This year, 14 senior anthropology majors from the Class of 2014 presented at the 54th annual meeting of the Northeastern Anthropological Association (NEAA), which took place at SUNY Potsdam, April 11-12, 2014. Professor Ennis-McMillan and Professor Rios traveled with the group and also presented. The slideshow has highlights from the conference. A full list of presentation abstracts is listed below. We are grateful for support from Skidmore's Student Opportunity Funds and the Office of the Dean of the Faculty and Vice-President for Academic Affairs. (Photographs by Michael C. Ennis-McMillan, April 2014).
Check out the presentation abstracts by clicking "Read More" below...
Presentation Abstracts, NEAA 2014
Skidmore College NEAA Presenters. Front (L to R): Amari Boyd, Bridget Smith, Ben Oppenheimer, Elise Finnerty, Emma Matthies, Maria Gonzalez, Christine Hintze, and Professor Michael Ennis-McMillan. Back (L to R): Professor Bernardo Rios, Tim Robinson, Rafa Arriaza-Roht, Sean Fairweather, Mira Brock, Gabe Herrera, Anne Salzman, and Will Makepeace.
The Beekman Street Arts District: Culture, Business, and the Development of a Cultural District in upstate New York
Rafael Arriaza-Roht, Skidmore College
The use of cultural districts by municipalities has become a popular tool to bring economic development and reshape an area's image. In this study, I examine how culture as a capital asset and the creation of spatially bound economic districts create a sense of collective identity in Saratoga Springs, New York. Using interviews and observations, I examine how residents within the Saratoga Springs Arts District use their culture for economic purposes, and how the creation of a cultural district shapes their identity. Within cultural districts, problems emerge, including gentrification and a lack of shared goals. Using cultural districts as an example, I explore the importance of understanding how business and culture intersect within a spatially bound area to create identity. [Key Words: Identity, Culture, Cultural District, Gentrification, Community, Artists]
Between Diasporas: Examining Identity Formations of Black Orthodox Jews in New York
Amari Boyd, Skidmore College
This paper analyzes an Orthodox Black Jewish sect founded in 1919 known as the Commandment Keepers’ pattern of appropriating Jewish concepts and practices as a way to form an identity not confined to the legacies of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Incorporating Paul Gilroy and Stuart Hall’s concept of “Diaspora,” Herskovitz’s concept of cultural borrowing, and Schneider’s reappraisal of appropriation as a concept contextualizes the plight of the Commandment Keepers to holistically appreciate both identities. Several informal interviews over the course of three months with a former member of the Commandment Keepers, current members of another Ethiopian Hebrew sect in Queens, NY as well as archival research provided ethnographic data to support this analysis. This paper will contribute to the discourse of appropriation and intersectionality of social identities. [Key words: Black Jews, Ethiopian Hebrews, Diaspora, cultural appropriation, cultural borrowing, identity formation]
‘That’s so hipster’: The meaning of hipster culture at Skidmore College
Miranda Brock, Skidmore College
Popular culture reveals the values and ideologies of a given society. Hipsterism is arguably one of the most salient ‘subcultures’ of this millennial in the U.S. Based on student interviews, observation, and media analysis, this paper explores the meaning of the term ‘hipster’ and the way hipster culture manifests on Skidmore College campus. Hipster culture is both trendy and popular and heavily criticized in the media. It has many inherent tensions, the largest of which is the elusiveness of its members. Skidmore College students perceive ‘hipster’ to be a commonly used term, yet I could not find anyone who self-identifies as a hipster. This phenomenon is understood in the media as a consequence of the negative connotation of the term in relation to its commodification and ambiguous identity. Among Skidmore students, the term ‘hipster’ is understood universally yet it is also recognized to be immensely subjective and relative in definition. This project explores patterns of social identity formation, fashion and the social body, authenticity, materiality, consumer behavior, and commodity fetishism. By deconstructing a commonly used colloquial term, this study highlights the importance of critical consumption and analysis. [Key words: hipster, fashion, commodity fetishism, authenticity, materiality, social identity]
Creating Civil-Religious Space: A Visual Ethnography of Processions during a Mexican Fiesta
Professor Michael C. Ennis-McMillan, Skidmore College
