Anthropology 3635: Peoples and Cultures of Europe

Understanding Global Cultures, Exam I, page 1

Anthropology 3635: Peoples and Cultures of Europe

Midsemester Exam I

Fall 2006

19 October 2006

This exam is available in electronic form

from the General Purpose Course WebDrop Folder at

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Upload all four of your questions in one file.

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You must finish and turn in or upload this exam by xxx5:55 p.m.

This is an open-book exam. You may bring and use your texts, dictionary, thesaurus, a writing handbook, class handouts, notes, outlines, drafts, memos, and a Ouija board. You may also use references and materials from your other classes and the web, with the caveat, of course, that you properly cite any sources you use.

You may bring and use your laptopbut you must upload your exam to your WebDrop folder at the end of the exam period Please upload the entire exam as one file, if you can, including the optional take-home question if you choose to do that question.

Countries covered in this exam includeGreece, Turkey, Cyprus, Belgium, Italy, Portugal, Spain, France, The Basques, The United Kingdom, and Iceland.

Answer FOUR (only 4) of the following questions. Keep in mind that there is more than one approach you can take in answering these questions.

Follow these guidelines:

Organize your answer before you begin.

Be sure to state:

1. What or who something is

2. Where it occurred or is located (if appropriate)

3. How it is important

4. When it occurred

5. Why it is important

State YOUR position or approach clearly.

Cite specific examples or references to support your statements.

Mention problem areas or other relevant materials which you would like to consider further in a more thorough statement. That is, when you're finished with your answer, what major questions are still left unanswered?

Summarize your argument or discussion.

Wherever appropriate use materials from more than one region of the world.

Remember that each of your responses should have a beginning, a middle, and an end.

Note: Do not discuss any topic at length in more than one question.

01.From the CEforum: What are some of the reasons that the Basques have been able to maintain their culture, language, and laws throughout history and today when the rest of the Iberian peninsula cultureshave been conquered by numerous outside forces?

02.From the CEforum: Pick a culture you consider to be an island community and explain why you think is in terms of the commonly discussedcomponents of island communities.

03.From the CEforum: Compare and contrast the ways of life in the Greek villages we learned about: Kypseli, Vasilika, and the Cypriot Village.

REM: If you elect to also answer Question 04, do not repeat significant parts of that question here.

04.From the CEforum: List three examples of ways men and women in Kypseli are divided and explain the cultural reason(s) for this division for each example.

REM: If you elect to also answer Question 03, do not repeat significant parts of that question here.

05.Compare and contrast what you have read on the CEforum with other materials in the course.

06.Relate the study of any one or more nation(s) so far considered in your Peoples and Cultures of Europe class with what you are studying in one or more of your other classes.

07.Compare and contrast the substantive aspects of the presentations of our two visiting guest speakers, Prof. Willie Henderson and Prof. Morris Levy.

08.Much class time for the first part of the semester was devoted to "Master Texts and 'Classics.'" Discuss the importance of understanding the importance of Master Texts and classic works to understanding the anthropology of Europe.
[Read that last sentence at least three times before you begin to answer the question.]

09.A major section of the “Introduction” to Susan Parman’s Europe in the Anthropological Imagination(pp. 11 – 14)is called "ANTHROPOLOGY IN EUROPE, OR ANTHROPOLOGY OF EUROPE?” a topic that was reviewed in class. What is that all about?

10.Compare and contrastSusannah Hoffman’s film Kypseli with Susan Parman’s Europe in the Anthropological Imagination, Ch. 2, “Europe through the Back Door: Doing Anthropology in Greece,” and Ch. 3, “Bringing the ‘Other’ to the ‘Self’: Kypseli -- The Place and the Film.”

11.“Moves begin on Iceland's WHALING: Iceland's ambassador to Britain is summoned to explain his country's return to commercial whaling” readsBBC Europe’s major headline for yesterday, Wednesday, October 18, 2006. A copy of the BBC article is attached.

