Spotlight on Students: Cultural Relativism & Ethnocentrism

The following post features exemplary work from one of my SA 202: Introduction to Anthropology students.  For this assignment on cultural relativism & ethnocentrism they were tasked with a hypothetical situation involving bathroom hygiene. Please acknowledge the hard work by letting her know how well she did and how much you enjoy her work.  :)

By: Tricia Timpe

Military personnel are being deployed worldwide. A friend of [mine] just returned from deployment in the Middle East (location unknown), and he is telling everyone about his “adventures”. He [begins] talking about “the locals” who shared the base with him and he disgustingly exclaims, “They were disgusting! There were toilets, but they never used them properly! Instead they squatted over the toilet and pooped everywhere! They never used toilet paper. It was disgusting!”  My friend’s views were based on his cultural expectations, thus his negative view of how another group uses the restroom.  This paper will address the following: defining ethnocentrism and viewing the situation with an ethnocentric interpretation, defining cultural relativism and viewing the situation with a culturally relativistic interpretation, and reflecting upon both interpretations of the situation and discussion of my own thoughts and reactions to the article’s content while identifying my own ethnocentric and cultural relativistic reactions to the events.

Ethnocentrism is “the attitude that other societies’ customs and ideas can be judged in the context of one’s own culture”.  (Anthropology, 2011).  This mindset is evidenced in my friend’s claim, “There were toilets, but they never used them properly! Instead they squatted over the toilet and pooped everywhere!  They never used toilet paper.”  He obviously expected that the locals would do what he had been taught when using the bathroom.  If they used the toilet like that, he would not want to associate with them due to their uncivilized bathroom habits.

Cultural relativism is “the attitude that a society’s customs and ideas should be viewed within the context of that society’s problems and opportunities”.  (Anthropology, 2011).  From the local’s perspective, the area is not as highly sanitized as in the West and diseases like dysentery can be more easily spread via infected feces.  (National Health Service, 2015).  The local population refrains from using toilet paper because it will “block up the plumbing system”.  (Thumb, 2010).  They instead use their hands to guide a stream of water to their behinds for rinsing.  (Toilet Hygiene in Bangladesh).  Thus, the locals squat over the toilet to minimize their chances of contracting fecal-borne diseases and use water for rinsing to prevent clogging the drain pipes.

Ethnocentrism and cultural relativism are differing viewpoints of the situation.  Ethnocentrism is judging a culture from your personal viewpoint.  Culture relativism sees the situation from the locals’ viewpoint.  When my friend first told me about the experience, I was initially shocked but then inquisitive as to why the locals used the bathroom that particular way.  After reading Thumb (2010) and doing research, I began seeing the situation from the other viewpoint.  I now believe that my friend experienced culture shock due to not being aware of the norms of using the restroom where he was deployed.  Had he known of the local population’s manner of using the toilet before he was deployed, he would not have suffered such a culture shock and developed a negative view.

The bathroom etiquette varies widely from one culture to another.  Ethnocentrism has a damaging effect on personal outlooks and can impair a person’s judgement of a particular subject.  In contrast, cultural relativism strives to comprehend why a culture will perform a task like bathroom etiquette a certain way.  It is my personal belief that my friend quickly judged the locals and their bathroom etiquette before he was aware of the reasons they used the bathroom in that manner.  Had he been informed of bathroom etiquette before deployment, he would not have experienced such a culture shock.

References:

Dysentery.  (2015).  National Health Service.  Retrieved from http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Dysentery/Pages/Introduction.aspx.

Ember, C. R., Ember, M., and Peregrine, P. E.  (2011). Anthropology.  Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Thumb, T.  (2010).  The Left Hand Toilet Technique and Spitting – Most of the World Does It.  Retrieved from http://www.roadjunky.com/1585/the-left-hand-toilet-technique-and-spitting-world-hygiene/.

Toilet Hygiene in Bangladesh.  (n.d.).  Retrieved from http://www.sciencetoymaker.org/bangladesh/toiletHygene.htm.

Spotlight on Students: Primate Conservation

The following is a guest post featuring the work of a student enrolled in my SA 202 course.  This exceptional work highlights the importance of primate conservation.  I hope you find this piece informative and are inspired to make a positive change in the world that will help this and other endangered primates.

