2009 Malinowski Award
The Ecology of Globalization: The Wolf at the Global Door
Thomas Weaver
The stimulus for this essay came from readings on the wolf (McNamee 1997; Mech 1981; Robbins 2005; Smith and Ferguson 2005).1 The derived hypothesis is that the ecology of the wolf might inform our understanding of the connections, and inter-causalities among elements in the mortgage crisis, and those found in globalization. Models are useful representations of one system that may help us understand another by providing analogy, stimuli, and hypotheses.2 Before discussing the wolf ecology model, however, I need to introduce some ecology constructs that I shall be relying on.
In Both Our Possibilities: Anthropology on the Margins
Erve Chambers
There is benefit to be gained from viewing anthropology and its applications as choices and inventions, rather than as strict disciplinary codes and imperatives. The choices we make concerning our profession have expanded with the growth of practice outside academia. By the same token, we are shaped as much by the uses that others have for us and by the human environments in which we find ourselves as we are by our own preferences. Collaboration has become a hallmark of many approaches to practice, and the kinds of collaborations being constructed are different from those usually associated with applied anthropology. In its actions, anthropology is both a science (seeking distance) and an art (seeking engagement).
Key words: science, art, practice, collaboration
Disciplinary-Professional Relations in an Era of Anthropological Engagement
Marietta L. Baba
This essay is devoted to exploring the nature, roles, and relationships of the anthropological discipline and its professions over time and their implications for matters of policy and practice in American society. The interdependence of discipline and profession in the emergence of anthropology is considered first, setting the stage for reflecting upon several matters: (1) lessons drawn from the history of British colonialism and other engagements; (2) the difference between problems of others and problems for others; and (3) a contemporary case involving disciplinary-professional-boundary tensions. This discussion raises the question of whether anthropology is approaching the issue of engagement with contemporary problem contexts as innovatively and creatively as we might, considering all that we know of our history and the challenges facing us today.
Key words: discipline, profession, British colonialism, ethics, military
Disciplinary History and the Struggle for Legitimacy and Effectiveness: Reflections on the Situation of Contemporary Anthropologists
John van Willigen
This is a commentary on the articles of Marietta Baba and Erve Chambers. In it, I address elements of their arguments that resonant with concerns that I have had concerning application in anthropology. An important theme in both essays is the idea that the discipline is colored by the struggle of anthropologists in various career paths for legitimacy and effectiveness. In order to contextualize my comments, I will briefly comment on the experiences I went through which shaped my conception of anthropology.
Key words: applying anthropology, legitimacy, Baba, Chambers
Contested AIDS Stigmatization in Southwest China
Shao-hua Liu
This article examines the emerging stigmatization of AIDS in a mountainous community of the Nuosu, a minority group in southwest China. The Nuosu did not discriminate against victims of the disease prior to state intervention, but stigma has been introduced by the Chinese state agents’ mechanical transplantation of a global AIDS intervention program, which has generated fear of AIDS in the community. This situation developed from state agents’ willful ignorance of the local moral world, an attitude cultivated since the beginning of China’s socialist nation-building project in the 1950s. By unraveling Nuosu perceptions of AIDS and by delving into local particularities, this article points out the potential problems de-contextualized global disease-control projects may cause in diverse local contexts.
Key words: AIDS, stigma, policy transplantation, local morals, China
Between Stigma and Demand
Sheena Nahm
This qualitative study investigates the development of child psychotherapy programs in Seoul, building on research that highlights stigma surrounding mental health issues in Korean communities and focusing on shifts in psychotherapeutic circles. Therapists noted that parents are more open to bringing their children for treatment but often hesitate due to residual stigma. Meanwhile, a growing emphasis on improving academic performance has increased and stimulated service-seeking behaviors. Separate studies have explored the role of stigma around mental health and the obsession with academic achievement in Korea, but this study is situated at the intersection between stigma and demand. The combination of stigma and demand has created an environment for play therapy to emerge as an appealing alternative for dealing with psychological issues. The insights gleaned from child psychotherapists in Korea have broader implications for understanding how stigma can both hinder access to treatment and diversify services.
