Duran Bell - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Duran Bell
Given the general social thrust toward progress in the 1960's, it is proposed here that the point... more Given the general social thrust toward progress in the 1960's, it is proposed here that the points in the system where black economic progress took place were those points where white resistance was less. Current data indicates the achievement of significant progress by black women-relative to white women and black men-in all regions of the country, significant progress of black men in the South, but astonishingly little relative economic progress of black men in the non-southern states. The progress of black males in the South and the lack thereof in the non-south is a phenomenon for which one explanation is offered here. Arguments regarding the value of full employment in augmenting the black-white earnings ratio, and in facilitating the development of programs for the disadvantaged, appear to be correct. However, the active pursuance of full employment as a policy has not been greatly evident, except as an artifact of military activity. Moreover, it seems unlikely that any of the special programs initiated during the 1960's were very significant in improving the earnings ratios for women and southern men, even given the favorable economic environment. On the other hand, civil rights pressures presumably had a direct impact upon discriminatory activity, without the mediating activity of specific governmental agencies.
This book addresses the corruption that has arisen in European archaeology and in American social... more This book addresses the corruption that has arisen in European archaeology and in American social anthropology. European archaeology Perhaps, it was unavoidable. The status and rights of contemporary people seem always to find legitimacy in the past, in victories and defeats, in territories claimed and lost, and do so with mythologies that stipulate characteristics of the self and of the other, presented with increasing urgency as those myths climb from prehistory into the present. Archaeology is uniquely instrumental as an agent in this process, because it can provide a scientific and academic veneer to the myths of prehistory. These myths have provided support to protagonists in many conflicts, including support for the ideologies of elites in India, Israel, Iran, China and Nazi Germany. However, we shall be concerned herein with the propagation of an ideology of European supremacy. "The notion that modern humans could have directly emerged from local European archaic forms is no longer supported by the vast majority of scholars." 1 And it is now generally accepted among archaeologists outside of China that the evolution of our species began in Africa. However, for many Europeans it is distressing that their earliest ancestors may have come from Africa; and archaeologists have sought to address that concern. They have done so by advancing a "human revolution model", a set of beliefs that I call the European Creation Myth, which posits a sudden revolution in cognitive capacities, as the migrants stepped onto European soil, 40-50 thousand years ago, becoming the first Homo sapiens. Proponents of the model known as the ''human revolution'' claim…that modern human behaviors arose suddenly... behavioral shift is purported to signal a cognitive advance, a possible reorganization of the brain, and the origin of language… and creates the impression that the earliest modern Africans were behaviorally primitive. 2 These new Homo sapiens subsequently travelled the world, thereby bringing an advanced brain and technology to the rest of the non-African world, while people in Africa 1
This book addresses the corruption that has arisen in European archaeology and in American social... more This book addresses the corruption that has arisen in European archaeology and in American social anthropology. European archaeology Perhaps, it was unavoidable. The status and rights of contemporary people seem always to find legitimacy in the past, in victories and defeats, in territories claimed and lost, and do so with mythologies that stipulate characteristics of the self and of the other, presented with increasing urgency as those myths climb from prehistory into the present. Archaeology is uniquely instrumental as an agent in this process, because it can provide a scientific and academic veneer to the myths of prehistory. These myths have provided support to protagonists in many conflicts, including support for the ideologies of elites in India, Israel, Iran, China and Nazi Germany. However, we shall be concerned herein with the propagation of an ideology of European supremacy. "The notion that modern humans could have directly emerged from local European archaic forms is no longer supported by the vast majority of scholars." 1 And it is now generally accepted among archaeologists outside of China that the evolution of our species began in Africa. However, for many Europeans it is distressing that their earliest ancestors may have come from Africa; and archaeologists have sought to address that concern. They have done so by advancing a "human revolution model", a set of beliefs that I call the European Creation Myth, which posits a sudden revolution in cognitive capacities, as the migrants stepped onto European soil, 40-50 thousand years ago, becoming the first Homo sapiens. Proponents of the model known as the ''human revolution'' claim…that modern human behaviors arose suddenly... behavioral shift is purported to signal a cognitive advance, a possible reorganization of the brain, and the origin of language… and creates the impression that the earliest modern Africans were behaviorally primitive. 2 These new Homo sapiens subsequently travelled the world, thereby bringing an advanced brain and technology to the rest of the non-African world, while people in Africa 1
Structure and Dynamics, 2007
Since workers are often well hidden inside of the capital-labor ratio by economic models, it is r... more Since workers are often well hidden inside of the capital-labor ratio by economic models, it is refreshing to see the emphasis of Akerlof and Kranton [2000, 2005] on “identity.” Identity is a fairly new issue for economists, but it is a rather old one in sociology, social psychology and management, having grained great significance with the development of the assembly line and the feared consequence of such workplace
innovations in the form of “alienation” and rejection of capitalism. It is not necessary, however, to consider identity as a problem to be overcome; it may also be considered to be a positive feature of social action; and the work of Akerlof-Kranton orients us in that direction.
