ANTHROP 1AA3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Margaret Mead, Mosuo, Canadian Identity
20 Mar 2015
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Document Summary
Are interested in how culture shapes our identities. Identities as culturally constructed shaped by cultural forces and learned behaviours. Ex: ultrasounds highlight the role of cultural forces in shaping motherhood as a social identity. Thought of today as simply a routine biomedical procedure. Bonds between mother and fetus/baby are constructed via technology. Anthropologist lisa mitchell and rosalind petchesky have studied the politics of ultrasounds in ultrasound clinics across north america. Studied ultrasounds as a cultural practice that shapes how women view/shape themselves as mothers. By using the word baby instead of embrio/fetus, you are giving it an identity. Ritual practice reaffirming your new role as mother confirming a women"s new social role. Other examples of how the social role/identity of motherhood is shaped by cultural forces (in capitalist societies): baby showers, shopping for baby. Everyone coming together to reaffirm the notion that you are taking on a new identity.
