The Structural Study of Myth
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The Origins and Consequences of Kin Networks and Marriage Practices
The origins and consequences of kin networks and marriage practices by Duman Bahramirad M.Sc., University of Tehran, 2007 B.Sc., University of Tehran, 2005 Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Economics Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences c Duman Bahramirad 2018 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY Summer 2018 Copyright in this work rests with the author. Please ensure that any reproduction or re-use is done in accordance with the relevant national copyright legislation. Approval Name: Duman Bahramirad Degree: Doctor of Philosophy (Economics) Title: The origins and consequences of kin networks and marriage practices Examining Committee: Chair: Nicolas Schmitt Professor Gregory K. Dow Senior Supervisor Professor Alexander K. Karaivanov Supervisor Professor Erik O. Kimbrough Supervisor Associate Professor Argyros School of Business and Economics Chapman University Simon D. Woodcock Supervisor Associate Professor Chris Bidner Internal Examiner Associate Professor Siwan Anderson External Examiner Professor Vancouver School of Economics University of British Columbia Date Defended: July 31, 2018 ii Ethics Statement iii iii Abstract In the first chapter, I investigate a potential channel to explain the heterogeneity of kin networks across societies. I argue and test the hypothesis that female inheritance has historically had a posi- tive effect on in-marriage and a negative effect on female premarital relations and economic partic- ipation. In the second chapter, my co-authors and I provide evidence on the positive association of in-marriage and corruption. We also test the effect of family ties on nepotism in a bribery experi- ment. The third chapter presents my second joint paper on the consequences of kin networks. -
'Myth' and 'Religion'
THOUGHTS ON MYTH AND RELIGION IN EARLY GREEK HISTORIOGRAPHY Robert L. FOWLER University of Bristol [email protected] RESUMEN: El artículo examina el nacimiento del concepto de mythos/mito en el contexto de la historiografía y la mitografía de la Grecia arcaica. La posibilidad de oponerse a relatos tradicionales es un factor crítico en este proceso y se relaciona estrechamente con los esfuerzos de los autores por fijar su autoridad. Se compara la práctica de Heródoto con la de los primeros mitógrafos y, aunque hay amplias similitudes, hay diferencias cruciales en el tratamiento de los asuntos religiosos. Los escrúpulos personales de Heródoto responden en parte a su bien conocida reserva en lo referente a los dioses, pero es también relevante su actitud acerca de la tarea del historiador y su noción de cómo los dioses intervienen en la historia. Mientras que los mitógrafos tratan de historicizar la mitología, Heródoto trata de modo notable de desmitologizar la historia, separando ambas, pero al mismo tiempo definiendo con más profundidad que nunca sus auténticas interconexiones. Esta situación sugiere algunas consideraciones generales acerca de la relación entre mito y ritual en Grecia. ABSTRACT: The article examines the emerging concept of mythos/myth in the context of early Greek historiography and mythography. The possibility of contesting traditional stories is a critical factor in this process, and is closely related to the efforts of writers to establish their authority. Herodotos’ practice is compared with that of the early mythographers, and though there are some broad similarities, there are crucial differences in their approach to religious matters. -
Lineal Kinship Organization in Cross-Specific Perspective
Lineal kinship organization in cross-specific perspective Laura Fortunato Institute of Cognitive and Evolutionary Anthropology University of Oxford 64 Banbury Road, Oxford OX2 6PN, UK [email protected] +44 (0)1865 284971 Santa Fe Institute 1399 Hyde Park Road Santa Fe, NM 87501, USA Published as: Fortunato, L. (2019). Lineal kinship organization in cross-specific perspective. Philo- sophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 374(1780):20190005. http: //dx.doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2019.0005, The article is part of the theme issue \The evolution of female-biased kinship in humans and other mammals". http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rstb/374/1780. 1 Contents 1 Introduction 4 2 Kinship vs. descent 5 3 Lineal kinship in cross-specific perspective 8 4 Lineal kinship in cross-cultural perspective 12 4.1 A cross-cultural example: the association between descent and residence . 13 4.2 Reframing lineal kinship organization as lineal biases in kin investment . 19 5 Conclusion 21 References 23 2 Abstract I draw on insights from anthropology to outline a framework for the study of kinship systems that applies across animal species with biparental sexual reproduction. In particular, I define lineal kinship organization as a social system that emphasizes interactions among lineally related kin | that is, individuals related through females only, if the emphasis is towards matrilineal kin, and individuals related through males only, if the emphasis is towards patrilineal kin. In a given population, the emphasis may be expressed in one or more social domains, corresponding to pathways for the transmission of different resources across generations (e.g. -
