The Fader of Visibility (FOV)

From a hilltop overlooking the community of Puerto Penasco, Mexican President Carlos Salinas de Gortari decreed a million-hectare biosphere reserve for the upper Gulf of California and the delta of the Colorado River. Assembled with him on the podium in June of 1993 were the governors of Sonora, Baja California, and Arizona, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt, Luis Donaldo Colosio, then head of the Secretaria de Desarrollo Social (SEDESOL), and Dr. Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de Leon, an aide to President Salinas at the time and now his successor. Salinas set the parameters for the reserve's management plan. Resource exploitation was to be prohibited within a nuclear zone at the mouth of the Colorado River, and offshore shrimp trawling was to be outlawed in a larger buffer zone, north of a line traversing the upper Gulf from Puerto Penasco to San Felipe on the coast of Baja California. Within this buffer zone, too, inshore fishermen would be restricted to the use of gillnets with a mesh size of four inches or less. Salinas also called for the active pursuit of economic alternatives for the region, specifically the further development of tourism, sport fishing, and aquaculture. Such pursuits were to be underwritten by a billion dollars in regional assistance from the Programa Nacional de Solidaridad (PRONASOL), run by the Sonoran native and heir-apparent to Salinas, Luis Donaldo Colosio. In its conception, then, the biosphere reserve was an amalgam of resource management notions. It called for a strictly protected nuclear zone—although none of its architects specifically addressed the nascent literature on "harvest refugia" as a fisheries enhancement tool (cf. Dugan and Davis 1991a, 1991b; Carr and Reed 1991; Tegner 1991; Roberts and Polunin 1993). It presumed the need for an "integrated conservation and development program" (ICDP) to relieve pressure on endangered species and a fragile environment (cf. Brandon and Wells 1992; Chou et al. 1991; Stycos and Duarte 1995; White 1988). And, at least in the buffer zone, the plan suggested that a "sustainable" fishery could be fostered—primarily through severe restrictions on gear. The Upper Gulf of California and Colorado River Delta Biosphere Reserve thus began as a concerted effort to arrest the deterioration of an ecosystem and to protect several endangered marine species. It is a symbol, too, of Mexico's willingness to respond to international calls for environmental consciousness. Simultaneously, though, Mexico was responding to another international agenda. The neoliberalism of the North urged—indeed, required—Mexico to undertake a multifaceted program of structural adjustment, including, in the case at hand, the privatization of the region's fisheries. The Gulf of California, thus, serves as a crucible for these two agendas, and we here take a midcourse glance at how these agendas are sorting themselves out. We examine the political environment in which the biosphere reserve was conceived and, consequently, the environmental politics accompanying the implementation process. And we assess, again in a preliminary way, since there is no closure to the process, how one small community in the upper gulf is structurally adjusting to the new economic order. These two seemingly disparate agendas are, in El Golfo de Santa Clara at the mouth of the Colorado River, very much intertwined.

The concept of multi-variant practices and beliefs as being characteristic of the shrines associated with Japanese popular religion is explored through an examination of four shrines in Kyushu and Okinawa. None of these shrines, even those which are formally associated with the Association of Shinto Shrines, evinces the characteristics of ‘Shinto’ practice which the Association claims is typical of Shinto. How are we to account for these differences? Insight is provided through an examination of the original function and subsequent history of these four ‘non-mainstream’ shrines. Comparison of the history and practice of these shrines with similar shrines in Korea illustrates the importance of researching both locally and comparatively to draw out the unique features of each shrine. Before scholars can accept broad generalizations about popular Japanese religious practice, or about ‘Shinto’, anthropological research – in addition to historical and textual research – should be carried out on the practices and traditions of individual, local shrines. Examination of empirical data drawn from numerous case studies will enable scholars to have a clearer idea of actual religious practice in Japan, regional variations, and similarities and differences with practices in neighbouring nations.