At the risk of some oversimplification, one can say that Akerlof-Kranton introduce identity into the individual's utility function and measure identity by reference to the extent to which individuals accept and act in terms of a set of “ideals” that customarily apply to particular socially recognized categories. And they “incorporate identity into a general model of behavior and then demonstrate how identity influences economic outcomes” (p. 716). We shall accept the idea that normative coherence may be particularly foundational to certain forms of identity. However, we shall argue that behaviors and characteristics that fully qualify individuals to be members of social categories may not suffice to provide salience to those categories for defining the self or personal identity, even though they may fully enable sociologists and demographers to mark appropriate boxes in questionnaires. Moreover, our focus is on the dynamics of identity that may flow from modifications in “ideals” advanced by innovators.
Identity is most effectively associated with (actual or anticipated) achievement relative to others within a category, buttressed to some degree by performance that corresponds to the norms of that category. In this paper we argue that it is precisely the breaking of expectations and the extension of personal possibility beyond the normal level of achievement in a social category that give the strongest foundations
for identity, provided that individuals can anticipate social rewards for these achievements.
Social Evolution and History, 2006
In this paper it is shown that early human society could not have been organized as bands. The co... more In this paper it is shown that early human society could not have
been organized as bands. The contrary, and apparently universal,
conception among anthropologists is based on observations of
contemporary hunter-gatherers who live in regions· within which
fertility cannot be fully expressed, due to severe resource limitations.
This is a circumstance that is expected to lead to band organization
because (as this paper shows) it is inconsistent with
socially defined groupings based on genetic links by which territorial
claims might be made. Early humans, on the other hand, are
very likely to have competed for territory as their radiation proceeded,
and local groups would find advantages in their relative
demographic strength. Hence, the only available Evolutionary Stable
Strategy requires that people organize around the benefits of
fertility-as-wealth in some indeterminate form of intergenerational
aggregation, as they struggled to maintain possession of ( additional)
territory in the context of social circumscription. While
lineages, tribes and states are the most sophisticated forms of such
aggregations, the author suggests the likelihood that early humans
might have possessed other forms that are ethnographically unknown.
Social Evolution & History, 2006
In this paper it is shown that early human society could not have been organized as bands. The co... more In this paper it is shown that early human society could not have been organized as bands. The contrary, and apparently universal, conception among anthropologists is based on observations of contemporary hunter-gatherers who live in regions within which fertility cannot be fully expressed, due to severe resource limitations. This is a circumstance that is expected to lead to band organization because (as this paper shows) it is inconsistent with socially defined groupings based on genetic links by which territorial claims might be made. Early humans, on the other hand, are very likely to have competed for territory as their radiation proceeded, and local groups would find advantages in their relative demographic strength. Hence, the only available Evolutionary Stable Strategy requires that people organize around the benefits of fertility-as-wealth in some indeterminate form of intergenerational aggregation, as they struggled to maintain possession of (additional) territory in the context of social circumscription. While lineages, tribes and states are the most sophisticated forms of such aggregations, the author suggests the likelihood that early humans might have possessed other forms that are ethnographically unknown.
Cambridge University Press eBooks, Jun 13, 1998
It is argued that the commonly asserted non-existence of group marriage arises solely from an aba... more It is argued that the commonly asserted non-existence of group marriage arises solely from an abandonment of Morgan’s (1877) definition of marriage and that the commonly accepted alternative to that definition lacks ethnographic generality. As defined by Morgan group marriage has been practiced by over one-third of the hunter-gatherers listed in Murdock (1971).