The Myth of Redemptive Violence by Walter Wink
THE MYTH OF REDEMPTIVE VIOLENCE BY WALTER WINK The story that the rulers of domination societies told each other and their subordinates is what we today might call the Myth of Redemptive Violence. It enshrines the belief that violence saves, that war brings peace, that might makes right. It is one of the oldest continuously repeated stories in the world. Here Walter Wink describes just how pervasive this myth still is in the mores of Western culture. The belief that violence ”saves” is so successful because it doesn’t seem to be mythic in the least. Violence simply appears to be the nature of things. It’s what works. It seems inevitable, the last and, often, the first resort in conflicts. If a god is what you turn to when all else fails, violence certainly functions as a god. What people overlook, then, is the religious character of violence. It demands from its devotees an absolute obedience- unto-death. This Myth of Redemptive Violence is the real myth of the modern world. It, and not Judaism or Christianity or Islam, is the dominant religion in our society today. When my children were small, we let them log an unconscionable amount of television, and I became fascinated with the mythic structure of cartoons. This was in the 1960s, when the ”death of God” theologians were being feted on talk shows, and secular humanity’s tolerance for religious myth and mystery were touted as having been exhausted. I began to examine the structure of cartoons, and found the same pattern repeated endlessly: an indestructible hero is doggedly opposed to an irreformable and equally indestructible villain. -
Dear Workshoppers, Thank You for Taking the Time to Read and Discuss
Gerónimo Sarmiento Cruz Chapter I, 5/15 Draft — do not circulate Dear workshoppers, Thank you for taking the time to read and discuss my work. What follows is still a rough draft of the first chapter of my dissertation, provisionally titled Anational Poetics. In brief, by anational I mean an approach to an order of ideas, images, and concepts whose construction and inner logics are independent of the socio-historical ubiquity of the nation. Mainly relying on two concepts, Deleuze and Guattari’s minor literature and James C. Scott’s hidden transcripts, I am elaborating the anational as a hermeneutics allowing us to read against the backdrop of the nation in order to trace and constellate alternative accounts of collectivities as formulated by minority poetries and poetics. The chapter I am workshopping analyzes the work of Gloria Anzaldúa through the lens of the nation form. In relation to the anational, a lot of the work I do in this chapter is still preparatory—I begin to sketch the concept only towards the end of the chapter. I apologize for the length of the document, yet it is important for me that I workshop the entire thing so that I can assess whether the chapter-format is actually working well and conveying what I intend. If you’re pressed for time, you can read the intro and first section only. I would like to receive all feedback you’re willing to provide; yet more specifically I would like to hear your thoughts on the coherence and legibility of the theory employed and on the pertinence and persuasiveness of the structure as prefatory to the anational. -
Gender, Ritual and Social Formation in West Papua
Gender, ritual Pouwer Jan and social formation Gender, ritual in West Papua and social formation A configurational analysis comparing Kamoro and Asmat Gender,in West Papua ritual and social Gender, ritual and social formation in West Papua in West ritual and social formation Gender, This study, based on a lifelong involvement with New Guinea, compares the formation in West Papua culture of the Kamoro (18,000 people) with that of their eastern neighbours, the Asmat (40,000), both living on the south coast of West Papua, Indonesia. The comparison, showing substantial differences as well as striking similarities, contributes to a deeper understanding of both cultures. Part I looks at Kamoro society and culture through the window of its ritual cycle, framed by gender. Part II widens the view, offering in a comparative fashion a more detailed analysis of the socio-political and cosmo-mythological setting of the Kamoro and the Asmat rituals. These are closely linked with their social formations: matrilineally oriented for the Kamoro, patrilineally for the Asmat. Next is a systematic comparison of the rituals. Kamoro culture revolves around cosmological connections, ritual and play, whereas the Asmat central focus is on warfare and headhunting. Because of this difference in cultural orientation, similar, even identical, ritual acts and myths differ in meaning. The comparison includes a cross-cultural, structural analysis of relevant myths. This publication is of interest to scholars and students in Oceanic studies and those drawn to the comparative study of cultures. Jan Pouwer (1924) started his career as a government anthropologist in West New Guinea in the 1950s and 1960s, with periods of intensive fieldwork, in particular among the Kamoro. -
Post-Marital Residence, Delineations of Kin, and Social Support Among South Indian Tamils