PreviousNext No Access19th International Conference on Ground Penetrating RadarGPR mapping for more than just finding buried materials: A case study in testing ideas about cultural change and community dynamics in 10th century southern Arizona, USAAuthors: Lawrence B. ConyersLawrence B. ConyersUniversity of DenverSearch for more papers by this authorhttps://doi.org/10.1190/gpr2022-051.1 SectionsAboutPDF/ePub ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmail Abstract The GPR technique has historically been used by practitioners for finding buried archaeological sites, with little analysis of the discovered remains that can inform historical or anthropological research. Instead the GPR methods can be expanded and integrated with age-dates, cultural affinities and compared to nearby excavations to place GPR results within a regional framework and test hypotheses about anthropological topics such as population dynamics and culture change. Keywords: mapping, two-dimensional, ground-penetrating radar (GPR), amplitude, reflectionPermalink: https://doi.org/10.1190/gpr2022-051.1FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails 19th International Conference on Ground Penetrating RadarISSN (online):2159-6832Copyright: 2022 Pages: 166 publication data© 2022 Published in electronic format with permission by the Society of Exploration GeophysicistsPublisher:Society of Exploration Geophysicists HistoryPublished Online: 13 Oct 2022 CITATION INFORMATION Lawrence B. Conyers, (2022), "GPR mapping for more than just finding buried materials: A case study in testing ideas about cultural change and community dynamics in 10th century southern Arizona, USA," SEG Global Meeting Abstracts : 9-11. https://doi.org/10.1190/gpr2022-051.1 Plain-Language Summary Keywordsmappingtwo-dimensionalground-penetrating radar (GPR)amplitudereflectionPDF DownloadLoading ...

Victor King has written a ‘case study’ about an alleged attempt by Derek Freeman to claim authority over anthropological research among the Iban of Sarawak to the eventual detriment of the study of Iban textiles. This article examines the evidence King marshals to prosecute his case and considers his views about evolutionary explanations and the logical coherence of the conceptualization by Iban women of their textile art.

Objective – To identify available health library user typology classifications and, if none were suitable, to create our own classification system. This is to inform effective future library user engagement and service development due to changes in working styles, information sources and technology.
 
 Methods – No relevant existing user typology classification systems were identified; therefore, we were required to create our own typology classification system. The team used mixed methods research, which included literature analysis, mass observation, visualization tools, and anthropological research. In this case study, we mapped data across eleven library sites within NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Library Network, a United Kingdom (U.K.) hospital library service.
 
 Results – The findings from each of the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Library Network’s eleven library sites resulted in six user typology categories: e-Ninjas, Social Scholars, Peace Seekers, Classic Clickers, Page Turners and Knowledge Tappers.
 
 Each physical library site has different profiles for each user typology. The predominant typology across the whole service is the e-Ninjas (28%) with typology characteristics of being technically shrewd, IT literate and agile – using the library space as a touch down base for learning and working.
 
 Conclusions – We identified six distinct user types who utilize hospital library services with distinct attributes based on different combinations of library activity and medium of information exchange. The typologies are used to identify the proportional share and specific requirements, within the library, of each user type to provide tailored services and resources to meet their different needs.

Anthropological approaches to the study of old age are briefly outlined. Such research gives emphasis to the cultural, social, and political contexts of aging, and to the subjective experience of growing old and the role of the family in supporting its oldest members. In recent years the impact of aging populations world wide, together with the global spread of biomedical knowledge and technologies have become of central importance in anthropological research. Three case studies from Botswana, China, and the United States dramatically illustrate the enormous difference that economic development, political incentives, medical facilities, and technological interventions have on the experience of aging, and on families supporting their older members.

