Последние новости

Anthrogeeks and SF nerds UNITE!
2008-11-04 11:22 sporkyoracle
(x-posted to anthropologist)

(apologies to any who find "geek" and "nerd" offensive - I assure you in my personal lexicon, they are positively marked and I apply them to myself often and with relish)

I am writing my (anthropology) senior thesis on SF and fantasy novels!

My chapters are tentatively as follows:
1. A thematic history of SF and fantasy, attempting to relate trends to movements in social science/popular imagination of the culture concept, etc.
2. the social scientist/cultural relativist as hero/sympathetic character
3. borrowing from actual cultures in order to construct fictional worlds: does the author employ common stereotypes? are they treated with more complexity? do certain cultural forms (nomadism comes to mind) have certain moral associations?
4. ethnography, ethnographic fiction, and SF/fantasy: textual strategies of representing the Other

I already have quite an extensive bibliography, but I am here asking for sources, particularly ways of anthropologically discussing literature as cultural texts. If anyone knows of any writing on the genre of fantasy, that's the thing I am having the most trouble with. There are extensive histories of SF as a genre, but fantasy is proving problematic to research. I also would welcome recommendations of novels in those two genres that you loved for their cultural/anthropological content!

I'm on to Chad Oliver and Ursula K. Le Guin, but you can never get enough rec's!

Thanks a ton in advance!

Picture perception query
2008-07-20 17:51 xombje
Hello anthropologists. 

I'm a philosopher writing a paper on depiction. Does anyone happen to know if these images, which originally featured in a study carried out by William Hudson (1960) on cross-cultural picture perception, are in the public domain? If they are not, would anyone happen to know who owns the copyright? Thanks.
 

https://culturalanthro.livejournal.com/47764.html
2008-06-16 19:53 heartrevolt
The Gender Public Advocacy Coalition is pleased to announce the release of its 2008 GENIUS Survey in partnership with Ernst & Young. GenderPAC works to ensure that classrooms, communities and workplaces are safe for everyone to learn, grow and succeed.

The Gender Equality National Index for Universities & Schools (GENIUS), GenderPAC’s most recent effort to end discrimination and promote awareness, encourages colleges and universities to recognize the benefits of a GenderSAFE campus - supportive equitable and protective for all students. Choosing to participate in GENUIS sends a strong public statement that bullying or discriminating based on the race, sex or gender of a student, faculty, or staff member is not tolerated at your institution

Fill out the survey at: www.gpac.org/GENIUS2008survey, and make sure that we have data for as many schools as possible. Your voice will help us continue to work towards a safe and welcoming environment for every student

boundary
2008-03-15 16:24 vukmanovic
Can someone recommend to me books and essays about boundary in mythical and ritual sense, but also in wider anthropological sense.
Thanks,
Ana

A chance to exercise our social responsibility
2008-03-13 17:42 gwydion01



Her contact info follows, I've already made calls and emails, feel free to do the same:

Capitol Address:
2300 N. Lincoln Blvd.
Room 332
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
(405) 557-7348

District Address:
2713 Sterling Ave.
Oklahoma City, OK 73127

Email:
sallykern@okhouse.gov

New positions open at the Beehive Collective!
2008-02-12 01:37 quamono
---THE BEEHIVE COLLECTIVE IS SEARCHING FOR NEW WORKER BEES!---

In anticipation of our most exciting and busy year to date, featuring the
launch of two new graphics campaigns, our swarm of eleven is in need of
five more workers. We are currently seeking a few passionate and
committed organizers, educators, and artists to join us full-time in
Maine, at satellite Hive locations, and on the road, beginning as soon as
possible.

Please pass this note on to others who might be interested!

