UNIT 1. Anthropological Perspectives1. Doing Fieldwork Among the Yanomamö, Napoleon A. Chagnon, Yanomamö: The Fierce People, Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1992Although an anthropologist's first field experience may involve culture shock, Napoleon Chagnon reports that the long process of participant observation may transform personal hardship and frustration into confident understanding of exotic cultural patterns.2. Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief, Richard Kurin, Natural History, November 1980In transforming an anthropologist into one of their own, villagers of Punjab say, "You never really know who a man is until you know who his grandfather and his ancestors were." In this way, Richard Kurin finds, selecting a village for fieldwork is a matter of mutual acceptance and mutual economic benefit.3. Eating Christmas in the Kalahari, Richard Borshay Lee, Natural History, December 1969Anthropologist Richard Borshay Lee gives an account of the misunderstanding and confusion that often accompany the cross-cultural experience. In this case, he violated a basic principle of the !Kung Bushmen's social relations-food sharing.4. Coping with Culture Clash, Anver Versi, African Business, May 2002The inability to understand someone else's business culture has cost multinationals so much that many have now put culture awareness at the top of their management agenda. Africa is probably where the culture clash stakes are the highest.UNIT 2. Culture and Communication5. Fighting for Our Lives, Deborah Tannen, The Argument Culture, Random House, 1998In America today, there seems to be a pervasive warlike tone to public dialogue. The prevailing belief is that there are only two sides to an issue and opposition leads to truth. Often, however, an issue is more like a crystal, with many sides, and the truth is in the complex middle, not in the oversimplified extremes.6. "I Can't Even Open My Mouth", Deborah Tannen, from I Only Say This Because I Love You, Random House, 2001Since family members have a long, shared history, what they say in conversation-the messages-combine with meanings gleaned from past memories-the metamessages. The metamessages are formed from context-the way something is said, who is saying it, or the very fact that it is said at all.7. Shakespeare in the Bush, Laura Bohannan, Natural History, August/September 1966It is often claimed that great literature has cross-cultural significance. In this classic article, Laura Bohannan describes the difficulties she encountered and the lessons she learned as she attempted to relate the story of Hamlet to the Tiv of West Africa in their own language.8. Body Art As Visual Language, Enid Schildkrout, Museum of Natural History Publication for Educators, Winter 2001As a visual language, body art involves shared symbols, myths and social values. Whether as an expression of individuality or group identity, it says something about who we are and what we want to become.UNIT 3. The Organization of Society and Culture9. Understanding Eskimo Science, Richard Nelson, Audubon, September/October 1993The traditional hunters' insights into the world of nature may be different, but they are as extensive and profound as those of modern science.10. Mystique of the Masai, Ettagale Blauer, The World & I, March 1987Living in the midst of tourist traffic and straddling two nations struggling to modernize, the Masai have retained their traditional culture longer than virtually any other group of people in East Africa.11. Too Many Bananas, Not Enough Pineapples, and No Watermelon at All: Three Object Lessons in Living With Reciprocity, David Counts, from The Humbled Anthropologist: Tales From the Pacific, Wadsworth Publishing, 1990Among the lessons to be learned regarding reciprocity is that one may not demand a gift or refuse it. Yet, even without a system of record-keeping or money being involved, there is a long-term balance