SASci 2008 Index of Presenters and Abstracts

Society For Anthropological Sciences (SASci)


Le Pavillon Hotel, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.A.

February 20-23, 2008


Thomas Abel (Tzu Chi U), tabel@mail.tcu.edu.tw; THE NEW SYNTHESIS HARDENS: IS THERE ANOTHER PATH TO A SCIENCE OF THE SOCIAL?, (Panel: Evolution of Culture; Thur 8:20-10) Current trends in cultural evolutionary anthropology are commonly said to include dual inheritance theory, human behavioral ecology and evolutionary psychology. Each builds on neo-Darwinian theory, and each reinforces the other in what could be called a new evolutionary synthesis of culture and society. The synthesis is the new standard for scientific cultural anthropology. However, recent evolutionary research into “positive interactions” can be taken together with theory and method from ecosystems and complex systems science to argue that genetical evolutionary theory should be located within an expanded synthesis. A key to an expanded evolutionary synthesis is energy and the self-organization that it engenders in systems at multiple scales. These issues will be explored as they relate to the long tradition of cultural evolution in anthropology and to cultural anthropology generally. It will be shown that functional explanations continue to be a pervasiv

Thomas Abel (Tzu Chi U), tabel@mail.tcu.edu.tw; PANELIST, (Panel: Evolutionism in Cultural Anthropology; Thur 10:30-12:10)

Gene Anderson (UC Riverside), gene@ucr.edu; INTERACTIONS, HEURISTICS, AND FEELINGS: EXPANDING COGNITIVE ANTHROPOLOGY, (Panel: The Future of Cognitive Anthropology 1; Fri 8:20-10) Recent findings in psychology, critically turning on the work of Antonio and Hannah Damasio (Antonio Damasio: Descartes’ Error, 1994), has shown that humans do not and normally cannot separate cognition and emotion when processing information and making plans. This adds to earlier findings on emotional thinking, and also on heuristics and biases in information processing. These new findings have transformed at least some sectors of sociology, psychology, and economics, and have begun to influence anthropology (e.g. Kay Milton: Loving Nature, 2002). The present paper argues that cognitive anthropology, to progress and regain its lead, must take serious account of the new paradigm. Examples from Maya agriculture, Northwest Coast and California Native American worldviews, and Chinese forestry will be adduced as evidence

Alan Beals (UC Riverside), abeals@earthlink.net; LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN INDIA, (Panel: Local Politics: What Mix of Structure, Morality, and concern Enables It to Work Well and How Does Its Working Affect National Politics 2; Sat 10:30-12:10) Fertile fields dotted with contented cows and happy farmers are an important part of the propaganda image of almost any government. Local self-government is cheap and leaves high ranking government officials free to carry out wars and other major projects. In India, Pancayat Raj, the independent village community, has always been a high ideal. Both colonial and modern governments have attempted to restore Pancayat Raj, which got disrupted in the old days, with pretty disappointing results. Similar problems have arisen elsewhere.

Deepak Behera (Sambalpur U), deepakbehera@hotmail.com; Kathryn Harris, ; THE NATURE OF CHILDHOOD IN THE MULTI-CLASS, MULTI-ETHNIC, DIVERSE ECONOMY OF ORISSA, (Panel: The Elastic Nature of Childhood; Fri 1:30-4:30) The eastern state of Orissa is one of India's most diverse, both culturally and economically. There are heavy industrial enclaves and cities are home to high tech IT services. In rural areas one finds intensely cultivated rice paddies and, in the isolated and "neglected" interior, hill tribe communities pursue traditional subsistence practices. The length of childhood—as a period of dependency—varies dramatically among these communities. In tribal enclaves, the transition from childhood is marked by greater autonomy as youth move into coed "dormitories." In rural areas dominated by rice cultivation, caste determines the length of childhood—extremely brief where the poverty attendant on low status demands "precocity." In urban areas, caste divisions are mirrored by social class and young workers (beedi) must survive by their wits as they are invisible to welfare authorities. But even privileged urban children are experiencing a curtailed childhood as parents push them academically to enhance their chances for success in the emergent information economy

Andrea Bender (U Freiburg), bender@psychologie.uni-freiburg.de; DO THE LIMITS OF COUNTING LIMIT NUMERICAL COGNITION?, (Panel: The Future of Cognitive Anthropology 2; Fri 1:30-4:30) Do the limits of counting limit numerical cognition? Short or object-specific counting sequences in a language are often regarded as early steps in the evolution from pre-mathematical conceptions to greater abstraction and as cognitively deficient. Here, we examine some of the instances from Melanesia and Polynesia that are occasionally referred to, in order to show that neither assumption holds categorically. The linguistic origins reveal that both short and object-specific sequences originated from the same extensive and abstract sequence. Furthermore, an analysis of the cognitive properties and cultural context of the specific sequences reveals cognitive advantages when calculating without notation.

Andrea Bender (U Freiburg), bender@psychologie.uni-freiburg.de; Giovanni Bennardo, ; SPACE AND TIME IN THE TONGA, GERMANY AND US, (Panel: The Future of Cognitive Anthropology 3; Fri 1:30-4:30) Space and time in Tonga, Germany, and the US. Languages and cultures differ with regard to the frames of reference (FoR) they prefer for spatial descriptions. Time is often conceptualized in spatial terms, but how close is this conceptual link? Does the FoR preferred for space also help to organize time? Based on a conceptual analysis enabling us to map spatial FoR onto temporal relations, we established cultural preferences for temporal FoR in Germany, Tonga, and the US. The results indicate three entirely different cultural patterns; in all three cultures, however, temporal frames are preferred analogous to spatial FoR, thus indicating a rather strong link between the two domains.

Giovanni Bennardo (Northern Illinois U), bennardo@niu.edu; CULTURAL MODELS: THE LANGUAGE OF CULTURE, (Panel: The Future of Cognitive Anthropology 3; Fri 10:30-12:10) I start with a very brief presentation of a research project in which ethnographic, linguistic, cognitive, and social network data was used to arrive at the discovery of a foundational cultural model in Polynesia. At the same time, I introduce the role that cultural models play in the human cognitive architecture. I then elaborate on the metaphor of cultural models as the language of culture. Finally, I discuss the implications of the described project for cognitive anthropology and close with few guidelines for the possible future of the discipline.

Kathi Beratan (NC State U), kkberata@ncsu.edu; "GETTING THERE FROM HERE" - CAN WE DELIBERATELY FOSTER CULTURAL CHANGE FOR THE COMMON GOOD?, (Panel: Local Politics: What Mix of Structure, Morality, and concern Enables It to Work Well and How Does Its Working Affect National Politics 1; Sat 8:20-10) Park’s question “How do you reform a political culture?” can be reframed as “How can we influence processes of emergence?” Humans and their surroundings are interlinked into multi-scale complex adaptive systems, characterized by enormous uncertainty and constant change. Innumerable intertwined processes of emergence surround us, including politics and cultural change. Is it possible to deliberately shift the trajectory of complex social-ecological systems? If so, how? I will discuss the important contributions of Anthropology to this new research focus, drawing illustrative examples of critical concepts from an integrative strategic planning project in an 11-county region surrounding Ft. Bragg in North Carolina.

