Reflective Paper Essay Example for Free

Reflective Paper Essay Ethnocentrism is the belief that one’s culture is more superior to others and that they hold all others in comparison to their own. It is a concept that was introduced in the beginning of this course and has played a role in discussions throughout the semester. At first it is difficult to understand what ethnocentrism is and why it plays such a prominent role, but with the reoccurring appearance of the term in class, the importance behind it becomes more evident. If an individual has the perspective of being ethnocentric, then they limit themselves because of the mindset they have on the world. In cultural anthropology it is of great importance that researchers do not take on an ethnocentric perspective, because they learn more if they can set their own views and biases aside and focus on a different culture. Ethnocentrism leads to a narrow-minded perspective that isolates one set of ideas, values and morals. A society with an ethnocentric view believes that their culture is the center of everything, and that anything different or new to them is not sufficient. If a community of people with ethnocentric views were to gain power, then they could go to such extreme as to impose their ideas onto others who may have a different perspective. It is seen in history with racial segregation and the genocide of a race such as in the case of the Nazi power in Germany and the holocaust. In today’s time, when culture is constantly changing with globalization, to have an ethnocentric perspective can cause great interference with international relations. Anthropologists benefit a great deal from observing and learning from other cultures. They use a variety of methods and strategies to avoid ethnocentric interpretations. These methods may include, but are not limited to, surveys, interviews with individuals and participant observation. In the novel Veiled Sentiments author and anthropologist Lila Abu-Lughod describes her experience in the Bedouin community by saying â€Å"in a society where kinship defines most relationships, it was important to have a role as a fictive kinsperson in order to participate† (15). For Abu-Lughod to observe the intimate and personal moments of the Bedouins, she had to leave behind the culture she was used to in the United States of America to convince the natives of the community to take her into their culture. It is not unusual for an anthropologist to submerse themselves into the society that they are observing. Most find that they benefit and learn more if they go into their fieldwork with an open mind and assume a role in the society instead of retaining the position of an outsider. By stepping out of their own culture and into another, they can begin to understand why some people act and live a particular way. Laura Bohannan experienced such an situation during her fieldwork in Africa, she stated beforehand â€Å"that human nature is pretty much the same the whole world over; at least the general plot and motivation of the greater tragedies would always be clear everywhere. Although, some details of custom might have to be explained and difficulties of translation might produce other slight changes† what she did not understand at the time was the in depth differences between cultures (41). The exposure and research that anthropologists gathered can be relayed to other individuals and situations in their own society. With the knowledge gained in the work of cultural anthropology, an individual can critique one’s own culture and devise solutions to social problems. A society is expected to learn and expand over the passing of time. It is crucial that we do not fall into an ethnocentric mind set. The world is a diverse place with many philosophies on how to live life. By taking on the role of observing instead of judging, we can embark on finding out what these beliefs are and why they are followed by people. We can better understand how the world works. If an individual has the perspective of being ethnocentric, then they limit themselves because of the mindset they have on the world. Works Cited Abu-lughod, Lila. Veiled Sentiments. Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1986. Print. Spradley, James P., and David W. McCurdy. Shakespeare in the Bush. Conformity and Conflict: Readings in Cultural Anthropology. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson, 2012. 41-47. Print.

