Dept. of ethnologica, orangemcm., August 10, 2005 at 12:39:34 PM CEST

zeitgeschichte-online

Zeitgeschichte-online ist ein DFG gefördertes gemeinsames Projekt des Zentrums für Zeithistorische Forschung (ZZF) und der Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin (SBB), mit dem seit Januar 2004 ein Themenportal für die Zeitgeschichte im Internet angeboten wird. Das Portal ist ein Modul von Clio-online und kooperiert mit der Kommunikationsplattform H-Soz-u-Kult. Neben Tagungsberichten, Rezensionen, einem Überblick über weitere hist. Anth. bezogene Portale und Foren, u.v.a., enthält Zeitgeschichte-online vor allem ein umfangreiches Volltextarchiv. Hier finden sich Hochschulschriften (Habilitationen, Dissertationen, Magisterarbeiten und Seminararbeiten), Artikel (Aufsätze, Essays, Preprints) und Quellen (einzelne Quellen und Quelleneditionen), außerdem Verzeichnisse und links auf Monographien, Zeitschriften, Multimedia (Bilder, Film, Tondokumente, Virtuelle Ausstellungen) und Nachschlagewerke.

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Dept. of ethnologica, kerleone, July 21, 2005 at 10:02:45 AM CEST

Indianische Bewegungen in Lateinamerika

Mit vereinten Kräften gegen Neoliberalismus und Globalisierung. Das Erstarken indianischer Bewegungen zwischen Mexiko und Feuerland. Ein Beitrag vom Deutschlandradio. (Text | MP3 [19min] )

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Dept. of ethnologica, orangemcm., July 20, 2005 at 10:57:45 PM CEST

Humanities. Sozial- und Kulturgeschichte

H|SOZ|u|KULT is an important, if not the online representation of contemporary german historiology, historiography and historical anthropology run by the Department of History at Humboldt University Berlin since 1996 in german language. It is part of the clio online project, which itself is worth an own entry. H soz kult contains rich resources of book reviews--many of those related to Historical Anthropology, see especially those that are conceptualized, resp. academized as Neue Kulturgeschichte--, the latest discussions, anouncements of events, CFP`s, job opportunities, a register of historiology and historical anthropology related online available literature and journals, research projects, congress and workshop reports and even more.
read more [in german, tho.]

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Dept. of ethnologica, orangemcm., July 17, 2005 at 12:29:20 PM CEST

Rethinking Morality

Johan Rasanayagam and Monica Heintz, fellow researchers at Max Planck Insitute for Social Anthropology Halle/Saale, Germany, are organizing an interesting workshop for December 2005. Interesting especially to those who have followed the multiple reflections on anthropology`s inherent moralities (i.e. start reading here) that had been initiated by Dustin M. Wax at Savage Minds.

From Heintzand Rasanayagams call for paper (outdated): Many philosophers and the founders of modern social science considered morality, alongside religion and law, to be the key regulator of society, thus giving moral values a centrality that was not reflected subsequently in the interest social studies accorded to the field. Indeed while there is a well developed anthropology of both religion and law, the anthropology of morality remains relatively neglected. Recently, however, some anthropologists have attempted to explore the theme of morality and even to use it as an analytical concept. A common approach which seems to be emerging is to focus not on actual values or value systems themselves, but on the reflective processes by which individuals make choices between different evaluations or courses of action. The anthropology of morality should be about discerning the link between values which are derived from a larger metaphysical whole, and actual beliefs and practices; and about how people make of themselves a certain kind of person through reflection upon the practices and models found in society. Morality can be seen as the site where people represent power or the exercise of authority to themselves, evaluate it, and the either decide to submit to it, exploit it or oppose it. Following the initial steps taken by the new ethnographies of moralities, the time has come to attempt to construct a coherent theoretical concept of morality and suggest how it can be used by anthropologists to contribute to the explanation of social phenomena. How can we develop tools that will help us avoid normative judgements? How can we escape our own value system, that we can describe other value systems, and then arrive at a new view of our own? How do we recognize manifestations or reflections of moral values, in other words the raw empirical data for this topic? ...

via Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology Halle/Saale, Germany

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Dept. of ethnologica, korikori, July 13, 2005 at 3:58:08 PM CEST

Hauschild über Terroristen

Interview mit dem Deutschlandradio: Der Ethnologe Thomas Hauschild hat die Anschläge der El Kaida als "Krieg" bezeichnet. Das Netzwerk gelte es militärisch zu bekämpfen. Er nannte El Kaida eine "weltweit agierende Jugendbewegung". Da sie für viele enttäuschte muslimische Jugendliche attraktiv sei, gelte es, den Dialog zu suchen, damit sie nicht zu deren Söldnern würden.