Fiestas occupy a prominent place in the ethnographic accounts of civil-religious cargo systems in Mexican communities. This study examines fiesta processions as significant moments when residents create civil-religious spaces that represent and express central values related to family, locality, and community. Based on ethnographic research carried out during a Corpus Cristi fiesta in 2013, the analysis draws on photographs, participant observation, and interviews of residents in La Purificación Tepetitla in the State of Mexico. Visual data on processions demonstrates how residents blend civil and religious elements to claim public space in streets, courtyards, and households. New residents and young people draw on tradition as they create new cultural forms that are consistent with earlier practices. The study contributes to the visual understanding of fiesta processions as contemporary practices that continue to blend civil and religious meanings. [Keywords: Fiestas, ritual, visual anthropology, Mexico]
Identity Production and Communitas in Medieval Pilgrimage 1430—1530
Sean Fairweather, Skidmore College
Anthropologists have studied pilgrimage as a ritual with focus on the community-building aspects and the liminal nature of the ritual. Such analysis explains the institution of pilgrimage during the medieval period, but it does not account for the individual identities produced by the same, allegedly equalizing, ritual during that period. This paper analyzes personal accounts of pilgrimages taken to the Holy Land by Europeans from a variety of social classes between 1430 and 1530: reasons for travel, their relationship to other pilgrims along the way, and the author’s place within the Christian community before and after their pilgrimage. Although pilgrims are part of the community, many also hoped for personal distinction within that community as a result. The paper concludes that because the ritual of pilgrimage involves a physical as well as a spiritual journey from the home, social class and social affiliations mitigate the equalizing effects of the liminal stage of ritual. This allows for the apparent contradiction of individual as well as community identities being developed by the pilgrimage. [Key Words: pilgrimage, ritual, communitas, Europe]
Menopause and Beauty: The Emotional Perceptions of Aging and Identity through the Engagement with Makeup in Saratoga Springs, New York
Elise Finnerty, Skidmore College
Menopause is largely misunderstood in American culture through various inaccurate perceptions, definitions, and representations of the aging woman. Anthropologists have examined menopause and the dominant American culture’s interpretation of middle-aged women through an alternative critical lens. This study examines ideas of identity and societal perceptions that emerged in 10 open-ended interviews of female residents of Saratoga Spring, New York ages 45-55. The interview data shows how women comprehend preconceived notions of menopause and aging and the effects these ideas have on their emotional and physical experiences. The analysis focuses on the self-perceptions the women have of aging and the ritual of beauty upkeep, their evolution of makeup use, and variations in self-esteem as their years have progressed. While expressing unique aging experiences, each woman shared a similar perspective on the female approach to middle age and transition. Also, there was a communal understanding of makeup, beauty, and overall appearance as a factor in the aging process. This study challenges negative cultural expectations of middle age womanhood and seeks to advance female empowerment and positive self-esteem. [Keywords: menopause, aging, beauty, feminist anthropology, identity, becoming]
Observing the Hipster in its ‘natural’ habitat: International Student Perspectives at Skidmore College in Upstate New York
Maria H. Gonzalez, Skidmore College
The current conception of hipster seemingly applies to not only people, but objects, fashion, attitudes, an amalgamation I call the hipster 'scene' and which often emerges in a prominent manner at liberal arts colleges. Despite this scene’s common presence, individuals rarely self-identify with hipster. Using open-ended interviews, this study interprets the perceptions of hipster by eight international students from Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York. Their perspectives are compared to observed hipster discourse in popular media and other voices on campus. Analyzing international, multi-cultural perspectives and how they compare and contrast to other discourse concerning "hipster," I examine how hipster acts as a purposefully vague term. This ambiguity offers a new and more critical generalization of a typically empowered and privileged social group. For international students especially, the hipster generalization both creates and is created by the intricacies of the millennial generation and a globalizing world. Hipster, as perceived by international students, reveals current social anxieties and elements of the reception of culture within and across different boundaries. [Key words: hipster, international, college students, scene, identity, globalization, cross-cultural, popular culture]
The City in the Country: Public Discourse and Perceptions of Sustainability in Saratoga Springs, NY
Gabriel M. Herrera, Skidmore College
