ANTH212 Flashcards
Why does the history of development focus on EUROPE or the WEST ?
- Many civilizations have made technological administrative advancements - Islamic, Chinese, Meso-Emerican empires - Medicine weaponry, urban planning - But those Empire did not colonize the world to the extent that Europe did (some could have) begining from 1800s - The West has been the global political and economic hegemon for centuries Eurocentric.
Roman Empire
500bc to 400ad in europe, near east ○ Time of great productivity, development, ○ Sophisticated administration, trade and cultural output. (From rome) ○ Barbarians need to be civilized Declined because significant amount of land were lost.
Middle or Dark ages (or middle age)
- 400AD to 1300AD : period saw decline in living standards. Affected by plagues/wars/civilwars/invations ○ Roman territories lost to Islamic and Germanic kingdoms ○ Deterioration of living standards in Europe due to wars and plagues ○ Christian dogma stifled invention and cultural output § Concervatism. Artistic expression was stifled too. § Opposite of creationism that suggest that human were made by the hand of the divine. Humans are perfect Deurbanization
Renaissance
- 1300-1600 AD ; ○ Rediscovery of Greco-Roman philosophy. ○ Religious dogmas began to loosen ○ To return of European cultural supremacy, people believed ○ Refind stuff from Romans/greek. Reinfigurate those ideas instead of just religious text to improve ourself ○ Humanism : philosophical concern of human living on Earth Preoccupied with after-life, souls
- The Enlightment
(1700s) ○ The idea of development emerged.
- Religious dogmas in Europe looser following the Protestant Reformation. ○
- Colonialism began exposing Europe to new cultures, lands, and species. And free debate that were not permited before. ○
- Human experience was now valued as a source of new knowledge ○ Colonialism started. § Exposed european people to new culture. § Fascination of those stories/objects that explorator brang back ○ “Reason”, “common sense”, “empirical inquiry”, “exploration”, “discovery” § New experiences, the search of the unknown are synonymus of improvement and growth.
○ There were downsides to enlightenment thinking
§ European began to judge other society more harshly. See other culture (e.g. indigenous) that did not have the same broad perspective that european have. Predudice. § Societies without reasons were considered “barbaric”, “uncivilized” “primitive” or “savage” § In attaining “ reason” European societies felt justified in colonizing and judging others § Valuable advances were made, but science empored colonial conquest. □ Railroads ; tools for colonialism □ Not only a project of helping but sharing european supremacy
○ Charles Darwin’s
Origin of Species” 1859 ○ Proposed that species improve over time. ○ Darwin wrote about bodies, but also minds and social organization ○ Natural selection. Stronger and more capable in succeeding ○ In the late 19th century, many people applied darwin’s theories to human societies § Means to differenciate different groups of people on earth. Idea that particular groups of people (euro) reached level of success because they had outsmarted/outevolved others groups over colonial conquest. Superiority ○ Idea that Euros are more evolved took root Non-Euros could develop too, but they were behind on the evolutionary scale
- Colonial extraction
○ European colonialism was extractive. Focused on taking. EXTRACTION (harvesting of natural resources, rubber, ivory, diamond, gold) ○ Natural resources and agrcultural products were transferrred from colonies to EU. (Tea, coffee, sugar cane) ○ Colonial infrastructure designed to serve extraction ○ Wealth generated was returned to the metropole (administrative center of an Empire like London or Paris Extraction justifiable in colonial logicè colonized people had no use for resources ; laborers worked for a greater cause
culture
- Culture originates from the Latin ‘colere’ meaning to cultivate - Anthropos : human - Logos : reasons ® = Reason about humans / knowledge about humans - Cultural anthropology : knowledge about aspects of humanity which are not natural, but which are acquired. - “Cculture is the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves.” - Give life meaning. - Provide identity Shape how we see and interact with others
Franz Boad
(1858-1942) - Founder of american anthropology - German immigrant came to USA. - Maily a geographer, who worked as a museum curator - Carred out research with native peoples on Canada west coast and Arctic - Scientific racism was prominent in America ○ Africans, italians (cuz they were tanner, and shorter), many were discriminated against He argued it was not our bodies that made us different but our CULTURE, the things we learn not the things we’re born with
earliest anthropologist : actor
Lewis Henry Morgan ○ Noticed iroquois had distinct kinship structures. ○ Lineage patterns not random, but highly sophisticated § Come back to the US with the idea that non-western are as sophisticated society but nobody think it is true. ○ Morgan opened the door to the idea that non-Europeans could be sophisticated in their own right ○ This did not involve the argument that all humans were equal, quite yet
first world
First world : democratic nations (USA, Canada’ Australia, Western Europe, South Africa)
second world
Soviet and communist states (China, Yugoslavia, Cuba, USSR)
third world
Third world Formerly colonized countries where both sides sought indluence (Vietnam, Indonesia, Tanzania, Ghana, Brazil, Nicaragua to name a few
the end of history
“The end of history” - There would be no wars anymore. Fukuyama
