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Readings in Contemporary Cultural Anthropology
WILLIAM A. HAVILAND | ROBERT J. GORDON I LUIS A. VTVANCO
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TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE
Readings in Contemporary Cultural Anthropology
FOURTH EDITION
William A. Haviland
University of Vermont, Emeritus
RobertJ. Gordon
University of Vermont
Luis A. Vivanco
University of Vermont
Me
Graw
Hill
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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA
Talking about people : readings in contemporary cultural anthropology.—4th ed. / [edited by] William A. Haviland,
Robert J. Gordon, Luis A. Vivanco.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-07-299481-9 (alk. paper)
1. Ethnology. I. Haviland, William A. II. Gordon, Robert J., 1947- III. Vivanco, Luis Antonio, 1969-
GN316.T34 2006
305.8—dc22 2005041594
The Internet addresses listed in the text were accurate at the time of publication. The inclusion of a Web site does not indicate an endorse¬
ment by the authors or McGraw-Hill, and McGraw-Hill does not guarantee the accuracy of the information presented at these sites.
www.mhhe.com
To all the women in our lives
Preface
T
his anthology is designed as a supplement for intro¬ dependent on the rest of the world for vital raw materials,
ductory cultural anthropology courses. It consists of manufactured goods, and markets for those products still
thirteen chapters with three to five articles each, and each made at home, reliable information about other peoples
chapter has a short introduction written by the editors and the ways in which they live has become ever more
that relates the articles to each other and to the topic of important for the survival of North Americans them¬
the chapter. The chapters themselves are arranged to selves. These concerns about how Americans relate to the
complement the chapter topics and order found in most wider world have become especially urgent in the context
introductory texts and courses. of American pursuits of a globally unpopular "war on ter¬
In the fourth edition, there are twenty-one new arti¬ rorism" during the past several years. Because anthropol¬
cles, and we've introduced an exciting new feature: "An¬ ogy has always been in the forefront of efforts to learn
thropology and Public Debate." In this feature, we offer about other peoples, it has a special role to play in com¬
two opposing anthropological arguments on topics of bating the insularity and provincialism that sometimes ac¬
current public relevance: gay and lesbian marriage, un¬ company students to college. Thus, the majority of articles
derstanding what happened on September 11, 2001, and in this anthology focus on common global interests. From
anthropology's participation in the "war on terror." This William Klausner's examination of the question "Can one
feature complements one that we introduced in the third really go 'native'?" in Chapter 1 to Steven Rubenstein's
edition, "Doing Fieldwork," that we believe gives a fuller analysis of Shuar migrants in Chapter 13, the volume
picture than other anthologies of how anthropologists highlights global concerns.
actually work. At the same time, this anthology seeks to show the
exotic in the familiar by suggesting new and provocative
ways of looking at the student's own society. We feel this
FEATURES AND BENEFITS OFTHIS BOOK closer examination is an essential way to combat racism
and other invidious distinctions that North Americans
like to draw between "us" and "them." From articles
Freshness and Originality
such as Emily Martin's "Flexible Survivors" in Chapter 4
Most anthologies reproduce with some regularity "old and James Brain's "The Ugly American Revisited" in
chestnuts." While we have nothing against the classics, Chapter 12, readers will gain fascinating insights into
we do feel that it creates the impression that nothing new their own culture.
has happened in anthropology. We want to introduce stu¬
dents to some of the more recent and provocative works
International Authorship
of anthropologists (and a few nonanthropologists who
have what we consider to be anthropological insights). In keeping with the global perspective of this anthol¬
We want students to read provocative articles, for one of ogy, we include a significant number of articles by au¬
the aims of the introductory course should be to shake up thors from outside the United States. Anthropology is
the students' comfortably ethnocentric beliefs about the not, after all, an exclusive American preserve (and how
world in which they live. arrogant we are to call ourselves Americans!). It is an
exciting international discipline whose members are
not all white middle-class males. We have tried to reflect
Focus on Contemporary Global Concerns
the profession more closely by increasing the representa¬
It is no secret that North Americans are surprisingly igno¬ tion of not only foreign (British, Canadian, Australian,
rant about the nature of the "global society" of which they Irish, Congolese, Danish, French, Philippine, South Afri¬
are a part. In an era when North Americans constitute a can) but also female contributors, including a number of
small minority of the world's people and are increasingly nonanthropologists. About 40 percent of the authors
VI PREFACE
come from outside the United States, and 40 percent are Abundant Student Learning Aids
women.
An annotated table of contents offers students previews
of the various articles, and chapter introductions provide
“Anthropology and Public Debate” and
some contextual "glue" for the points made by the arti¬
“Doing Fieldwork”
cles. Brief biographical sketches of the authors of each ar¬
ticle enhance the international flavor of the volume and
Because of the special insights gained through cross-
contribute further insights into what anthropology is all
cultural study and intensive fieldwork, anthropologists
about. The references and notes for each article will ap¬
have a lot to contribute to contemporary social and polit¬
peal to the student who wants to know more, and the
ical debates. In this edition we have introduced a new
glossary and map showing the location of peoples and
feature, "Anthropology and Public Debate," that aims to
places discussed will be helpful to all students. Focus
show students the relevance of anthropological per¬
questions help the student make the most out of each se¬
spectives on controversial public issues during the past
lection by offering specific questions for reflection and
several years. We take two opposing anthropological ar¬
class discussion. Finally, the index and list of articles by
guments on gay and lesbian marriage, understanding
topic area contribute further to making this a user-
9/11, and anthropological participation in the "war on
friendly book.
