Question 1

In the 1960s, Richard Lee discovered that, to find enough food to survive, Ju/'hoansi foragers had to work

Accepted Answer

Richard Lee found that the Ju/'hoansi foragers needed to work approximately 20 hours per week per person to gather enough food to survive, challenging previous assumptions about the labor intensity of foraging lifestyles.

Question 2

Marshall Sahlins coined the expression "the original affluent society" to describe

Accepted Answer

Marshall Sahlins used the term "the original affluent society" to describe hunter-gatherer societies like the Ju/'hoansi, emphasizing their efficiency in meeting their needs and their leisure-rich lifestyle, contrary to the perception of constant toil and struggle for survival.

Question 3

According to Marshall Sahlins, which of the following is a route to affluence?

Accepted Answer

Marshall Sahlins argued that affluence can be achieved not only through producing much but also by desiring little, suggesting that societies can be affluent either by having a lot or by wanting very little.

Question 4

According to Mary Douglas and Baron Isherwood, the distinction between "necessities" and "luxuries"

Accepted Answer

Douglas and Isherwood argue that the traditional distinction between "necessities" and "luxuries" is not useful for understanding consumption patterns, suggesting instead that all goods are part of a system of communication and meaning.

Question 5

According to Mary Douglas, the Jewish prohibition against eating pork

Accepted Answer

Mary Douglas argued that the Jewish prohibition against eating pork is part of a broader system of dietary laws that make sense within the cultural and religious context, emphasizing the symbolic nature of purity and order.

Question 6

Among the Trobriand Islanders, women's wealth

Accepted Answer

Women's wealth among the Trobriand Islanders is primarily in the form of banana leaf bundles and skirts, which are exchanged for yams and play a significant role in their economy and social structure.

Question 7

According to Annette Weiner, the exchange of banana leaf bundles during mortuary rituals in the Trobriands

Accepted Answer

The exchange of banana leaf bundles during mortuary rituals in the Trobriands, as described by Annette Weiner, is a way for Trobrianders to represent and affirm the most fundamental relationships in their social system, highlighting the cultural and social significance of these exchanges beyond mere economic transactions.

Question 8

Annette Weiner argues that the role of women's wealth in Trobriand society

Accepted Answer

Weiner argues that the role of women's wealth in Trobriand society could disappear if cash ever became widely substitutable for yams.

Question 9

Sometimes Western commodities are

Accepted Answer

Western commodities can be rejected by vulnerable groups, repurposed by local people for their own uses, and used to enrich local culture, reflecting the complex ways in which global and local cultures interact.

Question 10

According to Daniel Miller, for many observers of global consumption, Coca-Cola is

Accepted Answer

Daniel Miller views Coca-Cola as a symbol of the destructive global potential of capitalist consumption, reflecting concerns about the impact of global brands and consumer culture.

Question 11

According to Daniel Miller, Coca-Cola in Trinidad is

Accepted Answer

Miller's research in Trinidad shows that Coca-Cola is integrated into local drinking habits and fits into the broader category of sweet drinks rather than displacing local beverages or being primarily a symbol of American culture.

Question 12

For Daniel Miller, Coca-Cola in Trinidad is

Accepted Answer

Daniel Miller's work on Coca-Cola in Trinidad shows that it is both an element in the complex image of Trinidadian identity (A) and a way Trinidadians navigate the contradictions of globalization (C), making option D correct.

Question 13

Describe the different modes of exchange operating in the society of the United States. What are their interrelationships with one another? Give examples.

Accepted Answer

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Question 14

What is meant by the claim that consumption needs are culturally shaped? Discuss and illustrate with examples.

Accepted Answer

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Question 15

Dietary prohibitions become intelligible when they are not taken individually, but reembedded in the cultural pattern from which they came. Discuss with reference to the prohibition of pork consumption among Jews and Muslims.

Accepted Answer

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Question 16

"Goods assembled in ownership make physical, visible statements about the hierarchy of values to which their chooser subscribes." Discuss and give examples.

Accepted Answer

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Question 17

Describe and discuss the three major modes of exchange recognized by anthropologists, giving examples of each.

Accepted Answer

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Question 18

What is a mode of production? Describe and discuss the three major modes of production outlined by Eric Wolf.

Accepted Answer

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Question 19

What are the advantages and disadvantages for economic anthropologists who choose to emphasize distribution, production, or consumption in their analyses?

Accepted Answer

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Question 20

Discuss the consumption of Western market commodities throughout the world in our current era of globalization. In your answer, pay attention to how commodities are used, as well as the effects of contemporary economic institutions on most of the world's population.

Accepted Answer

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Quiz 9: How Do People Make a Living