lørdag 23. februar 2013

Globalization



This text is aimed at students who are interested in social sciences, especially anthropology. If you do Social and Cultural Anthropology on a higher level and enjoy it, then, congratulations, you have come to the right place. At the end of this article, there is a guide with many examples of to how you can use this information to write a good paper three, but you can of course use my tips for any paper.

Globalization is commonly described as a process that makes the world smaller. In other words, we become more and more similar. The belief that globalization is a homogenizing process , i.e., we become more and more alike, is not necessarily true, though. Many anthropologists argue that the accelerating process of cultural exchange creates new challenges and cultures. Firstly, why do we use the word accelerating? Globalization has been the case for thousands of years. Secondly, when considering globalization, one of the most important things to remember is to consider having a diachronic theoretical perspective.

This basically implies that history and development over time is crucial when looking at the situation as it is today. For example, Levis Sharp’s paper on the paleolithic Yir Yoront, that is, stone age people,  people in North-East Australia in the 1930s suggests that the only way of which one could understand their current change is by taking into account their perception of own history as well as colonization. [Text box: The term “paleolithic” refers to the prehistoric period where people lived as hunters and gatherers, developing the more primitive tools, typically made of stone.  It derives from the Greek words palaios and lithos, with the literal overall meaning “old age of the stone”. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paleolithic] Examples of changes were gender roles, kinship systems and belief in the present being a replication of a “glorious past”. In this mythical history, heroes possessed various objects, or totems, e.g. stone axes, which in the present, i.e., the 1930s, symbolized the different clans among the population. Since they believed this past replicated itself over and over through generations, the incorporation of new totems, objects such as steel axes, boats and guns, created confusion and distress as their history had to be “rewritten” by making up new myths. The most important that you need to note, is that this was crucial in order for their perception of the world to make sense: without consistency in life, the future would seem uncertain and meaningless. This phenomenon of upholding an initial view of life can be compared to the common existential “overthinking”.  We often interpret it as a sign of depression in e.g. Norway, as many anthropologists see as a result of modernization.

The Yir Yoront did in fact turn to apathy, became depressed and confused. So how could we explain this without considering history, their mythical “glorious past” and by not seeing that their exposure to western artifacts as a result of colonization from as early as the 14th century? Is it even possible to explain the change if having a synchronic theoretical perspective, i.e., only considering the present? At least, long-term change would be very hard to predict, as we would not be able to see a development over time. [Textbox: However, if you take a postmodernist point of view, phenomena can be explained, although you do not take into consideration history. If you are up against the theme of the synchronic perspective and you have to argue for this approach, postmodernism is the way to go. Bear in mind that the synchronic perspective is defined as “the occurrence of events at the same time, seeking to uncover the relationships between society and culture in the present or at a specific point in time”. Postmodernism argues that researcher cannot be objective. Furthermore, if you discuss from the point of view of radical empiricism: which would use own experiences as primary data, focus on interaction, and argue that it is no authority or theoretical conventions. You can dismiss grand theories, as laws cannot be made in the social sciences, according to the view of postmodernism. An example of an anthropologist which is good to use here is Clifford Geerz, who emphasizes the importance of “thick description”, i.e., using extensive empirical facts as the key to understanding. Also remember that the emic level important, that is, the view of the “insiders”, the group one is researching, or, in some cases, the indigenous people.]


Does the world become more similar with time?

Anyways, this was in the 1930s, we know that globalization increased drastically by the invention of the Internet, and that there are various theories about how the world changes with time. For instance, two very interesting oppositional theories is that 1) the world becomes more and more similar with time, meaning that globalization is a homogenizing process, vs. that 2) globalization is not a homogenizing process, but recreates new cultures. Consider Jim Igoes paper “seeing conservation through the global lens” from 2004, where he presents his research on how “westernization” or “modernization” influences the Masai’s resource availability and economical system [see paper]. He generally argues that in Tanzania and Kenya where the Masai live, disjunctive flows of information, people and so on coming from “the west” in what is famously characterized by Apparundai as e.g. the mediascape and ethnoscape, respectively. These flows of tourists, external investments in national parks etc. are dominating their culture. Consequently, such as the western ideas that humans and animals should live separately, results in the establishment of western conservationist national parks and the narrowing down of land for the Masai. But is this really an effective way of conserving nature and animal species? [see the paper for an extensive discussion of this] One could hence argue that the application of western ways of “conserving” nature makes the Masai culture to vanish because their people is gradually being forced to move to cities like Arusha and even the capital Dar Es Salaam, leaving their original culture and lifestyle. But does this mean that they all become “western”? In a sense yes, most Masai will end up living a modern lifestyle.