**********CURRENT POSITIONS AVAILABLE*********

- Archivist/Documentarian (Mountaintop Removal Mining campaign)
- Graphics Campaign Coordinator (Mesoamerica Resiste)
- Education Coordinator (Mountaintop Removal Mining campaign)
- Illustration Collaborator (pen & ink, Mountaintop Removal Mining campaign)
- Distribution, Networking & “Pollination” Coordinator (core Hive
position)

Detailed descriptions at www.beehivecollective.org


**********THE HIVE'S ALTERNATIVE TO SALARIES**********

In exchange for their efforts and commitment, all Bees, both full and part
time, are provided with (exceptionally amazing) food and housing for the
time they are involved, in Maine or on the road. Indeed, this does not
cover other expenses that you may have such as healthcare or debt, but we
will support you in coming up with a work plan that can address your
specific needs. Bees committed beyond six months are eligible to receive
Americorps benefits such as school debt deferment, an education stipend
and health care. Thus far, we've found this approach to be the best way
for us to honor the work of each of us equally, while avoiding dependency
on unstable foundation funding.

**********ABOUT THE BEEHIVE**********

We are an all volunteer, non profit art-activist collective, dedicated to
making anti-copyright images for use as educational tools. Our mission is
to "cross-pollinate the grassroots." We value collaborative work,
creative problem solving, and dismantling colonial mentality. As the bee
metaphor dictates, we are endlessly busy in the effort to illuminate the
connections between single issues and the "big picture." Our organism
requires long hours, patience and a solid sense of humor, but is
consistently surprising, rewarding and personally transformative.

**********CURRENT CAMPAIGNS**********

*****MESOAMERICA RESISTE: Now four years in the making and extensively
researched throughout the region, this project is focused on giving voice
to the many grassroots and community-based alternatives to the Plan Puebla
Panama (PPP). The PPP is a massive trade corridor and industrial
development plan that would span southern Mexico, Central America, and
Colombia. Unprecedented in scale and sold by its designers as a regional
integration plan, the PPP is actually an acceleration of five hundred
years of colonialism and genocide founded on racism, military occupation,
short-term consumerism, and foreign control of land and resources.

Depicted by the Beehive as an elaborate pen and ink drawing, with over 450
distinct species of plant and animals, Mesoamerica Resiste is in the
homestretch of completion. In many ways, when this illustration hatches,
our work will have just begun. To release this graphic into the world and
ensure that it returns to the region to serve as a participatory tool for
resistance movements, we are seeking a CAMPAIGN COORDINATOR. This person
would join our team as soon as possible, for part-time for training in
Toronto (or possibly Philadelphia), full-time work through the summer in
Maine, and touring in the Fall.


*****MOUNTAINTOP REMOVAL MINING (MTR): With support from the Provisions
Library for Art & Social Change, and collaboration from the grassroots
groups Rising Tide and Mountain Justice Summer, the Hive has
enthusiastically agreed to pursue a campaign illuminating the most extreme
form of surface mining for coal. With this new campaign we hope to further
develop our image-based storytelling methods to cross domestic
geographical, class, and literacy barriers. We intend to produce a
learning tool that artfully captures the human and ecological scale of
shortsighted resource extraction, while participating in the rich
storytelling tradition of Appalachia. This project has an very tight
deadline, with the illustration component going to print in August.

For the MTR campaign we are seeking multiple roles: an EDUCATION
COORDINATOR, DOCUMENTARIAN/ARCHIVIST, and an ILLUSTRATION COLLABORATOR.
These three folks would join us on the road this Spring, at our Hive in
Maine in the Summer, and possibly tour with the finished graphics campaign
in the Fall. We intend for this project to be the first of many graphics
campaigns focused on Climate Change issues.


**********HOW TO APPLY**********

More information about each of these roles is currently on the front page
of our website. We'll be filling these positions by early March, so it's
best to get in touch immediately if you're interested. Write or email us
a letter of introduction using our “20 Questions” as a guide. Call us at
(207) 669-4117 and we’ll mail you a hard copy, or check out
http://www.beehivecollective.org/english/wbee_twentyq.htm

---------------------------
the beehive design collective
www.beehivecollective.org
bees@beehivecollective.org
3 elm st | machias maine | 04654
----------------------------

Question
2007-06-18 05:20 bluegreen_lens
Help! This is one of my ideas for an area of cultural or applied anth to specialize in, and I want to start researching it thoroughly...

