1. What is Culture?
Part 2

2. Ethnocentrism, Cultural Relativism, and Human Rights
Stereotype
Cultural Generalization

3. Cultural Practices
Discussion on cultural practices that differ from traditional American and European practices
Free-write:
During discussion:
Maintain a cultural relativistic perspective
Focus on the cultural reasoning
Not on whether or not you approve

4. Foot Binding
After a long 1000 years, the government of China finally made this ritual illegal in 1911.
Even though foot binding is not done anymore, most elderly women in China have bound feet. This process can not be undone even with today’s medical technology All the women who had this done to them lived in pain, or will live in pain, for the rest of their lives

5. Foot Binding Origins & History Early 10th century ___________________
_____ – illegal in china
Why? What has changed?
After a long 1000 years, the government of China finally made this ritual illegal in 1911.
Even though foot binding is not done anymore, most elderly women in China have bound feet. This process can not be undone even with today’s medical technology All the women who had this done to them lived in pain, or will live in pain, for the rest of their lives

6. Foot Binding: Cultural Ties
Social perception
__________
Marriage
______________
_________________
____________________
Any women in the upper class society was banished or even killed if they did not have their feet bound.
If a girl did not have bound feet they were considered unsuitable for marriage.
Having bound feet made it difficult to walk, and so a man who had a wife with bound feet looked as if he had so much money and status that his wife did not need to work

7. Female Genital Cutting

8. What is Female Genital Cutting?
________________________________
Practiced in ____________________________
WHO recognizes ________________________

9. Female Genital Cutting
FGC attendants in Indonesian elementary school classroom

10. Female Genital Cutting: Cultural Significance
Tradition
____________________________
__________________________
_________________________________
_____________________________
____________________

11. Differing Views - FGC Spiritual and Social Obligation
____________________________
Economic Necessity
More ____________: _____________________
Men ____________________________________
__________________in a _________________ Society
(“if a penis contacts a clitoris you can die”)

12. Differing Views - FGC Violation of ___________________
________________________
A symptom of ____________________________
A form of _______________________

13. Why perform Female Genital Cutting?

14. Rite of Passage: A Male Example
Ritual Insemination - Etoro, Papua New Guinea
Male Rite of Passage
___________________________________
Highly Regulated and Culturally Significant
______________________________
_______________________________

15. Efforts: Eradication or Education?
___________________________
Emerged as a ________________
__________in several countries
______________________
Focus on _____________
Transform the ________________
Maintain _______________________

16. Efforts: Eradication or Education?
Tostan in Senegal
1997 Community Empowerment Program
Not meant to ________________
4-pronged educational platform: 1. 2. 3. 4.
What We’re Doing
Our human rights-based Community Empowerment Program (CEP) allows community members to draw their own conclusions about FGC and lead their own movements for change.
In the CEP class sessions on human rights, participants learn about their right to health and the right to be free from all forms of violence. They also discuss the responsibilities they share to protect these rights in their community.
In sessions on health, they learn about the potential, immediate, and long-term harmful consequences of the practice and discuss ways to prevent these health problems in the future.
Rather than blaming or criticizing, we encourage dialogue around these and other practices that communities feel hinder their vision for their community’s development. Participants and Community Management Committee (CMC) members speak with friends and family as well as travel to other communities to raise awareness about what they have learned. Through this process, many communities decide to end FGC together, some without having directly participated in our classes.

17. Efforts: Eradication or Education?
Tostan in Senegal
Community decision making
Traditional teaching methods: ____ _____________________________
________________ceremony with multiple villages
Hold communities responsible
Focus on __________________
Aim for ________________________
What We’re Doing
Our human rights-based Community Empowerment Program (CEP) allows community members to draw their own conclusions about FGC and lead their own movements for change.
In the CEP class sessions on human rights, participants learn about their right to health and the right to be free from all forms of violence. They also discuss the responsibilities they share to protect these rights in their community.
In sessions on health, they learn about the potential, immediate, and long-term harmful consequences of the practice and discuss ways to prevent these health problems in the future.
Rather than blaming or criticizing, we encourage dialogue around these and other practices that communities feel hinder their vision for their community’s development. Participants and Community Management Committee (CMC) members speak with friends and family as well as travel to other communities to raise awareness about what they have learned. Through this process, many communities decide to end FGC together, some without having directly participated in our classes.

18. Human Rights
Cultural Relativism: How does this concept then relate to the issue of a global system of human rights?
What constitutes a violation of rights?
Line between cultural tradition & human rights
Over time, cultures have changed attitudes about what practices are considered a violation of human rights.
Today, some actions, such as genocide, seem clearly to fall under a violation of human rights.

19. Human Rights & Ethnocentrism
Ethnocentrism may make it difficult to define clearly in every case and for agreement to be reached about what is truly a human rights violation.
Example: FCG
Note: This does not mean that all behavior should be excused or tolerated just because it can be defined as a cultural custom
Culturally relativistic standpoint, practices like female circumcision that have developed within a cultural context over many generations can be understood and perhaps even accepted if examined in context.

20. An agreed upon violation: Violence Against Women
(Extreme) Example: Dowry Death & Bride Burning
_____________________________
Research illustrates ________________
___________________________
Isolated incidences in the US

21. France & the Veil Banning the ________________
Preserve ___________________
_______________worry about their rights
Opponents: _____________________
Secular country

22. Human Rights & Anthropology
Why is it important to have a dialog about human rights?
How can anthropology contribute to this dialog?