Cultures in Crisis

With this project we will examine how globalization is currently affecting four indigenous or at risk cultures from around the world. Because many indigenous cultures

have little to no political or economic power in the nation-state in which they live, they are often steam rolled in the globalization process. Globalization is a

trend that spreads free-market economies world-wide. With free trade comes open markets and competition. Free markets and competition have led to the burning of rain

forests for palm oil and soybean farms, mobile phones and computers in most parts of the world, and the proliferation of McDonalds and Wal-Mart.  When governments

desire to make financial capital in another country, cultures are impacted. As Maude Barlow (2001) states “Many societies, particularly indigenous peoples, view

culture as their richest heritage, without which they have no roots, history or soul. Its value is other than monetary. To commodify it is to destroy it.”

Pick an indigenous or at risk culture in crisis

According to Ferraro and Andreatta (2012:414), an indigenous culture is “a group of people who (1) are the original inhabitants of a region; (2) identify with a

specific, small-scale cultural heritage; and (3) have no significant role in the government.” The National Geographic Society (2009:25) defines an indigenous culture

as “any ethnic group of people who inhabit a geographic region with which they have the earliest known historical connection, alongside more recent immigrants who have

populated the region and may be greater in number.”  An at risk culture is one whose original identity is geographically-based and is in danger of being changed, lost,

or extinct due to various processes of globalization and/or a loss of the elders who preserved the culture. At risk cultures may be indigenous cultures, but they may

also be sub-cultures (for example, the Amish).
For this project you are to pick one of these four cultures : First Nations in Canada, Kayapo of Brazil, Maasai of Kenya, or the Australian Aboriginals of Australia.
First Nations of Canada (facing a health crisis): Taken as a whole, this group represents the 615 indigenous peoples of Canada (they are analogous to the United States

Native Americans). The most prominent group in Canada is the Inuit (the Eskimo). The crisis they face is diabetes.
Kayapo of Brazil (facing the destruction of their environment): The Kayapo occupy territory just south of the Amazon Basin, but still within the Brazilian rainforest.

They are one of the more politically-active indigenous groups from the Amazon Basin. The crisis they face is losing their homeland and lifestyle because of the burning

of the Amazon rainforest.
Maasai of Kenya (facing a changing economy because of drought): The Maasai are one the more well-known indigenous groups in Africa. They are semi-nomadic pastoralists

(raising cattle, goats, and sheep) that depend on their lands for survival. The crisis they face is the loss of their economic base because of severe drought in the

region.

Australian Aboriginals of Australia (facing extreme poverty): The Australian Aboriginals have lived in the Australian Outback since people first came to Australia.

England pushed them further inland when they used Australia as a territory for England’s criminals. This group has suffered from prejudice and discrimination since the

1800s. Because they have always been considered lower-class citizens, they face extreme poverty.
Paper Sections
The sections of your paper should be stated clearly and the culture and crisis should be described comprehensively. You need to deliver all relevant information so

that the reader has a full understanding of the culture and the crisis.
The paper will double spaced, 5-6 pages in length (not including the references cited section or your table and graph), 12 point font, and 1 inch margins. You will be

required to use all of the references provided to you, but you can always use additional resources. However, those additional references cannot be Wikipedia,

Everyculture.com, or an encyclopedia or factbook. Please use the Chicago Manual of Style for all in text citations and references cited.
Introduction to your culture
Describe this culture as it currently exists today (consult the general culture sources provided to you)? What are its current values, politics, economy, and belief

systems (briefly)? Basically, how does this culture function in today’s world and make sense of the multicultural world in which it is a part?
Introduction to the crisis
What is the current-day crisis? What culture(s) introduced this crisis to your indigenous culture? Did the dominating culture do any kind of impact study to see how

the indigenous culture might be affected by their actions? This information needs to be current and not about the past. The sources that are provided deal with current

issues and that is on what you need to concentrate.
How your culture is being affected by the crisis and how they are responding
What happened to your indigenous culture as a result of the presence of the dominating culture? How have the dominating culture’s views about the indigenous culture

affected your understanding of the issue and the view of the indigenous culture to the rest of the world? How does the rest of the world (think big world agencies like

the UN) view this crisis (do they dismiss it, do they address it at all)?
This section must have some sort of table AND graph with numbers. You cannot just cut and paste a table from one of the readings. You must create your own. You will

explain a trend through time (at least 5 years in length, but 10 years is best if you can find it) and compare the indigenous cultures statistical data with the

national averages. These quantifiable data will relate to the crisis and the indigenous culture.
In addition to providing a table and graph, you need to explain them in the text of your paper. How do the table and graph support the current trend(s) of the crisis?