The issues of urban environmental sustainability and development are subject to much debate and scrutiny on academic, organizational, and public levels. Much of this scrutiny is directed at large-scale urban environments such as New York City. This project uses this precedent as a basis but examines public perceptions of sustainability and development in a small scale urban environment. Through interviews, participant observation, and media and archival analysis, this study examines what issues of sustainability receive public attention, how issues are subsequently addressed and what elements of culture influence perceptions of sustainability. The study finds that public perception is often determined by visibility of an issue and the level of effect the issue and solutions will have on individuals. In addition, how sustainability is addressed is often governed by historical contexts, the influence of local organization, economic factors, and concepts of place and identity. Key issues discussed are developmental expansion, urban sprawl, walkability and foot traffic, mixed-use zoning, and the relationship between large and small scale development. [Key words: Sustainable development, public perception, discourse analysis, Upstate New York]
Cultural Divides in “Bike Friendly” New York City: Is Biking an Exclusive Activity?
Christine E. Hintze, Skidmore College
Biking has become a fashionable way to address growing environmental concerns and is a popular mode of transportation in New York City. Broader questions about the meaning of biking for several groups of people in New York City are uncovered through interviews that I did as well as a media analysis exploring the implicit symbolic value of this cultural activity. Biking supporters note that the way in which groups interact with bikes in New York City is defined by political structures and group cultural interpretation. Political structures are reinforced by cultural constructions of issues related to identity, political economy, gentrification, and environmentalism. Individual and group accessibility to biking differs based on the legislative and authoritative shape placed on the mode of transportation. The study suggests that political structures are set to create boundaries and define how groups of various social identities interact with biking and create opportunities and challenges for understanding how biking fits into their day-to-day lives. [Key words: Biking, social identity, social inequality, New York City, transportation, gentrification]
NGO Relations in India: An ethnography of inter-organization collaboration
William Makepeace, Skidmore College
The increasingly number of Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs) in past two decades in India has heightened discussions about the development potential of NGOs under a new era of ‘bottom-up’ development. NGOs are becoming a global phenomenon that are praised for their connections to the local and grassroots, but, the social sector’s fragmentation and lack of collaborative networks and scale prevent NGOs from demonstrating widespread impact. Based on ethnographic research conducted at a Mumbai-based intermediary capacity building NGO, this study examines the ways in which NGOs form collaborations and competition amongst each other to negotiate local and translocal identities. This investigation of NGO networks as evolving processes with multiple sites provides a reconsideration of local and global connections that have influenced the anthropology of development. [Keywords: NGO, India, Development, Bottom-up, local, networks, sites]
Food is Culture/La Comida es la Cultura: An exploration of the changing food culture in Cochabamba, Bolivia
Emma Matthies, Skidmore College
The influence of foreign countries on Latin American culture is an ever-evolving process with a distinct manner of adaptation. Anthropological studies of globalization have mainly focused on the influence the Western world has on South American countries, but the way in which new ideas are adopted and incorporated into culture is a crucial part of globalization studies. My study is based on ethnographic research carried out from February until May of 2013 in Cochabamba, Bolivia, and focuses specifically on culinary traditions and how they have changed in response to a variety of factors within the country and also because of pressures from outside. It explores the globalization of Bolivian cuisine and examines how Bolivians integrate new ideas and practices. The research shows that Bolivian culinary traditions remain a crucial part of culture in Cochabamba despite the introduction of new foods. Changes occur within the middle and upper classes and in the younger generations first and foremost, but tradition is still heavily influential in all of Cochabamba and especially among the indigenous populations and lower classes. This study speaks to the larger conceptual idea of Andeanism, which prevents Latin American countries from being analyzed from a contemporary perspective and ties them to their ancient cultural roots. [Key Words: globalization, Andes, Bolivia, food, Andeanism]
A Multispecies Ethnography on Horse-Human Relations at Skidmore College Stables
Ben Oppenheimer, Skidmore College
