ANTH 4751 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Bronisław Malinowski, Enculturation
Document Summary
Learning from family members, religious figures, school (education) Could be true or false or anywhere in between. Origin myths - creation myths; emergence narratives - tell us where things began and purpose of things. Keep forms of ritual and religiosity throughout generations (written or oral text) Powerful forms of transmission of information across generations. "myth fulfills in primitive cultures an indispensable function it is not an idle tale it a pragmatic charter of primitive faith and wisdom. " Myth is a practical constitution for society"s faith and wisdom. Myths serve as a guide for how they lead and how they express. Myth is "a warrant, a charter, and even a practical guide to the activities with which it is connected" Creationist advocacy groups using genesis as the explanation for evolution. Colonial slavery relating their enslavement to that in exodus; civil rights movements also drew on this. Gender; woman as a temptress (adam and eve in genesis)