Cultural barriers to globalization

However, the world does not necessarily become more similar with time. That the Masai culture is threatened and could potentially vanish with time can result in the creation of counteracting forces, or cultural barriers to the process of globalization. Essentially, every culture have sets of shared norms, believes, costumes, history and so on, creating a unique pattern of which external influence can be “woven” into. In other words, western conservation is not acceptable among the Masai, because to them, it does not at all conserve nature to create national parks where tourists can go on safari or trophy hunting. It upsets the natural eco system.
This means that the external influence will not simply be applied to their culture without forces counteracting that effect. Cultural barriers will in a sense leave out the parts that do not fit into their culture, configuring those who fit into the pattern, or to totally oppose to some external influence. For instance, the Masai established non-governmental organizations that fought against western conservationists. Resultantly, the United Nations has taken measures to make indigenous people’s opinions being heard. The Masai have for example gotten education in the “modern” sense, and has used it in order to oppose western ideas. In other words, many Masai did not simply agree to these ideas of conservation, but acted as agents opposing the power from westerners. Hence, one could also argue that homogenizing is not the case as cultures can adapt rather than to totally change into another culture because of cultural flow.
One of my personal thoughts that I find interesting is that from all the cultures of the world, all human beings ultimately come from Africa. We went from probably being a relatively similar people to develop into various unique cultures. Globalization has always been the case, and in the recent years, it has accelerated. If we look at the overall trend through the ages of human kind, this could imply that more and more different cultures will emerge with time, again counter-arguing the synchronic theoretical perspective. However, can a general trend be made to predict the future in the social sciences, like we so often do in math and the natural sciences?


How you can use this information

All in all, the discussion you have been provided with here can be used to argue both for, but mostly against that the cultures of the world becomes more and more similar with time. Remember to be aware that having a diachronic perspective can be useful, because it helps you to understand processes of change. For anthropology students, I think this can be a useful text that you can be inspired by when writing papers, especially a paper three, as it can be an example of how you could approach issues given on tests, mocks and the final exam. If you are a standard level student, doing studiespesialisering or any other related subject, it may be a bit more far-fetched, but nevertheless very helpful. I will now provide some short tips about writing the paper three, and in what ways this essay could exemplify my personal writing methods. Be aware that this is advise from me to other students. I am not an expert, but, on the other hand, I have some pretty good experience.
Firstly, in the introduction you want to 1) rephrase the issue and say what you will emphasize, e.g. the diachronic theoretical perspective. Then you 2) define relevant terms and explain the relevance of i) theoretical perspectives, ii) theory and iii) ethnographies. Link it up to the question at hand.
The main body of your essay is all about 3) compare and contrast: i) identify the relevant ethnography, e.g. as in my text: “ (…) Levis Sharp’s paper on the paleolithic Yir Yoront, that is, stone age people,  people in North-East Australia in the 1930s (…)”. ii) give details and examples; link them up to the theory and perspectives you explained in the introduction, e.g. “Tanzania and Kenya where the Masai live, disjunctive flows of information, people and so on coming from “the west” in what is famously characterized by Apparundai as e.g. the mediascape and ethnoscape, respectively.”; and always remember to include examples of change, whether it is in a society or of anthropological approaches. E.g.: “Examples of changes were gender roles, kinship systems and belief in the present being a replication of a “glorious past”. (…) Since they believed this past replicated itself over and over through generations, the incorporation of new totems, objects such as steel axes, boats and guns, created confusion and distress as their history had to be “rewritten” by making up new myths.” At last, but not least, in order to get the higher grades, you have to iii) give a critique of theoretical perspectives and/or methodology. In the text I have written, there could probably be a more extensive critique of the diachronic perspective. Nevertheless, it is important that if you want to tell about your own opinion, write “I think…”, while when using examples of opinions of other individuals, write for example “his perspective on the matter of … is...”.

Finally, conclude by summing up and relating everything to the question so that you keep focused. Because it is important to show what your own understanding is, this is a good point to put the discussion into the context of your own understanding of theories, perspectives and/or ideas. For example: “One of my personal thoughts that I find interesting is that from all the cultures of the world, all human beings ultimately come from Africa…”.

You might wonder if this was one of my papers? No. And I did not write it with the intention of it being the perfect paper three. However, since I have this “recipe” of mine, that I so kindly have tried to explain, and I know so well, the structure and remembering what to include is like second nature to me now. My tips to you are: look at the criteria and make an outline of how you can cover every single criterion the best way possible. That is what I have done, anyways. Feel free to be inspired, use this guide as much as you want, it is one hundred percent free.