Auch als MP3 [1,6MB]

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Dept. of ethnologica, kerleone, July 8, 2005 at 6:32:51 PM CEST

Streicht diese Hilfe

Auf Anfrage: "Streicht diese Hilfe". Der kenianische Wirtschaftsexperte James Shikwati über die schädlichen Folgen der westlichen Entwicklungspolitik, korrupte Herrscher und aufgebauschte Horrormeldungen aus Afrika

"Geldof macht alles nur noch schlimmer" Kontinentale Unterschiede: Bob Geldofs "Live 8"-Konzerte rufen recht gegensätzliche Reaktionen hervor. Während ein norwegischer Abgeordneter den irischen Rockmusiker kurzerhand für den Friedensnobelpreis nominierte, wirft ihm ein südafrikanischer Diplomat falsch verstandenes Gutmenschentum vor.

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Dept. of ethnologica, wakinyan, July 5, 2005 at 5:36:22 PM CEST

"Im Moloch Kairo"

Die Zeit veröffentlich seit einiger Zeit neben den Redaktionsblogs einen weblog einer deutschen Studentin, die seit August in Kairo Arabisch studiert. Die Einträge drehen sich meistens um die klassischen Medienschlager Ethnozentrismus, politische Korruption, Sexisums usw.

Ich kann mir nicht helfen, aber beim durchlesen kriege ich ein mulmiges Gefühl in der Magengrube. Ich möchte nicht bestreiten, dass die Aussagen im blog unwahr sind, jedoch werde ich das Gefühl nicht los, dass durch arge Selektion ein arabisches Schauermärchen dargestellt wird. Eine Art Stereotyp Araber = brutal = korrupt = Terrorist. Auf der anderen Seite spukt´s in mir rum, dass das ja alles auch doch stimmt. Mir kommt die ganze Sache jedenfalls sehr einseitig vor.

Die Tatsache, dass der blog vor Ort geschrieben wurde, vermittelt eine gewisse Authentizität. Irgendwie reagiere ich trotzdem empfindlich auf sowas, auch wenn die Authentizität der Aussagen noch durch Zitate von Einheimischen belegt werden. Man kann sich O-Ton-Aussagen auch aussuchen. Die Zeit ist immerhin einer der größten Wochenzeitungen des deutschsprachigen Raumes und vertritt einen gewissen Anspruch auf Glaubhaftigkeit.

Bin ich nun von einem schönen Orient-Bild geblendet, dass ich die "Wahrheit" nicht wahrhaben will?

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Dept. of ethnologica, kerleone, June 15, 2005 at 1:01:44 PM CEST

Oktoberfest at the Zoo

If we talk about the african village in the zoo of Augsburg, it would be wise to include also the african village of the Zoo Seattle into the discussion, as well as the Ethnic Festival in the zoo of Detroit ("One ethnic group each month").

For special interest for us anthropologists from munich should be the Oktoberfest in the Zoo of Detroit, where they celebrate in traditional Bavarian fashion with a Beer Garden for adults, authentic German food, live music, Oktoberfest memorabilia and much more. In the zoo! Himmelherrgotkreizdeifi, sans narrisch oderwos?

So, "Break out the lederhosen and dirndl!"

(Well, seems that the joke from the fellows of Savageminds finally is true).

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Dept. of ethnologica, orangemcm., June 10, 2005 at 12:16:23 PM CEST

?evolution?

On genetical predestination towards intelligence and stupidity of--ladies and gentlemen--Jews and Christians you can read in the NY Times.

As Dr. Golub puts up at Savage Minds, in The Journal of Biosocial Science has recently a paper been published by geneticist Gregory Cochrane, "that suggests that stupidity and farming are linked to the way that natural selection has acted on Christians to make them mentally slow and sluggish, although it also gives them increased resistance to certain diseases. ( ... )"

ok. Its some time ago that I ve been attending biology at school, but anyway I remember the basics. I can follow an argumentation that focusses on resistance to diseases in coherence to environmental input, but transfering the evolutionary factors of environment, mutation and selection to general issues of intelligence (in quite a reduced meaning of the term itself) of <i>religious groups</i> is ridiculous, nimporte, which you focus on, Jews or Christians.
Actually the history of science is full of such strange discipline crossing transfers of knowledge.

