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Wow! What a Cool Office!
The tinware on the shelf was made by John Ward, an Irish Traveller. The pieces represent the range of items tinsmiths could make, including buckets, graters, mugs, funnels, flour sieves, milk containers, and lanterns. In the past, itinerant tinsmiths traveled throughout the Irish countryside selling their tinware to farmers and small shops. They also repaired metal items. Before Travellers began moving to urban areas in the 1960s, some of their other main occupations included peddling, agricultural labor, horse dealing, fortune telling, and chimney sweeping. Families once traveled by foot or donkey cart and slept in tents. Later they adapted horse-drawn wagons and, beginning in the 1960s, took up vans and trailers. Today many Travellers collect scrap metal, deal in used auto parts and sell carpeting and other products from the roadside and door to door. Most families have settled in houses, on official campsites, or in trailers parked along the roadside. Although they share cultural features with Gypsies, Irish Travellers are indigenous to Ireland. They are one of the many native nomadic populations found in Europe and beyond. A few photographs of Irish Travellers are also hanging in the Anthropology Department. Professors Sharon and George Gmelch did much of their early research with Travellers, and Sharon Gmelch will be returning to Ireland next fall on a Fulbright fellowship to do more.
The carvings in the display case are a gift to Union from Dr. Robert Furman, Union Class of 1940. He was a close friend of the artist and ornithologist George Miksch Sutton. Dr. Furman received the figures after Sutton's death. George Sutton spent the year 1929 with the Aivilikmiut, the seal-hunting Eskimos of Southampton Island in Hudson Bay. He acquired most of the carvings during that time. Sutton wrote Eskimo Year (1936) which describes his experiences on Southampton. A copy of this book is housed in the rare book collection in Schaffer Library. More information about George Miksch Sutton can be found at this website: http://www.suttoncenter.org/george.html. The wall hangings were brought back from Fiji by Professors Brison and Leavitt, who conducted research and led seven students on a term abroad last Fall in Fiji. Known as "tapa" cloths, or "masi" in Fijian, the cloths are made from scraped tree bark, and are printed with stencils and ink. The patterns reflect the regional style of clans, villages, or islands. Tapa is often used in Fijian households to line the walls, or as a type of wallpaper. However, it has other uses. It is worn frequently during formal ceremonies. It is now used in weddings, funerals, and a child's first birthday among families without a chiefly lineage. During a formal wedding ceremony the bride and groom wear tapa outfits which their families exchange after the ceremony. In addition, tapa cloth is used in funerals, and is often buried with the deceased. Also displayed is a splendidly dressed puppet from Jaipur, India, which has a woman's face on one side and a warrior's face on the reverse. Prof. Motahar was good enough to contribute the puppet. Please feel free to stop by and visit anytime! News from the FacultyGeorge Gmelch is enjoying freedom from the responsibilities of chairing the Anthropology Department for the first time in seven years. Fall term he was occupied teaching two sections of the Introduction to Cultural Anthropology course, recovering from a back injury, and working on a new research project on the work of Caribbean tourism. During the summer, he enjoyed working with summer research fellow Hannah Gaw on a Caribbean tourism research project. He has also been putting the finishing touches on the baseball book, Inside Pitch: Life in Professional Baseball which is being published in February by Smithsonian Press.Prof. Ian Condry is busily working on his book manuscript about Japanese hip-hop. He is presenting preliminary sections of it at colloquia at Cornell University and at UC San Diego, as well as at national conferences for the Society for Ethnomusicology (Toronto) and for the American Anthropological Association (San Francisco). Thanks to a generous grant from Union College, Prof. Condry was able to update his research with a trip to Tokyo, Japan, this past summer. In particular, he is developing a new area by exploring the relationship between the mainstream "Japanese R&B" and the underground "Japanese hip-hop" scenes. He was also occupied fall term teaching Culture and Technology as well as Freshman Preceptorial. Stephen Leavitt recently had an article published in the journal Oceania titled "The Apotheosis of White Men?: A Reexamination of Beliefs about Europeans as Ancestral Spirits." During fall term he and Karen Brison presented the Union College Faculty Colloquium with a talk called: "`Our Wealth Is Loving Each Other' : Ethnic Identity and the Sociocentric Self in Fiji." Prof. Leavitt also taught the course Self and Life History. In addition, he and Prof. Brison are finishing their first term as directors of the Union Scholars Program. Sharon Gmelch recently wrote the entry article titled "Gypsies and Travellers" for the International Encyclopedia of Social and Behavioral Sciences. (The website is www.iesbs.com.) This summer she conducted research in the photographic archives of the National Anthropological Archives and the National Archives at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. During the winter break she will resume work on her book about photography and culture change among the Tlingit of Sitka, Alaska. This term she taught Visual Anthropology and The Museum: Theory and Practice and supervised senior theses. Karen Brison was occupied fall term with teaching Language and Culture as well as Diversity and Dialogue (Scholars Preceptorial). This was in addition to her role as a co-director of the Union Scholars Program, and her presentation to the Union College Faculty Colloquium on Ethnic Identity and Sociocentric Self in Fiji with Steve Leavitt. Linda Cool received a grant from the Mellon Foundation to continue her research on post retirement benefits. She was occupied fall term with teaching Approaches to Culture and Anthropology of Mediterranean Europe, and spent time working with research that she conducted over the summer. (See article following.)