Elise Berman (Cornell U), eberman@uchicago.edu; IT'S A 'HEART-BITER': HOW K'ICHE' MAYA CHILDREN MEDIATE ADULT SOCIAL INTERACTIONS, (Panel: The Elastic Nature of Childhood; Fri 1:30-4:30) The K’iche’ Maya of Santa Catarina Ixtahuacan, Guatemala, believe that an emotion they call ‘bitten hearts’ causes people to act harmfully toward one another. Evading other’s ‘bitten hearts’ requires concealing one’s possessions, a feat that in turn entails the immoral act of speaking falsely. Children, however, can say falsehoods that adults cannot because adults do not see children as principals of harmful words. In this way, children have the pragmatic power to buffer malicious feelings between adults. Consequently, K’iche’ children play a central role in creating, maintaining, and changing adult social personae, making them crucial players in adult social interactions

Russ Bernard (U Florida), ufruss@ufl.edu; DISCUSSANT, (Panel: Uses of Cognitive Anthropology Methods in Medical Anthropology Research 1; Sat 8:20-10)

Russ Bernard (U Florida), ufruss@ufl.edu; DISCUSSANT, (Panel: Uses of Cognitive Anthropology Methods in Medical Anthropology Research 2; Sat 10:30-12:10)

Ben Blount (UT Austin), benjamin.blount@utsa.edu; COGNITIVE MODELS AS METHODOLOGICAL TOOLS: USE IN QUESTIONNAIRE SURVEYS, (Panel: The Future of Cognitive Anthropology 3; Fri 1:30-4:30) Residents of the six coastal counties of Georgia (USA) used fresh water availability as a concept to characterize their communities only after 1996, when salt-water intrusions into the supply aquifer were discovered. To document emergent community views on water, two questionnaire surveys were conducted, in 1997-1998 and again in 2003-2004. The first survey showed that community perspectives followed lines of economic development. The second survey indicated that coastal residents had developed a cognitive model of water management based on quality of life issues.

Nana Yaw Boaitey (UC Berkeley), nanayaw@cal.berkeley.edu; WRITINGS ON THE FEELINGS OF THE LEWD AND HOMELY: AURAL COMPETENCE AND A GENEALOGY OF CIVIL SOCIETY IN TAMIL NADU, (Panel: Language and Culture; Thur 8:20-10) The discipline of cultural anthropology emerged at the turn of the 20th century, clearly breaking with the predeliction of describing idiosyncrasies, by mapping aspirations (Boaz, Malinowski, Levi-Strauss): what people do is knowable by understanding what people are trying to do. This essay on language looks at how a very specific aspiration, the desire for aural competence, motivates the practice of civil society in Tamil Nadu, India.

Chris Boehm (U Southern California), cboehm1@msn.com; FEMALE HUNTING IN HUMAN EVOLUTION, (Panel: Evolution of Culture; Thur 8:20-10) It takes at least five cooperating hunters make large game consumption viable in terms of averaging meat intake among families. Noss and Hewlett’s crosscultural survey shows females hunting large game in forager societies from Asia, Africa, and South America, and it is hypothesized that in facing stressful Pleistocene climatic vagaries, females may have undertaken hunting when bands were decimated. Additional data from Greenland Inuit are produced, to show that when the number of male hunters falls below this optimum, females may become full time killers of large game.

Adam Boyette (Washington State U), ahboyette@gmail.com; MALE REPRODUCTIVE STRATEGIES: AN ANALYSIS OF REARING ENVIRONMENT EFFECTS ON PATERNAL INVESTMENT, (Panel: Issues in Humans as Cooperative Breeders; Thur 1:30-4:00) Recently I found that divorce in the rearing environment increases a male’s hazard of earlier first sex and first birth compared to males whose parents did not divorce, and it is positively correlated with male’s number of sex partners. These results supported my hypotheses, which were based on similar research on females. Here I present an analysis of a related hypothesis, also derived from life history theory: Divorce in a male’s rearing environment will correlate negatively with measures of paternal investment. Results will be discussed in terms of social niche construction and cooperative breeding models of parenting.

Merry Bruns (Center for Anthropology and Science Communications), mbruns@nasw.org; NAMING THE SOURCES: ANTHROPOLOGISTS IDENTIFIED IN SCIENCE MEDIA, (Panel: Anthropology and the Larger World; Thur 8:20-10) Media often refer to anthropologists interviewed for stories only as "an expert" or "a scientist," without specifically referring to what branch of science the anthropologist belongs to. But referring to anthropologist sources only as "experts" denies the public the opportunity to understand what anthropologists do and the variety of fields they work in. In this paper, I will discuss the constraints that sometimes force media to shorten their references, and offer suggestions to ensure that ones work as an anthropologist is properly identifed

Michael Burton (UC Irvine), mlburton@uci.edu; FOOD PRODUCTION, CONSUMPTION, AND TRANSFERS IN YAP AND KOSRAE, (Panel: The Individual and the Group; Fri 8:20-10:00) Social change in Micronesia has brought greatly increased consumption of imported foods. We will present comparative multivariate analyses of the prevalence of local and imported foods across households in Yap and Kosrae, using multi-level data on household composition and resources, individual characteristics, attributes of communities and states, food consumption and transfers, and food-related work. We will discuss methodological issues in collecting and analyzing these kinds of multi-level comparative data as well as substantive findings concerning the role of food transfers among households.

Ben Campbell (UW Milwaukee), campbelb@uwm.edu; ADHD IN CROSS-CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE, (Panel: Biocultural Studies; Fri 10:30-12:10) ADHD, the most commonly diagnosed psychological condition of childhood is receiving increasing global attention. Yet, despite claims that ADHD is either a trait selected for among hunter-gathers or a wholly culturally constructed category, anthropologists have made little contribution to research on ADHD. Here we suggest that ADHD reflects the extreme expression of increased activity and impulsivity linked to the DRD4 dopamine gene and dating to ca. 50,000 ypb. Such traits may be beneficial in food limited groups. We discuss how to test this hypothesis in a pastoral nomadic population.

Robert Carneiro (Museum Of Natural History), carneiro@amnh.org; DISCUSSANT, (Panel: Evolutionism in Cultural Anthropology; Thur 10:30-12:10)

Douglas Caulkins (Grinnell College), caulkins@grinnell.edu; CROSS-CULTURAL RESEARCH AS PART OF A MULTI-METHOD STRATEGY, (Panel: From Ethnography to Ethnology and Back Again; Thur 1:30-4:00) Earlier I used the concepts of cultural clines and edges to describe degrees of sameness and difference between spatial areas of similar cultural content, supplementing F. Barth' s emphasis on indigenous boundary-constructing political activities. In current research on Celtic diasporas, using consensus analysis of a series of narratives from lived experience, we develop methods for establishing the degree of clinal variation between the mother cultures and the diaspora communities. Two Celtic cultures, Ireland and Wales and their diasporas are used to illustrate both the clines of similarities and the 'edges' of difference in which the alleged identity has little cultural similarity

Douglas Caulkins (Grinnell College), caulkins@grinnell.edu; PANELIST, (Panel: The Irrelevance of Anthropology; Sat 1:30-3:30)

Kristen E Cheney (U Dayton), cheneyke@notes.udayton.edu; CHILDREN OR REBELS? A RE-EXAMINATION OF 'NORMATIVE' CHILDHOOD IN WAR-TORN NORTHERN UGANDA, (Panel: The Elastic Nature of Childhood; Fri 1:30-4:30) What does it mean to be a child in a war zone? This paper will re-examine the ‘normative’ models of childhood that circulate in northern Ugandan child soldier rehabilitation programs. Often based on Western notions of childhood as an idyllic period of innocence, these normative models can complicate war-affected children’s processes of recovery from trauma in Acholiland, where about 30,000 children have been forcibly abducted and made to commit atrocities by the rebel Lord’s Resistance Army. In particular, I will critique the concept of ‘rehabilitation’ employed by aid and relief organizations: How does it falsely inform aid workers and community members about children’s character, culpability, and competence? I argue that use of certain normative childhood models by international aid organizations forces war-affected children to also adopt these models in order to regain community acceptance, thus recirculating concepts of childhood culturally inappropriate and therefore unhelpful in accounting for the realities of children’s experience throughout 20 years of civil war in the region.