-The Editor, Anna Birk Hellenes

Time Flies


You wake up one morning to find yourself in a completely different bed than the one you fell asleep in.“Where on earth am I?” you think as you slowly try to open your eyes. It is therefore a great surprise when you look out the window and realize you’re not on earth at all. You are in a spaceship. In space.

After a few moments, when the shock is over, you think about how wonderful it would be to lie in your cozy earth bed. This feeling, however, is quickly absorbed by your excitement, as this means you’ll be able to explore all sorts of awesome places. The first thing you notice when you look out the window is that objects seem bluer when they are moving closer to the spaceship, and redder as you pass them. “I wonder why,” you ask.

Of course, you have never heard of the Doppler effect. According to the Doppler effect, waves can stretched out or shrink, depending on which way you are moving. In everyday life, we mostly experience this with sound waves. “Like ambulances?” you ask. And yes, this is just the same. When a car moving towards you emit a sound, it will sound more high pitched. You will observe the opposite effect, when it is passing you. The sound will suddenly drop to a much lower frequency. “So blue represents the higher frequency and red the lower,” you announce excitedly. You are absolutely right. But for this Doppler shift to be noticeable, you would have to be going really fast. And you are.

The spaceship is whizzing by at a speed of 100 000 miles per hour, or about half the speed of light. “I don’t get it, what’s the deal with this speed of light thing?” you start pondering. Well, it turns out that no matter how fast you go, you can never go faster than the speed of light. In fact, nothing that has mass will even be able to reach the speed of light. “Nothing with mass?” you ask. “What does mass have to do with things?” As you approach the speed of light, the universe will start messing with your mass, to make sure the energy required to reach the speed of light becomes infinitely large.  Basically, light itself avoids this problem by not having any mass. You look confused. “But wait, I have an idea!”

“Speed up,” you order. “We have to get as close as possible to this “speed of light” thingy. After a couple of seconds, the spaceship has reached a dazzling 99 % of the speed of light. Now it is my turn to ask, “Why does this help? What are you going to do now?” “I will go outside the space ship and fire a bullet in the same direction we’re going. That way sum of the speeds will be greater than the speed of light, and we can dismiss this cosmic speed limit.” Your face is glowing up like a child who has suddenly understood something.

Unfortunately, your idea is not going to work. Mother nature seems to be taking care of that. The speed of light is always the same relative to the observer. Let us illustrate this with an example. You are on a train moving super-fast, very close to the speed of light. As you proposed, you could fire a bullet forwards from this train. Relative to you, the bullet goes quite fast, and relative to the ground, the train is moving very quickly. Therefore, an observer on the ground would be able to see a bullet flying as fast as the sum of the two speeds. But this is not how nature works. In order to hinder you from achieving this speed, time will literally slow down relative to the observer. This means, you could bring a watch, and after the journey, it will end up showing a completely different time than another one. This is not because your watch is terrible, but simply because time went slower.

You don’t seem to like what you’re hearing and you sit down, quite disappointed. However, no more than a minute later, you jump up and scream, “What if we hit the edge?!” “Hit the edge?” I respond. “Well, I’ve heard the universe is finite (it is not infinitely large), so with this speed it may not be long until we hit the edge.” “Don’t worry,” I say. “There is no edge.” You look even more confused. “That statement didn’t make sense at all.”

It is really not that weird, though. The earth is a sphere with a finite surface area. However, it is impossible to fall off the edges. The same thing goes for space in general. We live in three dimensions, while space itself has more dimensions. We are ants on sphere, never able to experience what it must be like to escape from this hypothetical sphere. “So, how many dimensions are there?” you ask. Some scientists say four, others as much as six or seven. In fact, people working on what is called string theory believe there must be exactly 11. “What? Why eleven? How do they know?” Your string of questions gets longer and longer. “That is for another time,” I say, leaning back in my chair, dosing off into another dimension…

-William Lohrmann

Studietips- Tidshåndtering


Så er vi her igjen. Dagene blir smått varmere, mattestykkene lenger og tiden sløst bort på facebook øker. Av en eller annen grunn forsvant også all motivasjon til å gjøre skolearbeid sammen med sola og 2012. Det er derimot de timene du investerer nå som lar deg forlate skolebøkene litt tidligere til sommeren og som gir deg karakterene du vil ha og vanene du trenger for å vise hva du virkelig kan. Første burde det nok nevnes at alles måter å pugge og lære seg ting på varierer fra person til person, men det er noen greie tips som gjør det litt lettere å faktisk levere noe du er stolt av innen fristene.