Does anybody know of any literature that focuses on systems of justice/methods of maintaining social harmony in stateless societies (preferably societies with little to no hierarchy in their social organization).

What I'm really looking for is alternatives to prisons, courts, police, military.

I'm an anth/journalism undergrad who's finished the anth coursework, and am trying to see what research is out there on this, don't know where or with whom to start (besides Harold Barclay). Obviously there will be certain sections of books by cultural anth's that deal with the topic for a given culture, but what'd be even better is studies, key researchers, publications or organizations geared towards the topic.

Any ideas???

wayuu solidarity stuff
2007-05-16 07:30 quamono
para los interesados en la lucha del pueblo wayuu-

blog- http://organizacionwayuumunsurat.blogspot.com

myspace- http://www.myspace.com/orjuwat

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
for those interested in the struggle of the wayuu people-

blog- http://organizacionwayuumunsurat.blogspot.com

myspace- http://www.myspace.com/orjuwat

the/el yanama
2007-04-27 01:37 quamono
report back and photos from third yanama: women & territory
info y fotos del tercer yanama: mujer y territorio

en español & in english.

wayuunaiki101.blogspot.com


jl

topical areas
2007-03-29 22:17 gogglehead84
Hi everyone I need help with a paper I am doing for my anthropology class, I was hoping someone could help me. One section of my paper says to describe the topcial area within cultural anthropology that would help me achieve a certain career goal. But I can't find what the topical areas of Cultural Anthro. are, does anybody know? Any help is much appreciated. Thanks :)

https://culturalanthro.livejournal.com/44925.html
2007-02-27 22:13 gwydion01
Hey. I'm doing some work and i need some resources on what are generally considered to be the main set of archetypes, jungian or otherwise. I'm doing stuff with religious pantheon comparisons if that narrows it down.

A disturbing trend...
2007-02-14 05:09 futurebird
I have noticed a disturbing trend on the wikipedia. Articles on the topic "race and Intelligence" contain lopsided information and occaionly racist information mostly from researchers such as Arthur Jensen, Charles Murray and Richard Lynn (Richard Lynn wrote a book called "IQ and the Wealth of Nations" that tries to prove
that people are poor in places around the world because they are genetically inferior...)

All of the work looks, on first glance, to be very scholarly, there are numerous citations and lots of flashy graphs, but fundamentally, the historical context is missing and the cultural context is missing. Becuase of this the information is highly misleading.

I have undertaken a project of revising these articles (I've rewritten portions of these articles, using the work of Gardner, Gould, Etienne Wenger, Robert Serpell as my sources) but I am in over my head. I'm really just a high school math teacher. I'm not an expert on intelligence. I need the help of smart dedicated editors who can help bring some balance to these articles.

I see the impact allegations of inferiority can have on young people in the classroom all of the time. I felt it growing up as a minority student during The Bell Curve controversy. I think that improving these articles is important work, and I hope you can help me find the right people to work with me on this project. Here is a link to the main article. I encourage you to take a look at it and forward this email to anyone you know who can help.

-Susan Murray

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race_and_intelligence

a letter
2007-02-14 00:20 quamono
Dear all,

Some of you I know personally, some I do not. Some of you have already heard about the trip I am about to embark on and others have not heard from me in quite sometime, I apologize for this.

So... through different community and activist work I have been doing in Miami since the fall of 2005, I have had an incredible and unique opportunity made available to me. On February 28th, 2007 I will be returning to my mother’s land of Colombia to start a year of human rights accompaniment and skills building with the Organización Wayúu Munsurat.

This organization is a group of indigenous Wayúu, mostly women and youth, from the department of Guajira in Colombia. This group has been struggling against the local coal industry, as well as the paramilitary activity that has overtaken the region in the last couple of years. More specifically, they have been struggling for the safe right of return for the inhabitants of the community of Bahia Portete that were displaced by a paramilitary massacre on April 18th, 2004.

