POLSCI 1AA3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Arnold Van Gennep, Trobriand Islands, Kula Ring
10 Oct 2017
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Identity: how we perceive ourselves as an individual and in relation to other people. Umbrella term that includes things like religion, ethnicity, etc. Identities are a byproduct of culture, culturally constructed. Way of talking about identity as if it"s natural. We naturalize our familial identities - we assume that shared genes/ blood automatically means that this leads to shared social bonds. Are our identities biological (ie. are we born with them?) or are they the result of cultural. Case study: margaret mead, 1928 - coming of age in samoa . Nope, teens in samoa were not like this such as american teens. The opposite: parents encouraged kids to have sexual partners and kids were were respectful, etc. Argues that its culture and parent-child relationships that influence the way a teenager behaves. What are some of the ways in which we communicate the distinctiveness of identities to.
