an 371 essay exam review

8/13/2019 An 371 Essay Exam Review

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Question 1: ex: identity comes from group consciousness

Format: explain in detail these authors:

Cohen- symbolism- ritual (sectarian identity), kinship, how relationships within that are

political/economic, endogamy, custom and industry effects it, secularization, informal/formal

organization, descent, alliance, ritual beliefs, moral exclusiveness- fictive kinship in Ashura,

marriage rules, distinctiveness- power relationships (political and economic)

- industrial society works against kinship and religion

- maybe discuss Lebanon

Anderson - different - nationalism, historic come into being, religion replaced, monarchs

replaced, simultaneity, conscious outlooks (Enlightenment), novel in newspaper, economic

change, capitalism, print language, exclusion by language - ties to Barth, spread of education,

mobility, modernity

- moral consciousness

*Barth - interconnectedness of ethnic IDs, effected by exclusion, identities are products of

“ascriptions”, self -descriptive or ascribed identities, ascribed by people versus social institutions

(people involved over industry), inclusion/exclusion, Afghanistan Pashtun in certain cases....,

not fixed, very dynamic, Furs Pashtun example depending on the season, Protestant example in

certain circumstances, boundaries are the things fixed, identity is constructed BY the

differences, its the boundary that makes the identity, choosing ethnicity,

- ethnicity is fluid, but boundaries are fixed

- ethnic identity is created and maintained through relational processes of inclusion and

exclusion

Common factors: regardless of opinions, consciousness -->identity, ethnicities fit into

nationalism (nationalism is highest form), all very contextual, identity as fluid, boundaries as

fixed?, humans have agency

nationalism is acquired through pride, government control, discourse - tie with democracy (Arab

spring type of movements), powerful groups help repoduce them and keep power (Anderson),

patriotic discourse, interests, propaganda, language reinforcement

-change occurs when its called for the people and is taken over by powerful party

- exclusion/isolation

- ritual/religion

3 diff cases of exclusion that then relate to certain authors - organize below: Shi’ites,

Creoles, Black Kings - common factors: religion, ritual, lifestyle, language, exclusion



Creoles: in Anderson he says they come from liberal ideas of Enlightenment, similar to Barth, he

says it foreshadows modern racism bc of relationship btwn Spanish Empire, were one , of first

excluded communities

- Creole’s nation-ness “came from two factors 1) the tightening of Madrids control and the 2)

liberalizing ideas of the Enlightenment”

Untouchables in India:

Shi’ites: ritual/religion- expand

Black Kings (drug dealers): strategies of group organization

-Barth on boundaries (physical - drug trading areas in parking lot)

- power relationships (political-- voting for certain politicians and aldermans and economic--

entire drug business hierarchy)

Hausa: only trade with each other - form of exclusion (isolation)

Helpful authors: Professor White on Turkey, Cohen...

Turkey - it wasnt the excluded people that made an identity, it was the powerful people, told that

they need to separate from Islam, embrace secularization (great example of Anderson!)

Hezbollah -popular in Ashura ritual for saying you must embrace it - lets people have an identity

related to ethnic identity for Barth (boundaries), consciousness (Anderson)

Afghanistan - buzkashi - govt. made national game of it and they still stick with tribal game of it

(ethnic pride of culture)

-Barfield lecture about how they dont have a conversion story, been there for so long, justMuslim

-even in Afghan Star identify as “Afghans”, the voting on your phone relates to people you feel

connected to



Question 3:

1. Buzkashi for a game that relates to identity, reputation and power expressed in Afghanistan,

takes place on diff. levels***(expand) relates to how someone wins, controls, and identity in

REAL WORLD politics, metaphor for chaotic competition - like nationalism,

global factors: refugee buzkashi in Pakistan when Soviets took over, cancelled game for lack of

protection for american ambassador was really embarrassing for country, Soviet change of

horse control, privatized business, after 9/11 it changed again: modernism, now its just more

structured, rural areas dont really discuss that its still traditionally done,

2. Venkatesh - organized basketball games to settle, physical boundaries, national factors:

almost like refugees with boundaries, isolated community, example of dissident people not able

to adapt to life outside of the projects?, have own language, slang, own political structure

3. Ashura

-performance difference btwn Hezbollah, Sunnis/Shi’ites (blood letting)

-Hezbollah consciousness, symbolic vs. flatulation for Hussein’s death (grandson of prophet)

-Israel Invasion - when they crashed through (details) - p 66

-Israel as the enemy (modern incarnation of Yazid - chief commander of army against Hussein)

-Lebanon recitation of “every day is Ashura” and how it expands to Iran (national

communication)

-Karbala is the city (everywhere is Karbala)

an 371 essay exam review

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