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-- wx1 rr . Readings in Contemporary Cultural Anthropology WILLIAM A. HAVILAND | ROBERT J. GORDON I LUIS A. VTVANCO k o o B s i h T n I s e c a l P d n a e l p o e P TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE Readings in Contemporary Cultural Anthropology FOURTH EDITION William A. Haviland University of Vermont, Emeritus RobertJ. Gordon University of Vermont Luis A. Vivanco University of Vermont Me Graw Hill Boston Burr Ridge, IL Dubuque, IA Madison, Wl New York San Francisco St. Louis Bangkok Bogota Caracas Kuala Lumpur Lisbon London Madrid Mexico City Milan Montreal New Delhi Santiago Seoul Singapore Sydney Taipei Toronto The McGraw-Hill Companies Higher Education Published by McGraw-Hill, an imprint of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 1221 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020. Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written consent of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., including, but not limited to, in any network or other electronic storage or transmission, or broadcast for distance learning. This book is printed on recycled, acid-free paper. 1234567890 QPD/QPD 0 9 8 7 6 5 ISBN 0-07-299481-9 Editor in Chief: Emily Barrosse Publisher: Phillip Butcher Sponsoring Editor: Kevin Witt Developmental Editor: Kate Scheinman Permissions Coordinator: Karyn Morrison Marketing Manager: Dan Loch Production Editor: Leslie LaDow Manuscript Editor: Judith Brown Design Manager: Cassandra Chu Cover Designer: Cassandra Chu Interior Designer: Amy Evans McClure Production Supervisor: Richard DeVitto Photo Researcher: Brian J. Pecko Composition: 10/12 Palatino by Thompson Type Printing: 45# Scholarly Matte Recycled by Quebecor, Dubuque Cover image: © Adina Tovy Amsel/Lonely Planet Images. Background: PhotoDisc Collection/Getty Images LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA Talking about people : readings in contemporary cultural anthropology.—4th ed. / [edited by] William A. Haviland, Robert J. Gordon, Luis A. Vivanco. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-07-299481-9 (alk. paper) 1. Ethnology. I. Haviland, William A. II. Gordon, Robert J., 1947- III. Vivanco, Luis Antonio, 1969- GN316.T34 2006 305.8—dc22 2005041594 The Internet addresses listed in the text were accurate at the time of publication. The inclusion of a Web site does not indicate an endorse¬ ment by the authors or McGraw-Hill, and McGraw-Hill does not guarantee the accuracy of the information presented at these sites. www.mhhe.com To all the women in our lives Preface T his anthology is designed as a supplement for intro¬ dependent on the rest of the world for vital raw materials, ductory cultural anthropology courses. It consists of manufactured goods, and markets for those products still thirteen chapters with three to five articles each, and each made at home, reliable information about other peoples chapter has a short introduction written by the editors and the ways in which they live has become ever more that relates the articles to each other and to the topic of important for the survival of North Americans them¬ the chapter. The chapters themselves are arranged to selves. These concerns about how Americans relate to the complement the chapter topics and order found in most wider world have become especially urgent in the context introductory texts and courses. of American pursuits of a globally unpopular "war on ter¬ In the fourth edition, there are twenty-one new arti¬ rorism" during the past several years. Because anthropol¬ cles, and we've introduced an exciting new feature: "An¬ ogy has always been in the forefront of efforts to learn thropology and Public Debate." In this feature, we offer about other peoples, it has a special role to play in com¬ two opposing anthropological arguments on topics of bating the insularity and provincialism that sometimes ac¬ current public relevance: gay and lesbian marriage, un¬ company students to college. Thus, the majority of articles derstanding what happened on September 11, 2001, and in this anthology focus on common global interests. From anthropology's participation in the "war on terror." This William Klausner's examination of the question "Can one feature complements one that we introduced in the third really go 'native'?" in Chapter 1 to Steven Rubenstein's edition, "Doing Fieldwork," that we believe gives a fuller analysis of Shuar migrants in Chapter 13, the volume picture than other anthologies of how anthropologists highlights global concerns. actually work. At the same time, this anthology seeks to show the exotic in the familiar by suggesting new and provocative ways of looking at the