Totem: The University of Western Ontario Journal of Anthropology

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Sun, 28 Apr 2013 08:53:44 PDT

Contemporary Mediumship: Anthropological Perspectives on the Long Island Medium

Rasha Darghawth — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 08:53:43 PDT

Bereavement following the loss of a loved one has and always will remain a panhuman constant. An increasingly popularized form of healing is asserting itself in the form of mediumship. This paper seeks to investigate contemporary forms of mediumship in North America through critical analysis of the TLC show, Long Island Medium. Rather than questioning the validity of such practices, it instead strives to deconstruct the symbolic healing system surrounding the medium. This healing system serves to assure cultural constructions of an afterlife while acknowledging the presence and ability of spirits gaining agency through after-death communication. Furthermore, this paper seeks to assert that mediumship can in fact draw the bereaved from the liminal state of mourning into active life once again.

Mothering from Afar: Conceptualizing Transnational Motherhood

Heather L. Millman — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 08:53:41 PDT

This paper explores the social, economic, and familial implications of transnational motherhood as experienced by women who leave their families behind in order to work internationally. In addressing the personal, sociocultural, and economic contexts which both motivate mothers to migrate for work, and emerge from their decision to do so, this article argues that motherhood is a relational concept, contingent upon social, cultural, and personal perceptions. In particular, it focuses on the experiences of transnational mothers in how they reveal the social, cultural, political, and economic structurings of the concept of motherhood. In doing so, this paper illustrates how motherhood is also a flexible concept, transforming based upon the particular situations within which mothers find themselves.

False Frontiers: Archaeology and the Myth of the Canadian Wilderness

Joshua Dent — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 08:53:40 PDT

Terra nullius provided a, now defunct, legal allowance for colonial activities in North America. No longer widely used, the concept persists in the widespread use of the term wilderness. Inferring that the Canadian landscape is largely unaltered, pathless, and without attached meaning, wilderness negates the creation and maintenance of Indigenous landscapes. The myth that much of the Canadian landscape consists of pristine and untouched wilderness is perpetuated by several aspects of Canadian society: the natural resource industry, environmentalists, wilderness tourism, and Canadian nationalism. Each of these areas benefits from or exploits in some way, the concept of wilderness. Archaeology, through decades of cultural resource management (CRM) survey, has populated the Canadian landscape with thousands of archaeological sites, which are only a representative fraction of past Indigenous activities. These sites extend well into areas publicly perceived as pristine wilderness. Using concepts from landscape archaeology, this paper addresses the absence of a continuum in perceiving the Canadian landscape and questions archaeology’s role in perpetuating rather than resolving this flaw.

Art as Affordance

Katherine Leduc Ms. — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 08:53:39 PDT

Abstract. – This paper examines art as a property as opposed to a noun, in an attempt to answer, or nullify, the question “what is art?”. It will examine the way in which objects, observers and artists relate to one another through their materiality, how this communication may be interpreted as a type of action, and how such an action illuminates the affordance of ‘art-ness’. Concluding this discussion I will address some potential problems with the art as affordance definition by contrasting it with some of the more dominant art theories.

Interpreting Stable Carbon and Nitrogen Isotope Ratios in Archaeological Remains: An Overview of the Processes Influencing the δ13C and δ15N Values of Type I Collagen

Alexander J. Leatherdale — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 08:53:38 PDT

The application of isotopic ratio mass spectrometry to archaeological science has produced many important contributions to the study and understanding of ancient human and animal populations. Paleodietary reconstruction through the analysis of stable isotope ratios in skeletal, dental, and soft tissue remains presents another avenue for interpreting the past. The methodology employed to obtain isotopic data from archaeological remains directly influences the types of questions that can be addressed and the interpretation of the data. Furthermore, there are fundamental idiosyncrasies of archaeological specimens and their ante- and post-mortem environments that may influence the results of an isotopic study. This paper explores the ways in which the stable isotopic signatures of carbon and nitrogen in type I collagen in archaeological bones and teeth are formed, modified, or destroyed throughout life and in the post-depositional environment. For a comprehensive review of the methodological and interpretive implications of paleodietary reconstruction using stable isotopic analysis, see Ambrose (1993).

Re-Thinking the Value of 20th-Century Archaeological Sites in Canada

Colleen Haukaas — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 08:53:37 PDT

Though archaeological sites dating to the 20^th century in Ontario are eligible for protection under the recently updated Standards and Guidelines for Consulting Archaeologists, many archaeologists do not consider them to valuable heritage resources. In academic archaeology in other parts of Canada, however, 20^th-century sites have proven to be useful in archaeological research in several ways. This paper will discuss how 20^th-century archaeological sites are investigated in Ontario, and then compare case studies from academic archaeology in the Yukon, British Columbia, and Newfoundland and Labrador where recent archaeological sites were found to be valuable to both archaeological research and to modern descendant communities. These case studies suggest that the attitudes and practices of consultant archaeologists may not be reflective of the potential value of 20^th-century archaeological sites in Ontario.