Når stresset er som verst burde du sortere ut og prioritere alt som skal gjøres. La viktige innleveringer gruppeoppgaver være førsteprioritet, så kan andre lekser og ærender komme etter det. Om du har en agenda er det lett å skrive ned og holde oversikt over alle innleveringer og prøver som nærmer seg. Ja, jeg snakker om de vi får gratis utenfor rådgivers konto hver skolestart. Prøv å få en oversikt over hva du gjør i løpet av en dag og hvor mesteparten av tiden din går bort. Det som er best å droppe ut blir internett tid, tv-serier, trening og andre ting som ikke har en frist på seg.  Du kan også sette det som belønninger om du absolutt vil gjøre noe, men det kommer vi tilbake til straks.

Så snart du har bestemt deg for hva som skal prioriteres (lister er alltid flott til sånt), er det på tide å lage en timeplan med oversikt over hva som skal gjøres. Den kan være så detaljert du føler for, men det er greit å skrive opp tidspunktet du vil jobbe på, hvor lenge, og skrive hva du skal gjøre og hva du trenger å finne fram før du setter deg ned. Husk å legge inn pauser, så lenge de er små og kun gir deg nok pusterom til å ta i et nytt puggetak. [Om det er vanskelig å åpne boka og sette i gang er det lurt å gi deg raske belønninger]. Vi vet at karakterer som får deg inn på drømmeskolen er mer enn belønning nok, men det er så stort og langt unna, og er ikke alltid motiverende i øyeblikket. Det som derimot ikke er særlig langt unna kan være litt sjokolade, en episode av favoritt tv-serien din, trening, kaffe med en venn- hva enn som motiverer deg i øyeblikket. Desto mindre du vil gjøre oppgaven, desto høyere belønning burde du gi deg selv. Og vær streng! Leser du ikke alle sidene du skal eller dropper siste delen av lab rapporten får du ikke belønningen.

Det som kanskje kan spare deg mest tid er å ta i bruk all dødtid du har tilgjengelig: de små minuttene du venter på bussen, sitter på t-banen, står i kø eller venter på at maten i mikrobølgeovnen skal bli varm nok. Det virker kanskje ubrukelig, men om du leser gjennom notater fra forrige time, blar gjennom «index cards», skriver ned hva du må gjøre i løpet av dagen eller andre småting som ellers tar tid hjemme, sparer du mye fritid. Alle disse minuttene her og der opptar deg jo uansett, så hvorfor ikke benytte deg av mulighetene du har!

Om du allerede har laget deg en plan og fått åpnet historieboka kommer det siste av de store problemene som står mellom deg og toppeleven du vet du kan være: distraksjoner. Vi snakker Facebook, YouTube, tv, CoD, småsøsken, tekstmeldinger – alt som tar oppmerksomheten din. Fjern dem. Få dem vekk. Om du vet at du ikke kan bruke data når du jobber med lekser får du heller la være.[Det er apper du kan laste ned som forhindrer deg fra å bruke spesifikke nettsider, som SelfControl for Mac eller ColdTurkey for Windows], eller så kan du få en venn til å forandre passordene til de sidene du bruker mest tid på til du er ferdig med alt du skal. Om du er klar for en skikkelig reality-sjekk kan du også installere RescueTime, et program som registrerer hvor du bruker aktiv tid online og sender deg ukentlige oppdateringer. Jeg må virkelig ta meg sammen, for det å bruke 24 uproduktive timer i uka online er ikke helt ideelt når man drømmer om å bli den beste. Liker du å pugge til musikk burde du også velge kritisk: favorittspillelista på Spotify funker kanskje ikke best når du er mer opptatt av teksten i sangen enn den i boka. Prøv heller å sette på en timelang «study mix» på YouTube, så kan du unngå reklame og å hoppe over sanger.

Til slutt kan det vel sies at alt egentlig er opp til deg. Ingen sjekker om du bruker tiden din som du skal, men om du er ærlig med deg selv kommer du en lang vei. Og med hardt arbeid og selvdisiplin i tillegg er ikke lenger de ønskede karakterene, drømmeskolen eller intelligente kommentarer langt unna.  Lykke til, og kom deg tilbake til skolearbeidet nå.

