a use for it?

if so, is it completely a learnt trait because humans more often to try and throw with accuracy, or are we naturally better too?

weird ass question (i’m slightly tipsy) but thanks anyone

Hi, I'm wondering if anyone has any good books/articles/essays/theory on Hindu amd Taoist metaphysics, concepts of time?

Also bonus looking for anything on (pre-)Enlightenment Indian and Chinese methods of cartography, the use of feng shui in geography, geomancy, luopan etc

Also also good ethnographies on Indian animist and folk religions/cultures.

Thanks in advance :-)

The myth of Romulus and Remus in Roman mythology and the Asena myth in Turkic mythology are fairly similar, both contain elements of a she-wolf nursing young men who turn out to be leaders for their respected countries. The Asena Myth is supposedly from 330 BC and the earliest found evidence of Romulus and Remus is from late 3rd century BC , could one nation get inspiration from another, and how? I mean the geography is so far away would people even travel that far.. Are they even connected or is it just a coincidence? What exactly does the wolf symbolize that make it appealing for both? I’m sorry if this doesn’t concern anthropology I just thought of it while reading Percy jackson haha

I was drawing a ghost and started wondering this.

I know this question is quite open to interpretation, which is the thing that is most interesting about it. The context for asking is that we place 'civilisation' at the peak of human development and I've rarely seen that questioned.

Hey!

I just finished a 4 year Communications and Media University Degree. I want to shift my career a bit by doing a Masters related to social and political topics. But I'm really struggling to decide what field of study is really what I want.

I do not reject my whole degree, because things like photojournalism and media analysis are interesting to me, but what I want to do in life is more related to analysing sociopolitical problems and designing strategies to solve them, than to mass media or marketing, for example.

That's why I was thinking about Anthropology, Development Studies, Global Studies or something similar as a Masters. Working on NGOs, social organizations and so on would be my ultimate goal.

So, what would you recommend me? What would you look for?

**In Europe please, I can't afford going to the US.

Hi!!! I graduated this year in Art & Design and I'm looking for options to apply for Masters... amid some certain ones I've already picked (Animation/ Digital Learning Games/etc) I was also wondering if I'd be able to study something not directly Art Related, like Anthropology? Is it possible or is it too big of a change? Any help is appreciated as I feel fairly anxious about it all😭

I'm familiar with the indigenous languages of Guatemala and even know some words, but when I think of Nahuatl and the Mexica, I think of their empire having not stretched quite so far south as Guatemala. Am I mistaken? If not, why are there so many names of places in Guatemala that have Nahuatl names?

Hello...

Why do some cultures use toilet paper as a method of cleaning up after defecation?

Most of the world implements a water source to be used. However, that's not the case in Europe or northern america. I've also noticed that toilet paper use is recent latin cultures (I asked online).

Where did this method of cleaning come from? What did early humans do? Leaves?

What are the methods of self cleaning utilized by humans?

... Is it ok to ask a few questions at once?

1 semester until I graduate from my BA (major in Anthropology and minor in Philosophy).

No idea what to do with this.

weird question not sure if this is even right sub fir this but what hunan species where probably on same or very similar intelligence as homo sapiens like i kniw neandertal where very close if not same level of intelligence as homo sapien where but what about others like the dragon man or homo erectus

I'm very new to anthropology, so an introduction to that area and the field of study would also be appreciated

This question has been bothering me for the longest time. Across a multitude of different cultures, those that are in close proximity to large predatory felines often creates various cultural aspects that involves them, often times in the form of symbolic iconography or outright veneration. East Asia has tigers, Europe and Africa has lions, Central and South America has jaguars.

What I am curious about is why there seems to be a lack of cultural importance/emphasis amongst the aboriginal cultures of North America regarding the cougar/mountain lion/cougar? A lack of animal motifs seems highly unlikely, with the example I'm most personally familiar with is the importance of orcas in various native cultures of the Pacific Northwest. Additionally, cougars are highly capable predators in their own right. Which begs the question of why cougars has not achieved similar culturally symbolic/religious importance as other felines?

Basically, for a long time I've felt drawn to ethnography as the best fit career path for me. I am truly fascinated by other cultures and my chameleon personality is naturally suited to talking to a wide range of humans.