Current Anthropology
Explaining the level of bridewealth in a given society is not the anthropologist's usual preoccup... more Explaining the level of bridewealth in a given society is not the anthropologist's usual preoccupation. It is usually sufficient to note the existence of bridewealth, its form, characteristics, and the social processes associated with it and hope to have gotten the facts straight. There are, however, occasions on which differences in the amount of bridewealth paid (Gluckman 1950, Schneider 1964, Borgerhoff Mulder 1988) or a shift from bridewealth to dowry (Sharma 1980, Epstein 1973) lead to speculation on the factors that affect the level of bride-wealth. There is general agreement that women provide a net benefit to the groups that receive them in marriage and that this net benefit justifies or explains the existence of bridewealth. This point seems almost obvious, given that women are valuable and that the transfer of goods to acquire women implies a preference for women relative to those goods. The logic of everyday economic rationality offers no alternative to the consideration of
Structure and Dynamics: eJournal of Anthropological and Related Sciences, 2007
Foundational to this discussion are two papers on “identity” by George A. Akerlof and Rachel Kran... more Foundational to this discussion are two papers on “identity” by George A. Akerlof and Rachel Kranton [2000, 2005]. We contribute to their development of this issue with additional factors that are arguably essential to the analysis of identity formation. While they indicate
the importance of norms as the bases of identity, we suggest additionally the relevance of independence, individual creativity and the exploration of behaviors beyond norms. A violation of normative expectations has the potential of entering and affecting the social terrain interactively with positive feedbacks, generating non-linear processes of innovation and social change.
Our most important finding is that when individuals promote innovation in the performance of a social role, the innovation is unlikely to be mimicked by other role incumbents unless the formal rewards to those innovators are perceived to be more than proportional to the significance of the innovation. If those formal rewards are less than proportional to the significance of the innovation, a general disapprobation of the innovators may arise that potentially vitiates the benefits to innovators, retards the diffusion of the innovation and frustrates further innovation.
Contrary to Fordist notions of cost-minimization, our model suggests the development of challenging career paths where all workers of a given category are rewarded for innovation, rather than restricting rewards to specific innovators, in order to create dynamic innovative environments. Our results echo the achievements of Apple and Google, who have created
heterogeneous teams of employees, rewarding all members of such teams for advancing innovation.
Current Anthropology, 2000
none
Foundational to this discussion are two papers on “identity” by George A. Akerlof and Rachel Kran... more Foundational to this discussion are two papers on “identity” by George A. Akerlof and Rachel Kranton [2000, 2005]. We contribute to their development of this issue with additional factors that are arguably essential to the analysis of identity formation. While they indicate the importance of norms as the bases of identity, we suggest additionally the relevance of independence, individual creativity and the exploration of behaviors beyond norms. A violation of normative expectations has the potential of entering and affecting the social terrain interactively with positive feedbacks, generating non-linear processes of innovation and social change. Our most important finding is that when individuals promote innovation in the performance of a social role, the innovation is unlikely to be mimicked by other role incumbents unless the formal rewards to those innovators are perceived to be more than proportional to the significance of the innovation. If those formal rewards are less than pr...
The Review of Black Political Economy, 1972
This Republic had its beginning, and grew to its present strength, under the protection of certai... more This Republic had its beginning, and grew to its present strength, under the protection of certain inalienable political rights-among them the right of free speech, free press, free worship, trial by jury, freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures. They were our rights to life and liberty.