Prof. Cool Gets Mellon GrantProf. Linda Cool recently received a grant from the Mellon Foundation to continue her research on post-retirement medical benefits. The grant will cover a two year period in which Prof. Cool will work with a team of experts to develop and arrange a plan to assist faculty and liberal arts institutions with insurance coverage and medical benefits for people who are retired, or planning for their retirement.Prof. Cool became involved in this particular study last year while working on a project funded by the Andrew Mellon Foundation. The project's purpose was to determine faculty attitude toward retirement at college. Forty-seven liberal arts colleges across the nation participated in the project, and retired faculty filled out surveys, as did faculty over the age of 65 who were still working. From these surveys, people were selected to be interviewed about the issues involved with retirement. Last spring, She was involved with the interviewing of the 231 people chosen, and a noticeable theme developed from the content of these interviews. When the Mellon Foundation invited Prof. Cool's team to present the preliminary results last June, they introduced a topic that was mentioned at nearly every college where faculty were interviewed. Many people were concerned with post retirement medical benefits, and whether the institution they worked for would provide medical assistance when they retired. Many institutions could not assist their retired faculty because of high insurance rates. This was a source of anxiety for those retirees who had depended on the college for medical assistance for a number of years. After presenting these results, the team asked the Mellon Foundation for a grant to continue their research. With the recent grant acquired from the Mellon Foundation, Prof. Cool hopes to find a way for colleges to assist retired faculty, and to format a plan that would help institutions and faculty save money for retirement. One idea that she will pursue is having many small liberal arts colleges pool together to negotiate cheaper coverage with medical providers. The first year of the project will be spent formulating a feasible plan. Once the team has a plan, they will use the grant to travel and discuss their ideas with institutions, faculty, and others in hopes of reaching the team's goal to make a difference in higher education.
Foley Named Albany Author of the Year
Denis Foley, an anthropology research adjunct at Union College, will be publishing a book in Spring 2001 titled Compulsion to Kill. Foley and his research were recently the subject of an article in the Albany Times Union about the dedication and hard work it took to finish this book. He also has the distinction of being named Albany Author of the Year, and a luncheon was held in his honor. Compulsion to Kill is the result of 20 years of research on convicted serial killer Lemuel Smith. Foley examined court transcripts, criminal files, and interviewed dozens of people including law enforcement officials, psychiatrists, former acquaintances, victims' relatives, and even Lemuel Smith himself. The book will be published by Diamond Rock Publishers in Albany.
Prof. Condry's Web ProjectProf. Condry would like people to be aware of several of hismultimedia projects, which offer real-time English and Japanese subtitles to a wide variety of Japanese popular music. They can be downloaded from his course web site:
http://www1.union.edu/~condryi/ctech/
By listening to the variety of music — rock, hip-hop, R&B, folk, children's music, traditional "enka", etc. — he hopes that people will be able to grasp some of the diversity of the Japanese people, and not be so easily swayed by stereotypical images of Japan.
Many Seniors have been hard at work on their thesis projects during Fall Term. Here are the topics, as well as a brief description of each student's project.