Key words: childhood, therapists, play, stigma, demand
Socioeconomic Barriers to Biogas Development in Rural Southwest China: An Ethnographic Case Study
Li Jian
The household biogas system has a potential to offer significant health, economic, and environmental benefits to millions of households in rural China. In 1997, the Chinese legislature declared biogas as a national energy development agenda, and the Chinese government subsidies for biogas have been increasing since then. Nevertheless, only about 12 percent of rural households utilize biogas. In poor regions, the figure is much lower. At present, biogas counts for merely 1 percent of energy consumption in rural China. In this article, drawing on my ethnographic fieldwork, I examine the socioeconomic barriers to biogas development in rural Southwest China. My central question is: what are the factors that prevent farmers from utilizing biogas and how can development agencies help remove such barriers? Anchored in anthropological insights on technology adoption, this study first identifies main barriers to biogas adoption through a villagewide survey. Then, I examine such barriers in their socioeconomic contexts by participant observation and interviews with current biogas users in the village. The article concludes with recommendations for policy makers and agencies involved in biogas development in rural China and elsewhere in the world.
Key words: biogas, development, technology adoption, China
How Are People Empowered to Help a Homeless Relative?
Michael Polgar
The purpose of this research is to understand variations in caregiver empowerment and satisfaction using a sample of people who have a homeless relative. Data analyses test four hypotheses, developed from theories and research on caregiver stress. Multivariate regression analyses of data from 118 interviewees largely support the hypotheses. Results show that empowerment is significantly higher among people with a homeless relative who experience less caregiver burden, receive more helpful social support, have greater faith in others, and report more success getting help and care for their family, including their homeless relative. More satisfied caregivers experience significantly fewer feelings of stigmatization and greater faith in other people, while their homeless relative receives more extensive social support, more help, and more health care. Caregiver satisfaction is also higher among empowered people from smaller households who help their homeless relatives with daily activities. These findings complement research on both homelessness and caregiving, showing that help is necessary and empowering for both homeless individuals and for their family caregivers. This research suggests that socially supportive interventions and policies can educate and empower people who care for a homeless relative, helping increase caregiver satisfaction and strengthening family support to reduce the problems of homelessness.
Key words: caregivers, homeless relatives, social support, family support
Making Scents of Smell: Manufacturing and Consuming Incense in Japan
Brian Moeran
The academic discourse on smell is characterised by a set of “myths,” or “mode of signification,” that cover a broad range of cultural, historical, linguistic, moral, physiological, racial, religious, sexual, social, and symbolic olfactory phenomena, and that include, in particular, smell as an undervalued sense, the articulation of smell, and its association with ritual practices. These myths frame the discussion of the processes by which incense is produced in Japan, as well as of the various challenges facing a manufacturer with regard to consistency of raw materials, kneading blended materials, and drying formed incense sticks. The article then concentrates on a group of incense manufacturers located on the western coast of Awaji Island in the Inland Sea of Japan, and suggests that it is access to, and successful management of, olfactory knowledge that enables a subcontracted supplier to become independent by producing his own incense brands. It concludes by tracing connections between smell, transition, transformation, and transience and draws a series of parallels between the symbolic and social uses of incense in contemporary Japanese society.
Key words: incense, Japan, marketing, myth, production
Experience-based Measures of Food and Water Security: Biocultural Approaches to Grounded Measures of Insecurity
Craig Hadley and Amber Wutich
Insecure access to food and water are experienced by millions of people around the world. Not only does insecure access to food and water represent a violation of basic human rights, it is a major threat to the physical and mental health of individuals and communities. There is, therefore, great need for tools to identify those who are food and water insecure and the severity of their insecurity. We argue here that measures of food and water insecurity must not only reflect biological requirements but also the biocultural nature of food and water needs. In this paper, we present case studies from Tanzania and Bolivia that detail the steps used to adapt or create experience-based measures and validate these measures using a suite of established approaches. We also show that, by broadening our understanding of insecurity to include respondents’ experiences, the full range of health impacts—including psychosocial stress and mental health—become apparent. We conclude by noting limitations of the biocultural approach and offer suggestions for future research.
Key words: Bolivia, Tanzania, measurement, poverty, nutrition, health, scarcity, public health
