Anthropology and sociology in China: A review article

Sociology and Socialism in Contemporary China. Wong Siu‐Lun. Routledge & Kegan Paul. London. 1979. xii + 147 pp. £5.75.

The Dilemma of a Chinese Intellectual. Fei Hsiao‐t'ung. James P. McGough. M.E. Sharpe, Inc., White Plains, N.Y. 1979. 159pp.     

Constructivism,sociology and the new genetics 1

In this paper it is argued that the social sciences, especially sociology, cannot afford to ignore the challenge that is coming from the new genetics. This will involve rethinking some of the epistemological assumptions of modernist social science, which has always assumed the separation of nature and society. The argument made in this article is that a qualified version of constructivism points to a possible opening within the sciences for a reorientation for sociology and in a way that the new genetics can be addressed in a serious way.     

Adult stature and age at menarche in Zapotec-speaking communities in the Valley of Oaxaca,Mexico, in a secular perspective

Adult stature and the age at menarche among individuals from Zapotec-speaking communities in the Valley of Oaxaca in southern Mexico are considered in a secular perspective. Four sets of observations are utilized: (1) adult stature in males and females from five rural communities; (2) age at menarche in adult women and school girls from a single rural community; (3) earlier studies of adult stature in the Valley of Oaxaca; and (4) estimated stature from long bones excavated in various archaeological sites in the Valley of Oaxaca. There were no significant differences among the five communities for stature; hence, the data were pooled for analysis and comparison. Results of linear regression of stature and stature adjusted for the estimated effects of aging after 30 years of age on year of birth indicate negligible secular changes in either sex. Comparisons with statures from earlier surveys, the earliest dates to 1899, also indicate negligible changes. When adult women are grouped according to age, there are no differences in mean ages at menarche between the older and younger women. Mean age at menarche for the total adult sample is 14.53 ± 0.08 years, which compares favorably with the probit estimate for school girls, 14.70 ± 0.32 years. These results thus suggest virtually no secular change in adult size and maturity of the Zapotec-speaking population in the Valley of Oaxaca over the past 80 years. Differences in stature between contemporary populations and estimated statures from long bones from several archaeological sites in Oaxaca are small, and thus suggests little secular change over the past one to two–thousand years.     

Keeping Biological Anthropology in Anthropology, and Anthropology in Biology

Considerable tension among the subfields has existed within the discipline of anthropology. As a result, some anthropology departments have splintered, and the hallmark "holistic approach" of anthropology has been considered more myth than reality. However, as promoted by the American Anthropological Association and the American Anthropologist for over one hundred years, enhancing the holistic nature of anthropology remains an important and necessary endeavor. This article provides an introduction to this special issue of the American Anthropologist , which focuses on the subfield of biological anthropology. Hopefully, as a result, increased connections among the subfields will be fostered, for the betterment of both biological anthropology and anthropology in general. The underlying theme of this article and the subtext for the entire special issue is clear: Biological anthropology needs anthropology, and anthropology needs biological anthropology. [Keywords: biological anthropology, subfields, four-field approach, holistic]     

Anthropology and style of life in middle age women

The anthropometric pattern, demographics data, lifestyle factors and several aspects of morbidity were analyzed for 400 Cuban women ages 40-60 years. More than 85% of women were obese, being these in direct association with morphology typically androgens, more evident in the postmenopausal women. In these women observed less body mass index and overweight, in an equivalent way between pre and postmenopausal women. A moderate consumption of rice, was evidenced, pastas and vegetables, few candies and fatty, what points to or quite acceptable knowledge of the harmful effect of some foods, to weigh that the shadowy use of saturated fats and not saturated it was the most frequent thing. By multifactor approach it is possible to make relation between nutritional patterns, morphology and climacteric symptoms; Cuban women present a different frequencies from an other literature showing the risk of generalist this studies and health's actions.     

