Bronislaw Malinowski’s importance to Cultural Anthropology Essay Example

Bronislaw Malinowski’s importance to Cultural Anthropology Paper Bronislaw Malinowski has made important contributions to the field of anthropology, especially during the discipline’s formative years. Though qualified to be an economist, he brought his best intellectual resources to bear on anthropological study, beginning with studying social exchange patterns among Australian aborigines. Born in Poland in 1884, Malinowski made vital anthropological discoveries either side of the Great War. When the dust settled after the war and the academe came to normalcy, he published his classic work Argonauts of the Western Pacific, which had garnered him acclaim from the professional niche as well as the general public. In the documentary videos related to Malinowski perused for this essay, one could see his powers of observation and synthesis. The rest of this essay will summarize the importance of the man and his works to the field of cultural anthropology. Malinowski’s ethnography of the Trobriand Islands made an immediate impact on anthropological circles. His description of the officialdom and hierarchy under Kula ring went on to become a cornerstone work in the realm of cultural anthropology. He paid particular attention to the operation of reciprocity and exchange in social groups. A key to his success is his sense of adventure, which is a pre-requisite to anyone involved in fieldwork. Along with Margaret Mead, Malinowski can be said to have pioneered and mastered fieldwork for anthropological projects. The methods employed by him for fieldwork, including ‘participatory observation’, are now established as fundamental to anthropological research. (Cravens, 2010, p.301) We will write a custom essay sample on Bronislaw Malinowski’s importance to Cultural Anthropology specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Bronislaw Malinowski’s importance to Cultural Anthropology specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Bronislaw Malinowski’s importance to Cultural Anthropology specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer It is a symbol of Bronislaw Malinowski’s scholarly fame that many eminent anthropologists from his next generation took his tutelage and guidance. These included Hortense Powdermaker, Meyer Fortes, Raymond Firth, etc. Firth, in particular, had gone on to write detailed treatises on Malinowski’s works. Malinowski’s legend continues to hold firm even today, though later evolution in anthropological thought has affected it a little. â€Å"He has continued to be a great name in anthropology. But while his reputation as a superb field-worker has been maintained, his fame as a really great teacher in the Socratic tradition has been allowed to fade, and his achievement in creating a new and enduring approach to anthropology has not been properly understood. Without him, the aridities of the Kulturkreislehre and the fantasies of pan-Egyptianism would doubtless have in due course been corrected and overcome. But for the younger generation of anthropologists in Europe, at least, he fought that battle and won it by the end of the ‘twenties’.† (Troy, 1998, p.129) Of all the contributions made by Malinowski, his ideas related to ethnographic research is the most well-known. He approached the study of social systems through solid methodology and theory. It is not surprise then that one of the documentary films about his life and work is titled ‘Off the Verandah’, for he brought anthropology off the veranda and got knee-deep in fieldwork. In other words, the hands-on approach to studying cultural anthropology is one of his most valued contributions. He emphasized the importance of such ‘detailed participant observation’ for understanding distant cultures and social systems. He inspired a whole generation of anthropologists through these insightful and inspiring lectures. After his appointment as a lecturer in Social Anthropology in 1922, he gave a series of short courses on such topics as ‘Early Beliefs and Social Differentiation’, ‘Social Organization of Australian Aborigines’, and Ã¢â‚¬Ë œEconomics of Primitive Peoples’. His seminar on Primitive Mentality ranks as equally important. His importance as a cultural anthropologist is further affirmed by the fact that he travelled far and wide in the European Continent giving lectures in Geneva, Vienna, Rome, Oslo, etc. His legacy and pre-eminence is registered by his appointment to a Readership in Anthropology in the University of London in 1924. Malinowski’s further intellectual exploits included his participation in the New Education Fellowship Conference in South Africa in 1934. Further, â€Å"from July till October he toured in South and East Africa, visiting his students in the field and doing anthropological survey work among the Swazi, Bemba, Chagga, Masai, Kikuyu, and Maragoli peoples.† (Firth, 1957, p.114) Malinowski’s influence in his science was also due to the impact of his personality. His was a complex personality, highly intelligent, cultured, and gifted in most things with a fine degree of sensitivity. Almost more than anything else, â€Å"Malinowski was a great teacher. He drew to him students from all over the world, and from a variety of branches of knowledge. It was also one of the reasons for his influence in helping to make anthropology a subject more accessible to non-specialists interested in social questions of a theoretical as well as a practical order†¦ Too easily he sought universal, not specific comparison. But it did help to give people in other disciplines the sense that anthropology shared with them a common purpose, a common field of human behaviour, a similar kind of generalization; that they could latch into it at a number of points in a significant, dynamic way. But to return to his relations with his students, to whom, above all, he opened the doors of the mind.† (Firth, 1957, p.114) Works Cited Cravens, Hamilton. â€Å"What’s New in Science and Race since the 1930s?: Anthropologists and Racial Essentialism.† The Historian 72.2 (2010): 299+. Documentary Films related to Bronislaw Malinowski, retrieved from Firth, Raymond, ed. Man and Culture: An Evaluation of the Work of Bronislaw Malinowski. New York: Humanities Press, 1957. Troy, Timothy. â€Å"Professor Bronislaw Malinowski’s Visit to Tucson.† Journal of the Southwest (1998): 129.