As some may know, I grew up between Miami and Colombia and have long awaited the opportunity to participate in grassroots solidarity work in my family's country. My commitment to these people and their struggle comes from a strong conviction in the rights of autonomy and self-determination of indigenous peoples, anti-racist sentiments and a belief in environmental justice.

Unlike others who have gone to Colombia to do accompaniment work, I will have no backing of any international peace organizations. I’ll be working directly with Orgazación Wayuu Munsurat and will help to facilitate skills building in translation, media/communications and networking for its membership.

For approximately one year, I will be based in Riohacha, capital of the Guajira department and will be traveling often throughout the department, to Bogotá and also to Maracaibo, Venezuela. Most of my time will be spent in accompaniment of different members of the organization, planning logistics for this next April's 3rd Yanama (an encuentro, if you are interested in attending please contact me) as well as trying to coordinate and fundraise for media activists to come work with Wayúu youth interested in videography, web/graphic design and establishing an independent Wayúu community radio station (Again, contact me if you are interested).

From what some of the organization's members tells me, I will be the first international representative to go to the Guajira to do this type of work. In this light, next year’s prospects are very exciting, but the potential risks and dangers of Colombia’s socio-political situation are also more than a bit nerve wrecking. Despite the fact that the environment in which I am going into seems very foreign and intense, I know that through the collective emotional & political support of friends, family & allies outside of Colombia, those risks and dangers can be overcome.

While awareness of privilege leaves me slightly tense, the organization and myself are aware of the impact of having an international presence in the region. It will at least assist in directing some global attention to the situation of the people in the Guajira, as well as attempt to displace the violence that has inflicted the region’s inhabitants.

The Wayúu are the predominant inhabitants of this upper desert peninsula that juts into the Caribbean Sea. The Cerrejon, the world's largest open pit coalmine is located in the upper part of this peninsula near the area where Colombia & Venezuela are attempting to build a gas pipeline.

Until about five years ago, the armed groups of Colombia's decades long civil war had left this region relatively untouched. That changed with the Bahia Portete Massacre that displaced about 200 families now living as refugees in Maracaibo, Venezuela. Many Wayúu recall the massacre as their history’s biggest offense. This matriarchal nation, which was never conquered by the Spaniards, has never before witnessed its women and children being cruelly killed in cold blood. This is still an open case within the Inter American Court of Human Rights.

Throughout my time in Colombia I will be keeping a blog called Wayúunaiki101 (Wayúunaki is the language of the Wayúu and directly translates to ‘what the people speak’). Through the blog I aim to update readers regularly on the happenings in the region, the status of the organization and its members, our work, my everyday thoughts and life, pictures, links to relevant websites, as well as how people outside can help if the situation should arise where solidarity actions are needed. Please visit it at: wayuunaiki101.blogspot.com/.

Many of you have helped greatly, either through myself, allied groups or directly with the group when they were touring North America last fall. We are all extremely humbled and appreciative of this help. For those of you who have not had the opportunity to help, but are interested in helping, one way to help right now is through monetary or material donations. As of now, the organization's budget comes from a shoestring of handicraft sales and honorariums paid to members that did speaking tours in North America. With this limited income the group attempts to support and coordinate events & services for the membership and the greater community.

Currently, I am scrambling to raise as much money as I can to support myself in my volunteer efforts for the year. Once I’m in Riohacha, I will have a better idea of what is actually needed. In the meantime, besides monetary assistance, any sort of recording (video/audio) gear, computers, printers, projectors, or any hardware & software related to audio editing & web design could definitely be used. If your not sure, just ask.

