ANT208H5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Cultural Relativism, Participant Observation, Fashion Design
Document Summary
Why the aversion to popular culture in anthropology: 1) early focus in anthropology on tribal society. Refers to any artifact made by humans. If has a form, its recognizable, symbols have a material expression. Substance and form have a symbolic meaning: behavioural. Hardwired types of behaviour; where we all react the same way. Many other behaviours are learned: cognitive. Reconstructed behaviour such as rules, language, classifications, value systems, etc. Concept of scheme - cluster of ideas, manifested expressions. Wedding celebrations- ritual expression: cross-cultural comparison. Performance theory: 1) performance and ritualized behaviour. Meaning has to be inferred and about people"s values: 3) performance as mimetic. Symbolic acts- censored in various societies stimulating imagination sometimes can be seen as threatening. Different types of censorship: 4) performance as reflexive. Hopi clowns- used to critique human behaviour. The magic of fashion: how some basic anthropological ideas can be used to analyze the world of premium/ high end brands.