RATIONALE: The COMPACT (Clinical Studies for Optimal Management of Preventing Angioedema with low... more RATIONALE: The COMPACT (Clinical Studies for Optimal Management of Preventing Angioedema with low-volume subcutaneous C1-Inhibitor Replacement Therapy) trial evaluated the safety and efficacy of a low-volume C1-INH(SC) as routine prevention in patients with HAE. This subgroup analysis was designed to compare HAE attack rates in patients who stopped their prior C1-INH(IV) as routine prophylaxis to start C1-INH(SC) routine prevention during participation in the COMPACT trial. METHODS: This was a pre-specified subgroup analysis of 22 subjects who used C1-INH(IV) for routine prophylaxis of HAE attacks prior to using C1-INH(SC) during COMPACT trial participation. The timenormalized rate of HAE attacks (number/month) experienced during prestudy C1-INH(IV) prophylaxis was determined for the 3 month period prior to COMPACT trial entry and compared against the time-normalized attack rate during study treatment with C1-INH(SC), 40 or 60 IU/kg. RESULTS: The mean (SD) time-normalized HAE attack rate (number/ month) during pre-study use of C1-INH(IV) prophylaxis (n522) was 2.56 (2.579), compared with 1.73 (2.902) while using C1-INH(SC) for routine prevention in the COMPACT study. Following a switch to C1-INH(SC), the mean (SD) percentage reduction in HAE attack rate compared to prophylactic C1-INH(IV) use was 52.1% (63.64%). The corresponding mean (SD) percentage reductions in HAE attack rates by C1-INH(SC) dose were 48.8% (68.37%) for C1-INH(SC) 40 IU/kg, and 53.7% (64.23%) for C1-INH(SC) 60 IU/kg. CONCLUSIONS: This subgroup analysis of COMPACT trial data suggests that patients previously using C1-INH(IV) prophylaxis and switched to C1-INH(SC) (40 or 60 IU/kg) for routine prevention may experience a lower attack rate than experienced during routine prophylaxis with C1-INH(IV).
a new model The desert is small relative to the growth of population, leading to endemic warfare ... more a new model The desert is small relative to the growth of population, leading to endemic warfare over territory and to the expulsion of weaker groups. However, camels have relatively low fertility rates in the face of recurrent drought, so that maintenance of balanced ratios of camels requires the raiding of camels by those who are militarily strong and the expulsion of the weak from the desert. Given the inadequacy of natural increase to preserve the sufficiency of herds, the sizes of herds are determined by the actions of men as raiders and as defenders of herds. Men, however, are the products of the fertility of women, and hence the fertility of women acts as the critical wealth-asset underlying possession of herds and the survival of agnatic groups. Like marriage practices almost everywhere, marriages among the Somali carry the ethos of the successful and the powerful, the powerful being those whose sons are so successful in raiding that a sufficiency in camels is assured. In th...
ABSTRACT. By means of a series of logical arguments this paper presents the fundamental proto-cul... more ABSTRACT. By means of a series of logical arguments this paper presents the fundamental proto-cultural properties of reciprocity as an elementary distributive mechanism. The exact meaning of "balanced exchange " is derived and contrasted with exchanges that are satisfactory, yet not balanced, or balanced but not satisfactory. The paper also presents the set of rules by which exchange and balanced exchange can be unambiguously recognized in ethnographic investigation, together with examples of error found in the literature.
Structure and Dynamics: eJournal of Anthropological and Related Sciences, 2007
The purpose of this study was the development of mathematical models from which an industry, acti... more The purpose of this study was the development of mathematical models from which an industry, acting through a central decision unit, could determine each week the optimal quantity of its product to ship to the domestic market, Interest in this topic has been stimulated by commodity transfer problems in the lemon industry. The lemon industry, which operates under a Federal Marketing Order, has desired for some time a means of increasing the effectiveness of its shipping policies in raising and stablizing incomes of lemon growers. However, the task is made difficult by the existence of random and unanticipated short-run shifts in the level of demand (of wholesalers) for fresh lemons. In this study these random elements were taken into account and the lemon transfer problem was examined as a stochastic process. The monograph briefly discusses the lemon industry, a number of introductory transfer models and, then, focuses attention upon a class of stochastic models called "multi-st...
Beijing is currently undergoing a host of dramatic changes, as reflected in the popular symbol ch... more Beijing is currently undergoing a host of dramatic changes, as reflected in the popular symbol chai ( ). Chai means destruction; but it also refers to antiquated things or ideas that should be destroyed. By presenting chai, one is able to arouse into memory certain forgotten things that previously rested in the background. However, the reconstructed forgotten memories that one actually remembers differ from the actually forgotten. In this way prevailing Chinese conceptions of contemporary social transformations can be configured into recollections of constructed images of the past; and the past can be lost while being remembered. In this article, this process of creative remembering and forgetting will be illustrated by reference to changes in customs and residential ownership. We shall argue that traditionalism and modernity in contemporary China should be seen as circular transformations between remembering and forgetting.