Garry Chick (Penn State U), gchick@psu.edu; OBJECTIVE QUESTIONS, PROJECTIVE QUESTIONS, AND CULTURAL EXPERTISE., (Panel: From Ethnography to Ethnology and Back Again; Thur 1:30-4:00) Consideration of intracultural variation naturally leads to interest in differences between those who differ in expertise in cultural domains. In this study, 21 expert machinists and 21 non-machinists ranked 10 lathe-produced parts in terms of eight different qualities. These ranged from a relatively objective quality (complexity) to a highly projective quality (value as a lucky charm). Cultural consensus analyses showed that machinists judged the parts consistently across the eight qualities while non-machinists agreed on complexity but diverged as the qualities became more projective.

Garry Chick (Penn State U), gchick@psu.edu; PANELIST, (Panel: The Irrelevance of Anthropology; Sat 1:30-3:30)

Ted Cloak (Independent Scholar, Albuquerque), tcloak@unm.edu; PANELIST, (Panel: Evolutionism in Cultural Anthropology; Thur 10:30-12:10)

Ted Cloak (Independent Scholar, Albuquerque), tcloak@unm.edu; HOW DOES ID WORK? TWO NEGLECTED ARGUMENTS AGAINST INTELLIGENT DESIGN CREATIONISM, (Panel: Anthropology and the Larger World; Thur 8:20-10) I will argue: 1) that science is concerned with how things and processes work, and ID proponents can’t or won’t explain how ID works; and 2) that intelligent design (by humans and other animals) actually works, as Donald T. Campbell taught us, by blind variation and selective retention.

Alyssa Crittendon (UC San Diego), acritten@ucsd.edu; COOPERATIVE CARE AMONG THE HADZA FORAGERS OF TANZANIA, (Panel: Issues in Humans as Cooperative Breeders; Thur 1:30-4:00) Three hypotheses are argued to be primary motivators for providing allomaternal care: nepotism, learning to mother, and reciprocity. Using observations on Hadza hunter-gatherers, the percentage of time holding children is used to explore each hypothesis. Related allomothers hold most frequently and the higher the degree of relatedness among kin, the more time an individual holds. Unrelated helpers also provide care, which could be motivated by in-kind reciprocity, not-in-kind trade, learning to mother, or coercion. Each motivation is evaluated to determine whether or not the amount of allomaternal care among the Hadza justifies calling them cooperative breeders.

Victor de Munck (SUNY New Paltz), demunckv@newpaltz.edu; A NEW METHOD FOR ETHNOGRAPIC-ETHNOLOGICAL DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS, (Panel: From Ethnography to Ethnology and Back Again; Thur 1:30-4:00) Frames, static and processual models of courtship cross-culturally and individually. A new method is described for analyzing the prototypical progression of courtship in Lithuania and the U.S. The methodology can be used to analyze individual, cultural and cross cultural prototypes and variations thereof. Method, theory, cross-cultural, individual, prototype.

Victor de Munck (SUNY New Paltz), demunckv@newpaltz.edu; SIZING UP CULTURAL MODEL APPROACHES, (Panel: The Future of Cognitive Anthropology 3; Fri 10:30-12:10) Musings on the properties of cultural models and their relation to self and social structure. I explore the question why no one has come up with a cultural model, even though they are supposed to be simple. Or at least no one has said "here is a cultural model of "eating ice cream" with everyone saying, "yes of course that's it." One problem is that we have yet to agree on exactly the function of a cultural model and what the essential properties of a cultural model are. A second problem minimally explored is that we try either to pack too much into a cultural model thus reifying it, or too little which leads to the question "who constructs the cultural model and what are they good for?

Patricia Draper (U Nebraska), pdraper1@unl.edu; DISCUSSANT, (Panel: Issues in Humans as Cooperative Breeders; Thur 1:30-4:00)

William Dressler (U Alabama), wdressle@tenhoor.as.ua.edu; A LONGITUDINAL STUDY OF GENES, CULTURE, AND DEPRESSION IN URBAN BRAZIL, (Panel: Biocultural Studies; Fri 10:30-12:10) Stressful Life events and cultural consonance in family life (the correspondence between individuals' perceptions of their families and cultural models of the family) are independent predictors of deptressive symptoms in a Brazilian community. Here the moderating effect of the gene for a receptor for serotonin is examined. For individuals with the A/A variant of the -1438G/a Polymorphism of the 2A serotonin receptor, stressful life events and cultural consonance in family life have stronger effects on depressive symptoms over a 2-year period than for individuals with other variants of the gene. the implications of these results for biocultural theory are discussed.

Frank Elwell (Rogers State U), FElwell@rsu.edu; PANELIST, (Panel: Evolutionism in cultural anthropology; Thur 10:30-12:10)

Carol Ember (Human Relations Area Files), carol.Ember@yale.edu; PANELIST, (Panel: The Irrelevance of Anthropology; Sat 1:30-3:30)

Melvin Ember (Human Relations Area FIles), melvin.ember@yale.edu; Carol Ember, ; CROSS-CULTURAL RESEARCH AS PART OF A MULTI-METHOD STRATEGY, (Panel: From Ethnography to Ethnology and Back Again; Thur 1:30-4:00) Most systematic researchers tend to specialize in particular methods. But multiple methods are preferable for maximizing validity. We describe emprical results that illustrate the ways that worldwide cross-cultural research can and should be integrated with other research strategies to test general understandings of cultural variation and evolution. Our empirical examples include relationships between art styles and sociopolitical structure, father absence and hypermasculinity, resource unpredicatability and war frequency, and climate and sonority in language. We can supplement and extend thses results to other sources of data: linguistic, individual behavioral variation, projective tests and interviews, historical records and comparisons using archeological indicators.

Melvin Ember (Human Relations Area Files), melvin.ember@yale.edu; PANELIST, (Panel: The Irrelevance of Anthropology; Sat 1:30-3:30)

Michelle Fiedler (Washington State U), mfiedler@wsu.edu; MIXING IT UP: EVOLUTIONARY APPROACHES TO LANGUAGE SHIFT IN CAJUN LOUISIANA, (Panel: Language and Culture; Thur 8:20-10) I explore the relationship between language and cultural identity by examining how evolutionary anthropological approaches to language loss apply to the Cajuns of Louisiana. I propose an integrative, heuristic method to examine language loss that utilizes major evolutionary perspectives, together with traditional approaches to linguistics. Analysis of historical, ethnographic and linguistic information concerning Cajun communities in Southern Louisiana allow for the development of workable hypotheses to explain the relationship between language shift and ethnic identity.