<p>Volcanic habitats host a dynamic environment for sudden and long-lasting relationships between nature and culture, becoming an archetypal case for the study of resilient communities. In these habitats, the study of the occurring phenomena is often addressed independently and in disciplinary isolation, focusing on the uncertainty and contingency of geohazards, the abrupt and recurrent resetting of biophysical conditions due to natural disturbances, or the intrinsic repercussions on the anthropogenic memory. Under this perspective, mass-movements within a volcanic habitat can be addressed as a complex system built over various generations of interacting and interdependent human societies, ecological systems, climate and geological processes. Understanding this multivariable and multi-scalar coexistence becomes central in how mass-movements are perceived. In this work, we propose a transdisciplinary approach for the formulation and design of alternative strategies in the mitigation of mass-movements hazards, by responsibly collaborating between geoscientists, social scientists, and local actors.<br>Mass-movement mitigation strategies rarely take into account the cultural relationship of the inhabitants with their territories and the complexity of the local knowledge and capabilities of the communities to resolve their condition [2]. This limits the effectiveness in the response capacity and resilience of communities and ecosystems to extreme events [2]. Through this research, we aim at finding ways to democratize knowledge, and change academic practices within a geoethical context, recognizing and valuing the local perspectives. In this work, we study an area within the Doña Juana-Cascabel volcanic-complex, located in SW Colombia, and focus on the processes in the vicinity to the Humadal stream and neighbouring communities. This stream is recognized as the main preoccupation of the inhabitants with the recent occurrence of mass-movements in its basin. We address this issue through a team consisting of key local social actors and researchers in anthropology, archaeology, biology, design, engineering, geology, pedagogy, and pedology. We collaborate within a Historical Ecology framework, aiming to the empowerment of sociological resilience-based decision making [3]. This work started with the site recognition, mapping the geological, biological, and social settings. In parallel, we listened and valued the local knowledge about physical geography, ecosystems, and mass-movements in an active volcanic habitat, and merge it with the scientific knowledge. Moreover, this local knowledge enlighted key aspects on the interaction between the inhabitants and the State’s agencies and governmental processes, which underlay the dynamics of any reliable policy and sustainibile process. <br>In this particular site, we identified the organizational capacity to work on reforestation, road maintenance, and weaving as fundamental capabilities for connecting with the design, potential implementation, and sustainability of a set of potential mitigation strategies. With this case study, we invite the multiple actors involved in disaster risk reduction to find common languages beyond disciplinary boundiaries aiming to horizontalize knowledge with the local actors in risk. Through this excercise, we avoid the victimization of the communities, reduce power relationships, and empower resilience.</p><p>[1]Martin, Martin & Kent, (2009). Journal of environmental management, 91(2), 489-498.<br>[2]Gaillard, (2008). Journal of volcanology and geothermal research, 172(3-4), 315-328.<br>[3]Brierley, (2010).  Area, 42(1), 76-85.</p>

Reviewed by: Human Biology and History Michael A. Little (bio) Human Biology and History, M. Smith, ed. Society for the Study of Human Biology Series 42. London: Taylor & Francis, 2002. xvi + 219 pp. $102 (cloth). Human Biology and History is a collection of papers from a Society for the Study of Human Biology symposium on human biology and history that was held at University College, Durham, England. The purpose of the collection is to integrate the field of human biology and history by applying human biology methods and theory to hypotheses that can be tested with historical data or documents. This is not a new idea in human biology, but it is one generating considerable interest among human biologists and anthropologists. Human Biology in the Archives (Herring and Swedlund 2003) applies some of these same approaches, and the Council for the Preservation of Anthropological Records, or CoPAR (Silverman and Parezo 1995), is a relatively new organization dedicated to the preservation of archival materials that can be used for research and historical documentation. The Smithsonian Institution National Anthropological Archives (http://www.nmnh.si.edu/naa/) is active in supporting the archival deposition of documents that can be used for historical research in anthropology and human biology. Human Biology and History consists of 10 chapters in which data are drawn from either historical documents (text or measurements) or human skeletal remains. Following an introduction by the editor, John Landers's chapter, "Adaptation and the English Demographic Regime," is a complex analysis that deals with relationships between demographic variables (fertility, mortality, migration), economic conditions, and human health status from the 16th to the 19th centuries. Criteria for adaptation are both Malthusian (per capita output and standard of living) and Darwinian (population increase) and are at both the micro-level (individual well-being) and the macro-level (population growth). Population growth, urbanism, fertility and mortality, and economic changes throughout this 300-year period are analyzed with a high degree of demographic and economic sophistication. "British Polygyny," by Laura Betzig, is a lengthy history of British polygyny in which Betzig documents the changes in "illegitimate fertility" in the literature from roughly Elizabethan I to Elizabethan II times. The work is a superb example of historical scholarship with a behavioral evolutionary perspective, but it might have benefited from a little editing, because some sections stray from the British setting. The polygyny about which Betzig speaks is of males and their power over subordinates, or the power that noble, aristocratic, and [End Page 317] wealthy men have had over subordinate young women. In Betzig's words: "They married monogamously. . . . But they mated polygynously: that is, they had sex with as many women as they could afford" (p. 85). Betzig concludes that the decline in British polygyny resulted from democracy and the loss of power as a means to sex. James Mielke's chapter, "Warfare and Population Structure," chronicles the effects of the 1808-1809 war between the Swedish and Russians on the Aåland Island archipelago population. Lutheran parish data on burials (deaths), marriages, and baptisms (births) and census documentation provide dramatic records of the impact of warfare. For example, deaths among soldiers were minor compared with deaths among the civilian population from dysentery, typhoid, and typhus. Population declined (deaths and deficiency in births and lower fertility) by 13% during the period of warfare and did not recover its numbers for 20 years. An important conclusion is that warfare-associated mortality and reduced fertility have had permanent effects on the genetic structure of the Aåland Islanders, particularly in population genetic distribution and heterogeneity. This may have occurred through increased genetic drift and inbreeding. Malcolm Smith's chapter, "Isonymy Analysis," outlines the "potential for application of quantitative analysis of surname distributions to problems in historical research" (p. 113). The theory behind isonymy application to population genetics is conceptually complex, so Smith's chapter may not be the best introduction. However, some interesting ideas are presented here. Following an excellent review of earlier work by, among others, James Crow and Gabriel Lasker and a discussion of theoretical bases for the kinship and genetic analyses, Lasker's coefficient of relationship by isonymy (Ri) is applied to two case studies...