Given the general social thrust toward progress in the 1960's, it is proposed here that the point... more Given the general social thrust toward progress in the 1960's, it is proposed here that the points in the system where black economic progress took place were those points where white resistance was less. Current data indicates the achievement of significant progress by black women-relative to white women and black men-in all regions of the country, significant progress of black men in the South, but astonishingly little relative economic progress of black men in the non-southern states. The progress of black males in the South and the lack thereof in the non-south is a phenomenon for which one explanation is offered here. Arguments regarding the value of full employment in augmenting the black-white earnings ratio, and in facilitating the development of programs for the disadvantaged, appear to be correct. However, the active pursuance of full employment as a policy has not been greatly evident, except as an artifact of military activity. Moreover, it seems unlikely that any of the special programs initiated during the 1960's were very significant in improving the earnings ratios for women and southern men, even given the favorable economic environment. On the other hand, civil rights pressures presumably had a direct impact upon discriminatory activity, without the mediating activity of specific governmental agencies.
This book addresses the corruption that has arisen in European archaeology and in American social... more This book addresses the corruption that has arisen in European archaeology and in American social anthropology. European archaeology Perhaps, it was unavoidable. The status and rights of contemporary people seem always to find legitimacy in the past, in victories and defeats, in territories claimed and lost, and do so with mythologies that stipulate characteristics of the self and of the other, presented with increasing urgency as those myths climb from prehistory into the present. Archaeology is uniquely instrumental as an agent in this process, because it can provide a scientific and academic veneer to the myths of prehistory. These myths have provided support to protagonists in many conflicts, including support for the ideologies of elites in India, Israel, Iran, China and Nazi Germany. However, we shall be concerned herein with the propagation of an ideology of European supremacy. "The notion that modern humans could have directly emerged from local European archaic forms is no longer supported by the vast majority of scholars." 1 And it is now generally accepted among archaeologists outside of China that the evolution of our species began in Africa. However, for many Europeans it is distressing that their earliest ancestors may have come from Africa; and archaeologists have sought to address that concern. They have done so by advancing a "human revolution model", a set of beliefs that I call the European Creation Myth, which posits a sudden revolution in cognitive capacities, as the migrants stepped onto European soil, 40-50 thousand years ago, becoming the first Homo sapiens. Proponents of the model known as the ''human revolution'' claim…that modern human behaviors arose suddenly... behavioral shift is purported to signal a cognitive advance, a possible reorganization of the brain, and the origin of language… and creates the impression that the earliest modern Africans were behaviorally primitive. 2 These new Homo sapiens subsequently travelled the world, thereby bringing an advanced brain and technology to the rest of the non-African world, while people in Africa 1
This book addresses the corruption that has arisen in European archaeology and in American social... more This book addresses the corruption that has arisen in European archaeology and in American social anthropology. European archaeology Perhaps, it was unavoidable. The status and rights of contemporary people seem always to find legitimacy in the past, in victories and defeats, in territories claimed and lost, and do so with mythologies that stipulate characteristics of the self and of the other, presented with increasing urgency as those myths climb from prehistory into the present. Archaeology is uniquely instrumental as an agent in this process, because it can provide a scientific and academic veneer to the myths of prehistory. These myths have provided support to protagonists in many conflicts, including support for the ideologies of elites in India, Israel, Iran, China and Nazi Germany. However, we shall be concerned herein with the propagation of an ideology of European supremacy. "The notion that modern humans could have directly emerged from local European archaic forms is no longer supported by the vast majority of scholars." 1 And it is now generally accepted among archaeologists outside of China that the evolution of our species began in Africa. However, for many Europeans it is distressing that their earliest ancestors may have come from Africa; and archaeologists have sought to address that concern. They have done so by advancing a "human revolution model", a set of beliefs that I call the European Creation Myth, which posits a sudden revolution in cognitive capacities, as the migrants stepped onto European soil, 40-50 thousand years ago, becoming the first Homo sapiens. Proponents of the model known as the ''human revolution'' claim…that modern human behaviors arose suddenly... behavioral shift is purported to signal a cognitive advance, a possible reorganization of the brain, and the origin of language… and creates the impression that the earliest modern Africans were behaviorally primitive. 2 These new Homo sapiens subsequently travelled the world, thereby bringing an advanced brain and technology to the rest of the non-African world, while people in Africa 1
Structure and Dynamics, 2007
Since workers are often well hidden inside of the capital-labor ratio by economic models, it is r... more Since workers are often well hidden inside of the capital-labor ratio by economic models, it is refreshing to see the emphasis of Akerlof and Kranton [2000, 2005] on “identity.” Identity is a fairly new issue for economists, but it is a rather old one in sociology, social psychology and management, having grained great significance with the development of the assembly line and the feared consequence of such workplace
innovations in the form of “alienation” and rejection of capitalism. It is not necessary, however, to consider identity as a problem to be overcome; it may also be considered to be a positive feature of social action; and the work of Akerlof-Kranton orients us in that direction.