The Civil Rights in the 1950s and 60s :: American America History

The Civil Rights in the 1950's and 60's (1) Trumans civil rights committee: In 1947 Trumans Civil Rights Committee recommended laws protecting the right of African Americans to vote and banning segregation on railroads and buses. It also called for a federal law punishing lynching. He issued executive orders ending segregation in the armed forces and prohibiting job discrimination in all government agencies. (2) Brown V. the Board of Education (1954): In 1954 the Supreme Court made one of the most important decisions in its long history. It decided in the case of Brown v. Board Of Education of Topeka that it was unconstitutional for states to maintain separate schools for African American and white children. This case over turned the "Separate but equal" doctrine established in the case of Plessy v. Ferguson back in 1896. (3) Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955): After the supreme court decided to end segregation, African Americans started to speak out more about their racial opinions. In Montgomery, Alabama, a bus boycott ended with a victory for the African Americans. The Supreme Court ruled that the Alabama segregation laws were unconstitutional. During the boycott a young African American Baptist minister, Martin Luther King, Jr. became well known. Throughout the long contest he advised African Americans to avoid violence no matter had badly provoked by whites. Rosa Parks tired of sitting in the back of the bus, and giving up her seat to white men. One weary day she refused to move from the front of the bus, and she became one of history's heroes in the Civil Rights Act movement. (4) The Civil Rights Act: In 1964 congress passed a Civil Rights Act prohibiting racial discrimination in restaurants, theaters, hotels, hospitals, and public facilities of all sorts. This civil rights act also made it easier and safer for Southern Blacks to register and vote. Laws were passed to help poor people improve their ability to earn money, a program to give extra help to children at risk even before they were old enough to go to school, and a program to train school dropouts. (5) The Great Society: These actions were very popular. Johnson easily won the 1964 presidential election and then proposed what he called the Great Society program. This was Johnson's plan. He would work to improve the lives of all people, but especially the poor and the powerless. Programs were aimed at helping every segment in society. The Civil Rights in the 1950's and 60's :: American America History The Civil Rights in the 1950's and 60's (1) Trumans civil rights committee: In 1947 Trumans Civil Rights Committee recommended laws protecting the right of African Americans to vote and banning segregation on railroads and buses. It also called for a federal law punishing lynching. He issued executive orders ending segregation in the armed forces and prohibiting job discrimination in all government agencies. (2) Brown V. the Board of Education (1954): In 1954 the Supreme Court made one of the most important decisions in its long history. It decided in the case of Brown v. Board Of Education of Topeka that it was unconstitutional for states to maintain separate schools for African American and white children. This case over turned the "Separate but equal" doctrine established in the case of Plessy v. Ferguson back in 1896. (3) Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955): After the supreme court decided to end segregation, African Americans started to speak out more about their racial opinions. In Montgomery, Alabama, a bus boycott ended with a victory for the African Americans. The Supreme Court ruled that the Alabama segregation laws were unconstitutional. During the boycott a young African American Baptist minister, Martin Luther King, Jr. became well known. Throughout the long contest he advised African Americans to avoid violence no matter had badly provoked by whites. Rosa Parks tired of sitting in the back of the bus, and giving up her seat to white men. One weary day she refused to move from the front of the bus, and she became one of history's heroes in the Civil Rights Act movement. (4) The Civil Rights Act: In 1964 congress passed a Civil Rights Act prohibiting racial discrimination in restaurants, theaters, hotels, hospitals, and public facilities of all sorts. This civil rights act also made it easier and safer for Southern Blacks to register and vote. Laws were passed to help poor people improve their ability to earn money, a program to give extra help to children at risk even before they were old enough to go to school, and a program to train school dropouts. (5) The Great Society: These actions were very popular. Johnson easily won the 1964 presidential election and then proposed what he called the Great Society program. This was Johnson's plan. He would work to improve the lives of all people, but especially the poor and the powerless. Programs were aimed at helping every segment in society.