Michael Fischer (U Kent Canterbury), M.D.Fischer@ukc.ac.uk; WORKSHOP - KINSHIP ANALYSIS EXPERT SYSTEM, (Panel: Workshop - Kinship Analysis Expert System; Thur 4:30-5:30)

Michael Fischer (U Kent Canterbury), M.D.Fischer@ukc.ac.uk; UNITY AND DIVERSITY IN THE COMMUNITY OF MINDS: EXO-COGNITION AND CULTURAL CHANGE IN URBAN PAKISTAN., (Panel: The Future of Cognitive Anthropology 3; Fri 10:30-12:10) Expanding on longitudinal research in urban Pakistan, I relate some of the consequences of diversity and change in South Asian social and cultural systems with respect to economic development and technical innovation. In particular, how inter-cultural and intra-cultural diversity interact not only in adapting to change but in shaping change to conform to emerging areas of consensus within diverse communities and groups.

John Gatewood (Lehigh U), jbg1@Lehigh.EDU; CONJOINING CULTURAL MODELS AND CONSENSUS ANALYSIS: VARIATIONS IN RESIDENTS' UNDERSTANDINGS OF TOURISM IN THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS, (Panel: The Future of Cognitive Anthropology 3; Fri 10:30-12:10) Culture is both conservative and a source of innovation. Cultural symbol systems are not an analogue of an external world - they are effective drivers for how people relate to, adapt to and modify the external relations within which they are embedded. Symbol systems physically impact the world, not just our conceptions of it. Culture in most of its manifestations relates to a system of activities and resources that support humans embedded within a common social context. Anthropologists generally conceptualize societies as groups composed of individuals who coordinate in a holistic distributed manner through elaborated social behavior and shared patterns of values and knowledge. The inclusion of behavioral criteria and ideational systems expands the role of theory in understanding the human-mediated world.

Nick Gessler (UC Los Angeles), gessler@ucla.edu; PANELIST, (Panel: The Future of Cognitive Anthropology 2; Fri 1:30-4:30)

Peter Gray (UN Las Vegas), peter.gray@unlv.eduu; HORMONAL CORRELATES OF PATERNAL INTERACTIONS: A HOSPITAL-BASED INVESTIGATION IN URBAN JAMAICA., (Panel: Biocultural Studies; Fri 10:30-12:10) To investigate the hormonal correlates of paternal interactions, we recruited 43 urban Jamaican men (single men, “coresidential” fathers, “visiting” fathers) aged 18-38. Subjects participate in a research protocol entailing hormone measurements before and after a 20 minute behavioral session during which single men sat alone and fathers interacted with their partner and youngest child. Results revealed lower testosterone levels among fathers, differences in prolactin profiles between single men and fathers, and vasopressin levels were negatively correlated with the age of a man’s youngest child. No differences between cortisol or oxytocin were observed. We discuss these findings from biocultural perspectives.

Dawn Grimes-MacLellan (Saint Mary's U), dawn.maclellan@smu.ca; LISTEN WITH YOUR EYES: DEVELOPING RESEARCH METHODS FOR JAPANESE ADOLESCENTS, (Panel: The Elastic Nature of Childhood; Fri 1:30-4:30) Eliciting data from adolescents can be challenging, but often not for reasons researchers frequently assume. Though less experienced than adults with such methods as question-and-answer interviews, adolescents are not incapable of thoughtfully relating their experiences and perspectives when elicited through developmentally-appropriate techniques. Reflecting on three years of fieldwork, this paper discusses the development of research methods in situ that draws on adolescent interests to create comfortable spaces that enable them to take the lead in the research process and allow rich discussions to emerge.

Edward Hagen (Washington State U), hagen@vancouver.wsu.edu; THE IMPACT OF ADOLESCENT SHUAR WOMEN ON THE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF SIBLINGS, (Panel: Issues in Humans as Cooperative Breeders; Thur 1:30-4:00) Among humans, alloparents are usually thought to be grandmothers and adolescent girls. Many studies have examined the impact of grandmothers on various child outcomes, but fewer have explored the impact of adolescents on the growth, development, and survivorship of their younger siblings. Using child growth and nutrition as proxies for fitness, we tested the assumption that, in a community of Ecuadorian Shuar hunter-horticulturalists, adolescent girls would have a positive impact on the growth and development of their younger siblings. We measured height, weight, and skinfold thicknesses of 85 children and young adults, and computed their body mass indices (BMI). Contrary to predictions, regression models of the age-standardized variables showed adolescent girls had a strong, significant negative impact on child growth and nutrition. The age-standardized BMI of children with a least one adolescent sister was about o

Kimberly Hedrick (UC Riverside), kimberley.hedrick@email.ucr.edu; LOCAL LEVEL CONFLICT AND NATIONAL RANGELAND POLICY, (Panel: The Future of Cognitive Anthropology 2; Fri 1:30-4:30) Local level politics plays a huge role in range management, and in many communities, there is a seemingly inexhaustible progression of meetings to resolve courses of action, typically compromises between ranchers and environmentalists. Based on ethnographic field work, I examine the decision-making process of ranchers with regards to attending such meetings, and their perceptions on how they relate to national policy-making. I conclude with exploring some of the primary problems with current policy and how these relate to compromises made at the local level.

Barry Hewlett (Washington State U), hewlett@vancouver.wsu.edu; WOMEN WHO BREASTFEED OTHER WOMEN'S CHILDREN, (Panel: Issues in Humans as Cooperative Breeders; Thur 1:30-4:00) Aka forager and Ngandu farmer infants are breastfed by women other than mother; eight percent of the time, on average, for Aka infants and two percent of the time for Ngandu infants. This paper tries to answer the following questions: How are these women related to mother? Do post-menopausal grandmothers breastfeed? What are the contexts (e.g., infant fussy, mother absent, mother ill, caregiver desire?) of non-maternal breastfeeding? How do infants respond to non-maternal breastfeeding? Data are based upon infant focal follows of 20 Aka and 20 Ngandu 3-4 month-olds and 20 Aka and 20 Ngandu 9-10 month-olds.

Barry Hewlett (Washington State U), hewlett@vancouver.wsu.edu; PANELIST, (Panel: The Irrelevance of Anthropology; Sat 1:30-3:30)

Margo-Lea Hurwicz (U Missouri St Louis), hurwicz@umsl.edu; FROM FREE LIST TO CONSENSUS: EXPLANATORY MODELS OF LATE LIFE ILLNESS, (Panel: Uses of Cognitive Anthropology Methods in Medical Anthropology Research 2; Sat 10:30-12:10) This paper describes procedures, developed over the course of several research projects, to elicit and validate shared explanatory models of late life illnesses. Consensus analyses of free-listed model elements are used to establish a tentative model for each illness in each group. Recognition tasks (card sort into sentences, agree/disagree with sentences) are used to collect validation data systematically. Shared models are confirmed, also using consensus analysis. Examples from research establishing the domain of late life illness in a Medicare population; comparing patient and physician models of arthritis; and comparing black caregiver, white caregiver and noncargiver models of Alzheimer’s are given.