student's own society. We feel this FEATURES AND BENEFITS OFTHIS BOOK closer examination is an essential way to combat racism and other invidious distinctions that North Americans like to draw between "us" and "them." From articles Freshness and Originality such as Emily Martin's "Flexible Survivors" in Chapter 4 Most anthologies reproduce with some regularity "old and James Brain's "The Ugly American Revisited" in chestnuts." While we have nothing against the classics, Chapter 12, readers will gain fascinating insights into we do feel that it creates the impression that nothing new their own culture. has happened in anthropology. We want to introduce stu¬ dents to some of the more recent and provocative works International Authorship of anthropologists (and a few nonanthropologists who have what we consider to be anthropological insights). In keeping with the global perspective of this anthol¬ We want students to read provocative articles, for one of ogy, we include a significant number of articles by au¬ the aims of the introductory course should be to shake up thors from outside the United States. Anthropology is the students' comfortably ethnocentric beliefs about the not, after all, an exclusive American preserve (and how world in which they live. arrogant we are to call ourselves Americans!). It is an exciting international discipline whose members are not all white middle-class males. We have tried to reflect Focus on Contemporary Global Concerns the profession more closely by increasing the representa¬ It is no secret that North Americans are surprisingly igno¬ tion of not only foreign (British, Canadian, Australian, rant about the nature of the "global society" of which they Irish, Congolese, Danish, French, Philippine, South Afri¬ are a part. In an era when North Americans constitute a can) but also female contributors, including a number of small minority of the world's people and are increasingly nonanthropologists. About 40 percent of the authors VI PREFACE come from outside the United States, and 40 percent are Abundant Student Learning Aids women. An annotated table of contents offers students previews of the various articles, and chapter introductions provide “Anthropology and Public Debate” and some contextual "glue" for the points made by the arti¬ “Doing Fieldwork” cles. Brief biographical sketches of the authors of each ar¬ ticle enhance the international flavor of the volume and Because of the special insights gained through cross- contribute further insights into what anthropology is all cultural study and intensive fieldwork, anthropologists about. The references and notes for each article will ap¬ have a lot to contribute to contemporary social and polit¬ peal to the student who wants to know more, and the ical debates. In this edition we have introduced a new glossary and map showing the location of peoples and feature, "Anthropology and Public Debate," that aims to places discussed will be helpful to all students. Focus show students the relevance of anthropological per¬ questions help the student make the most out of each se¬ spectives on controversial public issues during the past lection by offering specific questions for reflection and several years. We take two opposing anthropological ar¬ class discussion. Finally, the index and list of articles by guments on gay and lesbian marriage, understanding topic area contribute further to making this a user- 9/11, and anthropological participation in the "war on friendly book. terror." One advantage of this feature is that it demon¬ strates a more politically complex discipline than carica¬ tures from outside academia often portray of disciplines A NOTE ON THE ARTICLES like anthropology, based on images of liberal and pro¬ gressive domination. In fact, as this feature demonstrates, the reality is more complex and the opinions diverse. Rec¬ While many of the articles are reprinted here in their en¬ ognizing the centrality of fieldwork to anthropological tirety, some have been edited in order to keep the book to knowledge, the fourth edition includes essays that deal a reasonable length. For the most part, the cuts have in¬ specifically with the nature and dilemmas of fieldwork. volved details of methodology so as not to adversely af¬ These essays, several of which have already been pub¬ fect either the substance or the spirit of the article. lished and several commissioned originally for this We have compiled an anthology with authors from reader, consider the changing status of the field (is it a geo¬ many countries to provide a global anthropological per¬ graphical space? a bounded social community? a process? spective. We retained the spellings from the original texts an event?); the nature