This anthropologic tendency, first explicated by Gregory Bateson in the 1930's, is defined literally as "the creation of division" and occurs when members of a total institution form artificial partitions within the overall group based on competition and rivalry. The originator of the term defined schismogenesis as a "progressive unilateral distortion of the personalities of the members of both groups, which results in mutual hostility between them and must end in the breakdown of the system" (Bateson, 1935, p
Anthropology and Total Institutions The presence of total institutions within our overall societal structure provides a unique opportunity for anthropologic inquiry through the standardization of individual behaviors. First introduced by sociologist Erving Goffman in his 1957 essay On the Characteristics of Total Institutions, the concept of total institution is used to describe "social arrangements which regulate, under one roof and according to one rational plan, all spheres of individuals' lives -- sleeping, eating, playing and working" (Goffman, Lemert and Branaman, 1997, p
Anthropology and Total Institutions The presence of total institutions within our overall societal structure provides a unique opportunity for anthropologic inquiry through the standardization of individual behaviors. First introduced by sociologist Erving Goffman in his 1957 essay On the Characteristics of Total Institutions, the concept of total institution is used to describe "social arrangements which regulate, under one roof and according to one rational plan, all spheres of individuals' lives -- sleeping, eating, playing and working" (Goffman, Lemert and Branaman, 1997, p
Anthropology and Total Institutions The presence of total institutions within our overall societal structure provides a unique opportunity for anthropologic inquiry through the standardization of individual behaviors. First introduced by sociologist Erving Goffman in his 1957 essay On the Characteristics of Total Institutions, the concept of total institution is used to describe "social arrangements which regulate, under one roof and according to one rational plan, all spheres of individuals' lives -- sleeping, eating, playing and working" (Goffman, Lemert and Branaman, 1997, p
Early 20th Century Anthropology Commonalities of Boas's Historical Particularism Boas rejected the cultural evolutionary model proposed by 19th century anthropologists. Rather than parallel development, Boas heralded the argument that every society is a result of its own collective history (Boas, in Anthropological Theory, 1920: 122)
What did Durkheim mean by social fact? Social facts are the norms and cultural constructs that define a society, but which lie beyond individual actions. According to Durkheim, the job of the social scientist was to discover and define these social facts within a particular culture (Durkheim, in Anthropological Theory, 1895: 73)
What did Durkheim mean by social fact? Social facts are the norms and cultural constructs that define a society, but which lie beyond individual actions. According to Durkheim, the job of the social scientist was to discover and define these social facts within a particular culture (Durkheim, in Anthropological Theory, 1895: 73)
He theorized that magic was the root of religion. He promoted the idea that magic evolved into religion and religion evolved into science (Frazer, 1890)
Symbolic/interpretive anthropologists could be seen as breaking the rules of classical anthropological research. Symbolic anthropologists, such as Geertz, see symbols as the means to achieve culture (Geertz, in Anthropological Theory, 1973: 528-529)
He focused on how various societies work to balance the social system so that equilibrium is reached that keeps it functional and stable. Gluckman introduced Marxist theory to the study of social anthropology with an emphasis on how the individual resolved conflict with the structure of the society (Gluckman, in Anthropological Theory, 1956: 199)
Kroeber's ideas differed from those of both Radin and Boas. He considered the division between and individual and civilization to be a boundary (Kroeber, in Anthropological Theory, 1915: 132)
Frazer also felt that superstition was important in the evolution of culture, as it strengthened respect for the idea of private property, strengthened the ideals of marriage, and included adherence to strict rules of sexual morality (Frazer, 1890). Sir John Lubbock differed from Frazer and considered the evolution of religion to progress from atheism, to nature worship, to shamanism, to idolatry, and finally to monotheism (Lubbock, 1872)
During that time, he developed an intensive method for fieldwork, striving to get an insider's view of the native population. His method of participant observation became a standard that is still used today in ethnographic research (Malinowski, in Anthropological Theory, 1922: 168)
How are Marx's ideas similar to and different from other 19th century theorists? Karl Marx saw parallels between Morgan's theory of evolutionism and his own theories of societal development. Marx and Engels hypothesized that the social institutions of monogamy, private property, and the state were responsible for exploitation of the working classes in modern industrialized nations (Marx and Engels, in Anthropological Theory, 1845-1846)
Collective consciousness creates mechanical solidarity through the mutual beliefs and similarities among various society members. What is Mauss's notion of gift giving? Mauss felt that gifts are never truly free and that there is an expectation of reciprocity at some point in the near future (Mauss, in Anthropological Theory, 1925:94-97)
. Morgan felt that the family evolved in six stages (Morgan, cited in Anthropological Theory 1877:44-45)
Radin's work on the Winnebago is regarded as one of the best written to date. Radin felt that the facts should be presented as the informants conveyed the information and that the reader should be able to make their own judgments and to draw their own conclusions (Radin, in Anthropological Theory, 1927: 136-137)
Steward agreed that cultures developed in similar patterns. However, rather than assuming that the universe contained a "grand plan" for cultural development and that all cultures followed this line, Steward proposed that parallel development may be the result of similar environmental circumstances (Steward, in Anthropological Theory, 258)
This method of study challenges classic ethnographies and fieldwork in that it introduces "permission" for the researcher to interpret actions and symbols. It allows them to introduce subjective interpretation into the research methods (Turner, in anthropological Theory, 1967: 498)
Evolutionary anthropology arose from encounters with cultures that were different Theorists such as Tylor and Morgan developed opposing viewpoints on the development of society. Tylor disagreed that groups, such as the Native American population, were a degenerated culture (Tylor, cited in Anthropological Theory, 1871:30)