Madelyn Iris (Northwestern U), micki.iris@cje.net; A MIXED-METHOD APPROACH TO UNDERSTANDING CULTURAL DIFFERENCES IN BELIEFS ABOUT ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE IN THREE CULTURAL GROUPS, (Panel: Uses of Cognitive Anthropology Methods in Medical Anthropology Research 2; Sat 10:30-12:10) Lack of information about how culture shapes beliefs about aging and Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a serious impediment to the development of interventions and services that address the needs of specific ethnic and cultural groups. In particular, previous research has failed to account for intra-group variability. This paper reports on a multi-method approach to exploring such variability, combining interviews, consensus modeling, standardized assessments, and surveys, to generate culturally defined models of aging, memory loss, and AD in three cultural groups: African Americans, Hispanics, and refugees from the Former Soviet Union. Analysis includes thematic content analysis, consensus analysis, and descriptive statistics

William Irons (Northwestern U), w-irons@northwestern.edu; WHY PEOPLE BELIEVE (WHAT OTHER PEOPLE SEE AS) CRAZY IDEAS, (Panel: Evolution of Culture; Thur 8:20-10) This brief note suggests a theoretical explanation of a conspicuous feature of religion: contra-empirical beliefs. This idea is offered as a refinement of the commitment theory of religion which suggests that religion has served in human evolution as both a commitment device and hard-to-fake signal of commitment. As such, religion functioned to establish reciprocal altruism and social cohesion. This function was especially valuable because inter-groups competition was the main driving force in recent human evolution.

WIlliam Irons (Northwestern U), w-irons@northwestern.edu; PANELIST, (Panel: Evolutionism in Cultural Anthropology; Thur 10:30-12:10)

Bill Jankowiak (UN Las Vegas), jankowiak@spamarrest.com; PANELIST, (Panel: The Irrelevance of Anthropology; Sat 1:30-3:30)

Eric C Jones (UNC Greensboro), ecojones@uncg.edu; Arthur Murphy, ; Linda Whiteford, ; Graham Tobin, ; AJ Faas, ; Isabel Pérez-Vargas, ; USING SOCIAL NETWORK ANALYSIS TO UNDERSTAND CLASS RELATIONS IN AN AGRICULTURAL VILLAGE IN MEXICO, (Panel: Anthropology and Social Network Analysis; Thur 10:30-12:10) Labor sharing is a way for farmers to acquire necessary labor without income. However, inequality in labor sharing leads to a variety of possible unequal economic arrangements. Within personal networks we looked at whom was offered work, and which of those people offered work to the egos. Analysis of the patterns of relations for 60 networks show that the development and maintenance of inequality occurs through the accumulation of everyday work relationships, many of which are indirect.

David Kronenfeld (UC Riverside), david.kronenfeld@ucr.edu; THEORY, RELEVANCE, METHODS, AND THE FUTURE OF COGNITIVE ANTHROPOLOGY, (Panel: The Future of Cognitive Anthropology 1; Fri 8:20-10) Cognitive anthropology must develop across a coordinated front. No one researcher or project will include it all, but research should be constructed so that others can contribute the missing components. I illustrate these components with recent work. They include, for the given research, a) theoretically plausible views of cognitive functioning, b) relevant social, economic, ecological, political, etc. theory, c) descriptive and analytic methodology aimed not at inductive generalization but at refinement and/or evaluation of relevant theory, d) topical problems that speak to important theoretical or practical anthropological problems, and e) an approach that contributes to basic issues in cognitive sciences.

David Kronenfeld (UC Riverside), david.kronenfeld@ucr.edu; DISCUSSANT, (Panel: Local Politics: What Mix of Structure, Morality, and concern Enables It to Work Well and How Does Its Working Affect National Politics 1; Sat 8:20-10)

Laura Krueger (UNC Greensboro), lekruege@uncg.edu; Sarah Post, ; Eric C Jones, ; Arthur Murphy, ; Linda Jencson, ; MENTAL HEALTH AND POST-DISASTER SOCIAL SUPPORT ON THE NORTH CAROLINA COAST, (Panel: Anthropology and Social Network Analysis; Thur 10:30-12:10) Social support, ranging from emotional to informational to material, can be an important factor in post-disaster mental health. However, it is largely unknown whether the structure of that social support plays a role in mitigating psychological problems. We interviewed twenty-four people about their mental health, plus support provided by personal networks within the three years following the hurricanes. Close-knit personal networks appeared to be associated with poorer mental health, while more open networks are associated with fewer symptoms.

David Lancy (Utah State U), lancy@cc.usu.edu; FOLK THEORIES OF INTELLIGENCE: WHEN SHOULD TEACHING BEGIN, (Panel: The Elastic Nature of Childhood; Fri 1:30-4:30) In the US, the powerful, the well-funded "Zero to Three" movement exists to promote the idea that successful maturation into adulthood requires intense training that begins at birth. This movement—drawing its empirical justification from neuroscience—places the onus on parents to play a sophisticated teaching role, complete with a rich array of instructional materials and techniques. By contrast, Ifaluk islanders believe that the infant's lack of speech and self-regulation render it incapable of benefiting from instruction much before the age of 6 when it finally displays signs of repiy or intelligence. These extremes reveal the enormous variability that exists in folk theories of intelligence, its nature, onset and relationship to teachability. The paper discusses this variability and concludes with a consideration of how such folk theories impact the child's experience with formal education

Murray Leaf (UT Dallas), mjleaf@utdallas.edu; WORKSHOP - KINSHIP ANALYSIS EXPERT SYSTEM, (Panel: Workshop - Kinship Analysis Expert System; Thur 4:30-5:30) KAES (Kinship Analysis Expert System) is a program developed by Dwight Read and Michael Fischer for the analysis of kinship terminologies. It begins with a process that replicates field elicitation and can yield a large number of different types of analytical conclusions, most hardly conceivable previously. I will describe how to elicit terminologies cleanly in the field by doing an elicitation with those present, and describe how to input the information into KAES. Michael will describe how KAES works and what kinds of analyses it can produce. We will then both participate in a general discussion of what this means for social theory and social science in general. Essentially, it lets us see the formal order inherent in kinship terminologies in way that has never previously been visible, making it clear (among other things) why kinship is in fact universal among human communities. If Dwight can join us, he will concentrate more on the mathematics and, again, what his means for the general theory.

Kris Lehman (UI Urbana-Champagne), f-lehman@uiuc.edu; CAN COGNITIVE ANTHROPOLOGY THROW LIGHT ON PROBLEMS OF GENERAL ANTHROPOLOGICAL THEORY?, (Panel: The Future of Cognitive Anthropology 1; Fri 8:20-10) The future of Cognitive Anthropology depends on its capacity to resolve problems in cultural theory. My first example is the problem of ethnic ‘authenticity’ in China. My second, largely about method, comes from literature on Southeast Asia concerning relations with ancestors. This is about the relation between what people say and what they think. This brings together my own work and the recent literature on Vietnam. My ultimate focus is the matter of a cognitive perspective on the question of cultural universals, but unlike, say, Brad Shore on psychic unity, I argue that culture theory must be about the class of possible cultures

Kris Lehman (UI Urbana-Champagne), f-lehman@uiuc.edu; PANELIST, (Panel: The Irrelevance of Anthropology; Sat 1:30-3:30)

Shane MacFarlane (Washington State U), smacfarlan@wsu.edu; Robert Quinlan, ; AN EMPIRICAL MEASURE OF THE EFFECT OF SOCIAL STRUCTURE ON ECONOMIC REASONING IN A DOMINICAN VILLAGE., (Panel: Issues in Humans as Cooperative Breeders; Thur 1:30-4:00) This paper shows the direction and effect size of social structure on economic reasoning through an economic experiment. The Ultimatum Game (UG) was implemented in a kin-based, rural Dominican village to determine how one’s unique social position affects cultural models of fairness. Results show sex-specific effects of kin on economic reasoning. Number of brothers is positively associated with men’s and negatively associated with women’s proposals in the UG. We interpret the effect of brothers on men’s proposals as a consequence of local competition among brothers and speculate that daughter-biased parental care creates a sense of entitlement among women with brothers.