At the risk of some oversimplification, one can say that Akerlof-Kranton introduce identity into the individual's utility function and measure identity by reference to the extent to which individuals accept and act in terms of a set of “ideals” that customarily apply to particular socially recognized categories. And they “incorporate identity into a general model of behavior and then demonstrate how identity influences economic outcomes” (p. 716). We shall accept the idea that normative coherence may be particularly foundational to certain forms of identity. However, we shall argue that behaviors and characteristics that fully qualify individuals to be members of social categories may not suffice to provide salience to those categories for defining the self or personal identity, even though they may fully enable sociologists and demographers to mark appropriate boxes in questionnaires. Moreover, our focus is on the dynamics of identity that may flow from modifications in “ideals” advanced by innovators.
Identity is most effectively associated with (actual or anticipated) achievement relative to others within a category, buttressed to some degree by performance that corresponds to the norms of that category. In this paper we argue that it is precisely the breaking of expectations and the extension of personal possibility beyond the normal level of achievement in a social category that give the strongest foundations
for identity, provided that individuals can anticipate social rewards for these achievements.
Social Evolution and History, 2006
In this paper it is shown that early human society could not have been organized as bands. The co... more In this paper it is shown that early human society could not have
been organized as bands. The contrary, and apparently universal,
conception among anthropologists is based on observations of
contemporary hunter-gatherers who live in regions· within which
fertility cannot be fully expressed, due to severe resource limitations.
This is a circumstance that is expected to lead to band organization
because (as this paper shows) it is inconsistent with
socially defined groupings based on genetic links by which territorial
claims might be made. Early humans, on the other hand, are
very likely to have competed for territory as their radiation proceeded,
and local groups would find advantages in their relative
demographic strength. Hence, the only available Evolutionary Stable
Strategy requires that people organize around the benefits of
fertility-as-wealth in some indeterminate form of intergenerational
aggregation, as they struggled to maintain possession of ( additional)
territory in the context of social circumscription. While
lineages, tribes and states are the most sophisticated forms of such
aggregations, the author suggests the likelihood that early humans
might have possessed other forms that are ethnographically unknown.
Social Evolution & History, 2006
In this paper it is shown that early human society could not have been organized as bands. The co... more In this paper it is shown that early human society could not have been organized as bands. The contrary, and apparently universal, conception among anthropologists is based on observations of contemporary hunter-gatherers who live in regions within which fertility cannot be fully expressed, due to severe resource limitations. This is a circumstance that is expected to lead to band organization because (as this paper shows) it is inconsistent with socially defined groupings based on genetic links by which territorial claims might be made. Early humans, on the other hand, are very likely to have competed for territory as their radiation proceeded, and local groups would find advantages in their relative demographic strength. Hence, the only available Evolutionary Stable Strategy requires that people organize around the benefits of fertility-as-wealth in some indeterminate form of intergenerational aggregation, as they struggled to maintain possession of (additional) territory in the context of social circumscription. While lineages, tribes and states are the most sophisticated forms of such aggregations, the author suggests the likelihood that early humans might have possessed other forms that are ethnographically unknown.
Cambridge University Press eBooks, Jun 13, 1998
It is argued that the commonly asserted non-existence of group marriage arises solely from an aba... more It is argued that the commonly asserted non-existence of group marriage arises solely from an abandonment of Morgan’s (1877) definition of marriage and that the commonly accepted alternative to that definition lacks ethnographic generality. As defined by Morgan group marriage has been practiced by over one-third of the hunter-gatherers listed in Murdock (1971).