What are assumptions about those data that are used by the researchers as well as your interpretations?  The numbers are intended to support your information and not

to stand alone. You need to explain to the reader what the table/graph means.
First Nations of Canada: Compare the rate of diabetes in the First Nations with the rate of diabetes in all Canadians.
Kayapo of Brazil: Compare the rate of deforestation in Kayapo territory (the states of Para and Mato Grosso) to the rate of deforestation in the entire Amazon

(Amazonia Legal).
Maasai of Kenya: Compare the severity of drought in Kenya to that of East Africa.
Australian Aboriginals of Australia: Compare the rate of poverty present in the Australian Aboriginals with the rate of poverty of all Australians (compare average

weekly incomes for the years 1994, 2002, 2006 and 2007).
If you were an applied anthropologist charged with aiding your indigenous culture to successfully move through the crisis, what would you do?
Your solutions to the situation need to be logical and reflect your informed evaluation of the situation. Your solutions should reflect back on your tend table or

graph from the previous section as you will be making a reasonable prediction (or predictions) about the future and justifying those suggestions with facts. As you

make your conclusions, please be sure to remain culturally relative and do what you feel would be best for the indigenous culture. Remember, the ultimate goal is for

the indigenous culture to survive with as much of its original values, beliefs, and practices intact.

General References that Everyone Needs
United Nations Human Rights Indigenous Peoples (2012)
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/IPeoples/Pages/IndigenousPeoplesIndex.aspx
Guidelines on Indigenous Peoples’ Issues: United Nations Development Group (2009)
http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Publications/UNDG_training_16EN.pdf

Canada-First Nations Diabetes
Critical Inuit Studies: An Anthology of Contemporary Artic Ethnography (2006) http://library.sfasu.edu/find/Record/70189627 (this is an ebook at Steen Library) or

http://books.google.com/books?id=71lBFUBkrMwC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false (this is the Google book)
Congress of Aboriginal People: Health http://www.abo-peoples.org/useful-links/#health
Health Canada-New 2011 Diabetes Report http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fniah-spnia/diseases-maladies/diabete/index-eng.php
Department of Justice Canada-Indian Act (1985) http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/I-5/
A First Nations Diabetes Report Card (2006)  http://www.nada.ca/wp-content/uploads/504.pdf
National Aboriginal Diabetes Association (2009) http://www.nada.ca/about/history/
Aboriginal Canada Portal (2012) http://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1366902817222/1366903094836#Toc343855355

Kayapo and Destruction of the Rainforest
Brazil’s Indians and the Onslaught of Civilization (2012) http://site.ebrary.com/lib/sfasu/docDetail.action?docID=10599017&p00=brazil%20onslaught
Kayapo Portal (2012)  http://www.raoni.com/news.php
Brown, Chip. 2014. Defenders of the Amazon. National Geographic 225(1):31-53. (This is a pdf file).
The Rainforest Foundation (2011) http://www.rainforestfoundationuk.org/Who_we_are
Deforestation in the Amazon (2012) http://www.mongabay.com/brazil.html

Climate Change and Maasai
Indigenous Heartland Organisation: Pastorla Crisis in Successive Drought http://www.indigenousheartland.org/pdf/Pastoral_Crisis_in_Successive_Drought.pdf
Fratkin, Elliot (2001) East African Pastoralism in Transitions: Maasai, Boran, and Rendille Case
http://www.jstor.org/stable/525591?seq=9
European Union Delegation to the Republic of Kenya (2010) An Assessment of the Response to the 2008-2009 Drought in Kenya

http://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/kenya/documents/more_info/assessment_of_the_response_2008_en.pdf
PreventionWeb:Kenya (2012) http://www.preventionweb.net/english/countries/africa/ken/
The Maasai Association (2012) http://www.maasai-association.org/maasai.html
Huho, Julius, M., Josephine K.W. Ngaira, and Harun O. Ogindo (2011) Living with Drought: The Case of the Maasai Pastoralists of Northern Kenya
Kenya Diaries (2012) http://www.lavidalocavore.org/tag/Climate%20Crisis
Kulish, Nicholas (2013) Huge Aquifers Are Discovered in Northen Kenya
The International Disaster Database (use of statistics) http://www.emdat.be/  with this one click on country profile, select Kenya,  and use total number affected by

drought (1994-2011). For East Africa, click on advanced search and make sure your boxes are selected as those shown below.
The search data is in the image above.

