Earth Watch Journal Questions

Earthwatch Institute Journal

Click on the Earthwatch Journal, explore the articles, and answer the critical thinking questions below.

The journal covers the main subfields of anthropology and addresses the number one question asked by students: "What can I do with anthropology today?"

Below, please find questions for further thought written specifically for each article in the Wadsworth issue of the Earthwatch Institute Journal. Your Instructor may assign the questions as homework or review them with you in class . . . or you may find that they spark ideas for a final paper or project!

Questions for Further Thought

The Accidental Empire

1. In order to survive, cultures must satisfy a host of basic human needs and drives. In this new “accidental empire,” what human drives and needs, if any, are being met? If the new culture of globalization is meeting these goals, how is doing it?
2. The article uses the Romans and Greeks to discuss the effects of blending similar cultures, and the Romans and the Celts for cultures of widely different structures. In today’s world, who do you see as the Romans, the Greeks, and the Celts? Who’s cultures are the modern day “Romans” conquering or changing? More important, which “conquered” cultures are transforming today’s “Romans?”
3. When radio, telephones, and television were emerging technologies, there were predictions that each would somehow transform people, and make us more and more alike. The same predictions are touted with the spread of the Internet and mass communication. What examples can you give to support the notion that mass communication is making people and cultures more similar? What examples can you give that support the idea that individual cultures will continue to thrive despite globalization?

Almost Indian

1. The indigenismo movement discussed in this article centered on the Quechua people of Cusco, yet it is not an entirely unique movement. What types of similar movements are you familiar with, perhaps even participate in? How are the goals of these groups similar to those of the indigenismo movement? How is the membership of these groups similar?
2. Dr. Penhall discusses the irony of this movement for the mestizos in Cusco—their social climb focused on distancing themselves from their Indian roots—who were now expected to be Indian to an acceptable point. Are similar ironies expressed in our culture today? Why would people who wish to promote particular cultures or cultural expressions put a limit on how much of that particular culture or trait they will accept?
3. As many traditional cultures become modernized, discussion inevitably focuses on preserving those cultures’ identities. With this article in mind, how, or should we go about preserving elements from changing cultures? As the article notes, should these cultures be preserved untouched, as quaint oddities, or re-made in some Western or modern image? Are there other alternatives?

The Clan of the Clam

1. Dr. Chester discusses a failed development project in his article, and then details how his project operated. Why was his project idea successful and sustainable? Why is respect for the community and letting the community make the decisions important?
2. Think about community-based programs you have participated in—a community garden, Habitat for Humanity, church or school project, food drive, clothing drive, etc. What elements of the program made it successful? Or, what elements of the program made it less than successful or made it fail?
3. You are a part of a planning group designing a community garden for a village on the U.S-Mexico border. What are some of the issues you will need to account for to make the project a viable, long-term success?

Buffalo and Thunder

1. Consider the island environment that Lyall Watson describes. Why would color seem to be a natural part of sound within this culture? Does our culture, or do you, fuse together elements like sound and color, emotion and color, emotion and sound, and the like?
2. Re-read the opening paragraphs. What features of this culture that Watson describes could explain why these people find sound and color a natural combination? Reading further, how about sound and light, or the ability to “see” someone or something from a distance?

A Loss for Words

1. Why is the loss of languages of concern for linguists and anthropologists? Should people be concerned about language loss? What impact on cultures does the loss of their traditional languages have on them?
2. Eliezer Ben Yehudah led the effort to revive Hebrew in the 19th century, and countless others have worked to revive other languages, too. In what ways are these revivals beneficial, and for whom? Further, draw upon the themes from Almost Indian and The Clan of the Clam. How can successful programs of language preservation be constructed and by who should they be led?
3. English has emerged as the predominate language of commerce. English borrows from other languages freely, and continues to grow. Thinking back to The Accidental Empire, in what ways is English becoming a “conqueror?” How is English being transformed by the “conquered” languages and cultures?

Brutes or Brothers?

1. Compare the four points of view presented. What themes are common in the experts’ presentations? Which themes are unique to each particular viewpoint?
2. What conclusions can you make concerning the fate of the Neanderthals? How were they like us, and how were they different? What do you believe was the cause for their disappearance?
3. Applying Dr. Ofer Bar-Yosef’s argument of viewing the Cro Magnons as an invading population, and some of the ideas from The Accidental Empire, how does the movement of Cro Magnons into Europe and the disappearance of the Neanderthals parallel empire building as you understand it?

One Thousand Years of Solitude

1. Dr. Chris Stevenson’s work on Easter Island has changed some of our notions on what life was like for it inhabitants. What are the main finds that Dr. Stevenson and others have found which give us a more complete picture of life on Easter Island?
2. How did the Rapanui adapt to the environment on Easter Island? How are these adaptations different from other Polynesian settlements? Can you think of other cultures which have made similar environmental adjustments?
3. What lessons can we draw from the rise and decline of Rapanuian culture? How important was the role of the environment? Their social structure? What importance do these features have in our culture?

One Weird Elephant

1. Compare this article to Brutes or Brothers? and One Thousand Years of Solitude. How does isolation affect the development of life? How does isolation affect the development of culture?
2. Nature provides us with a host of “weird” animals, or does it? In defining different species as “weird,” what factors are we looking at? Physical or cultural? How can our cultural definitions of “weird” be of help to us, and how can they be a hindrance?