Why, when and where are some moral systems supported and followed whilst others are condemned? Are moral values culturally relative or universal? Can immoral actions be tolerated in times of crisis? Is the dream of becoming better sufficient for prompting virtuous behavior, or should we dream about what is best? Do moral values last? The divergence in practices and codes of moral belief and action present significant challenges but also offer opportunities to anthropologists for understanding social life. In this book, Monica Heintz explores these questions, drawing on case studies from Eastern Europe that encompass migration, religion, economic and social policies and paying particular attention to the way morality works in communities undergoing rapid social change. She uses these examples to reflect on the wider question of societal conflict and change, showing how they are driven by moral values. By highlighting the centrality of such values as engines for action and questioning the limits of universal moral values, she argues that anthropology has the capacity to shed light on the study of human morality more generally. The Anthropology of Morality: A Dynamic and Interactionist Approach will be of interest to students and researchers in anthropology, as well as those in politics and sociology with an interest in European politics.

Chapter 5 will introduce and develop an analytical tool: the spider of sampling reasons (SSR). This tool is based on the preceding discussion of the literature alongside data from my own anthropological research. It aims to facilitate the analysis of sample-based music, and will be applied in the case studies which follow. Chapter 5 also addresses, on a broader level, the question of why artists sample in experimental electronica.

SINCE the reviews by Olson in the December 1939, and by Strang in the December 1942, issues of the REVIEW OF EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH of the use of the case study in research methodology, progress has been made in this field. First, the case study has been of increased value to students of research in education, psychology, sociology, and anthropology; second, progress has been made in the technics of gathering and treating case study data for research purposes; and third, case material has been employed in many significant investigations.

This article is concerned with the way in which indigenous place-based knowledge and understandings, in a time of global climate change, have the potential to challenge researchers to self-reflexively shift the focus of their research toward those technological and consumer practices that are the cultural context of our research. After reviewing some literature on the emergence of self-reflexivity in research, the authors offer two case studies from their respective environmental education and anthropological research with northern indigenous cultures that clarifies the nature of a self-reflexive turn in place-based climate research and education. The global interconnections between northern warming and consumer culture-and its relation to everexpanding technological systems-are considered by following the critical insights of place-based knowledge. We conclude by examining the possibility that relocalizing our research, teaching, and ways of living in consumer culture are central to a sustainable future, and if so, the knowledge and understandings of current place-based peoples will be vital to envisioning such a cultural transformation of our globalizing system.

ABSTRACTGeophysical data have the potential to significantly contribute to archaeological research projects when effectively integrated with more traditional methods. Although pre‐existing archaeological questions about a site may be answered using geophysical methods, beginning an investigation with an extensive geophysical survey can assist in understanding the function and archaeological potential of a site, and may even transform preconceptions about the type and spatial organisation of features that are present. In this way, these prospection tools not only accurately locate and map features to allow recovery of cultural material for identification and dating, we argue that they can go much further, allowing us to prospect for new and appropriate archaeological and anthropological research questions. Such an approach is best realised when geophysical and traditional archaeologists work together to define new objectives and strategies to address them, and by maintaining this collaboration to allow continual feedback between geophysical and archaeological data. A flexible research design is therefore essential in order to allow the methodologies to adapt to the site, the results, and the questions being posed. This methodology is demonstrated through two case studies from mound sites in southeast USA: the transitional Mississippian Washausen site in Illinois; and the Middle Woodland Garden Creek site in North Carolina. In both cases, integrating geophysical methods throughout the archaeological investigations has resulted in multiple phases of generating and addressing new research objectives. Although clearly beneficial at these two mound sites in southeast USA, this interdisciplinary approach has obvious implications well beyond these temporal and geographical areas. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