Kateryna Maltseva (U Connecticut), kateryna.maltseva@uconn.edu; COLLECTIVE VALUES AND VALUES OF COLLECTIVITIES, (Panel: The Individual and the Group; Fri 8:20-10:00) The present study tests the qualitative distinctions between individual and collective values in a society’s value profile. In two studies conducted in 2006-2007 at the University of Connecticut and in Kiev, Ukraine, ratings for individual and collective values, psychological and demographic variables were obtained. Convergent and discriminant validity for individual and collective values was demonstrated. In demographic analysis, higher degree of endorsement of collective value scales was found to be strongly affected by “parental” variables (parental education level, degree of parental investment etc.) but independent from “personal” variables (age, gender, birth order etc.). The tendency was opposite for individual values.

Courtney Meehan (Washington State U), cmeehan@wsu.edu; THE EVOLUTIONARY SIGNIFICANCE OF COOPERATIVE CHILD REARING, (Panel: Issues in Humans as Cooperative Breeders; Thur 1:30-4:00) Throughout our evolutionary history, females gave birth to highly dependent offspring, while maintaining high fertility levels. Evidence from small-scale societies suggests it would be impposible for mothers to raise multiple dependent young withouth the assistance of additional caregivers. The current emphasis on grandmothers and fathers as the essential contributors may have overestimated their signifcance, while obscuring the contributions of others. I examince the significance of a network of caregivers on infants andmothers amng two cooperative child-rearing societies, the Aka foragers and the Ngandu farmers in central Africa.

Carol Moore (The Open University), cjm@camits.co.uk; POWER, POLITICAL DISCOURSE AND THE DEH CHO DENE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS, (Panel: Local Politics: What Mix of Structure, Morality, and concern Enables It to Work Well and How Does Its Working Affect National Politics 1; Sat 8:20-10) Land settlement and self-determination are important issues that dominate contemporary indigenous politics world-wide. The focus of this presentation is on oral narratives and the subtleties of political discourse amongst the Deh Cho Dene indigenous group situated in the circumpolar region of northern Canada. I argue that their discourse is multilayered and complex and closely connected to their social lives. Moral principles expressed in oral narrative are often rooted in perceptions of the land, and these also find expression in the political process, as in the claim to territorial land. These provide the basis for consensus decision-making by reinforcing Deh Cho Dene values and strengthening the political position.

Robert Moore (Rollins College), rmoore@rollins.edu; ROMANTIC LOVE IN 1950S RURAL CHINA: REPRESSED, SUPPRESSED OR SIMPLY NOT THERE?, (Panel: From Ethnography to Ethnology and Back Again; Thur 1:30-4:00) Ethnographic interviews conducted with villagers living in the Beijing area who got married between 1940 and 1965 reveal that, even after arranged marriages were outlawed by the Communist Party in 1950, parental authority continued to dominate spouse selection for years. A striking feature of the arranged marriage scenario described by villagers in their 70s and 80s is a reluctance to acknowledge any notions concerning romantic love among those of marriageable age, or even, in some cases, on the verge of marriage, ca. 1950. If romantic impulses are universal, an explanation for the absence of thoughts of love, or at least the absence of any admission that such thoughts existed is called for. Furthermore, an explanation for the absence of such thoughts or their acknowledgment should help bridge the gap between the powerful evidence for romantic love's universality, and those widely reported cases (such as here among the peasants of 1940s and 50s China) where love does not seem to be on the minds of the marriageable young. Romantic folk stories and boy-girl relations within children's play groups provide evidence that may help solve this contradiction.

Robert Moore (Rollins College), rmoore@rollins.edu; SLANG, COGNITION AND SOCIAL STRUCTURE, (Panel: The Future of Cognitive Anthropology 2; Fri 1:30-4:30) Slang has been identified as a form of speech that differs from others by virtue of its informality accompanied by a feature of defiance toward established institutions. A cross-cultural comparison of slang usage in China and the U.S. offers evidence that slang might best be understood in light of a Durkheimian model of social organization. This interpretation of slang suggests that one direction in which cognitive anthropology might move is to begin incorporating relevant models of social structure (like that of Durkheim) and linking them to cognitive categories and so engender engagement with a broader range of anthropologists.

Erin Muladore (UC Santa Barbara), erinmuladore@umail.ucsb.edu; David Kennedy, ; Gery Ryan, ; FREELISTING AND SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION, (Panel: Uses of Cognitive Anthropology Methods in Medical Anthropology Research 1; Sat 8:20-10) When depressed people describe their symptoms, what words do they use? What predicts the types of symptoms they name? Are these the same as those used in traditional depression scales? This paper presents data from a longitudinal study of depression treatment. Participants screened for depression were asked to freelist "all of the different symptoms you felt (both your feelings and in your body) when you felt sad, blue or uninterested in things you usually enjoy." In this paper, we present preliminary analyses of these data, including a series of correspondence analyses on the two-mode matrix of symptoms by respondent characteristics.

Arthur Murphy (UNC Greensboro), admurphy@uncg.edu; Eric C Jones, ; Linda Whiteford, ; Graham Tobin, ; AJ Faas, ; Isabel Pérez-Vargas, ; NETWORKS OF RECIPROCITY IN A VILLAGE IN PUEBLA, MEXICO: THE ROLE OF INTERNATIONAL LABOR OUTMIGRATION, (Panel: Anthropology and Social Network Analysis; Thur 10:30-12:10) A village of 4500 people in the state of Puebla, Mexico experiences considering outmigration and some return migration. This study examines relations external to a small agricultural village as predictors of helping behaviors and reciprocity, measured as informational, material and emotional support. We used Social Network Analysis to understand the ways that external relations and associated support affected the nature of reciprocity among people within the village. A number of types of reciprocity exist, associated with specific network characteristics.

Rosalyn Negron (U Massachusetts), rosalyn.negron@umb.edu; CONTEXTUAL, LINGUISTIC, AND "FOLK" CONSISTENCY OF LATINO ETHNIC CATEGORIES: IMPLICATIONS FOR COMPARATIVE RESEARCH, (Panel: From Ethnography to Ethnology and Back Again; Thur 1:30-4:00) Comparative research tends to require that the categories under study be describable and internally consistent. Furthermore, comparison entails that the same categories exist across cases and that they be similarly defined. Ethnic categories, oft-used in comparative research, flout several of these basic requirements. This paper reports on an integrated anthropological approach for deriving the reliability and validity of ethnic categories among Latinos. Drawing on ethnographic, survey, and linguistic data, in this paper I discuss the contextual, linguistic, and “folk” consistency of pan-ethnic, national, and regional ethnic categories among a group of northeastern Latinos. The Latino pan-ethnicity is particularly vulnerable to invalid ethnic category measurements for several reasons. Latinos are a large, fast-growing pan-ethnicity with significant intra-group variation. However, data aggregation has obscured important intra-group differences and dynamics between Latino subgroups. This intra-group variability complicates comparisons across Latino sub-groups. I discuss the appropriateness of Latino ethnic categories in comparative research.

Michelle Osborn (Louisiana State U), mosbor1@lsu.edu; Dominique Homberger, ; THE SHOULDER BONE IS CONNECTED TO THE…SKULL BONE, (Panel: Biocultural Studies; Fri 10:30-12:10) The mastoid process and clavicle are much larger in humans than in other mammals and have been interpreted as having evolved in conection with bipedalism and upright posture. Seeking a causal explanation, we hyptohesized that these features evolved in conncection with the suspension of the shoulder girdle from the skull. We preidcted that functinally relevant components of the carnio-cervico-omo-clavicular complex would show directional asymmetery in individuals of known handedness. This was not supported by the metric data, but was supported by the trapezius muscle attachment site, which was higher on the right side of the skull of right-handed people.