Blond Capuchin Monkey

 The Blond Capuchin Monkey

By: Quincy Peterson-Bullock

The biggest threat to a wildlife species is not another wildlife species, but a specie that does not even live in the wild. Human beings are the main reason why wildlife species are faced with extinction. As a result of the destruction of wildlife habitats, illegal wildlife trade, and hunting, more than half of the world's primates are now faced with the endangerment of becoming extinct: This includes the South American Blond Capuchin monkey. The Blond Capuchin monkey is considered critically endangered based on the IUCN conservation scale (IUNC, “Sapajus flavius (Blonde Capuchin)”.) This report will emphasize the life of the endangered Blond Capuchin monkey, how extinction affects the primate’s lifestyle, and why it is important to keep this intelligent primate from becoming extinct.

This particular New World monkey species is found exclusively in the tropical forests on the Northeast coastline of Brazil. The Blond Capuchin monkey can be identified by its golden blond fur that covers its body and white crown at the top of its head. Blond Capuchins can grow anywhere from 1.8 kilograms to 3.0 kilograms in size and anywhere to about 40 centimeters long. Unlike most Capuchin species, Blond Capuchins are more likely to be found closer to the ground in their habitat. The reason why Blond Capuchin monkeys prefer staying low to the ground is because that where their food is. Their diet is surprisingly different than other primates of the Capuchin family, which typically consume fruits. Blond Capuchin diets consist of termites, roots, and tubers. Also, Capuchin monkeys display very high intelligence when it comes to the use of tools to obtain food inside hard shell fruits (Planet of the Monkeys, “Blond Capuchin.”)

Despite their intelligence, the Blond Capuchin monkey is one of the most critically endangered species tracked by the IUCN; in fact, only about 180 of this specific species still remain today and there is no indication of its population increasing. (IUNC, “Sapajus flavius (Blonde Capuchin.”) The decreasing numbers of this species is due to habitat destruction and fragmentations, live capture for the illegal pet trade, and bush meat (hunting). To be exact, the particular industry to blame for a huge percentage of the endangerment of the Blond Capuchin is the Brazilian Sugarcane Industry (Ana Gabriela Verotti, “Brazilian Sugarcane Industry”). Therefore, essentially the Blond Capuchin is losing its home environment to sugarcane. Besides deforestations, other factors like live capture and illegal pet trade are becoming major issues for these primates. There is a large majority of people who would like to have them as pets. Allegedly, the average price for a Capuchin monkey can range from $8,000 to $10,000 based from a site that sells Capuchin primates (Pet4you, “Monkey & Primate Infants For Sale”).

Although primates in human captivity could maybe a possible solution for replenishing the species population, it would also do more harm than good. According to an interview done by Animalist News about Capuchins at the Three Ring Ranch, which is a private non-profit exotic animal sanctuary, the zoo keeper explained that Capuchin monkeys that were hand raised in human care is not suitable to be introduced back into their wild environments. Human adjusted Capuchins would not be able to survive in the wild because they would not know how to obtain food and survive attacks, and this will results to the death of the monkey. As of now there is no known solution to preventing the Blond Capuchin from becoming extinct. The best possible solution is for them to go into captivity and live in an optimized environment that mimics their natural habitat. Living in a similar environment will allow them reproduce without the dangers of being hunted and captured, and if their population increases, then the zoo keepers will release them back into their natural habitat.

It is necessary to protect the species from extinction because their existence has an impact on the food chain, and by disrupting this natural process, it would cause a chain of effects on other species that they hunt. For example, Blond Capuchin feasts on termites for nutrition. Without the Blond Capuchins, the termites might dramatically over populate and tear down all the trees, and then other animals would not have an environment. The food chain effect is one of the prime reasons why humans should try to preserve primates, not just the Blond Capuchin, but all of the world's primates. A disruption in the ecosystem could lead towards unknown catastrophe that may not favor the wild life habitats around the world.

In conclusion, we, as humans, have a global responsibility to respect and protect the world and everything in it. We should care, not just in our interest, but the interest of primates and all animals alike. As a wise Chinese philosopher once said, “Today, more than ever before, life must be characterized by a sense of universal responsibility, not only nation to nation & human to human, but also man to other forms of life” -Tenzin Gyatso.