Amber Muller will be studying television and gender in India during awinter term abroad in Bombay. Brad Bartolomeo is analyzing graffiti as a culture that resists dominant ideas of art as well as challenging everyday notions of public and private space. He is considering ways of combining an ethnographic understanding of graffiti with a psychology of graffiti (His other major is psychology). Andy Spitz is exploring the various understandings of "authenticity" in blues music as a way of investigating the relationship between this music form and American notions of race, nationality, and gender. Amie Csiszer is currently on her term abroad in Kenya. In keeping with the long tradition of participant-observation within the field, she is researching her topic of local responses to the tourist industry. Kristi Centi is developing a project surrounding the extensive fan culture surrounding the music group Phish. These "phans" make pottery, patchwork clothes, and extensive web sites, and thereby show how popular culture is not merely used for passive consumption but can also be used for creating a larger community. Pete Jette will be studying people's responses to music. Basically, he is asking "What's in the music?" Why do people get lost in music, experiencing a sense of abandon, freedom, and ecstacy. He will be conducting participant observation research and interviews in addition to his literature review. Megan Lee will be looking at Italian-American ethnicity. Is it really in its "twilight" as some prominent researchers claim? Do members of each generation focus on different aspects of being Italian American (e.g., eating Italian food, observing Catholic rituals, belonging to Italian organizations)? To what extent are older ethnicities like Italian Americansand Irish Americans something that people invoke only on certain occasions and in certain contexts? Megan will be conducting a literature review and interviews with Italian Americans of both genders and different generations. Lena Jackson will be studying the impact of tourism on Hawaii, focusing on its social impact and the reaction of Native Hawaiians. She has already distributed a survey and conducted interviews in Hawaii and is now concentrating on her literature review and analyzing her data. The environmental and social impacts of tourism have been largely negative, especially from the perspective of Native Hawaiians. How has their culture been commodified for tourists? Michelle Nason is examining our cultural understanding of what it means to be a writer. To examine stereotypes and popular cultural beliefs about writing, Michelle will be designing a questionnaire and examining the images of writers in popular films. To learn what it like to be a writer, she will be interviewing six male and female writers (two unpublished, four published) and reading what writers have written about their lives and their craft. Missy Matusewicz is doing a cross-cultural study of aggression among elementary school children. She is examining the cultural patterning of "bullying," comparing the USA, Japan (where it is known as "ijime"), and England. Much of Missy's research will involve a literature review but she will also be conducting interviews with local teachers and may be able to do some interviewing by e-mail with educators in Japan and the UK. In addition, she conducted participant observation during the summer when she coached several soccer camps. Reuel Daniels is studying how indigenous peoples are using the internet. Examples include its use by women in less-developed nations to market their own handicrafts internationally, by groups in Central America to promote indigenous eco-tourism, and by other groups to aid in political mobilization and to gain international recognition and assistance in protecting their rights. She will draw on her experience with Cultural Survival, as well as case studies from Native Americans, Bangladesh, Mexico, and Australia. Most of her research will involve a literature review and an analysis of the websites of various groups. Apryle Pickering is studying adolescent pregnancy and the organizations addressing this problem in the Schenectady-Albany area. Apryle has been interviewing staff at such organizations as Girls, Inc., Birthright, Whitney M. Young Clinic, Planned Parenthood and the Alpha Center, and has been observing the ways these organizations interact with local teenagers.
E-mail Students in Fiji!How about trying some cross-cultural contact by emailing high school students in Fiji? Last spring Profs. Brison and Leavitt helped set up a new computer account in Fiji for Nakauvadra High School in Rakiraki. They told the principal that that they would set up some back-and-forth between Union students and his students there. The coup in May delayed setting up the actual internet account. Then last summer anthro. major Andy Spitz '01 returned to Rakiraki. He hooked up the high school's lone internet-ready computer. Principal Doge has since called Andy an "angel from heaven" because he arrived at just the right time to help out. Now we need some volunteers to start some contact with the high school students there. If it works well we may be able to advertise the communication across the campus. But we need your help as anthropology students. If you're interested, please email Prof. Leavitt at leavitts@union.edu. Lots of information on Fiji is available at our Fiji Web Site. We have Fiji student papers there and lots of interesting emails between the Fiji students and Prof. Condry's Introduction to Anthropology classes from last year. Thanks for your help! http://www.union.edu/PUBLIC/ANTDEPT/fiji99/
Letter from Fiji Bula Steve, Once again this is Doge from Nakauvadra. It has been long since we send each other letters. We are still waitng for some names of students from your University to have friends with some students in our school. Anyway I just want to inform you that our new computer Lab has been officially opened by the Tui Navitilevu on Friday 13th November 2000. A good crowd turned up for the ceremony because we were also having our PTA and the bose vanua on the same day. We have just purchased 6 computers from ITS. We now have our computer teacher and our computer classes will resume next week on Monday 16th November 2000. We will have two sessions of computer class, one from 8 am to 3.30 pm and another one starts from 5 pm to 7 pm.The afternoon class have a duration of seven weeks and that costs about $65 per student, and the morning class will take about one year costing about $45 per vocational student. That all what we need to inform you and we hope that we will receive some names from your University very soon. Moce Loloma from Nakauvadra. Letter to Prof. Leavitt from William Collier: Recently I was doing a google search on the web for informtion about Fiji politics, and I happened upon the website for Union's Anthropology Department. I was especially interested in, and very pleasantly surprised to find, the several student papers posted on the website. I have an avid interest in all things Fijian. I had the privilege of serving there from 1977 to 1981 as a Peace Corps volunteer, and I am married to a daughter of Fiji. My wife and I, and our two children, have been back to visit many times. I now work for the U.S. Department of Justice, and I had to take a moment today during my lunch break to compliment you and your students about the high quality of the research papers. The students learned an incredible amount about Fiji and its wonderful people in the relatively short time they spent in the country. Frankly, I was amazed how much they absorbed about life in the koro and the ethnic conflict that has sadly erupted again as a result of the May 19th coup.
