Exam 12: Politics and Power

In the 1950s,Jim Crow laws in many parts of the United States created a kind of "caste system" of legal inequality.White Americans and black Americans had to live by different and inherently unfair rules,and members of the civil rights movement held protests,sit-ins,and marches to oppose this legal inequality that eventually resulted in the Civil Rights Act,which eliminated much of the legal inequality in the country.This is an example of a

In Egypt,people view the decisions of the official Egyptian Personal Status courts with great suspicion,and they often turn to the traditional Al Azhar Fatwa Council for guidance on important matters of daily life,even though their decisions are not legally binding.The Fatwa Council is an example of

Hunting and gathering peoples developed a successful adaptation that promoted generosity,altruism,and sharing while resisting upstarts,aggression,and egoism,something that could only be sustained through

Earlier anthropological analysis considered small-scale human groups in comparative isolation.Today,however,it is clear that bands,tribes,and chiefdoms must all function

A local nongovernmental organization (NGO)that challenges state policies and uneven development and advocates for resources and opportunities for members of its local communities is known as a(n)

In the United States,most Americans believe that jobs and status in society should be based on ability and achievement.It is considered inappropriate to gain high government office for being someone's wife,brother,or cousin.Hiring family members who may not be qualified for a position is known as nepotism and considered a serious abuse of power.This belief,which prevents Americans from favoring family members over other people who are more qualified,is an example of what concept?

Describe the concept of agency and how it works,and give an example that illustrates this concept.

In a brief essay,compare and contrast the concept of power,in general,with state power,and give an example of each.

The political structure of all modern countries includes a central government that ideally exercises complete political,military,and economic control of its territory and functions as a

The debate continues over whether human beings are naturally peaceful or violent.Discuss the possible foundations of human violence and the evidence presented,and evaluate the author's conclusion.

The development and organization of states such as Iraq through the colonial policies of Britain and France rather than the "will of the people" that live in those states creates many conflicts today.This makes these states the focus of

It has sometimes been suggested that violence is endemic to all primates and a consequence of social relations.Recent studies of other nonhuman primates have revealed that

Anthropologist Carolyn Nordstrom works in war zones to describe the real and messy experiences of war.In her account,an individual health care provider in Mozambique,targeted by the military forces that terrorize local villages,manages to hide and survive until they have moved through the area.The provider then worked to help others.Discuss how this contradicts common notions of war.How do survivors of war push back against military force? How does Nordstrom's work directly challenge the long legacy of western philosophers who argue that human nature is innately violent?

Describe the concept of hegemony,what it does,and how it works.Provide an example.

Foragers move over a particular territory and form small,kin-based groups that constantly break up and reform in response to conflicts,and are a form of highly decentralized

Describe militarization and its effects on a society.How does it relate to the construction of war and soldiers?

Our own experiences with the state through encounters with institutions such as the police or airport customs lend credence to the idea of the state as a collection of institutions and structures,but as political anthropologists,we can understand the state as

Many nongovernmental organizations (NGOs),sometimes referred to as civil society organizations,have been powerful voices against the exercise of state power.While these organizations are made up of many individuals,in the actions they take,they can be seen as exercising

The economically efficient strategy of cooperative gathering,coordinated hunting,and reciprocal sharing of resources while resisting hierarchy and domination that sustained human beings through most of our existence is a strategy that strongly values

As he worked to glorify Germany's history and military past,to demonize minorities and enemies,and to promote ideas of his Third Reich,or empire,Adolf Hitler began to prepare Germany for the domination of Europe,which led to the Second World War,through the creation of a huge military and promotion of paramilitary organizations such as the Hitler Youth.This is an example of