Some of other ways in which supporters in the US can help Organización Wayúu Munsurat include:
· Signing up to receive action alerts
· Keeping up with the blog and upcoming group website
· Forwarding articles, writing articles, attending the encuentro in April
· Writing letters to the US embassy & Colombian officials in support of the accompaniment
· Pressuring your congress members to support an end to US military aid to Colombia

Additionally, there are a variety of transnational interests in the area, namely the energy companies Glencore, BHP Billiton, Anglo American & Xstrata who operate the Cerrejon mine. Any pressure on these corporations or on utilities companies with connections to the region could play a big role in how they operate in the Guajira

I personally feel strongly about the type of work that the Organización Wayúu Munsurat is doing, in particular with urban Wayúu youth. Creating a space where indigenous youth can empower themselves to work for the betterment of their communities and their right to autonomy and self-determination.

If you would like to donate to the Organización Wayúu Munusrat, please do so. Those funds will be used for such things like the logistics for the 3rd encuentro, maintaining the organization's space in Riohacha, setting up the radio station and developing more programs for the membership base. The donations can be made directly to one of our US allied organizations: Bridges Across Borders, P.O. Box 103, Graham, FL 32042. Please note donations as for the Organización Wayúu Munsurat.

I will be able to receive snail mail during this time, though I am currently unsure of my mailing address. I will also be getting a cell phone (Yes I know, my first cell phone?!). Once I get the phone number and the snail mail address it will be posted on the blogspot account.

My emails will remain: aquamono@riseup.net & aquamono@gmail.com

On a final note, if you live in South Florida there will be two events that I am organizing to help fortify the local Wayúu solidarity base through an educational workshop as well as raise some of those extremely needed last minute funds.

The first is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 22, 6 PM at the South Florida Jobs with Justice headquarters at 1671 NW 17th Ave in the Allapattah Barrio of Miami. This will be an educational event to help raise awareness of what is going on in the Guajira and draw some connections that exist between the Guajira & Florida Peninsulas.

The second event will be two events in one. It will be my going away benefit as well as my turning 25 on the 25th birthday get down. This event will be held on Saturday, Feb. 24th around 9 PM-ish at the Coral Castle House in Downtown Miami (contact me for directions). This event will have its share of dancing and other forms of celebrating life.

Soo...again thank you all for your support, buena onda, amistad and help in doing this.

Please keep me up-to-date on your lives as well.

With deep sentiments of gratitude and love,

jonathan luna

Gender and Medicine
2007-02-02 21:26 thalionhiril
Hi. I suppose first I should introduce myself...my name is Alyce. I'm an undergraduate anthropology student. This semester I'm taking a course 'Intro to Ethnomedicine'...which is fascinating by the way and the professor is amazing. However, one of my friends and I were discussing after class the effect gender plays on beliefs in medicine, specifically ones ability to trust or find validity in more traditional medical practices such as homeopathy or acupuncture.  I was just wondering how people feel about more traditional medical practices, and if you feel your gender has anything to do with this. Also, I'm doing a project later this semester on the midwifery and birthing practices of the Inuit. So if anyone knows of any resources, please let me know. I would greatly appreciate it.

https://culturalanthro.livejournal.com/44031.html
2007-01-04 19:51 garmin
Hello! I am new to this community and I have some graduate school questions. I'd like to focus my studies on Central and South America and am wondering what schools in the US and Canada have cultural anthropology programs involved in that area. Oh yeah, I'm also going into social psychology as well. Any help that can be offered is GREATLY appreciated! There are endless resources for psychology programs, but I've found that resources for anthropology programs is more limited.

Wiki wars over Urban Decay
2007-01-04 17:53 futurebird
There is a long debate at wikipedia over having a category for "Urban decay." I'm often a lone voice who gets shouted down in these kinds of things. I do think both sides have points, but in the end it is subjective weather or not a category is 'based on a point of view.' All categories are based on a point of view. There is so much meaning carried in the ways we try to group ideas together. We think that norms are set in stone, but the context of history books, the structure of encyclopedias all represent a kind of world-view that is present even before you get to the content.

In this encyclopedia we can find information on "crime" on "mortgage discrimination" on "racism" on "housing projects" on "freeways" but nothing ties these ideas togather. They aren't a part of a grouping of ideas that represents a felid or subject of study. They are compartmentalized with no relation to the rest of the story. This is why people seek to address just one of these problems and often fail. They fail to see the complete picture and the way that the symptoms of urban decay constantly reenforce each other.