Current Anthropology
Explaining the level of bridewealth in a given society is not the anthropologist's usual preoccup... more Explaining the level of bridewealth in a given society is not the anthropologist's usual preoccupation. It is usually sufficient to note the existence of bridewealth, its form, characteristics, and the social processes associated with it and hope to have gotten the facts straight. There are, however, occasions on which differences in the amount of bridewealth paid (Gluckman 1950, Schneider 1964, Borgerhoff Mulder 1988) or a shift from bridewealth to dowry (Sharma 1980, Epstein 1973) lead to speculation on the factors that affect the level of bride-wealth. There is general agreement that women provide a net benefit to the groups that receive them in marriage and that this net benefit justifies or explains the existence of bridewealth. This point seems almost obvious, given that women are valuable and that the transfer of goods to acquire women implies a preference for women relative to those goods. The logic of everyday economic rationality offers no alternative to the consideration of
Structure and Dynamics: eJournal of Anthropological and Related Sciences, 2007
Foundational to this discussion are two papers on “identity” by George A. Akerlof and Rachel Kran... more Foundational to this discussion are two papers on “identity” by George A. Akerlof and Rachel Kranton [2000, 2005]. We contribute to their development of this issue with additional factors that are arguably essential to the analysis of identity formation. While they indicate
the importance of norms as the bases of identity, we suggest additionally the relevance of independence, individual creativity and the exploration of behaviors beyond norms. A violation of normative expectations has the potential of entering and affecting the social terrain interactively with positive feedbacks, generating non-linear processes of innovation and social change.
Our most important finding is that when individuals promote innovation in the performance of a social role, the innovation is unlikely to be mimicked by other role incumbents unless the formal rewards to those innovators are perceived to be more than proportional to the significance of the innovation. If those formal rewards are less than proportional to the significance of the innovation, a general disapprobation of the innovators may arise that potentially vitiates the benefits to innovators, retards the diffusion of the innovation and frustrates further innovation.
Contrary to Fordist notions of cost-minimization, our model suggests the development of challenging career paths where all workers of a given category are rewarded for innovation, rather than restricting rewards to specific innovators, in order to create dynamic innovative environments. Our results echo the achievements of Apple and Google, who have created
heterogeneous teams of employees, rewarding all members of such teams for advancing innovation.
Current Anthropology, 2000
none
Foundational to this discussion are two papers on “identity” by George A. Akerlof and Rachel Kran... more Foundational to this discussion are two papers on “identity” by George A. Akerlof and Rachel Kranton [2000, 2005]. We contribute to their development of this issue with additional factors that are arguably essential to the analysis of identity formation. While they indicate the importance of norms as the bases of identity, we suggest additionally the relevance of independence, individual creativity and the exploration of behaviors beyond norms. A violation of normative expectations has the potential of entering and affecting the social terrain interactively with positive feedbacks, generating non-linear processes of innovation and social change. Our most important finding is that when individuals promote innovation in the performance of a social role, the innovation is unlikely to be mimicked by other role incumbents unless the formal rewards to those innovators are perceived to be more than proportional to the significance of the innovation. If those formal rewards are less than pr...
The Review of Black Political Economy, 1972
This Republic had its beginning, and grew to its present strength, under the protection of certai... more This Republic had its beginning, and grew to its present strength, under the protection of certain inalienable political rights-among them the right of free speech, free press, free worship, trial by jury, freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures. They were our rights to life and liberty.