Multispecies ethnography has introduced a new anthropological manner for conducting human behavioral analysis. This study reviews how anthropocentric analysis has remained a constant since the origins of anthropology. Anthropocentrism regards humans as the central fact of the universe, to which all surrounding facts have reference. Multispecies ethnographies aim to avoid anthropocentrism. The basis of my multispecies ethnography centers on the relationship between the mounted human riding horseback and the horse whose back is mounted by a human. Based on ethnographic research at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York, this project draws on data from interviews, observations, and participant observation. The study suggests how to use the human-horse relations to understand our placement as humans in relationship with our surroundings. [Key words: Identity, ethnography, horses, animals, behavior, interaction, communication]
The Anthropology of Sport: Doing Fieldwork on a Bad Ankle
Professor Bernardo Ramirez Rios, Skidmore College
Can sports be studied through the field of anthropology? This paper explores the multiple roles of sports research in anthropology. Traditionally, the examination of sports in the discipline of anthropology has received little attention. Some regard sports research in anthropology as a gimmick, but sports offer a unique opportunity for researchers to engage with participants during transcending experiences. In the past, sports have been linked to leisure activities that do not capture the richness within culture that anthropologists seek. However, during the sporting experience there are characteristics of sports that enable individuals to navigate social space like any religious ceremony or ritual. I use examples from my research with basketball in southern Mexico to describe how basketball is used as a cultural mechanism to create indigenous identity in Los Angeles, California.
Mobilizing Tourism: A Case Study of Bàu Trúc, Vietnam
Tim Robinson, Skidmore College
In recent years, the small town of Bàu Trúc, Vietnam experienced vast economic growth resulting from increased sales of ceramic art. Based on several months of ethnographic research conducted in Bau Truc, and further fieldwork conducted from the US, this article revisits how different notions of what is culturally ‘authentic’ can impact the shape of the art and its interpretation. Examining the various meanings of ‘authentic’ for the producer, consumer and viewer, this study outlines that ‘authenticity’ functions primarily as an economic tool designed to foster development on both national and international scopes. In response to much of the discourse outlining the uncertainties of authenticity as problematic or confusing, this paper depicts ‘authenticity’ and its uncertainties as a potential economic niche allowing otherwise disadvantaged producers to determine the trajectory of their culture. [Key words: Art, authenticity, Vietnam]
Including More Voices: Suggestions for Reconciliation Initiatives in Post-Genocide Rwanda
Anne Salzman, Skidmore College
Post-genocide Rwanda continues to deal with the challenge of reconciling a nation of traumatized Hutu, Tutsi, and Twa twenty years after the genocide. This paper examines the success of the reconciliation process, through an analysis of the post-genocide labels applied to Hutus and Tutsis and Twa, and suggests structural changes to further the reconciliation process. One of the main barriers to the success of the reconciliation process is the label “victim,” “perpetrator,” “bystander,” and “survivor” that index the ethnic labels of Hutu and Tutsi. Based on two ethnographic research trips to Rwanda (January 2013 through May 2013, January 2014), this article examines the government’s principal reconciliation initiative, the gacaca courts. It argues that the gacaca courts, as well as the post-genocide labels used, were central to the initial success of the reconciliation process, but now, 20 years later, serve to divide the population along the ethnic lines they were created to eliminate. This paper contributes to the larger debates on reconciliation initiatives, and also to a broader understanding of the complexities of conflict resolution processes. [Key words: Ethnicity, Gacaca, Justice, Reconciliation, Rwanda, Conflict Resolution, Restorative Justice]
The Sanctuary of the Studio: Peace and Wellbeing in Urban Yoga Studios
Bridget Smith, Skidmore College
In North America the practice of yoga has become largely secularized and separated from its origins in the lived experience in South Asia. However, the calming effects and health benefits of yoga practice are still applicable in North America’s contemporary fast-paced multimedia culture. In North America yoga has become largely focused on the physical practice of asanas (physical poses or postures of yoga). Because North American yoga has become centered on physical poses and movement, it becomes initially difficult to distinguish from other exercise classes. This paper is based on a three month period spent observing and practicing in three different studios, each with different class and teaching styles, to discern how yoga philosophy and teachings are present in North American classes. I argue yoga practice is more than just a physical experience; the health and wellness effects of yoga set forth in its philosophy still play a central role in yoga practice in the West. [Key words: Yoga, body, North America]