Cooperation beyond consanguinity: Post-marital residence, delineations of kin, and social support among South Indian Tamils Eleanor A. Power1 &ElspethReady2 1Department of Methodology, London School of Economics and Political Science, Houghton Street, London, WC2A 2AE, UK 2Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, 04103, Germany February 28, 2019 Abstract Evolutionary ecologists have shown that relatives are important providers of support across many species. Among humans, cultural reckonings of kinship are more than just relatedness, as they interact with systems of descent, inheritance, marriage, and residence. These cultural aspects of kinship may be particularly important when a person is deter- mining which kin, if any, to call upon for help. Here, we explore the relationship between kinship and cooperation by drawing upon social support network data from two villages in South India. While these Tamil villages have a nominally male-biased kinship system (being patrilocal and patrilineal), matrilateral kin play essential social roles and many women reside in their natal villages, letting us tease apart the relative importance of ge- netic relatedness, kinship, and residence in accessing social support. We find that people often name both their consanguineal and affinal kin as providing them with support, and we see some weakening of support with lesser relatedness. Matrilateral and patrilateral relatives are roughly equally likely to be named, and the greatest distinction instead is in their availability, which is highly contingent on post-marital residence patterns. People residing in their natal village have many more consanguineal relatives present than those who have relocated. Still, relocation has only a small e↵ect on an individual’s network size, as non-natal residents are more reliant on the few kin that they have present, most of whom are affines. -
Desiring Myth: History, Mythos and Art in the Work of Flaubert and Proust
Desiring Myth: History, Mythos and Art in the Work of Flaubert and Proust By Rachel Anne Luckman A thesis submitted for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Department of French Studies College of Arts and Law The University of Birmingham August 2009 University of Birmingham Research Archive e-theses repository This unpublished thesis/dissertation is copyright of the author and/or third parties. The intellectual property rights of the author or third parties in respect of this work are as defined by The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 or as modified by any successor legislation. Any use made of information contained in this thesis/dissertation must be in accordance with that legislation and must be properly acknowledged. Further distribution or reproduction in any format is prohibited without the permission of the copyright holder. Abstract Previous comparative and parallel ‘genetic criticisms’ of Flaubert and Proust have ignored the different historical underpinnings that circumscribe the act of writing. This work examines the logos of Flaubert and Proust’s work. I examine the historical specificity of A la recherche du temps perdu, in respect of the gender inflections and class-struggles of the Third French Republic. I also put forward a poetics of Flaubertian history relative to L’Education sentimentale. His historical sense and changes in historiographic methodologies all obliged Flaubert to think history differently. Flaubert problematises both history and psychology, as his characterisations repeatedly show an interrupted duality. This characterization is explicated using René Girard’s theories of psychology, action theory and mediation. Metonymic substitution perpetually prevents the satisfaction of desire and turns life into a series of failures. -
Mythology and Destiny Albert Doja
Mythology and Destiny Albert Doja To cite this version: Albert Doja. Mythology and Destiny. Anthropos -Freiburg-, Richarz Publikations-service GMBH, 2005, 100 (2), pp.449-462. 10.5771/0257-9774-2005-2-449. halshs-00425170 HAL Id: halshs-00425170 https://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/halshs-00425170 Submitted on 1 May 2012 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. H anthropos 100.2005:449-462 1^2 Mythologyand Destiny AlbertDoja Abstract.- In Albaniantradition, the essential attributes of larlyassociated with the person's spirit, with their the mythologicalfigures of destinyseem to be symbolic lifeand death,their health, their future character, interchangeablerepresentations of birth itself. Their mythical theirsuccesses and setbacks. the combatis butthe symbolic representation of the cyclic return Theysymbolize in thewatery and chthonianworld of death,leading, like the person'sproperties, are thespiritual condensation vegetation,tothe cosmic revival of a newbirth. Both protective of theirqualities. They have suchclose mystical anddestructive positions of theattributes of birth,symbolized tieswith the person that merely the way they are by the amnioticmembranes, the caul, and othersingular dealtwith or theaim are ascribeddetermines ofmaternal they markers,or by the means of the symbolism water, theindividual's own and fate. -
Coming to Terms: Fundamentalists Or Islamists? by Martin Kramer Middle East Quarterly Spring 2003, Pp