Blogging Anthropology: Savage Minds, Zero Anthropology, and AAA Blogs

ABSTRACT  In this review essay, the academic merits of three anthropological blogs ("Savage Minds,""Zero Anthropology"[formerly "Open Anthropology"], and the official blog of the American Anthropological Association) are considered. The review examines differences between group-blog projects (such "Savage Minds"), single-voiced blogs (such as "Zero Anthropology"), and official blogs representing central anthropological institutions (the AAA's blog) and identifies roles and strengths of each of these blog forms.     

Physics,biology, and sociology: A reappraisal

To the extent that all biological phenomena are perceivable only through their physical manifestations, it may be justified to assume that all biological phenomena will be eventually represented in terms of physics; perhaps not of present day physics, but of some “extended” form of it. However, even if this should be correct, it must be kept in mind that representing individual biological phenomena in terms of physics is not the same as deducing from known physical laws the necessity of biological phenomena. Drawing an analogy from pure mathematics, it is possible that while every biological phenomenon may be represented in terms of physics, yet biological statements represent a class of “undecidable” statements within the framework of physics. Such a conjecture is reinforced by the history of physics itself and illustrated on several examples. The 19th century physicists tried in vain todeduce electromagnetic phenomena from mechanical ones. A similar situation may exist in regard to biological and social sciences. Quite generally, the possibility of representing a class B phenomena in terms of class A phenomena does not imply that the phenomena of class B can be deduced from those of class A. The consequences of the above on the relation between physics, biology, and sociology are studied. A tentative postulational formulation of basic biological principles are given and some consequences are discussed. It is pointed out that not only can the study of biological phenomena throw light on some physical phenomena, but that the study of social phenomena may be of value for the understanding of the structures and functions of living organisms. The possibility of a sort of “socionics” is indicated.     

Class,political power,and nationalism in Syria: a historical sociology of state-society relations

In the wake of the present crisis in the Middle East, this paper proposes to locate the processes of state formation and nation building within a larger historical context, recovering the historicity of the crisis. It records the rise and fall of a nationalist developmental project in Syria through an analysis of class relations. It highlights an essential continuity in the nature of class reproduction from the late Ottoman to the early independence period, centered on the conservative nationalism of the mercantile ruling bloc. It associates the rise of a national developmental project with the politicization of the “middle classes,” which occupied a central role in the state apparatus. This class represented the main driving force behind the expansion of the boundaries of political power and the process of nation building. It is the class polarization of society that fuelled the development of a nation-building project and favored the creation of a national populist alliance against the monopoly of traditional ruling classes. However, this alliance was short-lived, and the process of authoritarian demobilization that followed led to the resurgence of personal networks and the end of nation building.     

Fear of dogs in a community sample: Effects of age,gender and prior experience of canine aggression

Abstract

An investigation was conducted into human fear of dogs and experiences of canine aggression in an adult community sample (n = 292). Consistent with expectations, it was found that, while fear of dogs was relatively common (present in almost half the respondents), fear of dog attacks was less so, and extreme fear of dog attacks was very rare. Women, middle-aged and older adults were more likely to fear dogs than men and younger adults, while older people were more likely than younger ones to fear dog attacks. Reported encounters with canine aggression, particularly threatening behavior, were relatively common, but having been attacked by a dog was less strongly related to fear of dogs than having been threatened by a dog. Logistic regression analyses revealed that being female, having been threatened by a dog, and being older were strong predictors of dog-related fear, while being older and obtaining higher scores on a measure of trait anxiety predicted fear of dog attacks.     

Beyond blasphemy or devotion: art,the secular,and Catholicism in Paris

In this article I explore the relationship between the secular and ‘cultural’ Catholicism in France through the lens of a contemporary art exhibit displayed at a new project of the French Catholic Church. Visitors’ varied responses to the exhibit, I argue, ultimately reinforced the organizers’ claim that the activities that occur within this ‘non‐religious’ space of the French church are self‐evident aspects of a broadly recognizable and ‘secular’ French or European culture.