But, ethnography seems to be heavily undervalued on the current marketplace and jobs seem to be few and competitive. I would need to go into years of debt if I want to get educated here (U.S.). Even if I complete that, then I'm at the mercy of academic games, grant money, specialization, specific methodological constraints, and all in a very limited number of positions. All of which aren't appealing and I think would ultimately suck the joy out of being an ethnographer.

So, it doesn't really feel like an option to me. The constraints are different if I strike out alone, independently. I know nobody would respect my findings and they wouldn't be "scientific" or whatever, fine with me. I'm mostly doing this out of personal interest and deep curiosity. I would have to of course, modify my methods and finding money for self-funding would be the biggest issue.

I am curious if there are any popular figures who have taken a similar, independent path to anthropology/ethnography. And if they have any biographies/books specifically where I could study their methods and how they got by? I know this is an ask unlikely to have an answer, but thank you for reading this far!

I read somewhere that there's many cultures where they don't dress their babies in diapers. Supposedly in more rural parts of Africa and Asia. If their baby pees on the floor, they just say something about it, then maybe move their baby to a 'potty' (or other receptacle), or maybe watch for signs that they need to go, then move them to a more appropriate spot, or 'sit' them over a receptacle and ask them to evacuate, etc..

Some cultures used to do this, but 'recently' started using diapers.

For example, these excerpts, from the book: "Interviewing Inuit Elders", Volume 3 (Childrearing practices):

"Babies were toilet-trained before they reached one year of age. You always were aware and attentive; “Haa, haa” is what we used to say, when we were teaching them. We had constant communication and that’s why they were toilet-trained very quickly. Today they don’t learn as fast. In the old days, before they even reached one year of age they knew how to go to the toilet. They learned really quickly."

.....
"If they urinated you would always say, “Haa, haa.’’ In the old days we didn’t have diapers. What we would do was put the baby on our lap, put the feet together and hold the feet up. You would always hang on to their feet. They would start learning at a very young age. You would start immediately after they were born. Every time they would pee you would say, “Haa, haa.” The baby that you were holding would start understanding right away to go in the little can. Of course they would start learning right away. The secret was to hold on to their bare feet with warm hands. Warmth would always make them pee faster."

"We had constant communication and that’s why they were toilet trained very quickly. Today they don’t learn as fast. In the old days, before they even reached one year of age they knew how to go to the toilet. They learned really quickly."

My question is: How do (did) they handle sleep? Babies can't control their bladders when sleeping, so how do they handle that?

If you take the rough time between the construction of the Sphinx and man landing on the moon, it could have been repeated 50 times. What were we doing?

Hi all,

I was curious about my realistic chances of getting into a Anthro masters (cultural or bio). For reference I am currently a senior majoring in anthropology. My major gpa is about 3.83 and my overall is 3.53 (I’ve taken many pre med courses such as bio and organic chemistry hence the dip. I am concerned since my grades haven’t been the best; although I am mostly A’s have got 3.8-4.0 the last 3 semester this has been pretty bad but my current semester has 2 withdrawals on classes (but one was b/c my school gave me the wrong info on a graduating class) due to stuff at home / family going very badly. I do have decent research experience though; 2 undergrad journal publications, working on a bio Anthro dental study of primates atm, and leading a linguistic anthro study going through the IRB right now (going to do poster and hopefully publish). I love Anthro and want to continue it, but am very worried because of my current semester I may not stand a chance, especially considering how competitive graduate programs are. Do you guys have any insights or advice?

Thanks for reading!

Currently doing an undergrad course in Anthropology and spend a lot of my time reading work that I don't particularly enjoy. I'm planning on doing a masters and would like to deepen my anthropological knowledge in my free time. I would like something that isn't too bogged down in jargon or overly abstract. As far as subject matter goes i'm not too fussy, i'm always eager to learn about new topics.

Thanks

So they found this piramid in Hidalgo Mexico during the construction of a road , the INAH or the National Institute of Anthropology and History knew about it since June or July and just this week they released a very vague description of the piramid and a picture , ,supposedly the base of the complete piramid is about 300 -400 meters long (which to me atleast seems to be huge and I don't get why this news didn't become more mainstream). Also the INAH conducted and deep study of the place as well as drawing a map of the structures , they found 10 as well as paintings and figurines. What seems even more odd is they only released this to the public months after they found it and after they already buried the place again. They only released one pic 🤔

We know that a lot of Native Americans died from Old World diseases while the Europeans didn’t have much of an issue with infectious diseases from the New World.