George Park (Memorial U), ; SEVEN APPROACHES TO THE PHENOMENON [POLITICAL PARTY]., (Panel: Local Politics: What Mix of Structure, Morality, and concern Enables It to Work Well and How Does Its Working Affect National Politics 2; Sat 10:30-12:10) A phenomenological approach sets aside nomothetic bias. Several frames for explaining real clusters distinguishing an institution are taken up to exemplify this analytic departure in phenomenology. Seven windows on the phenomenon [political party] severally structure observation and comparison. The prupose is graspoing the nature of event patterns through the persistent effort to improve our perception of them. The paper illustrates the flexibility of a multiple perspective in sharpening idiopathic observation by focusing on Norwegian and contrasting political parties through observation and narrative using an encicrclement of models drawn from the literature. My focus is on local politics.

Peter Peregrine (Lawrence U), peter.n.peregrine@lawrence.edu; THE IRRELEVANCE OF ANTHROPOLOGY, (Panel: The Irrelevance of Anthropology; Sat 1:30-3:30) Recent issues of Anthropology Newsletter have been replete with commentaries decrying the apparent irrelevance of anthropology in contemporary social and political thought. At a time when the United States is involved in cultural clashes both at home and abroad, anthropologists are correct is bemoaning the fact that anthropological voices are not a part of political discourse. But why is this? I argue it is because prominent voices within anthropology have called for an active rejection of generalization and of the bio-cultural approach. I argue that anthropology’s relevance is directly proportional to its ability to generalize and to its promotion of the idea that cultural phenomenon are affected by biological (i.e. basic human) processes.

Evie Plaice (U New Brunswick), plaice@unb.ca; POLITICAL GAME: LOCAL POLITICS AND THE MANAGEMENT OF HUNTING IN CENTRAL LABRADOR, (Panel: Local Politics: What Mix of Structure, Morality, and concern Enables It to Work Well and How Does Its Working Affect National Politics 2; Sat 10:30-12:10) Managing access to renewable resources such as large game for a diverse population with complex social, economic and ethno-political claims to such land-based resources often involves conflict at the level of local politics. The case discussed here centres on caribou herds that migrate through northern Labrador, where different aboriginal and ethnic groups compete for both access to and control over a resource that bolsters their various claims to nativeness and land. Over a period of several years during the late 1980s, herd migration paths brought animals to the doorsteps of central Labradorians. Politicians from all local parties and organisations weighed into the debate on managing this valued resource, revealing the complex web of cross-cutting alliances that existed between these interest groups. I use this focussed debate to explore the history of local governance in central Labrador

Thomas Pluckhahn (U South Florida), tpluckha@cas.usf.edu; Eric C Jones, ; THE APPLICATION OF SOCIAL NETWORK ANALYSIS TO ARCHAEOLOGICAL DATASETS: AN APPRAISAL OF HOPEWELLIAN INTERACTION NETWORKS ON THE GULF COAST, (Panel: Anthropology and Social Network Analysis; Thur 10:30-12:10) Social network analysis is becoming a more common tool for cultural anthropologists, but the applicability of the technique to archaeological datasets remains largely unexplored. We explore the use of social network analysis in archaeology with a consideration of networks of exchange among Hopewellian sites of the Middle Woodland period (ca. 100 to 500 A.D.) along the Gulf Coast and adjacent interior portions of Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. Our results suggest the potential utility of this technique for quantifying similarities and differences among sites, and by implication their intensity of interaction.

Jon Poehlman (Research Triangle Institute International), jpoehlman@rti.org; INVESTIGATING MASCULINITY AND HIV RISK HEALTH BEHAVIORS USING A MEASURE OF CULTURAL CONGRUENCE, (Panel: Uses of Cognitive Anthropology Methods in Medical Anthropology Research 1; Sat 8:20-10) This paper reports preliminary research on masculine gender concepts among African-American men in Durham, NC. In particular, methods from the field of cognitive anthropology - free-lists, pile-sorts, rankings, and cultural consensus analysis - are used to develop a measure of cultural consonance related to men's gender ideals and actual behaviors and attitudes. Results of three rounds of interviews (with 60 men) that were used to develop a measurement model are presented. This measure will contribute to ongoing investigations into masculinity, stress, and behaviors for HIV/AIDS risk

Heather Rae-Espinoza (CSU Long Beach), hre@csulb.edu; DISCUSSANT, (Panel: The Elastic Nature of Childhood; Fri 1:30-4:30)

Douglas Raybeck (Hamilton College), draybeck@hamilton.edu; `WOULD YOU TELL ME, PLEASE, WHICH WAY I OUGHT TO GO FROM HERE?' `THAT DEPENDS A GOOD DEAL ON WHERE YOU WANT TO GET TO,' SAID THE CAT., (Panel: From Ethnography to Ethnology and Back Again; Thur 1:30-4:00) Research necessarily involves compromise. In fieldwork there are issues of expeditiousness vs comfort, interpersonal closeness vs distance and so on. Similarly, there are necessary tradeoffs between ethnography and ethnology. Utilizing data from Kelantan, Malaysia, I review some of these compromises, and the intellectual and pragmatic justifications behind them.

Douglas Raybeck (Hamilton College), draybeck@hamilton.edu; PANELIST, (Panel: The Irrelevance of Anthropology; Sat 1:30-3:30)

Paul Roscoe (U Maine), Paul_Roscoe@umit.maine.edu; PANELIST, (Panel: Evolutionism in Cultural Anthropology; Thur 10:30-12:10) Evolutionary theory has demonstrated that functional explanation is an acceptable form of scientific argument under strict conditions. An expanded evolutionary theory encompasses many though not all of the new functional theory in cultural anthropology, especially many theories of power, inequality, colonialism, dependency, world-systems, and others. Some typical concerns of anthropology will be addressed from this perspective, and compared with the reigning three popular approaches. The last demonstration will take states and households as aggregate actors in arguments for a new materialism in cultural anthropology based on energy self-organization.

Norbert Ross (Vanderbilt U), norbert.o.ross@vanderbilt.edu; COGNITIVE ANTHROPOLOGY IN ANTHROPOLOGY AND THE COGNITIVE SCIENCES, (Panel: The Future of Cognitive Anthropology 1; Fri 8:20-10) Over the last decades the cognitive sciences increasingly discovered that culture and experience matter for the architecture of the mind / brain. Cross-cultural studies have flourished, albeit often lacking a clear theory / understanding of culture. At the same time Cognitive Anthropology has disengaged from both mainstream Anthropology and the Cognitive Sciences. As a result Cognitive Anthropology has lost importance despite the increasing attention paid to the area of culture and cognition, In this presentation I argue that to reclaim central status again cognitive Anthropology must make several moves: First, part of Cognitive Anthropology needs to identify itself as a sub-discipline of the Cognitive Sciences engaging in discussions such as: What are the cognitive bases of cultural differences? How can we understand cultural differences from a cognitive perspective and how can cross-cultural differences illuminate our understanding and explorations of the brain. Second, part of Cognitive Anthropology needs to identify with genuine anthropological questions, such as: What is culture? What are the specific mechanics of processes such as culture change? Both aspects are extremely important: Cognitive Science debates need to be grounded in cross-cultural research / data, informed by a sound anthropological understanding. On the other hand, provided that culture takes place in the individual mind, we need to understand cultural processes based on the underlying cognitive mechanics, which structure such large scale processes. I will briefly illustrate both aspects with ongoing research conducted by me and my research team.