Rafael Arriaza-Roht, Skidmore College
The use of cultural districts by municipalities has become a popular tool to bring economic development and reshape an area's image. In this study, I examine how culture as a capital asset and the creation of spatially bound economic districts create a sense of collective identity in Saratoga Springs, New York. Using interviews and observations, I examine how residents within the Saratoga Springs Arts District use their culture for economic purposes, and how the creation of a cultural district shapes their identity. Within cultural districts, problems emerge, including gentrification and a lack of shared goals. Using cultural districts as an example, I explore the importance of understanding how business and culture intersect within a spatially bound area to create identity. [Key Words: Identity, Culture, Cultural District, Gentrification, Community, Artists]
Between Diasporas: Examining Identity Formations of Black Orthodox Jews in New York
Amari Boyd, Skidmore College
This paper analyzes an Orthodox Black Jewish sect founded in 1919 known as the Commandment Keepers’ pattern of appropriating Jewish concepts and practices as a way to form an identity not confined to the legacies of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Incorporating Paul Gilroy and Stuart Hall’s concept of “Diaspora,” Herskovitz’s concept of cultural borrowing, and Schneider’s reappraisal of appropriation as a concept contextualizes the plight of the Commandment Keepers to holistically appreciate both identities. Several informal interviews over the course of three months with a former member of the Commandment Keepers, current members of another Ethiopian Hebrew sect in Queens, NY as well as archival research provided ethnographic data to support this analysis. This paper will contribute to the discourse of appropriation and intersectionality of social identities. [Key words: Black Jews, Ethiopian Hebrews, Diaspora, cultural appropriation, cultural borrowing, identity formation]
‘That’s so hipster’: The meaning of hipster culture at Skidmore College
Miranda Brock, Skidmore College
Popular culture reveals the values and ideologies of a given society. Hipsterism is arguably one of the most salient ‘subcultures’ of this millennial in the U.S. Based on student interviews, observation, and media analysis, this paper explores the meaning of the term ‘hipster’ and the way hipster culture manifests on Skidmore College campus. Hipster culture is both trendy and popular and heavily criticized in the media. It has many inherent tensions, the largest of which is the elusiveness of its members. Skidmore College students perceive ‘hipster’ to be a commonly used term, yet I could not find anyone who self-identifies as a hipster. This phenomenon is understood in the media as a consequence of the negative connotation of the term in relation to its commodification and ambiguous identity. Among Skidmore students, the term ‘hipster’ is understood universally yet it is also recognized to be immensely subjective and relative in definition. This project explores patterns of social identity formation, fashion and the social body, authenticity, materiality, consumer behavior, and commodity fetishism. By deconstructing a commonly used colloquial term, this study highlights the importance of critical consumption and analysis. [Key words: hipster, fashion, commodity fetishism, authenticity, materiality, social identity]
Creating Civil-Religious Space: A Visual Ethnography of Processions during a Mexican Fiesta
Professor Michael C. Ennis-McMillan, Skidmore College
Fiestas occupy a prominent place in the ethnographic accounts of civil-religious cargo systems in Mexican communities. This study examines fiesta processions as significant moments when residents create civil-religious spaces that represent and express central values related to family, locality, and community. Based on ethnographic research carried out during a Corpus Cristi fiesta in 2013, the analysis draws on photographs, participant observation, and interviews of residents in La Purificación Tepetitla in the State of Mexico. Visual data on processions demonstrates how residents blend civil and religious elements to claim public space in streets, courtyards, and households. New residents and young people draw on tradition as they create new cultural forms that are consistent with earlier practices. The study contributes to the visual understanding of fiesta processions as contemporary practices that continue to blend civil and religious meanings. [Keywords: Fiestas, ritual, visual anthropology, Mexico]
Identity Production and Communitas in Medieval Pilgrimage 1430—1530
Sean Fairweather, Skidmore College
