In July 2016, the U.S. stock market opened higher after the Labor Department reported substantial national job growth. If an anthropologist were to study this phenomenon, what might he or she look into?

Question

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An anthropologist would be interested in examining the cultural assumptions underlying the association between job growth and the stock market. They would analyze how society has constructed this association and investigate what beliefs and values shape it. The accuracy of the jobs report is not directly relevant to an anthropological study of this phenomenon, and while employment trends over the past hundred years may provide context, they are not the main focus. The way in which stocks could continue to grow unfettered is also not directly relevant to an anthropological study.