terror." One advantage of this feature is that it demon¬
strates a more politically complex discipline than carica¬
tures from outside academia often portray of disciplines
A NOTE ON THE ARTICLES
like anthropology, based on images of liberal and pro¬
gressive domination. In fact, as this feature demonstrates,
the reality is more complex and the opinions diverse. Rec¬ While many of the articles are reprinted here in their en¬
ognizing the centrality of fieldwork to anthropological tirety, some have been edited in order to keep the book to
knowledge, the fourth edition includes essays that deal a reasonable length. For the most part, the cuts have in¬
specifically with the nature and dilemmas of fieldwork. volved details of methodology so as not to adversely af¬
These essays, several of which have already been pub¬ fect either the substance or the spirit of the article.
lished and several commissioned originally for this We have compiled an anthology with authors from
reader, consider the changing status of the field (is it a geo¬ many countries to provide a global anthropological per¬
graphical space? a bounded social community? a process? spective. We retained the spellings from the original texts
an event?); the nature of anthropological learning in the to give students the experience of reading other versions
field; and ethical issues and dilemmas. The advantage for of the English language and learning to distinguish be¬
teachers is that this feature provides vivid and focused tween British and U.S. spellings; we thought this would
readings on an aspect of fieldwork, which can then be¬ help students learn something about the frames of refer¬
come the basis of classroom conversation or lectures about ence of the authors. That was our theory, but in practice
how we anthropologists actually create knowledge. the book is a bit more complicated than that.
We have included authors. North American and
British-style (includes all non-U.S. anthropologists), who
Incorporation of Gender Issues
were educated all over the world. They wrote for U.S.
Because anthropology is the study of women as well as publications with editors who liked "North American"
men, we have deemed it important that gender issues be spelling and for British-style publications with editors
well represented by the articles here. Considerations of who liked "British" spellings. And finally, they moved
gender enter into virtually everything that people do, so from one country to another. As anthropologists, we are
we chose to spread the material on gender throughout a global community who often spell in both styles,
the book. Notable examples of articles that deal with gen¬ switching from one to another without realizing it. To the
der are Alma Gottlieb's "The Anthropologist as Mother" utter horror of all copyeditors, we leave with you this ev¬
in Chapter 4; Roger Lancaster's "The Place.of Anthropol¬ idence of our international lives, a bit of linguistic anthro¬
ogy in a Public Culture Reshaped by Bioreductivism" pological research on the anthropologists themselves!
and David Bennett's "Hanky-Panky and Spanky-Wanky:
Sex and the Single Boy" in Chapter 7; Brett Williams's
"Why Migrant Women Feed Their Husbands Tamales" ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
and Timothy Egan's "The Persistence of Polygamy" in
Chapter 8; Sylvia Rodgers's "Feminine Power at Sea" in Lots of people have contributed in one way or another to
Chapter 11; and Faye Ginsburg's "The Anthropology of this volume. Those behind the scenes who have made
Abortion Activism" in Chapter 13. vital contributions during early editions include Anita de
Preface VI
Laguna Haviland, who, besides riding herd on the edi¬ Alabama; Jean Rahier, Florida International University;
tors to meet deadlines, put everything into the computer, and Kerriann Marden, Tulane University. Their advice
caught numerous errors, tracked down a variety of infor¬ and comments have been most helpful throughout the
mation, and assisted in writing the Instructor's Manual. evolution of this anthology.
Rinda Gordon kept one of the editors in line and helped We would also like to thank our colleagues who have
with the Instructor's Manual. Peggy O'Neill-Vivanco of¬ made helpful suggestions for revisions: Jennifer Dickin¬
fered her own experiences as an undergraduate anthro¬ son, Corrine Glesne, Lourdes Gutierrez-Najera, Mike
pology major, as well as key moral and technical support Sheridan, Geoff White, and Rob Welsch.
for the junior editor. Many people, first at Mayfield Publishing Company
The changes in this new edition in part reflect the re¬ and then at McGraw-Hill, have helped bring this project
actions in Gordon's and Vivanco's introductory anthro¬ to fruition. First of all, we are grateful to Jan Beatty, who
pology courses at the University of Vermont. To the worked with us on the first two editions and provided
students we have taught through the years (Haviland has numerous valuable suggestions. We are also grateful to
been teaching introductory students since 1965, Gordon Kevin Witt and Phil Butcher, who have supported our
in the United States since 1979 and before that in Papua work on this new edition. We are no less grateful to the
New Guinea, and Vivanco at several U.S. universities and others at McGraw-Hill who have seen this volume
Costa Rica since the early 1990s), we are grateful for all through production, particularly Judith Brown, Karyn
we have learned about teaching and the kinds of mate¬ Morrison, Leslie LaDow, and Kate Scheinman.
rial students find effective. Hats off to you all!
We'd like to thank the instructors who reviewed for
William A. Haviland
the first and second editions, as well as the following in¬
Robert J. Gordon
structors who reviewed for the third edition of Talk¬
Luis A. Vivanco
ing About People: Abigail E. Adams, Central Connecticut
Burlington, Vermont
State University; Cindi Sturtz Sreetharan, California State
University-Sacramento; Mark Moberg, University of South
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