Anthropological Perspective Regarding Development and Progress - Coursework Example

Anthropological Perspective Regarding Development and Progress Anthropological perspective is a relative point of view, that there exists some objectives and cultural variance among human beings. This perspective should be put into consideration in every attempt to generalize aspects about humankind. Anthropology is a scientific process that is involved in the study of human variation. It tries to look in to cultural and biological differences among human beings. Anthropologists view and compare reactions or behaviors of certain group against the other group of people’s behavior.

This act of comparing uncovers principles that may be used to apply to all human communities (Blanchard 47). Third world focus was the differentiating feature of this discipline. It was not until after the second world-war, the discipline focused nearly exclusive on non-western. Over a long time, anthropologist had an assumption that all non-western cultures were so different that they justified a distinct social science discipline to study. This hypothesis seems untrue in the present time. Various theories have been proposed to aid in studying the variance and give an account on the aspects of culture.

For their effective explanation, the theories are divided in different categories. Under these categories, there are culture theories, structural functionalism, and moral economics theories among others (Geertz 89). Because of heterogeneity of these theories, it is not possible to construct a single perspective that comprises the different anthropological points of view. Despite of this impossibility, the main themes can be extracted from the existing perspectives that are as follows; Culture as a main concept Cultural relativism Self-criticism Study of each context of human reaction Etic and emic approach Cultural symbols’ layers People, peoples’ problems and the way of saluting them Social Darwinism Social Darwinism is the name or word that was coined in nineteenth century, to describe the concept of living things’, like plants and animals, struggle in order to continue to exist.

This can be termed as survival for existence. Charles Darwin described this theory as that individuals, group and races are victims of law of natural selection. According to him, the weak were eliminated and their culture put to an end as the strong gained more power and influenced their culture of the weak ones. A British philosopher, who was also a scientist by the name Herbert Spencer, coined a phrase to describe the same concept, “survival for the fittest”. The proposers of this particular theory, Spencer, William graham from United States and Walter Bagehot originating from England, believed that the issue of natural selection acting on variation in a community would cause the survival of the best competitors and self-control of the population (Boellstorff 35) Body Ritual among the Nacirema Nacirema is word used by anthropologists and socialists, to examine with a degree of anthropological self-distancing aspects of the behavior and United States of America’s citizens.

In the article of Mitchell miner, ‘American anthropologist” described the Nacirema, a little known ethnic group in North America. The way he wrote about the curious practices that the tribe performs disagrees with the readers from the fact that the North American group described actually goes with the modern Americans who lived in the mid-1950s. The item may also act as demonstration of a gestalt shift conjunction with sociology. Dancing Skeletons In artistic work, dancing skeleton is the quality of having a grim or ghastly environment.

It serves to emphasize the details and symbols of death. The quality is not easily found in ancient Greek and Latin writers however, it is still seen in Apuleius and writer of the satyr icon. Colonialism's effects on modern culture There were limitations to the resources that belonged to the Native American people and their way of life. This is due to storytelling, which is intrinsic and inherent in native way of living. Information was passed orally hence ensured that knowledge was not only understood but also received by the people, informing all native members who they were (Eller 102).

There were changes in the religious tradition. This can be witnessed in the way their mythological stories altered to address the existence of Europeans. There was also conversion to Christianity. Missionaries were sent from Europe to the country. Native and some from Cherokee tribe did voluntary convert. Missionary schools also lead to more converts due to urge for education. Works cited Blanchard, Kendall. The Anthropology of Sport: An Introduction. Westport, Conn: Bergin & Garvey, 1995. Print.

Boellstorff, Tom. Coming of Age in Second Life: An Anthropologist Explores the Virtually Human. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2008. Eller, Jack D. From Culture to Ethnicity to Conflict: An Anthropological Perspective on International Ethnic Conflict. Ann Arbor: Univ. of Michigan Press, 1999. Print. Geertz, Clifford. Works and Lives: The Anthropologist As Author. Stanford, Calif: Stanford University Press, 1988. Print.