Human Identity and the Evolution of Societies

Human societies are examined as distinct and coherent groups. This trait is most parsimoniously considered a deeply rooted part of our ancestry rather than a recent cultural invention. Our species is the only vertebrate with society memberships of significantly more than 200. We accomplish this by using society-specific labels to identify members, in what I call an anonymous society. I propose that the human brain has evolved to permit not only the close relationships described by the social brain hypothesis, but also, at little mental cost, the anonymous societies within which such alliances are built. The human compulsion to discover or invent labels to “mark” group memberships may originally have been expressed in hominins as vocally learned greetings only slightly different in function from chimpanzee pant hoots (now known to be society-specific). The weight of evidence suggests that at some point, conceivably early in the hominin line, the distinct groups composed of several bands that were typical of our ancestors came to be distinguished by their members on the basis of multiple labels that were socially acquired in this way, the earliest of which would leave no trace in the archaeological record. Often overlooked as research subjects, these sizable fission-fusion communities, in recent egalitarian hunter-gatherers sometimes 2,000 strong, should consistently be accorded the status of societies, in the same sense that this word is used to describe tribes, chiefdoms, and other cultures arising later in our history. The capacity of hunter-gatherer societies to grow sufficiently populous that not all members necessarily recognize one another would make the transition to larger agricultural societies straightforward. Humans differ from chimpanzees in that societal labels are essential to the maintenance of societies and the processes giving birth to new ones. I propose that anonymous societies of all kinds can expand only so far as their labels can remain sufficiently stable.     

Race to the Finish: Identity and Governance in an Age of Genomics

Race to the Finish: Identity and Governance in an Age of Genomics . Jenny Reardon. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2005. 312 pp.     

Introduction: Expanding the Discourse on "Race"

In response to Mukhopadhyay and Moses's call for biological and cultural anthropologists to reestablish a dialogue on race, anthropologists from the four major subfields join colleagues from two allied disciplines to address the possible ways in which the anthropological discourse on race can become more holistic and amenable to the urgent needs and interests of the public. This essay offers an overview of the current resurgence of race-focused scholarship in anthropology, as well as a framework for an intertextual reading of the articles featured in this theme forum. Anthropologists' current conversation on race and racism is built on a rich legacy, elements of which are still being uncovered in gender- and racecognizant explorations of the discipline's past Despite the considerable hiatus since the last major juncture of race-centered debate and research, that legacy has recently inspired a promising upsurge of critical analysis which, if mobilized effectively, may contribute to the subversion of the often subtle cultural and structural logics of contemporary racism, as well as clear the ground for a new culture for multiracial democracy. Toward this end, anthropologists and others interested in using anthropological tools must cultivate more richly nuanced analyses and intervention strategies informed by insights emerging from the cross-fertilization of ideas from the various subfields along with such fields as human genetics and ethnic studies. Anthropology's unique role in interrogating, theorizing, and potentially disrupting the dynamics of racism may be dependent on understanding the conceptual and methodological significance of strategic intradisciplinary and interdisciplinary interfaces.     

Elusive Culture: Schooling, Race, and Identity in Global Times

Elusive Culture: Schooling, Race, and Identity in Global Times. Daniel A. Yon. New York: State University of New York Press, 2000. 175 pp.     

Reestablishing "Race" in Anthropological Discourse

Anthropology, despite its historic role in both creating and dismantling the American racial worldview, seems barely visible in contemporary scholarly and public discussions of "race." The authors argue that race should once again be central to anthropological inquiry, that cultural and physical anthropologists must jointly develop and publicly disseminate a unified, uniquely anthropological perspective. They suggest ways to proceed and identify internal barriers that must be overcome before the anthropological voice can be heard.     

Imagined Differences: Hatred and the Construction of Identity

Imagined Differences: Hatred and the Construction of Identity . Günther Schlee, ed. New York: Palgrave, 2002. 280 pp.     

Blacked Out: Dilemmas of Race, Identity, and Success at Capital High

Blacked Out: Dilemmas of Race, Identity, and Success at Capital High. Signithia Fordham. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996. 411 pp.     

Short Regions of Sequence Identity Between the Genomes of Bacteria and Human

The interaction between bacteria and human is still incomplete. With the recent availability of many microbial genomes and human genome, as well as the series of basic local alignment search tool (BLAST) programs, a new perspective to gain insight into the interaction between the bacteria and human is possible. This study is to determine the possibility of existence of sequence identity between the genomes of bacteria and human, and try to explain this phenomenon in term of bacteriophages and other genetic mobile elements. BLAST searches of the genomes of bacteria, bacteriophages, and plasmids against human genome were performed using the resources of the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). All studied bacteria contain variable numbers of short regions of sequence identity to the genome of human, which ranged from 27 to 84 nt. They were found at multiple sites within the human genome. The short regions of sequence identity existed between the genomes of bacteria and human, and a hypothesis that viruses, especially bacteriophages, might play a significant role in shaping the genomes of bacterial and human, and contribute to the short regions of sequence identity is developed.