That's why I think it is important to participate in projects like wikipedia. Not so that I can further any agenda, but so that at least I can have some influence over finding that middle ground.

I'm really excited about this project of grouping togather all of the aspects of urban decay and I hope that it won't be deleted. The debate over the inclusion of this topic is outrageously long! And it is still going on! I never suspected it would cause this much controversy. But, in a way, I think that is a good thing. Please consider adding your voice to the fray whatever side of thise debate you support.

I'm also shocked to find that one or two people had a hard time seeing the connection between the ideas in the topic. But, I guess, this is a kind of reality check for me. Most people don't obsess over these things as much as I do and I guess that saying that "freeways" are a part of "urban decay" sounds at first to be contradictory. "Don't new roads improve cities?" I think that's what people must be thinking.

We shall see if this category is wiki-worthy.

(By the way many of the topics under this category need a lot of work-- I want to make this body of knowledge *sparkle* with sources and clarity. I think that it could really have an impact on how people doing research on these topics come to see urban decay.So if you are inclined please help out!)

Pompeii's erotic past revealed
2006-10-27 23:06 primal_sanshin
BBC Article:

Pompeii's erotic past revealed

Hundreds of tourists have been queuing in the ancient Roman city of Pompeii, Italy, to gain entry to one of the city's most extravagant brothels. The 2,000-year-old building, featuring erotic fresco paintings, has been re-opened after a costly restoration.

The Lupanare - from the Latin word "lupa" for prostitute - is regarded as one of Pompeii's main attractions.

The town, by the slopes of Mount Vesuvius near Naples, was destroyed by a catastrophic eruption in AD79.

The eruption helped preserve the city, allowing insights into life under the Romans.

Prostitute specialities

In those times, prostitution was not illegal. Sex workers were often slaves, and many came from Greece.

Some of their names and those of their clients are still visible - scrawled on the walls of the small cubicles where the sex workers took their customers.

The erotic frescoes painted above each door of the two-storey brothel are believed to suggest the prostitute's speciality.

According to archaeologists, sex workers charged the equivalent of the price at that time of eight glasses of red wine.

The BBC's David Willey in Pompeii says the site is attracting considerable interest from tourists.

One guide told him while there was not much to see in the brothel, there were "a lot of things to imagine".

The restoration has cost $250,000 (200,000 euros; £134,000) and taken one year.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/6090486.stm

Published: 2006/10/27 10:50:46 GMT

© BBC MMVI

The Urban Naturalist: The Wounded City
2006-08-22 20:17 futurebird
Environmentalists have long spoken about the wounded earth, those with spiritual leanings will say that they can feel, in the presence of a clear cut forest, a sewage-choked stream or a toxic strip mine, the cries of the trees and of mother nature. The rationalist, who is an environmentalist, will, instead, talk about the lost diversity of rain-forests that are burned and of coral reefs that are bleached. They will remind us that the next cure for some terrible illness could come from the still unexplored life-forms there. In any case, most people, who are not bound by harsh economies, prefer to know that, someplace, non-human creatures thrive. That someplace, beyond the pesticide-laced wheat fields and strip-malls, we can still find abundant animal life.

Since the city is manifestation of nature, it too can become wounded like the earth. The wounded city is the wounded earth, but in the wounded city the environmental disasters are inflicted directly upon human beings. Like a well-managed rain forest the city is filled with diversity. The diversity is economic, intellectual, artistic and cultural. Just as the diverse environments for plant and animal life may hold the cures to our ills, so too, in the tiny economies of the city, solutions to any crisis we face may dwell, the art lives here too that could heal a nation. And when we must change our values and the way we live, the new ideas arise from the incubator of the city. Fantastic people and strange enterprises find a kind of ecological niche in the city, and like rare orchids, or birds of paradise, we may not even know that they exist, or what cures they hold for the ills of the future.

