Anthropology Theory

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This in turn leads man to develop moral and more social instincts; such as, helpings his comrades, learning from mistakes and gaining emotions “…moral sense lies in the social instincts including sympathy; and these instincts no doubt were primarily gained...” (Darwin 57). Darwin also adds that the advancement from the lower level of animals is but through natural selection and we obtained these reactions. Darwin continues to explain how man found religion after he had been “elevated by a long-continued culture”; meaning that creation wasn’t questioned till man was stable in his evolution process (Darwin 57). Lastly, he describes sexual selection and how mates have to use extreme measures to attract and reproduce successfully. Darwin’s tries to persuade the reader that man arose from a modest species more through language and culture and then began to evolve into a more intelligent being.

Darwin’s theory of man and his concept of who we are, is actually is built upon by anthropologists Johnson and Bering. They describe how the evolution of man has developed an inner consciousness that gives a metaphysical presence to our consequences. His models of God- fearing people versus Machiavellian people, proposed the idea that many consequences are based upon our belief in supernatural forces that punish or a non-centric world has settled upon (Johnson and Bering 29).They convey the idea of how cooperation is a natural instinct but so is selfishness and religion and other metaphysical forces (Johnson and Bering). Darwinism also has had an influence on the world of religion. For instance, many believe that souls are something humans only have, but if we look back to our lowly origins, as Darwin reminds us, we find that the there is no real difference in our souls versus animal souls (Dean 23).

Marxism on the other hand, focuses much more on the way culture is shaped in the way that people react to class stratification through economic challenges. Marxism also touches on power over others and how many hold this power in society and culture. He notes that humans don’t make their own decisions, but the circumstances, especially economical, control their lives as well as their culture. His answers to why culture is the way it is addresses structure as a basis for our struggle, because many have to find different modes of production to survive in our societies. Many anthropologists have been influenced by Marx and his ideas of culture based on stratification and class conflict. Eleanor Leacock touches on the idea of gender inequality, and identifies the historical ties that have created inequality, basing much of the evidence on westernization through gender inequality amongst the sexes. Leacock begins with the early migration and colonization of North America, in which many Indians began to adopt western ideas of roles based on sex and individual representation that was contrary to their previous traditions. Notably, Leacock theorizes how the Indians started to adopt the culture of the migrants; in fact, they begin to adopt roles specific to the men such as farming, while the women take on the care of the home and children. This results in the creation of two spheres, the man’s sphere and the women’s sphere both which do not collide or spend too much time within each other. Amongst Indians these spheres were also created after the migration of others to their areas, whilst before many of the Indian women were, “…major producers and the control over the products of their labor that insured them personal autonomy and public authority”, meaning that women during this time were equally part of the system of production and work in their communities (Leacock 447). The major shifts in these views caused by western influences were contrary to their more communal tradition of the Indians where everybody worked to produce and provide for the village. Conversely, the western society had more focus on the individuals’ earning and their families which led to imposing the idea of exploitation from class organization (Leacock 450).

Because of the idea of individual families an issue of stratification amongst individuals in communities was developed. This led to leaving some of the work divided between the controllers and the ones that work for them, the laborers. Consequently, the ones in charge learned to exploit the laborers efforts; which therefore, erased much of the former communal beliefs of work for the dynamics of the village and its prosperity. Foremost to become more of a one sided sex divide. As certain men climbed higher on the class stratification men beneath them began to work for them. Moreover, this can be seen as a major reason that women, in these stratified groups, adopted their roles as homemakers since they couldn’t provide means in the community as either slaves or laborers because the lower class of men took these jobs (Leacock 453-454).

Another major anthropologist who was influenced by the ideas of Marx was Philip Burgios. He believed that immigrants in order to survive had to subordinate themselves to drug dealing. This initially began with the movement of immigration to labor overseas to New York City, and in a struggle for survival immigrants soon became the new working class (Bourgios 602). The jobs many of the migrants had were either agricultural, factory, underground entrepreneurs, or small landowning, and these jobs brought about social disclocation.This transformation of these migrants led to poor health, substance abuse, and low unemployment (Bourgios 603).Bourgios led a three and half year study of those living in Spanish Harlem, and he concluded that a third of Puerto Rican and African American families depended on public services. They were known as the poor working class. These streets soon become inhabited by “reluctant” drug dealers. Reluctant because many of them find they are just trying to get out of their poor state (Bourgios 604).Bourgios explains that this universal pattern can be applied anywhere with the same circumstances, and are not just unique to the Puerto Ricans. They are drawn to this lifestyle as they are not given opportunities from the higher classes because of their racial connotation. Many of the youth in this Harlem area would drop out of school and work in factories before eventually heading into illegal dealings. Because these children dropped out so early, and end up working low manufacturing jobs that provided well whilst they were teens, they grew older and never moved up the working class system. Unfortunately, they realized that they were unmarketable as high school drop outs. This new set up directed them into drug life as not only a career but as a relief for themselves (Bourgios 606).

Communistic reasons amongst the workplace can be due to the nature of representation that many white collar workers are capable