Works Cited

“Sapajus flavius (Blonde Capuchin)” Iucn.com, 26 Sept. 2016,
            http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/136253/0

“Planet of the Monkeys” Planetofthemonkeys.com, 26 Sept. 2016
            http://planetofthemonkeys.com/blond-capuchin/

“Brazilian Sugarcane Industry” Ana Gabriela Verotti, 26 Sept. 2016

            http://thebrazilbusiness.com/article/brazilian-sugarcane-industry

“Monkey & Primate Infants For Sale” Pets4You.com, 26 Sept. 2016
            https://www.pets4you.com/monkey-primate.html

“ Protecting Endangered Species for Future Generations”Andrew Currie, 26 Sept. 2016

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7MeCPfaPR0

Spotlight on Students: Anthropologist Profiles

The following post features exemplary work from one of my SA 202: Introduction to Anthropology students.  For this assignment students were to pick a famous anthropologist and provide a brief biographical description of the anthropologist's contributions to the discipline. Please acknowledge this student's hard work by letting him know how well he did and how much you enjoy his work.  :)

 

By: Wyatt Loethen

Dr. Jane Goodall is a British biological anthropologist who is well known for her many significant discoveries about primates while studying chimpanzees.  She has on numerous occasions completely changed the way scholars viewed chimpanzees, humans, and primates at large, and how and why we interact.  Goodall is also a very notable animal activist and has worked dutifully for the welfare of the animals she studies.  Today, she spends most of her time devoting herself to the conservation of the great apes and their habitats through her non-for-profit organization, The Jane Goodall Institute. Goodall’s many contributions to primatology have redefined the whole identity and definition of what it means to be human, and how we relate socially to other species in our taxonomic family (Jane Goodall Institute [JGI], 2016).

Goodall’s anthropological career began in the year 1960 when she left her home in England and traveled to what is modern day Tanzania to study chimpanzees (JGI 2016).  Goodall studied the chimpanzee’s social interactions and most simple actions, and compared them to how we as humans interact.  One of the first observations Goodall made while in Africa, and one of her most important observations, was when she witnessed a chimpanzee using a stick as a tool.  The chimpanzee modified the twig by removing its leaves, then stuck it down a termite mound in order to more easily eat termites (Goodall, 2002).  This was the first documented example of a non-human organism making and manipulating an item into a tool.  This was such an important event because before Goodall witnessed this phenomenon humans were defined by scholars as “the toolmakers”, making it part of the human identity and superiority that humans are the only organism capable of using tools. After hearing about Goodall’s discovery, her mentor, Lewis Leakey remarked, “We must now redefine ‘man’, redefine 'tool,' or accept chimpanzees as humans” (Goodall, 2002).

Before Goodall traveled to Africa very little research had been done on chimpanzees, making her one of the first pioneers to study how similar humans are to chimpanzees, especially socially.  Goodall dispelled many conventions on what is “human”, such as compassion, life lasting emotional and familial bonds, hunting in large sophisticated groups (Goodall, 2002), and even war (Balter, 2014).  Goodall’s research has helped us understand how similar humans are to chimpanzees, as well as how sophisticated they really are as a species.

            Goodall’s scientific contributions to anthropology have proven to be some of the most important discoveries in the 20^th century, not only for the sake of us understanding more about chimpanzees, but it also helps us understand what social and psychological traits our common ancestors could potentially had.  Goodall’s works also have helped educate people about many issues that chimpanzees, our closest relative, are facing, such as overhunting and a loss of habitat due to deforestation and pollution. Goodall has worked diligently to inform people on how they can help prevent this and protect the natural world.

            Dr. Jane Goodall’s many significant contributions to biological anthropology have been some of the most important discoveries in the field.  Goodall’s research of chimpanzees has shown that they are just as capable as humans of feeling emotions and modifying objects as tools. This breakthrough has had a huge impact on the way people think about what is “human” and what is not.  Many chimpanzees, their habitats, and their way of living have also been saved by the help of Goodall’s work by her conservation efforts.  Goodall’s work in anthropology has helped shaped the thought on how contemporary scholars view what makes us human, and without her contributions to the field of biological anthropology the view of all primates would be considerably different.

Works Cited

Balter, M. (2014, September 7). Why Do Chimps Kill Each other. Retrieved September 6, 2016,              from http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2014/09/why-do-chimps-kill-each-other

The Jane Goodall Institute. (n.d.). About Jane. Retrieved September 5, 2016, from               www.janegoodall.org/who-we-are/about-jane/

Jane Goodall: What Separates Us from Chimpanzees [Video file]. (2002, March). In TED Talk.    Retrieved September 5, 2016, from        https://www.ted.com/talks/jane_goodall_on_what_separates_us_from_the_apes?language          =en