Group 4: Cultural Relativism for Aesthetic Flashcards
Philosophical view that the judgement of beauty is relative to different individuals and/or cultures and that there are no universal criteria of beauty
Aesthetic Relativism
Body modification among “primitive” peoples is sometimes regarded as grotesque by Western society.
Contemporary Aesthetics
The perception of beauty and form in the ancient world and the importance that it was given to the ancient cultures.
Ancient Aesthetics
Regarded as a sub-set of an overall philosophical relativism, which denies any absolute standards of truth or morality as well as of aesthetic judgement.
Aesthetics Relativism
A frequentlycited source for philosophical relativism in postmodern theory is
a fragment by
Nietzsche, entitled
“On Truth and Lie in an Extra Moral Sense.”
The book of Plato states that art imitates the objects and events of ordinary life.
The Republic
A work of art is a copy of a
copy of a Form. It is even more of an illusion than is ordinary experience.
Theory of the Forms
On this theory, works of art are at best entertainment, and at worst a dangerous delusion.
Theory of the Forms
Kant’s aesthetic theory, our
appreciation of beauty is to be concerned with the very way in which elements are arranged, not the nature of the elements
themselves.
Formalism
The most prominent philosophical opponent of aesthetic relativism
Immanuel Kant
He argued that the judgment of beauty, while subjective, is universal.
Immanuel Kant
It is a unique and fascinating tradition practiced by the Kayan people
Kayan Neck Ring Culture
Kayan people, also known as
The “long-necked” tribe
Kayan people reside primarily
in
Mynmar and Thailand
Women of the Kayan tribe are well known for wearing brass
coils around their necks their entire lives in order to lengthen them
Kayan Neck Ring Culture
The Kayans are originally from
Myanmar, formerly known as Burma.
Kayan fled to the Thai borders in the late________ during the conflict between the Myanmar army and the rebel forces.
1980s and early 1990s
Many Kayan people relocated to the province of ___________, where they now reside in the
refugee villages built there by the Thai government.
Mae Hong Son
Any stiff jewelry item worn as an ornament around the neck of an individual.
Neck Rings
Neck Rings are typically made of
Brass coils and gold alloys
Brass coils can weigh from _____ as the years goes by
2.5 kilograms up to 13–15
kilograms
Different Theories of Kayan Neck Ring Culture (1st Belief)
According to this belief, the coils were thought to protect the women from evil spirits and even wild animal attacks.
Different Theories of Kayan Neck Ring Culture (2nd Belief)
It is designed to lessen women’s attractiveness in order to protect them from being kidnapped by rival tribes and from becoming slaves
Different Theories of Kayan Neck Ring Culture (3rd Belief)
Nowadays, Kayan women use it to preserve their cultural identity and as a symbol of beauty.
From an early age of _____, the
girls begin wearing _____ coils,
and as they grow older, more
coils are added.
- Fve (5)
- Six (6) Coils
the Kayan Neck Ring Culture is a ________ for local governments and an opportunity for the women to sell their artisan crafts to visitors.
great source of income
Nomadic tribe, located close
to the Sudan border in Omo Valley, Ethiopia consisting of about 10,000 people.
Mursi tribe
Form of body modification done usually by Mursi
women.
African Lip Plates
African Lip Plates are worn in their lower lip and is a symbol of
A woman’s beauty and signifies that a woman has reached childbearing age.
Once an oral only tribe, meaning they only spoke since none of them knew how to read
or write until a decade ago
Mursi tribe
Mursi tribe located close to
Sudan border in Omo Valley, Ethiopia
Mursi tribe consist of
10,000 people
Archaeological evidence stated that lip plates have been
independently invented six or more times in
Sudan, Eritrea, and
Ethiopia as far back as 8700 BC.
Women who wore these lip plates were forcefully brought
to Europe and North America to
serve as entertainment in circuses in the late 19th and early 20th century
At ___ years of age, an initiation ritual is done for the young
women with their mother or another kinswoman piercing the lower lip open by ____
- Six (6)
- 1 – 2 centimeters.
Inserted into the incision to let the wound heal.
A wooden peg or ceramic disk
The wound in Lip would last
Approximately three weeks.
LIP PLATE PROCESS:
The stretching process begins in Lipa Plate once the ___1__ is placed.
Once removed, a __2___ will be inserted to further stretch the lip until it reaches ___3____.
At least __4____ lower front teeth will be extracted to accommodate the lip plate.
The lip plates are decorated by the women who wear it themselves and the stretching
process will continue until their lower lip an accommodate a plate that is ___5___
- peg
- circular disk
- 4cm in diameter.
- 2-4
- 10 – 15 cm in diameter.
If a woman does not wear the plate as expected, she would be considered
as lazy and might risk
losing some of the cattle that would be given to her and her
family.
These lip plates also symbolize a woman’s commitment to
her own culture and to her own husband.
What will happen if the husband of the mursi woman dies?
Once the husband
passes away, the plate on the widow’s lips will then be
removed, as the woman’s beauty fades after the husband’s
death.
The practice of foot binding was
first practiced in China’s northern regions during
10th century, and in the 12th century it began to spread to the rest of the nation
The earliest women who bound their feet were
among
Affluent, upper-class, and
royal women.
It is a tradition from China that
involves breaking and firmly
binding young girls’ feet to change their size and shape
Foot Binding
Terms used to describe feet that have had their arches bound.
Lotus feet and lotus shoes
Done in the belief that broad faces with receding foreheads and flat noses were considered a local canon of beauty.
Skull molding
The act of dying the teeth black
or red was to
distinguish themselves from animals with white teeth and to preserve them until old age.
The Visayan skull molding
was carried out using a
Tangad
This is a set of thin, comb-like rods bound to the baby’s forehead. It hinders the forward growth of the baby’s skull
Tangad
She is known worldwide as a
living legend and the last tribal tattoo artist to hold the title of Mambabatok
Whang-od Oggay also known as Maria Oggay or Apo Whang-od
Whang-od Oggay is a Filipina artist from _____
Buscalan, Tinglayan, Kalinga,
Philippines.
“When you die, a tattoo is the only thing that will remain on your body, so it is a treasure, a
treasure that lasts,” _____
Whang-od Oggay
PROCESS TATTOOING
The thorns are threaded into a
___1___. Oggay marks the tattoo design on the skin with a delicate ______2_____.
___3____ are mixed together to make the tribal tattoo ink, which is wiped onto the thorn and hand-tapped into the skin using a ____4____ bamboo hammer.
- bamboo reed
- Piece of Straw
- Charcoal and Water
- 12- inch
For men, a Kalinga tattoo was traditionally a sign of
strength, wealth, and power.
The word binukot comes from bukot meaning
‘to entrap’.
_____ of Central Panay or the ____ of Maranao.
- Binukot
- Lamin
These women were daughters of the datu who were treated as princesses secluded from society to preserve their chastity and future to be married to men with high
political status. They were known for their radiance –
the most beautiful and richest person with the finest
character
Binukot
The Binukot is not exposed to the sun or allowed to work and is accompanied by her parents when she bathes. This practice results in
A fair, frail, fine-complexioned, and long-haired woman.
At home, Binukot’s parents and grandparents entertain her with
Oral lore and traditional dances.
When a Binukot is ready
for marriage, often at age 13 or 14 or younger, her parents ask for a ____ from the family of the suitor.
high pangayu
(Hiligaynon: bride price or dowry)