Anthropologists have studied pilgrimage as a ritual with focus on the community-building aspects and the liminal nature of the ritual. Such analysis explains the institution of pilgrimage during the medieval period, but it does not account for the individual identities produced by the same, allegedly equalizing, ritual during that period. This paper analyzes personal accounts of pilgrimages taken to the Holy Land by Europeans from a variety of social classes between 1430 and 1530: reasons for travel, their relationship to other pilgrims along the way, and the author’s place within the Christian community before and after their pilgrimage. Although pilgrims are part of the community, many also hoped for personal distinction within that community as a result. The paper concludes that because the ritual of pilgrimage involves a physical as well as a spiritual journey from the home, social class and social affiliations mitigate the equalizing effects of the liminal stage of ritual. This allows for the apparent contradiction of individual as well as community identities being developed by the pilgrimage. [Key Words: pilgrimage, ritual, communitas, Europe]
Menopause and Beauty: The Emotional Perceptions of Aging and Identity through the Engagement with Makeup in Saratoga Springs, New York
Elise Finnerty, Skidmore College
Menopause is largely misunderstood in American culture through various inaccurate perceptions, definitions, and representations of the aging woman. Anthropologists have examined menopause and the dominant American culture’s interpretation of middle-aged women through an alternative critical lens. This study examines ideas of identity and societal perceptions that emerged in 10 open-ended interviews of female residents of Saratoga Spring, New York ages 45-55. The interview data shows how women comprehend preconceived notions of menopause and aging and the effects these ideas have on their emotional and physical experiences. The analysis focuses on the self-perceptions the women have of aging and the ritual of beauty upkeep, their evolution of makeup use, and variations in self-esteem as their years have progressed. While expressing unique aging experiences, each woman shared a similar perspective on the female approach to middle age and transition. Also, there was a communal understanding of makeup, beauty, and overall appearance as a factor in the aging process. This study challenges negative cultural expectations of middle age womanhood and seeks to advance female empowerment and positive self-esteem. [Keywords: menopause, aging, beauty, feminist anthropology, identity, becoming]
Observing the Hipster in its ‘natural’ habitat: International Student Perspectives at Skidmore College in Upstate New York
Maria H. Gonzalez, Skidmore College
The current conception of hipster seemingly applies to not only people, but objects, fashion, attitudes, an amalgamation I call the hipster 'scene' and which often emerges in a prominent manner at liberal arts colleges. Despite this scene’s common presence, individuals rarely self-identify with hipster. Using open-ended interviews, this study interprets the perceptions of hipster by eight international students from Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York. Their perspectives are compared to observed hipster discourse in popular media and other voices on campus. Analyzing international, multi-cultural perspectives and how they compare and contrast to other discourse concerning "hipster," I examine how hipster acts as a purposefully vague term. This ambiguity offers a new and more critical generalization of a typically empowered and privileged social group. For international students especially, the hipster generalization both creates and is created by the intricacies of the millennial generation and a globalizing world. Hipster, as perceived by international students, reveals current social anxieties and elements of the reception of culture within and across different boundaries. [Key words: hipster, international, college students, scene, identity, globalization, cross-cultural, popular culture]
The City in the Country: Public Discourse and Perceptions of Sustainability in Saratoga Springs, NY
Gabriel M. Herrera, Skidmore College
The issues of urban environmental sustainability and development are subject to much debate and scrutiny on academic, organizational, and public levels. Much of this scrutiny is directed at large-scale urban environments such as New York City. This project uses this precedent as a basis but examines public perceptions of sustainability and development in a small scale urban environment. Through interviews, participant observation, and media and archival analysis, this study examines what issues of sustainability receive public attention, how issues are subsequently addressed and what elements of culture influence perceptions of sustainability. The study finds that public perception is often determined by visibility of an issue and the level of effect the issue and solutions will have on individuals. In addition, how sustainability is addressed is often governed by historical contexts, the influence of local organization, economic factors, and concepts of place and identity. Key issues discussed are developmental expansion, urban sprawl, walkability and foot traffic, mixed-use zoning, and the relationship between large and small scale development. [Key words: Sustainable development, public perception, discourse analysis, Upstate New York]
Cultural Divides in “Bike Friendly” New York City: Is Biking an Exclusive Activity?