Australian Aboriginals Poverty Specific Information
Taylor, Janet (1993) Aboriginal Australians and Poverty: Issues of Measurement http://www.aifs.gov.au/institute/pubs/fm1/fm35jt.html
Altman, J.C. (2007) Alleviating Poverty in Remote Indigenous Australia: The Role of the Hybrid Economy

http://caepr.anu.edu.au/sites/default/files/Publications/topical/Altman_Poverty.pdf
Australian Bureau of Statistics (1996) Poverty and Depravation http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Previousproducts/1301.0Feature%20Article201996?

opendocument&tabname=Summary&prodno=1301.0&issue=1996&num=&view=
Australian Bureau of Statistics (1996) A Profile of Australia’s Indigenous People http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Previousproducts/1301.0Feature

%20Article51996?opendocument&tabname=Summary&prodno=1301.0&issue=1996&num=&view=
Australian Government (2008) Australian Indigenous Cultural Heritage (I am aware that this link is currently down, please use the one below)

http://australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/austn-indigenous-cultural-heritage

Australia Government Department of the Environment (2013) http://www.environment.gov.au/topics/heritage/about-australias-heritage
Indigenous Poverty from Amnesty and Aborigines (2009) http://www.global-sisterhood-network.org/content/view/2379/59
Australian Council of Social Service (2010) http://www.acoss.org.au/policy/indigenous/
Finkel, Michael (2013) First Australians
For Statistics use years 1994, 2002, 2006, and 2008 (you will need to click the download tab and then the pdf files):
For the Australian Aboriginal populations, you will need National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Surveys, but here are two easy links. You will need to average

the numbers in the table to make them comparable to non-Aboriginal incomes. For year 2006:

http://www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/cashome.nsf/89a5f3d8684682b6ca256de4002c809b/9d9a31efb78aa535ca25758b00120aff!OpenDocument  and for the years 1994, 2002, and 2008 use

this (when you average the table DO NOT use the bolded Australia numbers at the bottom of the chart): http://www.aihw.gov.au/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?

id=10737420028.
For the Australian statistics  (non-Aboriginal) for comparison bases, use http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/second+level+view?

ReadForm&prodno=6302.0&viewtitle=Average%20Weekly%20Earnings,%20Australia~Nov%202007~Latest~21/02/2008&&tabname=Past%20Future%20Issues&prodno=6302.0&issue=Nov

%202007&num=&view=&

Suggested Grading Rubrics

ANT 231 Cultures in Crisis Critical Thinking Rubric

Capstone
4    Milestone
3    Milestone
2    Benchmark
1
Explanation of Issues    Crisis is stated clearly and described comprehensively, delivering all relevant information necessary for full understanding.     Crisis is

stated, described, and clarified so that understanding is not seriously impeded by omissions.     Crisis is stated, but description leaves some terms and the crisis

undefined. There is some information present, but understanding is impeded by omissions.    Crisis is stated without clarification or description.
Evidence
Selecting and using information to investigate a point of view or conclusion    Information is taken from sources with enough interpretation/evaluation to develop a

comprehensive analysis or synthesis. Viewpoints of scholars/experts are analyzed and questioned thoroughly.    Information is taken from sources with enough

interpretation/ evaluation to develop a coherent analysis or synthesis. Viewpoints of scholars/experts are analyzed and questioned.     Information is taken from

sources with some interpretation/ evaluation, but not enough to develop a coherent analysis or synthesis. Viewpoints of scholars/experts are taken as facts with little

questioning.     Information is taken from sources without any interpretation/ evaluation to develop a coherent analysis or synthesis. Viewpoints of scholars/experts

are taken as facts and not questioned.
Influence of context and assumption    Systematically and methodologically analyzes others assumptions about the crisis and develops own solution to the crisis

through a careful evaluation of the crisis and the culture.     Identifies others assumptions about the crisis and develops own solution to the crisis through an

evaluation of the crisis and the culture.      Questions some assumptions about the crisis. Identifies relevant context for own solution to the crisis and the

