ANTH 1003 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Primitive Culture, Gap Year, Extended Family
Document Summary
Malinowski movie (tales from the jungle--- available on youtube) Private diaries found and much later published. He turned out to be arrogant, conceited, lustful, racist. Malinowski becomes fascinated with english culture (anglo-mania) Desired to be part of upper class: couldn"t join aristocracy through wealth, instead used brains. Victorians wanted to classify the savage" cultures: peoples ruled by emotion (sex & violence) Experts of anthropology believed savages" were best studied from afar: armchair anthropologists, essentially assumed that savages were opposite of how they imagined themselves (cultured v. savagery, modesty v. promiscuity, etc. ) In 1910, australian aborigines were determined bottom of pyramid (sexual promiscuity, no obvious family structure) Malinowski denied this, discovered complex family structure within aborigines. Determined anthropology was riddled w/ prejudice, required more scientific discipline. During his gap year" he traveled australia and pacific islands. After 3 months, he reached papua new guinea. M. was fascinated w/ the primitive culture, yet his hypochondriac, paranoid personality made it a private hell.