RATIONALE: The COMPACT (Clinical Studies for Optimal Management of Preventing Angioedema with low... more RATIONALE: The COMPACT (Clinical Studies for Optimal Management of Preventing Angioedema with low-volume subcutaneous C1-Inhibitor Replacement Therapy) trial evaluated the safety and efficacy of a low-volume C1-INH(SC) as routine prevention in patients with HAE. This subgroup analysis was designed to compare HAE attack rates in patients who stopped their prior C1-INH(IV) as routine prophylaxis to start C1-INH(SC) routine prevention during participation in the COMPACT trial. METHODS: This was a pre-specified subgroup analysis of 22 subjects who used C1-INH(IV) for routine prophylaxis of HAE attacks prior to using C1-INH(SC) during COMPACT trial participation. The timenormalized rate of HAE attacks (number/month) experienced during prestudy C1-INH(IV) prophylaxis was determined for the 3 month period prior to COMPACT trial entry and compared against the time-normalized attack rate during study treatment with C1-INH(SC), 40 or 60 IU/kg. RESULTS: The mean (SD) time-normalized HAE attack rate (number/ month) during pre-study use of C1-INH(IV) prophylaxis (n522) was 2.56 (2.579), compared with 1.73 (2.902) while using C1-INH(SC) for routine prevention in the COMPACT study. Following a switch to C1-INH(SC), the mean (SD) percentage reduction in HAE attack rate compared to prophylactic C1-INH(IV) use was 52.1% (63.64%). The corresponding mean (SD) percentage reductions in HAE attack rates by C1-INH(SC) dose were 48.8% (68.37%) for C1-INH(SC) 40 IU/kg, and 53.7% (64.23%) for C1-INH(SC) 60 IU/kg. CONCLUSIONS: This subgroup analysis of COMPACT trial data suggests that patients previously using C1-INH(IV) prophylaxis and switched to C1-INH(SC) (40 or 60 IU/kg) for routine prevention may experience a lower attack rate than experienced during routine prophylaxis with C1-INH(IV).
a new model The desert is small relative to the growth of population, leading to endemic warfare ... more a new model The desert is small relative to the growth of population, leading to endemic warfare over territory and to the expulsion of weaker groups. However, camels have relatively low fertility rates in the face of recurrent drought, so that maintenance of balanced ratios of camels requires the raiding of camels by those who are militarily strong and the expulsion of the weak from the desert. Given the inadequacy of natural increase to preserve the sufficiency of herds, the sizes of herds are determined by the actions of men as raiders and as defenders of herds. Men, however, are the products of the fertility of women, and hence the fertility of women acts as the critical wealth-asset underlying possession of herds and the survival of agnatic groups. Like marriage practices almost everywhere, marriages among the Somali carry the ethos of the successful and the powerful, the powerful being those whose sons are so successful in raiding that a sufficiency in camels is assured. In th...
ABSTRACT. By means of a series of logical arguments this paper presents the fundamental proto-cul... more ABSTRACT. By means of a series of logical arguments this paper presents the fundamental proto-cultural properties of reciprocity as an elementary distributive mechanism. The exact meaning of "balanced exchange " is derived and contrasted with exchanges that are satisfactory, yet not balanced, or balanced but not satisfactory. The paper also presents the set of rules by which exchange and balanced exchange can be unambiguously recognized in ethnographic investigation, together with examples of error found in the literature.
Structure and Dynamics: eJournal of Anthropological and Related Sciences, 2007
The purpose of this study was the development of mathematical models from which an industry, acti... more The purpose of this study was the development of mathematical models from which an industry, acting through a central decision unit, could determine each week the optimal quantity of its product to ship to the domestic market, Interest in this topic has been stimulated by commodity transfer problems in the lemon industry. The lemon industry, which operates under a Federal Marketing Order, has desired for some time a means of increasing the effectiveness of its shipping policies in raising and stablizing incomes of lemon growers. However, the task is made difficult by the existence of random and unanticipated short-run shifts in the level of demand (of wholesalers) for fresh lemons. In this study these random elements were taken into account and the lemon transfer problem was examined as a stochastic process. The monograph briefly discusses the lemon industry, a number of introductory transfer models and, then, focuses attention upon a class of stochastic models called "multi-st...
Beijing is currently undergoing a host of dramatic changes, as reflected in the popular symbol ch... more Beijing is currently undergoing a host of dramatic changes, as reflected in the popular symbol chai ( ). Chai means destruction; but it also refers to antiquated things or ideas that should be destroyed. By presenting chai, one is able to arouse into memory certain forgotten things that previously rested in the background. However, the reconstructed forgotten memories that one actually remembers differ from the actually forgotten. In this way prevailing Chinese conceptions of contemporary social transformations can be configured into recollections of constructed images of the past; and the past can be lost while being remembered. In this article, this process of creative remembering and forgetting will be illustrated by reference to changes in customs and residential ownership. We shall argue that traditionalism and modernity in contemporary China should be seen as circular transformations between remembering and forgetting.