ANTHROPOLOGY 95A: Culture and Global Environmental Problems
FALL 2008
Study Questions
These questions are here to help you focus your reading strategy. As you read the article or chapter, look for the answers to these questions. For perspectives on reading, see my 'Reflections on How to Read Cultural Anthropology.'
Brown and Flavin, 'A New Economy for a New Century.'
What are the main challenges they see for us at the end of the century? (What do they mean by 'scale')?
Why has population grown in the last century?
What is the 'western model of growth' of which they speak?
What is their new vision of 'progress?'
Worster, 'The Vulnerable Earth: Toward a Planetary History'
Why is Columbus' discovery of the New World so important to understanding global environmental change?
What does Worster mean when he says 'planetary history has a history?'
What are the two forces that Worster sees as emerging in the world after Columbus discovered the New World?
According to Worster, what have been the main causes of environmental degradation in the world?
Would you say Worster is optimistic about the future of the environment?
Chapter 1, Global Problems and the Culture of Capitalism
What is 'consumption?'
What is a 'capitalist?' A 'laborer?' A 'consumer?'
According to Robbins, is the spread of capitalism inevitable? Why or why not?
According to Robbins, what are the central tenets of anthropology?
What is 'culture?'
How is Walt Disney World a 'sand painting?'
Milton, 'Anthropology, Culture, and Environmentalism'
According to Milton, what is the central dilemma of the social sciences in relation to environmentalism?
Why study environmentalism? What is it?
What is 'culture'?
According to Milton, how can cultural theory help us understand environmental issues and environmentalism?
Chapter 2, Social Theory and the Global Environment.
According to Benton, what is 'technological determinism,' and how has it related to the solutions for environmental problems? Why is it false?
What is reductionism? What is determinism?
How does one avoid reductionism?
What forces help determine the production of knowledge of nature?
What is 'naturalistic reducitonism?'
What does it mean to be 'oversocialized?'
Chapter 2, Global Problems and the Culture of Capitalism
What 5 items interact in the economics of capitalism? How?
What is the 'surplus value of labor?'
Why is this important to understanding how capitalism works?Why do people play the game of capitalism, presuming that they are free to accept or reject its terms?
What does he mean by the 'black box of capitalism?'
How is the labor force controlled?
How does the story of Rumpelstilskin help us understand the position of labor in capitalism?
Chapter 3, Global Problems and the Culture of Capitalism
What factors led to the 'industrial revolution?'
How did capitalist relations of production expand throughout the globe in the last century, and what effect did this have on laborers in Europe?
What is a 'multinational corporation' and how did it come about?
What is the 'Global Debt Crisis' and what are its causes?
Chapter 4, Global Problems and the Culture of Capitalism
What kind of control does a nation-state have over its citizens, and why?
What is the prospect of the 'nation-state' in an age of massive migrations?
Why does Robbins ask 'Will corporations rule the world?'
What does that say about 'nation-states?'
What is an NGO, and why are these so important to the future of the world?
Chapter 7, Global Problems and the Culture of Capitalism
How does the story of sugar explain the relationship between environment and capitalism?
What was driving the increase in sugar consumption in Europe?
What is the 'hamburger connection?'
Is it possible to raise cattle in a 'sustainable' way?
What was the substance of the report that Lawrence Summers wrote on pollution, and why did he argue what he did?
Chapters. 1-2, Breakfast of Biodiversity
Why are the 'banana connection' and 'hamburger connection' arguments flawed?
What is the general pattern of forest conversion in Costa Rica, according to these authors?
Why are Malthusian arguments and anti-capitalist arguments wrong in their understanding of why rain forest destruction happens and how to stop it?
Why are ideas like rain forest 'fragility' and 'stability' wrong?
By now, you should be up and going on your own, but if you have questions about reading, please see me...