Matt Rossano (Southeastern Louisiana U), mrossano@selu.edu; THE EMERGENCE OF SHARED INTENTIONALITY IN HOMININ EVOLUTION, (Panel: Evolution of Culture; Thur 8:20-10) This paper tests the hypothesis that shared intentionality emerged exclusively with anatomically modern humans by evaluating four markers of complex collaboration in the archeological record. These markers include: (1) cooperative large-game hunting, (2) spatially organized campsites, (3) collaborative artworks, and (4) Australian migration. Tool construction is also considered (and rejected) as another possible marker. The results largely support the theoretical model proposed by Tomasello et al. (2005) that uniquely human cognition is built upon two intertwined capacities: a general ape capacity for intention-reading and a uniquely human capacity for shared intentionality. The strongest evidence for shared intentionality is present around the time of the Upper Paleolithic/Late Stone Age, after the emergence of anatomically modern humans. This finding is consistent with the proposal that a fortuitous genetic mutation enhancing working memory capacity in Homo sapiens sapiens was the mechanism behind the emergence of shared intentionality.

Matt Rossano (Southeastern Louisiana U), mrossano@selu.edu; PANELIST, (Panel: Evolutionism in Cultural Anthropology; Thur 10:30-12:10)

I.M. Garcia Sanchez (UC Los Angeles), igarcias@humnet.ucla.edu; WHAT DOES IT MEAN "TO BE A CHILD"?: MOROCCAN IMMIGRANT CHILDREN SOCIALIZATION INTO RESPONSIBILITIES, (Panel: The Elastic Nature of Childhood; Fri 1:30-4:30) This paper is concerned with the range of responsibilities displayed by and expected of Moroccan immigrant children in Spain. Like in other immigrant communities around the world (Orellana, 2001), these children make contributions that are essential to the sustainability of their heritage communities. Whereas this phenomenon can be partially explained by the constraints faced by immigrant families, it is crucial to understand how culturally-specific notions of childhood and of appropriate socio-cultural development organize the distribution of responsibilities. This paper explores how, in Moroccan immigrant households, language socialization into responsibilities is structured within larger socio-cultural frameworks of ‘girlhood’ and ‘boyhood’.

Austin Sawicki (Northern Illinois U), asawicki2000@gmail.com; FINDING CULTURE IN LIFE GOAL PROBABILITY JUDGMENTS, (Panel: The Individual and the Group; Fri 8:20-10:00) In this presentation I report on the preliminary findings of a research project concerning the impact of culture on the production of probability judgments. The project focused on the influence of gender, ethnicity, and class on probability judgments related to life goals. I employed a tripartite research design in which quantitative and qualitative data was gathered through surveys and interviews. I show that cultural membership has an impact on the mental models employed by agents when thinking probabilistically about their life goals. I conclude by suggesting that subsequent research may show that most judgments about possible states of affairs are influenced by culture.

Robert Schrauf (Penn State U), rws23@psu.edu; FREELISTING ILLNESSES: AGE-DIFFERENCES AS INTRACULTURAL VARIATION., (Panel: Uses of Cognitive Anthropology Methods in Medical Anthropology Research 2; Sat 10:30-12:10) This paper explores differences between older and younger Mexican adults’ freelisting in the domain of illnesses as a form of intracultural variation. Consensus analysis was used to establish domain coherence and to assess overall consensus on illness terms. Sub-variation within the overall consensus was established by comparing levels of observed vs. predicted inter-informant agreement (Ross, 2004, Ross & Medin, 2005). Qualitative examination of items with higher salience for young vs. old revealed age-differences consistent with prior findings in the literature. The concatenation of these techniques renders freelisting an accessible, easily administered tool for probing age- and group-differences in illness domains.

Lynn Sibley (Emory U), lsibley@emory.edu; CULTURAL THEORIES OF POSTPARTUM BLEEDING IN RURAL BANGLADESH: IMPLICATIONS FOR POLICY AND COMMUNITY- BASED PROGRAMMATIC CHANGE, (Panel: Uses of Cognitive Anthropology Methods in Medical Anthropology Research 1; Sat 8:20-10) We examined theories of postpartum bleeding to identify factors that may delay recognition, response and care-seeking for excessive bleeding, the leading cause of maternal mortality worldwide. We used cultural consensus modeling to analyze data from structured interviews with 149 participants living in Matlab, Bangladesh, including women 18-49 years, elder women 50+ years, traditional birth attendants, and professional birth attendants. There is consensus regarding the domain of postpartum bleeding. Participants distinguish excessive bleeding by flow. Judgments about what constitutes excessive bleeding vary, exceeding biomedical norms. Subgroup differentiation reveals distinct overlapping models having implications for policy and community-based programmatic change.

Lisita Taufa (Northern Illinois U), taufaliz@gmail.com; TONGAN CONVERSATION STYLES: POWER, GENDER AND LAUGHTER, (Panel: The Individual and the Group; Fri 8:20-10:00) I present a quantitative analysis of conversational strategies in Tonga. Specifically I discuss supporting evidence toward my hypothesis that Tongan conversational strategies replicate and reproduce the society power structure. I examine the use of topic introduction and interruptions used by higher status individuals to effectively command and control over others based on their status. I also examine how the use of laughter is used by individuals to separate themselves from other people attempting to defy hierarchy, thus contributing to maintain that same power hierarchy. Lower status individual attempt to use the same strategies to negotiate the power structure with mixed levels of success. The concluding results of my analysis confirms that power hierarchies are maintained and reproduced by the conversational strategies employed in daily conversations.

Halvard Vike (U Oslo), halvard.vike@sai.uio.no; THE STATE OF MORALITY, AND THE MORALITY OF THE STATE, (Panel: Local Politics: What Mix of Structure, Morality, and concern Enables It to Work Well and How Does Its Working Affect National Politics 1; Sat 8:20-10) How did trust became an integral part of the modern, Norwegian state, and how did political discourses on morality play a part in the constitution, regulation and reproduction of trust? It seems that in political modernization in Norway, the conditions for the organization of strong networks and associations of trust were unusually favourable. Moreover, these networks and associations served as basic to state formation not mainly because the state was able to co-opt them, but more importantly because they were indeed strong enough as to set their own stamp on the state. To what extent did moral discourse in Norwegian politics play a part in the formation and control of state power, and how did it influence the distribution and intensity of trust? In this article, I will focus on political processes that took place in two of the Norwegian municipalities I have followed as a fieldworker and try to throw some light over the morality of state formation. Moreover, I seek to identify relations between state power and trust over time, and look at the ways in which these are played out and changed in the present

Halvard Vike (U Oslo), halvard.vike@sai.uio.no; DISCUSSANT, (Panel: Local Politics: What Mix of Structure, Morality, and concern Enables It to Work Well and How Does Its Working Affect National Politics 2; Sat 10:30-12:10)

Deborah Winslow (National Science Foundation), dwinslow@nsf.gov; WORKSHOP - FUNDING FOR ANTHROPOLOGY AT NSF, (Panel: Workshop - Funding for Anthropology at NSF; Fri 4:00-5:00)