There is this german saying I nevertheless am reminded of: Die dümmsten Bauern ernten die dicksten Kartoffeln - The most stupid farmers harvest the biggest potatoes, but I believe other approaches than the geneticist and evolutionist ones may less fail the goal of understanding certain peculiarities that do exist.

via entry at savage minds.

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Dept. of ethnologica, orangemcm., May 30, 2005 at 3:34:03 PM CEST

Exhibition :: Black Boxes

City of Science 2005 -- Science goes Public ?

In Bremen, north up Germany, at May 17th an exhibition titeled Black Boxes has been opened to the public. These are 16 containers which in triplets are dedicated to the following headlines: Simply Sophisticated or Simple Complexe [Einfach Komplex], Ocean Climate [Meer Klima], Close-Ups [Nah-Aufnahmen], Hidden Order [Verborgene Ordnung] and Between Earth and Sky [Zwischen Himmel und Erde]. Each container seeks to intermediate a certain scientific topic. (´Scientific including <i>Cultural Science</i> = ´Kulturwissenschaft. We--by the way--really seem having to do some precisement on vocabulary and F5 certain terms in english, for german studs of anthropology trying to use english to articulate within academia indeed find themselves beamed straight into Turm of Babel, targetting two problems: active participation of german studs--and grads--to ethnolog in english language on the one hand and the general ... Eigenschaft ...-> peculiarity of language in terms of representation on the other. But back to topic. Theres e.g. the containers ´Magnetism and ´Surfaces belonging to the theme ´Hidden Order`. Another container is dedicated to The Evil ["Das BÖSE - eine einfache Lösung für ein komplexes Problem"] and this for me is of especial interest, because it has derived off a former Cultural Science students project of our university, supervised by Dorle Dracklé. Moreover I do know at least half of the involved students and had followed the development of the project by what they had told me during work in process.
So indeed, I´m pretty curious, but not only on that container. The whole exhibition is highly interesting in regards of mediating science.

(All containers including titles listed in german <a href="www.stadtderwissenschaft-2005.de"<>here, if someone feels like being able to translate them easily, please go forward.)
Black Boxes will move around Bremen up to Oct 12th within a three weeks turnus. Until June 5th it is situated in front of the Überseemuseum Bremen close to Central Station, afterwards it will be moved to several explicitly non central locations--seeking to place the content as close to the audience`s everyday lifes as possible, corresponding with its interactive representations, at least this is the plan.
I will give further report after having visited it myself. (And when I ve found out about the 16th container.)

via everyday life.
initial hint by dorle dracklé in class last semester.

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Dept. of ethnologica, kerleone, May 27, 2005 at 1:01:30 PM CEST

A new Völkerschau at the Zoo?

The zoo of Augsburg/Germany is planning to open a "african village" with people from africa "situated in an unique African steppe landscape", critically reported Norbert Finzsch, professor of History at the University of Cologne. The opening of the show is scheduled for July 9 - July 12 2005, in an email to our institute.

Even if the show will not exhibit people in cages like animals, but as artisans, silversmiths, basket makers and traditional hairdressers in a village, the are some implications with this idea. First of historical dimension, as the infamous "Völkerschauen" from the german zoo hagenbeck led to the death of many people, caused by malnutrition, bad living conditons and diseases. Second - and this didn't change since Hagenbeck - the displacement of humans in the realm of animals in an atmosphere of exotism and as part of the nature they are living in.

It's remarkable, that scientists at our university are researching the historical dimension of the Völkerschauen in the 19th century while the zoo of augsburg in about 80km distance is carrying on this tradition in the 21th century. See also this paper from Kurt Jonassohn (thnx to anthropologi.info).

But what do you think? Is there any chance to invite african artist to a zoo without making the same misstakes as 100 years before? Is it positive racism that we fear that artists in a zoo get mistaken for animals? I wrote a letter to the zoo and asked them for their view of things.

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Dept. of ethnologica, zephyrin, May 23, 2005 at 9:16:25 AM CEST

Paul Ricoeur is dead

Read more at savage minds via golublog

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