Mitch Epstein.A new history of photography Essay

Mitch Epstein Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Mitch Epstein acknowledged widely as one of the most distinguished art photographers around the globe, however a whole survey of his art is yet to be published. Mitch Epstein, who is the color photography pioneer and has been making films, photographic books and also pictures for around 35 years. From 1990’s the Vietnam pictures present the artist’s distinctive balance of nuanced wit and formal rigor; and they are clear illustration of what detractor Joanna Lehan refers to Epstein’s â€Å"jaw-dropping color use.† Epstein photographs also are a significant sign in Epstein’s progression as a photographer, a link between Epstein’s early street artistic work and also his huge format work to appear (Moore et al, 2010).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The pictures in the display are a lyrical odyssey during post war Vietnam. Photographs by Epstein depicts that under beauty there lies violence while under the war remnants is a society struggling with continued censorship and new freedoms. Mitch Epstein visited Vietnam where he made six trips there when the nation began opening its borders around 1992 and 1995 to the outsiders following two decades of separation. He worked together on a book with radical Vietnamese novelist where he was able to get access to the nation that a small number of outsiders had. However, in 1995 Epstein learned that he would be requires to hand over his pictures to the government of Vietnam for censorship. Epstein ended the collaboration due to artistic freedom and his book was published by means of a text by the Vietnamese artist. Epstein photographs are up to now virtually hidden in the nation from which they surfaced, except through the intelligentsia that w ere responsible in smuggling in the book (Frizot, 1998).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The exhibition enlightens an indispensable point in the career of Epstein. The method of the artist became more painterly and deliberate in Vietnam. He revived and mastered the life which was at standstill. His sluggish, gradually formalist approach obviously resulted to 8x 10 view camera that he uses now. Vietnam also marked a new period whereby politics indirectly would, yet considerably have an effect on Epstein’s artistic work. Epstein’s next works all suggest a keen sense of community’s intrigues, just like the Vietnam photographs do. In Vietnam, Family business, American power and The city, Epstein delicately depicts that power of a nation, a patriarch or a city leaves its mark on the public landscape and also in the private lives. In America also Epstein continued with his art of photography where he travelled across the whole nation, making the photographs not just of wind turbines, oil refineries and nuclear r eactors, but also of solar ovens, electric chairs and gas stations (Moore et al, 2010).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   New work being carried out by Epstein is a sequence of photographs of idiosyncratic trees inhabiting the New York City. These pictures depict the significance of trees to the urban life and also their multifaceted relationship to their human correspondents. The cumulative significance of these photographs is to reverse the individual’s usual perception concerning their city. In this regard the trees do not function as background any longer, and instead control the architecture and human life around the world. Mitch Epstein’s work has influenced many people across the globe and therefore making his artistic work significant to the history of photography (Epstein, 2005). References Epstein, M. (2005). Recreation: American photographs 1973 – 1988 (1. ed.). GoÃÅ'ˆttingen: Steidl. Frizot, M. (1998). A new history of photography. KoÃÅ'ˆln: KoÃÅ'ˆnemann. Moore, K. D., Crump, J., & Rubinfien, L. (2010). Starburst: color photography in America 1970-1980. Ostfildern: Hatje Cantz. Source document

Humanities Human Figure in Art Work Essay - 1134 Words

Humanism vs. Realism with Focus of Human Figure Artwork Middle Eastern, Egyptian and Greek Civilizations Throughout history the human figure has been demonstrated in Middle Eastern, Egyptian and Greek sculptures and paintings. Most of these artifacts tend to focus more on humanism than realism due to Rulers and Gods, geographical areas, resources and events thus, giving them the idea for the theme of the art they create. These are the reasons that might explain their commonalities or differences in the representation of the human figure. For example, during one of our earliest cultures, the Paleolithic period, the Women of Willendorf sculpture portrays a grossly heavy female figure representing fertility and beauty of being†¦show more content†¦A perfect example of this type of sculpture was the Human-Headed winged Lion called the Gate Monster which was made out of limestone, 10 feet, 2.5 inches high, a human head , five legs and body of a winged lion (Benton amp; DiYanni , p.13) . In comparison, of the Great Sphinx, Giza, this also has a human head and animal body therefore this doesnt represent realism either. In contrast, the (â€Å"human head represents a ruler, a Pharaoh out of sandstone and it was enormous 65 feet in height†). In Persia, the Tribute Bearers Bringing Offerings relief sculpture, the human male figures look all alike except for their heights, head coverings and items they have brought, however their stance is not natural. In comparison, the Egyptian sculpture of Pharaoh Mycerinus and Queen Khamerernebty and the Greece sculpture Kouros, both statues pose with one leg forward and their weight is equal on both, therefore giving them the appearance that they cant move (Benton amp; DiYanni , p. 64). More comparisons also include the Tribute Bearers Bringing Offerings relief sculpture, their faces are not straight forward, just showing profiles much like the Egyptian wall 2 paintings Nobleman Hunting in the Marshes and Ti Watching a Hippopotamus. 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