I found this book on the bibliography of an essay on Okinawans in Japan's Minorities. The first thing I learned is that Okinawa is the main island of...moreI found this book on the bibliography of an essay on Okinawans in Japan's Minorities. The first thing I learned is that Okinawa is the main island of an archipelago. The southern islands of this archipelago comprise Okinawa prefecture. The Northern islands are administratively known as Kageshima prefecture. The original name for the entire archipelago is Ryukyu which was once an independent kingdom. I found this book on the bibliography of an essay on Okinawans in Japan's Minorities. The first thing I learned is that Okinawa is the main island of an archipelago. The southern islands of this archipelago comprise Okinawa prefecture. The Northern islands are administratively known as Kageshima prefecture. The original name for the entire archipelago is Ryukyu which was once an independent kingdom.
The author conducted his study on the island of Kumejima whose shape resembles the continent of Africa. The island's name is Kume. The suffix "jima" means island in Japanese. Under the Ryukyu kingdom Kume had two districts, Nakazato and Gushikawa. These two districts were retained under Japanese rule until 2001 when they were combined. This hadn't happened yet when Matthew Allen was on Kume. He makes numerous references to these administrative districts, and the differences between them.
An interesting fact of Okinawa's history that I learned from this book is that the Satsuma clan from Japan invaded the Ryukyu archipelago in 1609 and established a base there for secret trade with China and other countries during the period when Japan was officially closed. Since it was supposed to be a secret, a fictional facade of Ryukyan independence was maintained so that the Chinese wouldn't learn that they were really trading with Japanese. It sounds like a sweet set up for the Satsuma clan. They encouraged Chinese cultural institutions and suppressed native Ryukyan culture. I assume that they wanted the Chinese to think that the Ryukyan kingdom was totally under their influence. In 1872 the Ryukyu islands were officially annexed by Japan.
Although I was mainly impressed by this study, when I reached the chapter on shamanism I'm afraid that I had a problem with Matthew Allen. His social scientist's neutrality doesn't really extend to religion. This book's treatment of religion on Kume is rife with confirmation bias. This means he looks for evidence that there is no legitimacy in their religion and he finds it. When he also finds evidence that a shaman really isn't just hallucinating, he ignores it. He definitely buys into the psychiatric model that shamans are schizophrenics that need to be treated. I noticed that there is a psychiatrist on Okinawa mentioned in this book who incorporates shamanism in his practice. He calls it "culturally sensitive psychiatry". His name is Takaishi Toshihiro. There are three books by him listed on Allen's bibliography. (Unfortunately for me, all of them are in Japanese which means that I can’t read them. There have been no English translations of Toshihiro’s work.) I think that any anthropologist should choose to be "culturally sensitive" about shamanism.
There is a great deal of interesting material in this book, but Allen's prejudice about shamanism lowers its value in my estimation.
For the rest of my review see my September post "A Study of Okinawa: Cultural Sensitivity Needed" on my blog at http:/www.maskedpersona.blogspot.com(less)
I was shocked to discover the extreme prejudice against the deaf in contemporary Japan. Nakamura discusses what are called "joint suicides" of mothers...moreI was shocked to discover the extreme prejudice against the deaf in contemporary Japan. Nakamura discusses what are called "joint suicides" of mothers and their deaf offspring. I think it would be more accurate to term these murder-suicides. Japanese mothers have killed their deaf children and then committed suicide. This happened to a 26 year old deaf activist who was a close friend of one of Nakamura's interviewees. The interviewee was a young deaf woman who moved away from her parents out of fear that she too would be murdered.
This homicidal prejudice arises from the belief that the deaf are disabled, and a burden on their families. The interviewee in the above paragraph who fled from her family is now living independently. There is also mention of the man who became Japan's first deaf lawyer in Deaf in Japan. I have met deaf professionals myself, so I know that calling the deaf disabled is a lie. It bothers me that Nakamura buys into this lie especially considering its terrible consequences in Japan. She categorizes deaf people as disabled throughout the book. I don't use the phrase "differently abled" just to prove that I am politically correct. I believe that it is a more truthful description of the deaf community.
Deaf in Japan is a well written anthropological study. The life stories of Karen Nakamura's informants are contextualized through descriptions of the experience of that generation of the deaf. I think that she doesn't question the disability paradigm in an effort to be a neutral observer. Neutrality is expected of anthropologists. I can say that this is a serious flaw because I am not a scholar, and I am not expected to be neutral. I seek to be a decent human being who does the right thing. It is the right thing to speak out against prejudice. Read this book for the information it contains, but consider how different life could be if Japan were a more just society that treated all its citizens as equals.
There were several articles of interest to me, but learning about Robin Hood type outlaw Henry Berry Lowry in the article about the North Carolina Lum...moreThere were several articles of interest to me, but learning about Robin Hood type outlaw Henry Berry Lowry in the article about the North Carolina Lumbee just blew me away. I devoted a blog entry to him called " An Afro-Native Robin Hood" that can be found at http://www.maskedpersona.blogspot.com
From the article about the Louisiana Tunica, I discovered information about their blind chief Volsin Chiki. I wish there were a plethora of web pages about him so I could devote a blog entry to him as well. He sounds fascinating.