Coming to Terms: Fundamentalists or Islamists? by Martin Kramer Middle East Quarterly Spring 2003, pp. 6577 http://www.meforum.org/541/comingtotermsfundamentalistsorislamists No one who reads or writes about events in the Muslim world can avoid the question of how to label those Muslims who invoke Islam as the source of authority for all political and social action. Should they be labeled Islamic (or Muslim) fundamentalists? Or are they better described as Islamists? The issue has been the subject of a heated debate for two decades. For a while, both general and scholarly usage in America accepted fundamentalism. Islamism emerged in the late 1980s in French academe and then crossed into English, where it eventually displaced Islamic fundamentalism in specialized contexts. More recently, the term Islamism has gained even wider currency, and since September 11, 2001, it may even have established itself as the preferred American usage. Still newer terminology may lie over the horizon. Behind the battle over usage lies another struggle, over the nature of the phenomenon itself. In fact, the two contests, over English usage and analytical understanding, are inseparable. Nor are they free of associations left by past usages. Here follows a short history of changing usage—itself a history of changing Western perceptions of Muslim reality. The Debut of Islamism The term Islamism first appeared in French in the mideighteenth century. But it did not refer to the modern ideological use of Islam, which had not yet come into being. Rather, it was a synonym for the religion of the Muslims, which was then known in French as mahométisme, the religion professed and taught by the Prophet Muhammad. -
Susan Rodgers Sire Gar in a Gathering of Batak Village Grandmothers In
A BATAK LITERATURE OF MODERNIZATION* Susan Rodgers Sire gar In a gathering of Batak village grandmothers in my house in 1976 to tape record some traditional ritual speech, one old ompu* 1 took the time to survey the changes in Batak kinship she had witnessed in her lifetime. Like many of her contemporar ies, she spoke warmly of the "more orderly" kinship world of her childhood, when people "still married who they should." She contrasted this halcyon age to present- day conditions: young people were marrying against the grain of the adat, house holds were ignoring their adat obligations to lend labor assistance to relatives in favor of concentrating on their own fields and farmwork, and her neighbors were beginning to forget some of the courtly eulogistic terms once used in addressing kinsmen. Fixing me with a stare and breaking out of her customary Angkola Batak2 into Indonesian, she delivered a final withering epithet on modern-day Batak family life: just one quality characterized it, "Merdeka di segala-gala--Freedom in every thing! " Change in the Angkola Batak kinship system in the last seventy to eighty years has indeed been considerable. Many of these changes have been reflected in Batak literature, which, in turn, has influenced the process. In fact, Batak oral and written literature has served the Batak as a medium for reformulating their kinship system in a time of rapid educational improvements, migration out of the ethnic homelands, and increasing contact with other ethnic societies and Indonesian nation al culture. In this paper I would like to investigate the relationship between Angkola Batak kinship and its locally authored literature as the society has modernized, fo cusing in particular on the subjects of courtship and marriage. -
2013-2014 Newsletter
WILLIAMS GRADUATE PROGRAM IN THE HISTORY OF ART OFFERED IN COLLABORATION WITH THE CLARK ART INSTITUTE WILLIAMS GRAD ART THE CLARK 2013–2014 NEWSLETTER LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR Marc Gotlieb Dear Alumni, Art Department in the field of African Art, and who will be teaching in the graduate program this spring. Greetings from Williamstown. I hope you enjoy our redesigned alumni newsletter, the last and The newsletter includes a special conversation with most significant phase of a visual identity project Michael Ann Holly, Starr Director of Research that includes the launch of a new website and Emeritus at the Clark, and this year’s Robert other communications pieces designed to capture Sterling Clark Visiting Professor. Many thanks to some of the freshness and contemporaneity of the program and its Ashley Lazevnick MA ’12 and Oliver Wunsch setting. By now many of you have had the opportunity to visit the MA ’11 for taking this on! And many thanks, too, new Clark and its spectacular new wing, including renovated galleries to our post-doctoral fellow, Kristen Oehlrich, for and a reflecting pool looking out over Stone Hill. But there is more to putting this splendid newsletter together. Most of come—the Manton Building, which houses the Graduate Program and all, thanks to our alumni for contributing updates the library, will reopen to the public this summer, with a new spacious to the newsletter! reading room, a new works on paper study center and gallery, and facil- With all best wishes, ities that will bring the entire complex fresh new life. If you do visit, please stop by and say hello—Karen, George, Kristen and I would be Marc delighted to see you.