3. Anthropology

Understanding the Self 

Objectives 

define anthropology



explain culture and the mechanisms of enculturation





synthesize anthropological perspectives on self-awareness and self-reflexive conduct show appreciation of one’ one’ss cultural identity through practice of one’s cultural values

Motivational Activity: Rare Centerpiece 

All chairs must be moved at the sides of the room.



There shall be one solid line across the center isle of the classroom.









Students will stand on the sides of the classroom facing the solid s olid line at the middle. The teacher will flash some conditions on screen, then each student will decide whether the condition is true to him/her. him/her. If the condition applies to him/her, him/her, the student will then bravely step on the solid line at the center aisle and observe who else are with him/her. Students are given few moments to know each other before the next condition is flashed.

I have a pet dog at home.

I love to play musical instruments.

I am single and ready to mingle.

I have a secret that I have been keeping to myself alone.

I have once used an illegal drug.

I still practice “mano po” until today.

I sometimes feel uninterested with boring people.

I once cheated in my class.

I once cheated in a relationship.

I sometimes rant on social media.

I sometimes question my own religion.

I once made a wildest mistake in my life.

I have some issues with my sexuality.

End of activity 1. What is your most significant learning experience in the activity? 2. How do you feel about this learning process? 3. What have you discovered about yourself and  your classmates? 4. How do you view your uniqueness in relation to the uniqueness of others too?

 Anthropology 

Anthropology is a study of all the aspects of human condition.



This includes human history, the present human condition, and even the future possibilities.



It also examines the biology, interactions in society, language and especially culture.



It explores the interconnectedness and interdependence of human cultural experiences in all places and ages.

The self is a living animal but superior to other animals due to certain factors, namely:



a.) physical aspects b.) social aspects

Culture 





Culture is traditionally defined as systems of human behavior and thought. This covers all customs, traditions and capabilities of humans as they function in society. In other words, cultures are those complex structures of knowledge, beliefs, arts, religion, morals, law, language, traditional practices and all other aspects needed by humans to function in society.

Enculturation 





Enculturation is the transmission of culture from one generation to the next. Unlike biological hereditary transmission, cultural transmission is done through observation, use of language, adaptation to environment, rituals, and formal and informal education. Every member of the community will then distinguish themselves from other communities because of the differences in the way people do things in their lives.

The Self and Person in Contemporary Anthropology 

 

The anthropological self takes a holistic dimension of the individual person. It considers both the biological and environmental aspects of the person. When do you start being exposed to your environment?  The growing years of the child is very crucial in anthropological perspective. This is the time when the child develops the psychological construct of dependency or independency.



In many western cultures where independence is the cultural emphasis, the child is usually provided with a room and is trained to be independent by giving less physical contact from parents or carers.



On the contrary, in most part of Asia and Africa, children are reared in close contact with parents, especially the mother, thus developing the sense of dependence on significant others and the immediate community (like the family).

Self-awareness 







Anthropology defines self-awareness as “that which permits one to assume responsibility for one’s own conduct, to learn how to react to others, and to assume a variety of roles.”  Self-awareness is conceptualized much earlier by children sleeping with parents and are exposed to a variety of stimuli like touch and the like. Stimulation is maximized when the child is in close contact with the mother or the carer and all other members of the family. This develops the neutral circuitry or hard wiring of the brain faster than with the children with less stimulation.

Following the faster process of enculturation and self-awareness is the importance of attachment of positive values to one’s self. 









The child must be able to get the culturally correct values necessary for adult life. Parents, immediate family and the community play a vital role in the development of the child’s values. What the child observes from what the adults are doing or thinking will more likely be adapted and imitated by the child. However, in the continued process of self-awareness, the child will eventually develop his or her own identity. This identity is further intensified by a practice common to all cultures – the naming ritual

Naming  





Naming individualizes a person. Gives a person his/her own unique traits, experiences, personality, identity and status. The person’s name is also a symbol of one’s status in the community. It either gives you honor or stigma.

 A project in progress

 

The self that bears the name continues to establish an identity of the name in the community.