Moce mada. Namaste. Anthro Degree Has Helped Union AlumGarrett Brown '99, a recent graduate of Union College, contributed the following article on how anthropology has helped him in the business world:
"IT Manager is not a likely profession for a recent college graduate with a major in anthropology. This type of position is saved for the engineers and the business and marketing majors of the world. IT Managers are people who did not have to explain to parents and inquiring family members how their chosen majors of study would apply to the "real world." How can a degree in anthropology lend itself to technology and business? As I have learned, quite well! "I began working on the shop floor sandblasting and cleaning motor parts for the Railroad Department of "Motor Corporation." As a good anthropologist, I took diligent field notes on what people were saying and how their times were being spent. It was clear that "Motor Corporation" was spending too much time on paperwork and having trouble keeping good records. All the workers expressed frustration as mistakes were being made and fingers were being pointed. "There was strong skepticism of a computer-based solution. Previous attempts by the company computer programmer had failed because the programmer had limited understanding of the workers' requirements, including time constraints, computer skills, customer demands, and internal politics. He also had limited understanding of the leadership structure and who really affected change in the department. Any solution he provided, no matter how sensible, failed because he did not know to whom to market the solution and what form that solution should take. "After spending six months performing different jobs within the Railroad Department, I collected my notes, drew up a paper-flow diagram, and wrote up a report detailing my experiences and the problems I had observed. When I had sufficient data, I submitted the completed report to my supervisor detailing a computer solution for achieving higher efficiencies, better reporting, and fewer mistakes. "Anthropology has given me the skills for dealing with all aspects of my life, including such things as seemingly remote as technology and business. I have gained the knowledge necessary to observe and record experiences and place them within a framework that provides for a fruitful explanation of phenomena. It has also allowed me to express my experiences in constructive ways, through writing and in the way I approach people and different social situations. Ultimately, the database solution I proposed was able to satisfy the record keeping needs and time constraints of both the customers and workers while providing for the complicated dynamics of the Railroad Department group culture."
Here's What We're Planning
Beginning in the next issue of the newsletter, we will be featuring a book review column called "Good Reads." This column will feature books that would be enjoyable reading for those interested in anthropology. Each issue we will select a few books to recommend. If you've recently read a book that you just couldn't put down and would like to share with our readers, please send us a copy or the dustjacket with your comments about why you liked the book. We'll feature books as space permits. Also, we would like to feature a column about what anthropology graduates are doing now. If you have news to send us, you can email it to us at ludked@union.edu or snail-mail it to Deborah Ludke, Union College Department of Anthropology, Social Science Building Room 216, Schenectady, N.Y. 12308. (Sorry, we can't take news over the phone.) Include news about your work, your family, special interests and hobbies and ways in which your anthropology degree from Union has helped you. We will feature your news on a space-permitting basis. From the ChairBy Prof. Stephen Leavitt
This term caps a year of growth and change for our department. After moving into our new, luxurious office space last year, we now welcome two more people. Linda Cool has returned from a year of research leave and will now, for the first time, be teaching full-time in our department. Prof. Cool brings much-needed new courses and provides valuable experience and expertise as a full professor and former senior administrator. Deborah Ludke joined our department this year as administrative assistant to both the Anthropology Department and the Union Scholars Program. She previously was class notes editor for Union College's magazine and the media relations assistant for Union College's Office of Communications. We are delighted to welcome both of them. It's important to mention, also, our student aides. Hannah Gaw'03, who was with us for the fall term is leaving Union to pursue a journalism degree. Apryle Pickering'01 and Amanda Haag'04 did an excellent job this term. We appreciate their enthusiastic support. I also want to thank our colleagues, Eshi Motahar (Economics) and Sharon Gmelch, especially, for overseeing the design of our central office space. Amanda Haag has done a great job with her first issue of this newsletter. There's lots to see and do in anthropology these days!
The Anthropology newsletter is published 3x a year - once each term. |