Mass Graves and the Politics of Reconciliation: Construction of Memorial Sites after the Srebrenica Massacre

Diana B. Kontsevaia — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 08:53:36 PDT

Burial is an integral part of reconciling with death. In this way, mortuary practices are made for the living; and the manner of death and burials continue to affect the politics of the living. Especially after collective traumatic events such as the Srebrenica massacre, reburials become central to the reconciliation process of the surviving communities. The process of reburial, however, also facilitates the claims that a particular territory is part of a specific, ethnic ‘homeland’. As reburials aim to forget the atrocities, they also commemorate them. Although reburial is one of the few ways of moving on after the death of a loved one, it simultaneously claims territory for the communities whose dead are buried there, potentially reigniting tensions in the future. Reburial allows communal reconciliation, but only for the community of the victims. For the community of the perpetrators, such a reburial only serves as a humiliation and inhibits harmony. Attempting to reconcile post-conflict multi-ethnic communities is thus impossible without understanding the profound effects that the community of the dead continues to play in the lives of the living.

Excavating Zion: Archaeology and Nation-making in Palestine/Israel

Peige Desjarlais — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 08:53:35 PDT

This paper demonstrates that archaeological discourse and practice in Palestine/Israel is intertwined with a nation-making project of settler colonialism that contains both spatial and temporal dimensions. This project primarily serves to invent a link between the ancient Israelite past and the modern Israeli state, presenting colonization as “return” to “the homeland” through familiar narratives of frontier settlement. This article proposes that Israeli archaeological practices not only help to reproduce these narratives, but also participate in the inscription of the national territory as Jewish, and the consequent dispossession of the Palestinians

Front Matter

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 08:53:34 PDT

Back Matter

Sun, 01 Jul 2012 18:01:33 PDT

The Shifting Phases of a Commodity: Textiles and Ethnic Tourism on a Lake Titicaca Island

Daniel Escobar López — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 18:01:32 PDT

The case study of the island of Taquile in the Peruvian part of Lake Titicaca will be used to explore how textiles functions as intermediaries for social interactions and change and how they respond to demands from ethnic tourism. By using theories of material culture, specifically the analytical approach of "the biography", I aim to shed light on the process by which some textiles in Taquile have passed from being the person’s “second skin” to a commodity responding to ethnic tourism. However, such a process, rather than being contradictory, expresses the capacity of Taquilean culture to adapt the local values to a monetary economy. Taquilean culture is also an agent in these encounters with tourism, impeding the complete commoditization of the textiles.

Power Relations and its Influence in the Sphere of Globalization since World War II

Colin P.T. Baillie — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 18:01:31 PDT

Although the movement of technology, information, ideas and money is not new, it has been influencing human social behaviour at an ever increasing rate by the process of globalization. Power relations in the form of a centre-periphery relationship, cultural homogenization and cultural hybridization are investigated to examine their impact on cultural exchange within the context of globalization. A centre-periphery relationship has arisen since World War II that places the United States of America at the centre and all other nation-states on the periphery. This relationship creates an unequal power dynamic that allows cultural phenomena to diffuse from the centre out to the periphery, thereby reinforcing particular ideas including capitalism and institutional development. A culture is said to be homogenized when it has become standardized around a common set of cultural traits. This process, also referred to as “Americanization”, allows for the manipulation of behaviour, an example being the use of American textbooks in Bahamian schools. The hybridization of cultures results from the incorporation of cultural elements into one’s own culture through some type of exchange. This structure of power supports the unequal exchange that no longer requires close spatiotemporal distance. Mbuti pygmies, for example, have dramatically changed the way they interact with their environment, opting instead for wage labour and the use of modern technology. Recognizing these processes that occur through unequal power relations has implications for marking cultural boundaries, ethnographic study and the destruction of particular elements of culture. Further research should focus on how power relations are benefiting or eroding the quality of life of individuals.

The Métis Nation Through Anderson's Lens

Randa Stringer — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 18:01:30 PDT

Throughout a history of struggle the Métis have continually fought to be recognized as a distinct nation. An interesting perspective from which to examine the Métis nationhood is the use of Benedict Anderson’s theory of a nation as an ‘imagined community’. Anderson’s criteria state that a nation must be limited, have sovereignty, and provide a sense of community. An examination of Métis history demonstrates their right to nationhood under this theory. Through exclusionary terminology, a unique language, and conditional acceptance, the Métis identity remains separate from that of others. Military and political actions throughout their history demonstrate their constant quest for sovereignty. Finally, a set of inherited and invented cultural traditions brings the Métis together as a community. It is clear that under Anderson’s theory, the unity of the Métis throughout their turbulent past qualifies them as a distinct nation.

Race, Power and Polemic: Whiteness in the Anthropology of Africa

Graham R. Fox — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 18:01:29 PDT

Anthropological writing both by whites on Africa and on whites in Africa demonstrates an ongoing regeneration of the other, not only through political or historical discourse but also through face-to-face encounters on Africa’s streets, in its workplaces, and elsewhere. Sub-Saharan Africa is home to many whites, many of whom struggle to ‘belong’ in places where their skin color carries significant symbolism and connotation. ‘Being’ white in Africa – whether as settler, expatriate, anthropologist etc. - involves the on-going challenge of negotiating one’s identity against a complex landscape of race and power. The purpose of this essay is to examine representations of ‘whiteness’ against that landscape. Contrasting connotations of whiteness in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya, I demonstrate how whiteness is problematized by a significant dissonance in its meaning.