This article is based on field study among different caste and ethnic groups residing in Pokhara sub-metropolitan city of Nepal. It tries to identify the causes of divorce in those groups. Probably, it is the first sociological study on divorce based on empirical fact in Nepal, so it may contribute a little bit to the direction of the sociological study. The tradition of sociological and anthropological research on social institutions and processes is not dominant in Nepal. Sociologists have found that there are different natures of changes on social institutions, economy, culture and political structure. This is a universal phenomenon around the world. However it could be fruitful to analyze causes and consequences of the social events or changes from the sociological perspective in the different social and cultural context. This study focuses on divorce basically the legal separation of the husband and wife. However customary divorce practices are in different communities of the Nepalese society.DOI: 10.3126/dsaj.v1i0.284Dhaulagiri Vol.1 (2005) pp.129-145

EthosVolume 1, Issue 4 p. 546-559 Free Access The Primary Sampling Unit A Nongeographical Based Rural-Urban Example ThomasS. Weisner, ThomasS. Weisner Thomas S. Weisner is Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Department of Psychiatry, University of California, Los Angeles.Search for more papers by this author ThomasS. Weisner, ThomasS. Weisner Thomas S. Weisner is Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Department of Psychiatry, University of California, Los Angeles.Search for more papers by this author First published: Winter 1973 https://doi.org/10.1525/eth.1973.1.4.02a00160Citations: 1 AboutPDF ToolsExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat REFERENCES Bruner, Edward. 1970. Medan: The Role of Kinship in an Indonesian Town, Peasants in Cities ( W. Mangin, ed.), pp. 122– 134. Houghton Mifflin. Caldwell, John. 1969. African Rural-Urban Migration: The Movement to Ghana's Towns. Columbia University Press. Friedl, Ernestine. 1959. The Role of Kinship in the Transmission of National Culture to Rural Villages in Mainland Greece. American Anthropologist 61: 30– 38. Hammel, Eugene A. 1969. The “Balkan” Peasant: A View from Serbia, Peasants in the Modern World ( Philip K. Bock, ed.). University of New Mexico Press. Lewis, Oscar. 1952. Urbanization Without Breakdown: A Case Study. Scientific Monthly 7: 31– 41. Malinowski, Bronislaw. 1961. Argonauts of the Western Pacific. E. P. Dutton and Co. Mayer, Philip. 1971, Townsmen or Tribesmen ( 2d ed.). Oxford University Press. Mcelrath, D. L. 1968. Introductory: The New Urbanization, The New Urbanization ( S. Greer, D. L. McElrath, D. Miner, and P. Orleans, eds.). St. Martins. Naroll, Raoul. 1964. On Ethnic Unit Classification. Current Anthropology 5: 283– 291. Raoul Naroll and R. Cohen, eds. 1970. A Handbook of Method in Cultural Anthropology. Natural History Press. Owens, Raymond. 1971. Industrialization and the Indian Joint Family. Ethnology 10: 223– 250. Parkin, David. 1969. Neighbors and Nationals in an African City Ward. University of California Press. Pelto, Perth. 1970. Anthropological Research. The Structure of Inquiry. Harper and Row. Van Velson, J. 1960. Labour Migration as a Positive Factor in the Continuity of the Thonga Tribal Society. Economic Development and Cultural Change 8: 265– 278. Watson, William. 1958. Tribal Cohesion in a Money Economy. Manchester University Press. Weisner, Thomas S. 1973a. Studying Rural-Urban Ties: A Matched Network Sample from Kenya, Survey Research in Africa. Its Applications and Limits ( W. O'Barr, D. Spain, and M. Tessler, eds.). Northwestern University Press. Weisner, Thomas S. 1973b. One Family, Two Households: Rural-Urban Ties in Kenya. Ph.D. dissertation, Harvard University. Whiting, John W. M. 1964. Comments on Naroll's “On Ethnic Unit Classification,” Current Anthropology 5: 305– 306. Whiting, John W. M. 1968. Methods and Problems in Cross-Cultural Research, Hand book of Social Psychology ( Gardner Lindzey and Elliot Aronson, eds.), pp. 693– 728. Addison-Wesley. Whiting, John W. M., and Beatrice B. Whiting. 1960. Contributions of Anthropology to the Methods of Studying Child Rearing, Handbook of Research Methods in Child Development ( Paul Mussen, ed.). Wiley and Sons. Whiting, John W. M. et al. 1966. Field Guide for a Study of Socialization. Wiley and Sons. Citing Literature Volume1, Issue4Winter 1973Pages 546-559 ReferencesRelatedInformation