Christine E. Hintze, Skidmore College
Biking has become a fashionable way to address growing environmental concerns and is a popular mode of transportation in New York City. Broader questions about the meaning of biking for several groups of people in New York City are uncovered through interviews that I did as well as a media analysis exploring the implicit symbolic value of this cultural activity. Biking supporters note that the way in which groups interact with bikes in New York City is defined by political structures and group cultural interpretation. Political structures are reinforced by cultural constructions of issues related to identity, political economy, gentrification, and environmentalism. Individual and group accessibility to biking differs based on the legislative and authoritative shape placed on the mode of transportation. The study suggests that political structures are set to create boundaries and define how groups of various social identities interact with biking and create opportunities and challenges for understanding how biking fits into their day-to-day lives. [Key words: Biking, social identity, social inequality, New York City, transportation, gentrification]
NGO Relations in India: An ethnography of inter-organization collaboration
William Makepeace, Skidmore College
The increasingly number of Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs) in past two decades in India has heightened discussions about the development potential of NGOs under a new era of ‘bottom-up’ development. NGOs are becoming a global phenomenon that are praised for their connections to the local and grassroots, but, the social sector’s fragmentation and lack of collaborative networks and scale prevent NGOs from demonstrating widespread impact. Based on ethnographic research conducted at a Mumbai-based intermediary capacity building NGO, this study examines the ways in which NGOs form collaborations and competition amongst each other to negotiate local and translocal identities. This investigation of NGO networks as evolving processes with multiple sites provides a reconsideration of local and global connections that have influenced the anthropology of development. [Keywords: NGO, India, Development, Bottom-up, local, networks, sites]
Food is Culture/La Comida es la Cultura: An exploration of the changing food culture in Cochabamba, Bolivia
Emma Matthies, Skidmore College
The influence of foreign countries on Latin American culture is an ever-evolving process with a distinct manner of adaptation. Anthropological studies of globalization have mainly focused on the influence the Western world has on South American countries, but the way in which new ideas are adopted and incorporated into culture is a crucial part of globalization studies. My study is based on ethnographic research carried out from February until May of 2013 in Cochabamba, Bolivia, and focuses specifically on culinary traditions and how they have changed in response to a variety of factors within the country and also because of pressures from outside. It explores the globalization of Bolivian cuisine and examines how Bolivians integrate new ideas and practices. The research shows that Bolivian culinary traditions remain a crucial part of culture in Cochabamba despite the introduction of new foods. Changes occur within the middle and upper classes and in the younger generations first and foremost, but tradition is still heavily influential in all of Cochabamba and especially among the indigenous populations and lower classes. This study speaks to the larger conceptual idea of Andeanism, which prevents Latin American countries from being analyzed from a contemporary perspective and ties them to their ancient cultural roots. [Key Words: globalization, Andes, Bolivia, food, Andeanism]
A Multispecies Ethnography on Horse-Human Relations at Skidmore College Stables
Ben Oppenheimer, Skidmore College
Multispecies ethnography has introduced a new anthropological manner for conducting human behavioral analysis. This study reviews how anthropocentric analysis has remained a constant since the origins of anthropology. Anthropocentrism regards humans as the central fact of the universe, to which all surrounding facts have reference. Multispecies ethnographies aim to avoid anthropocentrism. The basis of my multispecies ethnography centers on the relationship between the mounted human riding horseback and the horse whose back is mounted by a human. Based on ethnographic research at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York, this project draws on data from interviews, observations, and participant observation. The study suggests how to use the human-horse relations to understand our placement as humans in relationship with our surroundings. [Key words: Identity, ethnography, horses, animals, behavior, interaction, communication]
The Anthropology of Sport: Doing Fieldwork on a Bad Ankle
Professor Bernardo Ramirez Rios, Skidmore College
Can sports be studied through the field of anthropology? This paper explores the multiple roles of sports research in anthropology. Traditionally, the examination of sports in the discipline of anthropology has received little attention. Some regard sports research in anthropology as a gimmick, but sports offer a unique opportunity for researchers to engage with participants during transcending experiences. In the past, sports have been linked to leisure activities that do not capture the richness within culture that anthropologists seek. However, during the sporting experience there are characteristics of sports that enable individuals to navigate social space like any religious ceremony or ritual. I use examples from my research with basketball in southern Mexico to describe how basketball is used as a cultural mechanism to create indigenous identity in Los Angeles, California.
