Nation Reconciliation and
Reconstruction
Resources for the Concerned Activist
Section 5
Anthropology
The range of forms of social
organizations among non-primates,
primates, and humans, and the kinds of inherent motivation, exhibited
in various ways among diverse organizational forms, that must receive
attention in any planning for better ways of human interaction.
It may be helpful for future leaders to learn both the motivations and
behaviors that humans share with other primates (even though these
behaviors are generally modified by culture) and also study the
cultural
inventions of various cultures that provide alternative ways of
defusing some of the same potential conflicts. Other useful subjects
include non-verbal communications, language and its connection to
concepts and how we are able to think, etc. One thing we need to keep
clear on is the difference between the ostensible meaning or
significance of some cultural feature and the real function(s) it can
play in human interactions. For instance, cultures that have
doors or even tent flaps will establish the cultural
norm that one should knock or otherwise signal one's intention to
enter, and to wait for permission. In many situations abrupt entry
through a closed door may be immediately counteracted in a violent
way, so some way to negotiate this situation peacefully is always
found. However, cultures diverge strongly regarding the conditions under which may enter a closed door.
Like most other primates, humans originally lived in small families or
extended family groups. One of the modern day expressions of this
characteristic is that humans generally sort themselves out into
primary groups when they are immersed in a larger group. A small group
of people who interact closely can grow to around fifteen members, but
at around that point the group will begin to split into two groups,
perhaps of about equal size. These smaller groups then become the new
primary groups, and they may also grow and fission. Leaders who try to
arrange a population into, e.g., groups of twenty-five may discover
that these larger groups do not function as the leader envisioned they
would because they have split internally. When there is such a split,
the two primary groups may not easily find a single spokesman to
receive and convey information and directions to the leader. For
instance, in a group set up to contain twenty members, five members
might become somewhat isolated from the rest.
Human reproductive behavior is somewhere between that of Orangutans,
who live solitary lives except for brief mating encounters, and
Bonobos, who make sexual behavior a kind of social glue and extend it
over a wide range of partners and behaviors. By the rules of some
religions, and the laws of some nations, humans are required to be
monogamous and faithful. In practice these idealized role expectations
are often breached. Ego concerns frequently get involved when these
expectations are breached, resulting in crimes of violence and other
kinds of conflicts.
Books and other Documents:
Anthropology: A Beginner's Guide
by Joy Hendry and Simon Underdown [External Reviews]
The Third Chimpanzee: The Evolution
and Future of the Human Animal, by Jared M. Diamond [External Reviews]
Bowling Alone by Robert D.
Putnam [External Reviews]
A Cooperative Species: Human
Reciprocity and Its Evolution by Samuel Bowles [External Reviews]
Evolution of the Social Contract,
by Brian Skyrms [External Reviews]
Classics:
Anthropology and Modern Life
by Franz Boas [External Reviews]
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