Exploring Sociocultural Diversity

What Is Anthropology? ANTH 2301 Central Commitment #1: Exploring Sociocultural Diversity The story implies that people live in a variety of environments, which leads to a variety of civilizations. Anthropologists are dedicated to characterising and comprehending the multiplicity of human ways of life, as opposed to attempting to determine which way of life is better, ethically superior, more effective, or happier, or to make any other kind of judgement call. Putting prejudices aside, we may see that people develop cultures all over the world in response to necessities. Anthropologists learn how many cultures come up with unique answers to the problems of meaning-seeking, social integration, and human survival. What outfit do you have on today? Maybe a tunic and leggings with flip-flops, or jeans and a T-shirt and shoes. Regarding your professor, how are things going? Do they have on a pair of slippers and a bathrobe, or are they sporting a cocktail dress and heels? That is (nearly) certain never to occur. However, why not? Although you would think that anything Americans wear to class is perfectly normal, this assumption misses the mark when it comes to what really qualifies as "normal." For example, university students usually wear dress shirts to class with trousers or skirts in several nations. Many Ghanaian students believe that wearing tight leggings or torn pants to class is impolite and would never contemplate doing so. Comfort overpresentation is highly valued by American students, which is consistent with general American fashion trends. Americans are now allowed to dress casually on Fridays, even in work environments. "Casual Friday" never took off in Ghana, a country in West Africa, but office workers there have created their own unique Friday dress code. Which method is better, the Ghanaian way or the American way? When the local textile sector was threatened by Chinese imports, office workers in Ghana started dressing in locally made fabric on Fridays, starting a trend known as "National Friday Wear." Anthropologists recognise that each approach fulfils a requirement within a certain culture and that none is superior. For Americans who enjoy wearing comfortable leisure attire, Casual Friday is a terrific idea, but for Ghanaians who wish to support their local economy and demonstrate their cultural pride, National Friday Wear is a great idea. Anthropologists acknowledge the diversity found within civilizations as well as the range of experiences and viewpoints among them. Do you or do you know anybody who often purchases used clothing from thrift stores? A college student's favourite item may be an old green men's trench coat that they purchased from an antique clothes store. To the dismay of the coat's owner, the mother of that pupil might not feel the same way and offer to get their child a new coat! Used clothes was connected to the harsh days of the Great Depression for those who grew up in the 1930s and 1940s. For the younger generations, thrift stores provide distinctive, reasonably priced apparel that defies trends in fashion. Even if a culture's norms are generally the same, individuals within it interpret them differently based on their experiences and social roles. This can lead to the standards being stretched to the point where they eventually alter. The majority of worn clothes in Ghana is imported in big bales from Europe and the United States, which local sellers buy and resell at market stalls. In the area, someone from the US or Europe is called a "obruni." The term "obruni wawu," which means "a foreign person has died," refers to used clothing and expresses the belief that no one in their right mind would throw away such usable apparel. Many Ghanaians take great pleasure in rummaging among the heaps of obruni wawu at the market, delighted to discover well-known labels and unique designs. On the other hand, some people link obruni wawu to poverty. Obruni wawu stands are sometimes referred to as "bend-over boutiques," as patrons browse through the mounds of clothes on the floor in a submissive manner. Obruni wawu works well in certain circumstances but not at all in others. There was a scenario in a certain Ghanaian film when a man was attempting to court a much younger woman. The crowd erupted in laughter as the man gifted a bag full of obruni wawu to his prospective partner. The present was absurd and unfit for the intended recipient. Similar to how various cultures dress, so too do they have varied approaches to similar problems including housing, food, family dynamics, job organisation, and purpose in life. Additionally, individuals debate and criticise their own cultural norms in every community. Anthropology aims to record and comprehend the multiplicity of approaches to universal human problems as well as the multiplicity of opposing viewpoints within every society.