Self and Behavioral Environment 





In order to strengthen the identity of the self, one must be able to grasp the different behavioral orientations. These are concepts that will help situate the self in different behavioral/environmental conditions. The four environmental orientations are: 

object orientation,



spatial orientation,



temporal orientation and



normative orientation.









Object orientation positions the self in relation to the surrounding objects. Spatial orientation provides the self with personal space in relation to other people or things. Temporal orientation endows the self with the sense of time. Normative orientation provides the self with the grasp of accepted norms in the community.

The Self Embedded in Culture When the self is able to distinguish what is acceptable behavior and what is not, it only follows that the self is already able to recognize the differences of one’s self and the other. Psychological anthropologists recognize the thin line that distinguishes the cultural self and the “actual self.” 



The cultural self includes all the feelings, thoughts, experiences, biological and psychological constitutions, language and memory. However the actual self is also being shaped by all these same elements and more.



This shows that the self should not maintain the individualistic, independent and autonomous entity but that the self should be able to maintain his or her solid culturally reflexive identity in relation to everything and everyone else.





The anthropological movements at this time are already geared toward recognizing the power of culture in influencing little gaps and interstices, meaning intervening spaces between people. It is only when the self recognizes the power of culture constituted by every system that we can have an effective shaping of social reality.

example 

One perhaps is the attitude of some indigenous peoples (IP), especially the IP students enrolled in big universities where they do not want to be recognized as IP or they do not want to be identified as IP.





Cultural degradation means the loss of a particular culture due to assimilation or loss of interest. Assimilation happens when a dominant culture, the Ilocano culture for example, is overshadowing the inferior culture, meaning the culture possessed by lesser population living within the Ilocano communities: the inferior culture will eventually lose its identity.

In a larger scale, culture is also lost through continued violence, genocide, inability to respect traditions, religions, beliefs, and the cultural community’s sense of pride, which are largely the result of globalization.







Television for instance influences language, traditions, beliefs, knowledge and even personalities. In judging beauty for, media proposes the following criteria: 

face must be beautiful and unpimpled.



hair must be black and silky.



skin color must be fair and flawless.



body must be slim and toned, etc.

“Culture is also not a force or causal agent in the world, but a context in which people live out their lives.” (Clifford Geertz, 1973)

Summary 

In anthropology, the self is recognized as:

(1) biologically attuned to respond to his or her environment, (2) variably self-aware of the mechanisms of the elements of culture working within the self, and (3) self-reflexive of the uniqueness and differences of all other selves and everything else around.

Evaluative activity: Mandala 

is a Sanskrit word which means “disk” or a geometric figure that represents the universe. In psychoanalysis, the term mandala is a circular figure that is usually filled with the person’s drawing of his/her dreams or figures that represent the person’s search for completeness and self-unity. Mandala

For this activity, you need to prepare 1 whole sheet of paper. Draw a big circle on the middle of the paper. Make sure to maximize the space of the paper. Inside the circle, draw the most significant cultural influences (e.g. materials, activities, celebrations, beliefs, influential persons, etc) that have helped shape yourself into what you are now.

Evaluative Activity #2: Concept Map Create an organized diagram that connects all the following terms: Anthropology a) Community b) Culture c) Human beings d) Normative orientation e) Rituals f) Self g) Self-awareness h) Social issues i) Tribes

Evaluative Activity #3: Analysis on Issues



Form a small group of five members. Identify some cultural issues in your community and complete the table below. (see page 39)

OUTPUT PLANS Food Festival Organize the class for a luncheon celebration of Food Festival. The class will be divided into groups according to tribes or ethnicity or community. Each group will prepare at least two special viand and/or delicacies. The food must be prepared the “traditional” way. Before the meal, each group will be given few minutes to explain how the food was prepared and how culturally significant the

OUTPUT PLANS 2. Cultural Summit. The class will organize a symposium about culture. The class may invite the local Indigenous Peoples Mandatory Representative (IPMR) of the city or municipal council as Guest Speaker. The speaker may talk about the issues and concerns of the indigenous peoples in the community. During the Cultural Summit, students may be required to wear traditional attire of indigenous peoples.

OUTPUT PLANS 3. Lumad Reorganization. The class will get the list of all Lumad students from NDMU including students