culture. More aware of one side of the crisis than the other.    Shows an understanding of the crisis/culture, but does not present a coherent solution to help the

culture as an anthropologist.
Students Position (perspective, thesis/hypothesis)    Specific solution to the crisis is imaginative and geared toward to applied anthropology. Takes into account

the complexity of the issue as well as the culture. Limits of the solutions are acknowledged and synthesized with other points of view.    Specific solution to the crisis

is geared toward applied anthropology. Takes into account the complexity of the issue as well as the culture. Limits of the solutions are acknowledged and synthesized

with other points of view.    Specific solution to the crisis is not geared toward applied anthropology, but takes into account the complexity of the issue as well

as the culture. Limits of the solutions are acknowledged and synthesized with other points of view.    Specific solution to the crisis is stated, but is simplistic

and obvious.
Conclusions and related outcomes (implications and consequences)    Conclusions and solutions to the crisis are logical and reflect student’s informed evaluation

and ability to place evidence and perspectives discussed in priority order.    Conclusions and solutions to the crisis are logically tied to a range of information,

including opposing viewpoints; solutions are identified clearly.     Conclusions and solutions are logically tied to information because information is chosen to

fit the conclusion. Some related solutions are identified clearly.     Conclusions and solutions are inconsistently tied to some of the information discussed.

Solutions are oversimplified.

ANT 231 Cultures in Crisis Written Communication Rubric

Capstone
4    Milestone
3    Milestone
2    Benchmark
1
Context of and Purpose for Writing    Demonstrates a thorough understanding of context, audience, and purpose that is responsive to the research paper objectives and

focuses all elements of work.    Demonstrates adequate consideration of context, audience, and purpose that is responsive to the research paper objectives.

Demonstrates awareness of context, audience, and purpose that is responsive to the research paper objectives.    Demonstrates minimal attention to context, audience,

and purpose that is responsive to the research paper objectives (audience is instructor).
Content Development    Uses appropriate, relevant, and compelling content to illustrate mastery of applied anthropology, conveying the writer’s understanding and

shaping the research paper.    Uses appropriate, relevant, and compelling content to explore ideas within the context of anthropology shaping the research paper.

Uses appropriate and relevant content to develop and explore ideas throughout most of the research paper.    Uses appropriate and relevant content to develop simple

ideas in some parts of the research paper.
Genre and Disciplinary Conventions    Demonstrates detailed attention to and successful execution of organization, content, presentation, formatting, and stylistic

instructions.     Demonstrates consistent use of organization, content, presentation, formatting, and stylistic instructions.    Follows expectations for basic

organization, content, and presentation.    Attempts to use a consistent system for basic organization and presentation.
Sources and Evidence    Skillfully uses all required sources to develop ideas that are appropriate for anthropological writing.     Demonstrates consistent use of

all required sources to develop ideas that are appropriate for anthropological writing.    Attempts to use most required sources to support ideas that are appropriate for

anthropological writing.    Uses less than half of the required sources to support ideas in the writing.
Control of Syntax and Mechanics    Uses graceful language that skillfully communicates meaning to readers with clarity and fluency, and is virtually error-free.     Uses

straightforward language that generally conveys meaning to readers. The language has few errors.     Uses language that generally conveys meaning to readers with

clarity although writing may include some errors.     Uses language that sometimes impedes meaning because of errors in usage.

ANT 231 Cultures in Crisis Empirical and Quantitative Skills Rubric

Capstone
4    Milestone
3    Milestone
2    Benchmark
1
Interpretation    Provides accurate explanations of information presented in table and graph formats. Makes appropriate inferences about the crisis, and its trends,

based on that information.     Provides accurate explanations of information presented in table and graph formats.     Provides somewhat accurate explanations of

information presenting in table and graph formats, but occasionally makes minor errors related to data needed for the table and graph.     Attempts to explain information

presented in table and graph formats, but draws incorrect conclusions about what the information means.
Representation    Skillfully converts relevant information into a table and graph in a way that contributes to a further or deeper understanding.     Competently

converts relevant information into an appropriate table and graph.     Completes conversion of data into table and graph, but the resulting table does not adequately

reflect the crisis.     Completes conversion of data into table and graph, but uses the wrong dataset for the indicated crisis (e.g. uses livestock dead instead of

cms. of rainfall).
Calculation    Calculations of tabular and graphic data are essentially all successful and sufficiently comprehensive to support the crisis. Calculations are

presented clearly and concisely.      Calculations of tabular and graphic data are essentially all successful and sufficiently comprehensive to support the crisis.