The wounded city is scared by neglect and misguided development. Masses of buildings stand empty, more still stand in ruins. Where new development occurs it occurs with relentless repetition, like invasive vines that come to dominate once rich forests. The city itself spreads out, flattened by miles of highway, engulfing entire regions in endless development that consists of only a few enterprises and only a few floor plans for homes and other buildings. The tragedy in this is that these developments destroy green diversity while, simultaneously, sucking life from the concentrated human economic and cultural diversity of cities. It is not so much that any one chain-store or agricultural method is, in and of itself bad, but rather the scale and monotony of development fails to form the healthy ecological harmony required to sustain human life through ever changing circumstances. Whatever it produces, it necessarily does so in excess, and no other forces hold it in check.

In the wounded city once great places rich with many meanings and memories for many people are forgotten. They have no stories to tell. We no longer understand the hieroglyphics of our own creations, knowledge is lost, and with it culture and art. We find ourself rendered naive and unprepared for the future, ready to make the same mistakes again with no lessons from history to guide us.

We hear the cries of the wounded city as we hear the cries of the wounded earth. The voice is not that of mankind, but of mother nature. To "save the earth" we must also save the unique ecology of cities. The people who care about cities, who try to heal these wounds are the urban naturalists and they are, in every sense, environmentalists.

I'm working on what I think will be a book on this topic. If you know of any writers with similar ideas, I'd love to know. Feedback, objections and praise are also most welcome! I want to look at the spiritual quality of cities in this work. I'm trying to break the man nature divide while still retaining the ability to judge the quality of places and the degree to which places let us connect with nature. If you want to see the other essays they are here.

Questions from an urban naturalist...
2006-08-15 21:00 futurebird
1. Why do people build cities?
2. Can you have civilization without cities?
2. Do we really need cities? If so why?
3. What elements of urban environments may be universal to the human animal?
4. What aspects of urban life are absent in historical and modern suburban environments?
5. Other than US suburbanization are there any historical examples of a people rejecting large-scale dense cities for reasons other than invasion, crop problems, etc. ?

half-baked probably incorrect theory of history
2006-08-13 23:44 futurebird
I have a half-baked probably incorrect theory of history that I've been pondering. I'm wondering if there are any historians who have suggested this and if so, who are they and where can I read more about it?

Here's the theory:

First what has been generally accepted:

People have lived in Africa longer than anywhere else in the world. The people who are there now are the most highly diverse pollution in terms of language, culture etc. This is probably due to the fact that Africa has been colonized, amalgamated in to kingdoms and empires and reorganized more than any other place in the world. This was done by: indigenous populations, by the people who left Africa to later return as invaders or partners in trade and culture (for example, the people became the Islamic empire, the Europeans, Etc.) and the decedents of these people.

My theory:
Hence, the cultures we find there are in the most advanced (as in far along the time-line, not to imply that it is "better" or "worse") state of human development, that is, the chaos we see at present due to conquest and re-conquest is a window in to the future of Europe and eventually Asia and the Americas. The contentious state of the middle-east exemplifies the trend where the crossed purposes of states and religions may lead to wars. The catalog of history grows ever longer and complex in these places where people have lived for the longest time.

Also, the environmental problems are also a picture of the future. The growing desert (not a new problem) Poor quality of soil (the most farmed soil in the world, with the possible exception of the "fertile crescent") As people work and re-work the land they can make it barren. Some people have found sustainable means of living. But, in the wake of colonial empires who have found little success with modern farming methods, some technologies, perhaps thousands of years in the making have been lost.

When people moved out of Africa to new lands they did it knowing that Africa existed. Africa was never "discovered" by any cultural group. All people of the world retain at least faint memories of the existence of the place.

Finding a sustainable future for Africa is finding a future for all of humanity. In western history classes Africa is still sometimes presented as a window into how people lived long ago. this is incorrect, it is a window in to how we may live in the future.

That's my (admittedly flawed) theory. What do you think?