The Canal and Other Factors Affecting Early Waterville Settl essays

The Canal and Other Factors Affecting Early Waterville Settl essays The early settlement of Waterville, Ohio was done by the pioneers who came to the area shortly after the Battle of Fallen Timbers. Waterville was located along the river, in a prime location between Grand Rapids and Toledo. Once the Indians had been driven from the area, it became a safe place for pioneers to settle. Waterville was settled in 1818, but it wasnt until 1830 that a man named John Pray laid out the village of Waterville. The village of Waterville was not incorporated until 1880. When the canal age erupted in the 1830s, Waterville became a stop along the Wabash and Erie canals. Many assumed that the construction of the canal would be a boon to Watervilles business and population. But there were many other factors that influenced Watervilles early history just as much or more than the canal. When the village was first occupied, mills were the main type of business. Plus, there were countless other areas of revenue in town that helped to bring the population numbers up and put Waterville on the map, such as the Columbian House inn, famous in Waterville lore. Research into available sources proves that although the canal did have considerable influence on early Waterville, other factors such as the mills and the Columbian House were just as influential, if not more so. Also, being on the river made Waterville appealing to outsiders. Evidence to support this will indicate the population numbers both before and after the canals construction. Evidence also indicates the revenue of businesses along with their sheer number, before and after the canal. Research will also show that the canal did not quite live up to the expectations of the people who built the canal. Finally, research will show that railroads were also extremely important in Watervilles later economic years. When the canal was built in the 1830s, it altered the pattern of development in the village. The business d...

Argumentative Writing about Apocalypse Now and the Vietnam Conflict Essay

Argumentative Writing about Apocalypse Now and the Vietnam Conflict - Essay Example Kurtz is the manifestation of America’s inner collective awareness regarding Vietnam. He defends America’s participation by implying that the Viet Cong are stronger because of their montrosity. The movie portrays Kurtz as a product of the imperfect system, which takes its values to the most extreme conclusion. He was prepared and trained to fill a political position in the future but instead, he turned against the very forces that created him. (French, 1998) Kilgore utters his infamous phrase â€Å"I love the smell of napalm in the morning† at Charlie’s point. His helicopter name was death from above swept in, in sensational formation, accompanied by a musical score of The Ride of the Valkyries, which symbolized the significant passage of dead heroes into Valhalla. This scene lauds war wherein the soldiers become God-like heroes. The Vietnamese remained faceless but the camera isolated the agony of a sole US soldier and this aesthetic show of violence adds to the feel of twisted patriotism. America’s colonial belief were reproduced through the fighting that was occurring in the midst of the California surf. The audience were being encouraged to believe that, contrary to popular belief, the war was not unendurable for the soldiers and so the film made use of chauvinistic approaches to show how the actuality of this situation was compromised. It focuses on the suffering of the US by implying that they were fighting amongst themselves. They either fight or surf. Smoothness in contrast with orientation is a visible theme here. The war itself was compelling and full of meaning, however, a bunch of clowns were running the show. The mission was commendable but the missionaries themselves were not. As Willard was entrusted with the mission to to find and terminate Kurtz, with the full understanding that the man has gone insane, the methods he applied in order to achieve his goals were insufficient. The deeper Willard goes into the Vie tnamese jungle, the more his awareness was rising in regards to his comprehension of how and why Kurtz became what he is. Kurtz lost himself in the very heart of darkness wherein he had no choice but to make his own rules in order to survive. The characters in the story displayed deep respect for Kurtz, which, Willard himself felt compelled to admire himself. By confronting the shift in the shift in his opinion of Kurtz, Willard emphasized how Kurtz can not be judged the way an ordinary man will be judged. Kurtz is a man who was able to transcend to the heights of what other characters in the story are also longing for. Living far away in the jungle, Kurtz was able to escape the bonds which morality and conscientiousness that societies impose. He has turned into a creature filled with the deepest desires and wishes of a every human being, although suppressed. Willard kills him in the end. Kurtz’ last words â€Å"The Horror, the horror† associates to what he must have f elt while he was becoming a part of the wilderness. He acted with what his cardinal impulses were telling him. He killed whomever he wanted to kill and talked to people any way he wanted to and generally treated everyone like he was the one with the power or authority to decide. One view of the story is the message of how the environment can affect one’s mind. Sigmund Freud’s model of the human mind may be used in order to explain how Kurtz’ may have been influenced by the environment. When he left the society as a civilized human being and stepped into a whole new