Calculations attempted of tabular and graphic data are unsuccessful or represent only a portion of the calculations required to support the crisis.    Calculations

are attempted of tabular and graphic data are attempted, but resulting portrayal is inappropriate or inaccurate.
Application/Analysis    Uses the quantitative analysis of data as the basis for thoughtful judgments, drawing insightful, carefully qualified conclusions about the

crisis and its determining factors.     Uses the quantitative analysis of data as the basis for competent judgments, drawing reasonable and appropriately qualified

conclusions about the crisis and its determining factors.    Uses the quantitative analysis of data as the basis for basic judgments, drawing plausible conclusions

about the crisis and its determining factors.    Uses the quantitative analysis of data as the basis for tentative, basic judgments and is unsure about drawing

conclusions about the crisis and its determining factors.
Assumptions    Explicitly describes assumptions about crisis data and provides compelling rationale for why each assumption is appropriate. Shows awareness that

confidence in final conclusions is limited by the accuracy of the assumptions.    Explicitly describes assumptions about crisis data and provides compelling rationale

for why each assumption is appropriate.    Explicitly describes assumptions.    Attempts to describe assumptions.
Communication    Uses quantitative information in connection with the crisis, refers to the table and graph in the text, and describes data thoroughly.     Uses

quantitative information in connection with the crisis, though data may be present and described in a less than completely effective format or some parts of the

description may be uneven.    Uses quantitative information, but does not effectively connect it to the culture or crisis.     Presents an argument for which

quantitative data are pertinent, but does not connect the crisis to data.

ANT 231 Cultures in Crisis Social Responsibility and Global Awareness Rubric

Capstone
4    Milestone
3    Milestone
2    Benchmark
1
Cultural Self-Awareness    Articulates insights into own cultural, dominating cultural, and indigenous/at risk cultural biases.    Recognizes new perspectives about own

cultural, dominating cultural, and indigenous/ at risk cultural biases.    Identifies own cultural, dominating cultural, and indigenous/at risk cultural biases.     Shows

minimal awareness of own cultural, dominating cultural, and indigenous/at risk cultural biases.
Cultural worldview frameworks    Demonstrates sophisticated understanding of the complexity of elements important to the culture in crisis (history, values, politics,

etc.).      Demonstrates adequate understanding of the complexity of elements important to the culture in crisis (history, values, politics, etc.).    Demonstrates

partial understanding of the complexity of elements important to the culture in crisis (history, values, politics, etc.).    Demonstrates surface understanding of

the complexity of elements important to the culture in crisis (history, values, politics, etc.).
Empathy    Interprets intercultural experiences that have resulted in the crisis from the perspectives of own, dominating culture, and indigenous/at risk culture

worldviews and demonstrates ability to act in a culturally relative manner when providing a solution to the crisis.    Recognizes intellectual and emotional

dimensions of more than one worldview and sometimes uses more than one worldview in solution to crisis.     Identifies components of other cultural perspectives,

but solution to the crisis is from student’s worldview.     Views the experience of others, but does so through own cultural worldview.
Diversity of Communities and Cultures    Demonstrates evidence of adjustment in own attitudes and beliefs because of research of diverse cultures.     Reflects on how

own attitudes and beliefs are different from those of other cultures. Exhibits curiosity about what can be learned from other cultures.      Has awareness that own

attitudes and beliefs are different from those of other cultures. Exhibits little curiosity about what can be learned from other cultures.     Expresses attitudes and

beliefs as an individual. Is indifferent to learning about other cultures.
Curiosity    Poses complex questions about dominate and indigenous/at risk cultures and articulates answers to those questions that reflect multiple cultural

perspectives.     Asks deeper questions about dominate and indigenous/at risk cultures and seeks out answers to those questions.     Asks simple or surface questions about

other cultures.     States minimal interest in learning more about other cultures.
Openness
Suspends ethnocentrism.    Begins to suspend ethnocentrism.    Mostly open to other culture’s points of view, but has difficulty completely suspending

ethnocentrism.     Has difficulty suspending ethnocentrism and unaware of her/his own ethnocentrism.

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