-Ash-study techniques   
 

Calendars – A History of Time



Siden mennesket tok sine første steg har vi prøvd å holde orden på tiden. Kalenderen har gått gjennom en lang og komplisert utvikling og har blitt forbedret av mange forskjellige folkeslag og nasjoner. Kalenderen har hatt flere transformasjoner, før vi endte opp med den Gregorianske kalenderen vi bruker i dag. Her er dens utvikling.

Den Sumeriske Kalender:
Sumer var den dominante makten i Midtøsten mellom ca. 3500- 2500 år før Kristus, og de skapte en av de første brukbare kalenderne. Den Sumeriske Kalender var overraskende lik den vi har i dag og var basisen for alle andre kalendere som ble brukt i det nære Østen og Europa. Den var delt inn i 12 måneder med 29 eller 30 dager hver (til sammen 354 dager), og hvert sjette år ble det lagt til en ekstra måned med 62 dager, for å passe inn med solåret på 365 dager.

De Greske og Romerske Kalenderne:
Den Athenske kalenderen var svært lignende den sumeriske. Den hadde 354 dager fordelt på 12 måneder med 29 eller 30 dager i hver. Den var derimot forskjellig i at den la til en ekstra måned annen hvert år i stedet for hvert 6. år.
Den Romerske kalenderen gikk gjennom en del endringer. Den første kalenderen hadde bare 304 dager delt på 10 måneder, men det ble snart lagt til to nye måneder, Ianuarius (januar) og Februarius (februar). Dette ble brukt frem til Julius Caesar tok over makten i Roma. Han så at systemet var ubrukelig og reformerte kalenderen. For første gang hadde kalenderen 365 dager og månedene hadde samme utforming som i dag. I år fire Anno Domini la Augustus Caesar til skuddåret, og skapte den Julianske kalender.
Romersk Kalender
Juliansk Kalender
Viking-Kalender
Norsk Kalender
Ianuarius
Ianuarius
Harpa
Januar
Februarius
Februarius
Stekktid
Februar
Martius
Martius
Sòlmánthur
Mars
Aprilis
Aprilis
Mithsumar
April
Maius
Maius
Heyannir
Mai
Iunius
Iunius
Haustmábuthur
Juni
Quintilis
Iulius
Gormánuthur
Juli
Sextilis
Augustus
Ýlir
August
Septembris
September
Hrútmánathur
September
Octobris
October
Thorri
Oktober
Novembris
November
Góa
November
Decembris
December
Einmánuthur
Desember
Men det var enda en endring som måtte til før vi kom til vår moderne Gregorianske kalender, nemlig årstellingen. Med den Julianske kalender var år 0 grunnleggelsen av Roma – eller ca 750 år før Kristus. Etter hvert sluttet de også å telle årene og bare navnga magistraten som styrte Roma på den tiden, f.eks kunne man kalle et år «Julius Caesars år». Dette ble det imidlertid slutt på da Augustus Caesar tok keisermakten.

Middelalderen:
I den tidlige middelalderen ble den Julianske kalenderen fortsatt brukt men flere forskjellige årstall ble brukt etter hvor man befant seg. Spesielt vanlig var også å navngi kongen som hadde makten det året, mye som romerne før dem. Men i det 6. århundre ble Anno Domini-systemet oppfunnet. Anno Domini er latin og betyr «vår herres år». Dette systemet ble oppfunnet av en munk ved navn Diyonysius Exiguus, og telte år 0 fra den påståtte datoen av Jesu fødsel. Dette ble sakte mer vanlig i Europa, og Portugal var i 1422 det siste landet til å ta i bruk dette systemet.

Vikingene:
Vikingene hadde et eget kalendersystem til de ble kristnet på begynnelsen av det andre årtusen. De hadde bare 2 årstider, sommer og vinter, og hadde egne måneder. Sommeren varte omtrent fra April til September, mens vinteren varte fra Oktober til Mars.

Den Gregorianske (Moderne) Kalender:
Den Gregorianske Kalenderen ble innført i år 1582 av pave Gregor XIII. Den gjorde små endringer på den Julianske kalenderen ved blant annet å endre hvordan skuddår fungerer. Han reduserte også den gjennomsnittlige tiden av et år til å passe mer nøyaktig med solen. Mellom skapelsen av den Julianske kalender og den Gregorianske kalender hadde tiden gått 10 dager for sakte og dermed måtte datoen flyttes frem 10 dager, noe som fikset systemet igjen (og gjorde middelalderens befolkning svært travel i noen dager). Den Gregorianske Kalender brukes ennå i dag, i de aller fleste land, og i internasjonale relasjoner. 

-Lars Bockman