I know part of the reason was that Native Americans had a smaller number of domestic animals, so less diseases jumped from animals to humans in the New World than the Old World.

Does this mean that, before the Columbian exchange, the Native Americans were less likely to get sick/die from infectious diseases than Eurasians?

Since it seems that an infectious disease (with some exceptions like maybe syphilis, but they were probably insignificant since New World diseases didn’t cause significant problem for the Europeans) would either be:

(1): Entirely of Old World origin and didn’t exist in the New World before Columbus (e.g. smallpox)

(2): Existed in the human population before the Native Americans entered America, and both the Eurasians and the Native Americans suffered from them and developed some immunity

If this was the case, then while the Eurasians have some immunity for (1), they still did get sick and die from them, and the effect of (2) on the Eurasian/Native American populations would probably be pretty similar in comparable circumstances.

I know that hunter-gathers generally less likely to experience infectious diseases than agrarians because they have lower population density.

However Native Americans also had significant urban centres, so would someone living in Tenochtitlan be less likely to die from an infectious disease than (for example) someone living in Paris, before the Columbian exchange happened?

Watched a "Flintstones" episode recently, and it got me thinking. Supposedly the late Stone Age was pretty much like the Bronze Age: many people lived in permanent settlements, lived off agriculture/horticulture or some specialization within a community; some places in the world had (relatively) large maps and even long distance trade (not sure how distance, early Bronze Age had trade as far as ENgland to Crete I've heard?). I don't know if we have enough evidence to believe there were large governments and empires pre-Bronze.

Obviously Flintstones takes things to an extreme, they get TV signals and such. But would it be fair to say they lived more similar to how, say, some people in Africa live today, then to how EARLY Stone Age humans lived, which could be thought of as more of a tool-using social primate, and less distinctly human of a lifestyle?

I’ve always wondered why in some countries like Mexico (where I’m from), other Latin American countries, Portugal, or Italy (I think), it’s pretty normal to live with your parents for longer, while in places like the US or Sweden, there’s a big push to be independent as soon as possible.

People usually just say, “it’s a cultural thing,” but when did it become a cultural thing? Was it already common in the 1700s or 1800s, or is this something more recent?

I’ve also noticed that this pattern seems more typical in Romance or warmer countries (like Mexico, Portugal, and Italy).

I dunno, I’m just guessing, but I wonder if living with your parents longer is just part of some deeper shared cultural behavior or a symptom of a larger topic that is not commonly talked about.

I was also wondering about the consequences of this dimorphism, how could it have been different depending on the societies? From what I have read, the non-existence of matriarchal societies is attested (principle in a book by Françoise héritier). However, I came across an apparently serious book in a bookstore that came back a little and broadened the field of possibilities. What about it ?

Hello,

We had a course at university called "sociology of the state" according to the Weberian definition. The objective is to define what the state is and to make its sociogenesis. A part of the course on societies without states (with Pierre Clastres and Maurice Godelier as references) interested me.

I did some research and would like to find books/resources on political functioning (so political anthropology, so-called tribal and pastoral societies. The term "segmentary lineage" also interested me a lot.

I would therefore like to develop knowledge on acephalic societies and how they function (the only information I found that went into depth was on the Nuers in Sudan).

In addition, I had read that several anthropologists had mobilized to demonstrate that "tribal" societies, contrary to our preconceived ideas, had similarly evolved just like us. Are there more general books/resources than the study of a particular people confessing the evolution of tribal peoples and which ultimately makes a history of societies without states ? Or even a history of societies without writing and the evolution of their practices ?

The course also pushed me to take an interest in political and legal systems different from ours (not only on the models republicans but also on the regional/decentralized state diptych). Do you know of any general resources on systems that are politically different from ours (david graeber would obviously be a good resource but his book with david wengrow focuses on an evolution/protohistory while I would like more current legal descriptions).

Finally, my last request is in another area: linguistic anthropology. I would like to know more about the construction of languages ​​without writing (such as click languages, with few vowels, I no longer have the names and exact ones) and their communication (anthropology of communication).

Thank you for your many suggestions!

(PS: I was reading Jared Diamond for a while but I saw a lot of criticism advising him against it saying that he was too popularizing and theorizing)

I've heard that folks used to say the 'Great Rift Valley,' but that's an enormous area and also academically disputed.

But is there a country, a national park in that area of Africa that one can visit which at least kind of checks the boxes of our 'Eden'?

Thank you for any help you can provide me with this question!