Mobilizing Tourism: A Case Study of Bàu Trúc, Vietnam
Tim Robinson, Skidmore College
In recent years, the small town of Bàu Trúc, Vietnam experienced vast economic growth resulting from increased sales of ceramic art. Based on several months of ethnographic research conducted in Bau Truc, and further fieldwork conducted from the US, this article revisits how different notions of what is culturally ‘authentic’ can impact the shape of the art and its interpretation. Examining the various meanings of ‘authentic’ for the producer, consumer and viewer, this study outlines that ‘authenticity’ functions primarily as an economic tool designed to foster development on both national and international scopes. In response to much of the discourse outlining the uncertainties of authenticity as problematic or confusing, this paper depicts ‘authenticity’ and its uncertainties as a potential economic niche allowing otherwise disadvantaged producers to determine the trajectory of their culture. [Key words: Art, authenticity, Vietnam]
Including More Voices: Suggestions for Reconciliation Initiatives in Post-Genocide Rwanda
Anne Salzman, Skidmore College
Post-genocide Rwanda continues to deal with the challenge of reconciling a nation of traumatized Hutu, Tutsi, and Twa twenty years after the genocide. This paper examines the success of the reconciliation process, through an analysis of the post-genocide labels applied to Hutus and Tutsis and Twa, and suggests structural changes to further the reconciliation process. One of the main barriers to the success of the reconciliation process is the label “victim,” “perpetrator,” “bystander,” and “survivor” that index the ethnic labels of Hutu and Tutsi. Based on two ethnographic research trips to Rwanda (January 2013 through May 2013, January 2014), this article examines the government’s principal reconciliation initiative, the gacaca courts. It argues that the gacaca courts, as well as the post-genocide labels used, were central to the initial success of the reconciliation process, but now, 20 years later, serve to divide the population along the ethnic lines they were created to eliminate. This paper contributes to the larger debates on reconciliation initiatives, and also to a broader understanding of the complexities of conflict resolution processes. [Key words: Ethnicity, Gacaca, Justice, Reconciliation, Rwanda, Conflict Resolution, Restorative Justice]
The Sanctuary of the Studio: Peace and Wellbeing in Urban Yoga Studios
Bridget Smith, Skidmore College
In North America the practice of yoga has become largely secularized and separated from its origins in the lived experience in South Asia. However, the calming effects and health benefits of yoga practice are still applicable in North America’s contemporary fast-paced multimedia culture. In North America yoga has become largely focused on the physical practice of asanas (physical poses or postures of yoga). Because North American yoga has become centered on physical poses and movement, it becomes initially difficult to distinguish from other exercise classes. This paper is based on a three month period spent observing and practicing in three different studios, each with different class and teaching styles, to discern how yoga philosophy and teachings are present in North American classes. I argue yoga practice is more than just a physical experience; the health and wellness effects of yoga set forth in its philosophy still play a central role in yoga practice in the West. [Key words: Yoga, body, North America]