of anthropological learning in the to give students the experience of reading other versions field; and ethical issues and dilemmas. The advantage for of the English language and learning to distinguish be¬ teachers is that this feature provides vivid and focused tween British and U.S. spellings; we thought this would readings on an aspect of fieldwork, which can then be¬ help students learn something about the frames of refer¬ come the basis of classroom conversation or lectures about ence of the authors. That was our theory, but in practice how we anthropologists actually create knowledge. the book is a bit more complicated than that. We have included authors. North American and British-style (includes all non-U.S. anthropologists), who Incorporation of Gender Issues were educated all over the world. They wrote for U.S. Because anthropology is the study of women as well as publications with editors who liked "North American" men, we have deemed it important that gender issues be spelling and for British-style publications with editors well represented by the articles here. Considerations of who liked "British" spellings. And finally, they moved gender enter into virtually everything that people do, so from one country to another. As anthropologists, we are we chose to spread the material on gender throughout a global community who often spell in both styles, the book. Notable examples of articles that deal with gen¬ switching from one to another without realizing it. To the der are Alma Gottlieb's "The Anthropologist as Mother" utter horror of all copyeditors, we leave with you this ev¬ in Chapter 4; Roger Lancaster's "The Place.of Anthropol¬ idence of our international lives, a bit of linguistic anthro¬ ogy in a Public Culture Reshaped by Bioreductivism" pological research on the anthropologists themselves! and David Bennett's "Hanky-Panky and Spanky-Wanky: Sex and the Single Boy" in Chapter 7; Brett Williams's "Why Migrant Women Feed Their Husbands Tamales" ACKNOWLEDGMENTS and Timothy Egan's "The Persistence of Polygamy" in Chapter 8; Sylvia Rodgers's "Feminine Power at Sea" in Lots of people have contributed in one way or another to Chapter 11; and Faye Ginsburg's "The Anthropology of this volume. Those behind the scenes who have made Abortion Activism" in Chapter 13. vital contributions during early editions include Anita de Preface VI Laguna Haviland, who, besides riding herd on the edi¬ Alabama; Jean Rahier, Florida International University; tors to meet deadlines, put everything into the computer, and Kerriann Marden, Tulane University. Their advice caught numerous errors, tracked down a variety of infor¬ and comments have been most helpful throughout the mation, and assisted in writing the Instructor's Manual. evolution of this anthology. Rinda Gordon kept one of the editors in line and helped We would also like to thank our colleagues who have with the Instructor's Manual. Peggy O'Neill-Vivanco of¬ made helpful suggestions for revisions: Jennifer Dickin¬ fered her own experiences as an undergraduate anthro¬ son, Corrine Glesne, Lourdes Gutierrez-Najera, Mike pology major, as well as key moral and technical support Sheridan, Geoff White, and Rob Welsch. for the junior editor. Many people, first at Mayfield Publishing Company The changes in this new edition in part reflect the re¬ and then at McGraw-Hill, have helped bring this project actions in Gordon's and Vivanco's introductory anthro¬ to fruition. First of all, we are grateful to Jan Beatty, who pology courses at the University of Vermont. To the worked with us on the first two editions and provided students we have taught through the years (Haviland has numerous valuable suggestions. We are also grateful to been teaching introductory students since 1965, Gordon Kevin Witt and Phil Butcher, who have supported our in the United States since 1979 and before that in Papua work on this new edition. We are no less grateful to the New Guinea, and Vivanco at several U.S. universities and others at McGraw-Hill who have seen this volume Costa Rica since the early 1990s), we are grateful for all through production, particularly Judith Brown, Karyn we have learned about teaching and the kinds of mate¬ Morrison, Leslie LaDow, and Kate Scheinman. rial students find effective. Hats off to you all! We'd like to thank the instructors who reviewed for William A. Haviland the first and second editions, as well as the following in¬ Robert J. Gordon structors who reviewed for the third edition of Talk¬ Luis A. Vivanco ing About People: Abigail E. Adams, Central Connecticut Burlington, Vermont State University; Cindi Sturtz Sreetharan, California State University-Sacramento; Mark Moberg, University of South ’ -r, .