I was saddened to learn about all the tragic losses of the Louisiana Houma in the article dealing with them. There is a marker in Congo Square stating that the Houma once held ceremonies in the vicinity. Unfortunately, war with the Tunica and disease decimated them and they lost their lands for failing to marry in accordance with white laws. According to the Napoleonic Code, property can't be passed to offspring of parents who weren't legally married. Another fact that I learned from the Houma article is that the biracial Afro-Houmas are called Sabines.
I consider this book an important resource for readers interested in this subject.
According to the introduction, this anthology deals with how difference is problematic in Japanese culture. The editors state that Japanese cultural...more According to the introduction, this anthology deals with how difference is problematic in Japanese culture. The editors state that Japanese cultural institutions can cope more easily with the presence of foreign otherness. It is far more problematic when there are Japanese who exhibit traits or behavior that differs from the majority. The essay I found most illuminating is "The Deaf and Their Language--Progress Toward Equality" by Noboyuki Honna and Mihoko Kato.
Noboyuki Honna and Mihoko Kato reveal the structure of Japanese Sign Language (JSL) in an effort to show that it is a separate language. I was especially fascinated to discover that there is more than one type of sign language in Japan. As a result of my online research, I have learned that JSL is a family of sign languages with regional variants that Japanese deaf individuals use to communicate with each other.
For more on JSL and links for further exploration on this subject, see my July blog review "An Amelioration of Audism in Japan at http://www.maskedpersona.blogspot.com(less)
Concerned about his professional objectivity, Stoller wonders if it's ethical for an anthropologist to become initiated by a sorcerer, and actually pr...moreConcerned about his professional objectivity, Stoller wonders if it's ethical for an anthropologist to become initiated by a sorcerer, and actually practice sorcery. My feeling is that all practice of sorcery by anyone is at the very least ethically grey. It's an amoral path. Of all the sorcerers that Stoller encountered in Niger, the only one I respected was Adamu Jennitongo. The others were deceptive. Adamu Jennitongo was the only one who was honest with Stoller. Stoller says repeatedly that he wanted to become "hard". The sorcerers Stoller studied with indicated that becoming "hard" is their ideal. It seems to me that the only way to achieve that goal is to renounce values that I regard as more important like friendship, trust and loyalty. That's what these "hard" sorcerers did. It didn't seem to me that Stoller really grasped at the time that this was the choice they had made, but it was very evident to me.
It's true that I am not viewing this account objectively, but I am not an anthropologist. I am not required to be objective. I understand that ethical standards are not cross-cultural, but when a Western anthropologist participates in an African magical tradition, he should have a much better understanding of how it might impact his own ethics than Stoller did.
This is three stars because I did learn from this book. It is my hope that Stoller learned from these experiences as well.(less)
The ethnographic sections are what sets this book apart for me. This is the first book I've read on gypsy cultures that has been this thorough in cove...moreThe ethnographic sections are what sets this book apart for me. This is the first book I've read on gypsy cultures that has been this thorough in covering the practices of the various groups. This book gave me a completely different picture of the Kalderesh than I'd seen in The Church of Cheese: Gypsy Ritual in the American Heyday. The section devoted to images of gypsies throughout the centuries showed me that there has been an increasing Europeanization of their physical appearance. In earlier depictions light skin, light hair and European features were less common than in the later ones. (less)
The anthropologist author Elaine Pena accompanied a women's pilgrimage to the Our Lady of Guadalupe shrine in Mexico City. I found this part of the bo...moreThe anthropologist author Elaine Pena accompanied a women's pilgrimage to the Our Lady of Guadalupe shrine in Mexico City. I found this part of the book to be a very solid piece of work.
Pena also records what happened to a Guadalupe shrine unsanctioned by the Catholic Church in Illinois where Pena lived. In the book it's called Tepayac II. It's not completely clear to me whether Tepayac II was Pena's name for the shrine, or what other local worshipers called it. Tepayac is the hill in Mexico where Our Lady of Guadalupe originally appeared. I have read of many instances where Our Lady of Guadalupe is supposed to have appeared in the U.S. No one else has had the gumption to call their unsanctioned shrine Tepayac II. Since I'm not a Catholic, this only causes me amusement. Yet I think that Pena was unable to distance herself enough from this Illinois shrine to write about it in a scholarly fashion. (less)
Although I liked this author's attempt to be fair to all perspectives, there were some questions that he chose not to explore.
Herzog points out that m...moreAlthough I liked this author's attempt to be fair to all perspectives, there were some questions that he chose not to explore.
Herzog points out that many dog lovers live with cats instead of dogs. In fact, he is one of them. But he never asks why this pattern has developed. Is it because cats make better apartment dwellers or are there other factors not related to urban living?