A Brief History of the Anthropology of Sexuality, and Theory in the Field of Women’s Sex Work

Sophie A. Maksimowski — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 18:01:28 PDT

This article provides an overview of the historical development of theory in the Anthropology of Sexuality. Taking a Foucaultian perspective, the discourse on sexuality that emerged in the Victorian era will be critiqued as a constructed tool to ensure social and moral conformity. Discourse, particularly with respect to sexuality, has been a means to conscript bounded groups of people to serve historically defined goals in the production of knowledge. The application of discourse on sexuality in an attempts to understand the “primitive Other” will be contrasted to the discourses of sexuality applied to prostitution. Building on this knowledge and evolution of anthropology theory on sexuality, post-modern conceptualizations of sexuality, resistance, and social constructionism will be explored and applied to sex work in a contemporary female-bodied context.

Behavioural Changes in Parenting Female Mantled Howler Monkeys (Alouatta palliata)

Emma Cancelliere — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 18:01:26 PDT

Parenting in mantled howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata) requires a new set of energetic and behavioural demands. Because of constraints presented by the infant, as well as the increased energy requirements associated with mothering, parenting females need to change their activity patterns to ensure the successful upbringing of their offspring. This study of wild mantled howler monkeys was conducted to examine differences in activity between parenting and non-parenting adult females. Twenty two hours of continuous sampling on focal individuals was collected over the course of ten days in August at a study site in Nicaragua. It was found that the two groups do differ in their activity patterns: parenting females spent a larger percent of their time resting, feeding and interacting, but a lower percent of their time travelling when compared to non-parenting females. Further, it was found that parenting females engaged in scanning behaviours more frequently, and engaged in bridging (a locomotor behaviour) less frequently. These results suggest that parenting female mantled howler monkeys adopt an energy-minimizing activity pattern wherein the mothers compensate for their increased energetic requirements by only slightly increasing their food intake and instead drastically increasing the amount of time spent resting.

Diffuse Idiopathic Skeletal Hyperostosis and the Osteological Paradox

Andrea E. Bombak — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 18:01:25 PDT

Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) is of interest to bioarchaeologists due to its strong associations with male sex, increased age, and potential associations with obesity, related metabolic conditions, and high social status. However, these possible associations and DISH’s contested status as a pathologic condition raise issues concerning how DISH must be viewed through the lens of the osteological paradox, particularly relating to selective mortality and heterogeneity of frailty. This article explores these concerns by examining recent clinical and bioarchaeological research on the symptomatology, etiology, and epidemiology of DISH and examines how bioarchaeologists should approach the paleoepidemiological interpretation of DISH.

Tracing Our Lineage: Molecular Contributions to the Construction of the Human Phylogeny

Randa Stringer — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 18:01:24 PDT

One of the most novel and important contributions to biological anthropology in the last two decades has been the implementation of the techniques of molecular genetics to address some of the field’s fundamental debates. The ordering of the extant hominids into monophyletic clades has long been a source of contention, with human-chimpanzee, human-gorilla, and human-orangutan clades being proposed in various studies. An expanding genetic analysis culminating in over 20,000 sequence alignments of all extant hominids has shown that chimpanzees and humans form a monophyletic clade, the closest relative of which is the gorilla. Since the discovery of the first Neandertal specimens there has also been a sometimes vicious dichotomy between those that advocate interbreeding between modern humans and Neandertals (The Multiregional Continuity Model), and those who maintain that modern humans replaced all other hominids with absolutely no interbreeding (The Recent African Origin Model). Analysis of mitochondrial DNA accompanied by a draft sequence of the Neandertal nuclear genome has called into question the validity of both paradigms and promoted the emergence of a compromise in the form of The Partial Replacement Model. Finally, the debate on the division of the human species into geographic races has been raging for centuries. Genetic comparisons between populations demonstrate that the total amount of human variation is in fact very small and provides no basis for the concept of biologically distinct races. The contributions of molecular genetics to biological anthropology are inestimable and will only continue to increase as technological advances are made.

Yin and Yang: The Physical and the Symbolic in Chinese Medical Practices

Shilo h. McBurney Ms — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 18:01:23 PDT

Studying health practices within various present and past cultures is a valuable area of research, in part because they mark a point where the physical and the symbolic meet. Health practices serve a functional role by caring for the physical body, but they can also display various beliefs within cultures. In researching the multiple healing methods of a culture, it is important to question what values these practices have and what beliefs they represent for the culture, along with studying what physical needs they fulfill. How does the comprehension of medicine within a culture show the thought processes of people? This paper focuses on Chinese medicine, which is currently comprised of traditional techniques as well as modern medical care. By examining how the Chinese health system has changed over time, through diffusion from other cultures and self-growth, the shifting values and beliefs within Chinese society become apparent.