Also, in discussing the domestication of wolves (which is of particular interest to me), Herzog mentions a theory that wolves first approached human settlements because they wanted to sift through garbage heaps. Herzog considers this likely. Herzog is assuming that wolves are scavengers like dogs. They aren't. They are carnivores. Dogs really did evolve into a separate species. So why would wolves have been interested in garbage? Any canines who approached human settlements to scavenge trash would already have taken steps on the evolutionary path away from their original wolf identity. Herzog doesn't wonder how that could have happened. I do. Maybe it's a mystery beyond the scope of this book, but I think that given the fact that most humans have very different attitudes toward wolves than they do toward dogs, I would have thought that this would be an important issue for Herzog to deal with.
A GR reviewer accused Herzog of saying that vegetarianism causes eating disorders. Actually, he doesn't say this at all. He cites a number of studies that show a correlation between vegetarianism and eating disorders, but academics like Herzog know that a correlation is not the same as causation. He consulted with a colleague who works with young women who have eating disorders. She said that some anorexics are using vegetarianism to cover up their eating disorder. In other words they claim to be vegetarians, so that omnivores won't question the fact that they aren't eating when a meal includes meat. It occurs to me that if the omnivores immediately presented them with a vegetarian alternative meal that would expose the anorexics' true motive. They wouldn't be able to hide behind their alleged vegetarianism.
In a discussion of animal experimentation, Herzog discusses his qualms about using mice. Actually, I found his revelation about the gassing of "surplus" mice who aren't used in research even more disturbing.
In conclusion, this was an interesting book, but I would have liked to have seen more about some issues. (less)
This is like a community of poor and homeless women who could be living anywhere in the Islamic world. I liked Laila, the 17 year old rebel. I also li...moreThis is like a community of poor and homeless women who could be living anywhere in the Islamic world. I liked Laila, the 17 year old rebel. I also liked several of the stories. Some of them were folkloric, but others were directed toward people in the community in response to events. I particularly liked the story about the girl with the imaginary friend. I also liked the gentle satire of the anthropologist author as a very peculiar bee.(less)
I learned so much from this book that there wouldn't be enough space in this text box for my review. My comments in my hard copy book journal are eigh...moreI learned so much from this book that there wouldn't be enough space in this text box for my review. My comments in my hard copy book journal are eight and a half pages long. So I will summarize.
I learned the most from the article on the Comfa religion of Guyana because I had no previous knowledge of it. I'd like to know more. Their syncretic approach to their ceremonies is fascinating.
I would like to know about Kumina in Jamaica which was only mentioned in the article about Akan practices in Ghana and Jamaica.
I was interested in the article about the theology of sacrifice in Santeria which also included the requirements for becoming a diviner in that tradition. This was very enlightening.
The article on Espiritismo in Cuba explained the differences between Espiritismo and Santeria. I would have liked to have seen a comparison to Espiritismo practices in Brazil where Spiritism is also very popular. (less)
As someone who is interested in autism and anthropology, I was drawn to see the movie. The author, Rupert Isaacson, was at the screening. He spoke and...moreAs someone who is interested in autism and anthropology, I was drawn to see the movie. The author, Rupert Isaacson, was at the screening. He spoke and answered questions revealing that since this movie/book he has gone to Australia with his son, Rowan, to do healing work with Australian aborigines. He understands that there are some people who may think that he's exploiting his son and he has a sense of humor about it.
I think that the perspective of indigenous peoples toward difference is valuable. Rowan and others on the autism spectrum may not have a disorder. They may just be different. Their differences make it difficult for them to function in cultures that don't allow for the existence of people who experience the world so variantly. Rowan may be a future shaman as the shamans in Mongolia predicted, and he may utilize his alternate view of reality in another way. I believe that Rupert Isaacson is on the right track. We can re-frame the way we look at autism to better integrate autistic individuals into Western cultures.
I found Rowan's natural rapport with animals, which Temple Grandin has written about, awe inspiring. I've never cried while reading a book's acknowledgements before. Rupert Isaacson has a gift for bringing his readers into his son's world.
Everett's limitations with regard to religion made him unable to understand that the Piraha really did have a religion. They actually spoke to him abo...moreEverett's limitations with regard to religion made him unable to understand that the Piraha really did have a religion. They actually spoke to him about their interactions with spirits. The Piraha accept only direct experience as valid. This is why the Bible has no meaning to them, but if Everett had said "I saw Jesus today and this is what he told me," they would have accepted that as legitimate testimony. Direct interaction with the divine is found in all religious traditions. The Piraha approach to religion is akin to that of visionaries, spirit mediums and shamans. This book is badly in need of a cross-cultural approach.
I was interested in the varying meanings for the term "caboclo". I am familiar with the "caboclos" as a type of spirit in the context of Umbanda, an Afro-Brazilian tradition. Learning about the use of "caboclo" outside of religion was valuable to me.
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