Mark Kurlansky’sCod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World seems to deal with basically the same sort problem in Chapter 9, "Iceland Discovers the Finite Universe," and Chapter 10, "Three Wars to Close the Open Sea."

Discuss the BBC article on Iceland’s announcement on Tuesday that Iceland “would resume commercial whaling after a hiatus of 20 years” in the context of what you read in Chapters 9 and 10 of Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World.

REM: If you elect to also answer Question 12, do not repeat significant parts of that question here.

Interestingly enough, a secondofBBC Europe’s major headlines for yesterday, Wednesday, October 18, 2006, read “Scientists urge ban on cod catch: A complete ban on North Sea cod fishing in 2007 is the main recommendation to European governments from their scientific advisors on fisheries.” A copy of that BBC article is also attached.

This story urging a ban on cod was labeled by BBC as one of the other seven “top stories of the day.” (“Moves begin on Iceland's WHALING,” discussed in Question 11, was their main story.) So two of the top eight stories of the day on BBC Europe’s WebSite – ¼ of the major breaking European news stories of the day– involved North Sea whaling and cod, “the fish that changed the world.”

Discuss how cod might still be changing the world.

REM: If you elect to also answer Question 11, do not repeat significant parts of that question here.

13.If you do not like these questions, make up and answer a question of your own choice relating to a topic which you have not considered in your other answers. Do not select a topic that was part of any of your or your groups' inclass presentations. (If you think these questions are fantastic but simply prefer to make up one of your own, go ahead.)

Answers should contain specific information supporting your position. Both your question and your answer will be evaluated.

If you elect to make up and answer a question, you may prepare your question and answer in advance and bring it with you to the exam. If you prepare your question in advance you only need to answer three (3) in class.

Do not write on any country for which you were one of the presenters.

Please return this exam when you are finished.

Scientists urge ban on cod catch

A complete ban on North Sea cod fishing in 2007 is the main recommendation to European governments from their scientific advisors on fisheries.

Once again scientists are urging an end to unsustainable fishing

The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (Ices) says stocks of cod, sandeel and anchovy remain below sustainable limits.

Ices has made the same recommendation on cod for the last four years, but ministers have gone against it.

The full report is released on Friday, with quotas decided in December.

The question remains when will politicians follow the scientific advice
Tom Pickerell, WWF-UK

It contains better news on some other species. Norwegian spring spawning herring is recovering, and Ices is recommending an increase of about 75% in its quota.

Smaller quota increases are recommended for mackerel and hake, while small reductions are urged for plaice, blue whiting and sole.

Recovery prevented

Martin Pastoors, chair of the Ices committee which reviewed the scientific data, said: "Unfortunately we have not seen clear signals of recovery for the depleted cod stocks.

"These stocks have a high growth potential, but the continued catches from these stocks in combination with very low recruitment (development of adult fish) have prevented a recovery."

European Fisheries commissioner Joe Borg welcomed "positive elements" in the report, but industry figures maintain a ban on cod fishing is unrealistic.

Source: Cefas

Mr Borg said long-term management plans, such as the plan already implemented for hake stocks to the west of Britain, Ireland and France, is the key to restoring depleted species.

"Today's news... shows that our long-term approach to the management of EU fisheries is starting to bear some fruit," he said.

"This should encourage us all to redouble our efforts to reverse the decline in our fisheries and to move gradually towards sustainable catches and a stable fishing sector."

Environment and conservation groups are urging EU ministers to accept the scientific advice when they meet in December.

"This is the fifth year in a row that their scientific advice recommends a zero catch of cod in the North Sea, west of Scotland, and Irish Sea," said Dr Tom Pickerell, fisheries policy officer with WWF-UK.

"The question remains when will politicians follow the scientific advice?"

Moves begin on Iceland's whaling

By Richard Black
Environment correspondent, BBC News website

Iceland's decision has shocked anti-whaling governments

Britain's fisheries minister has summoned Iceland's ambassador to explain why the country has decided to start hunting endangered whales.

Ben Bradshaw called Iceland's position "inexplicable and inexcusable".

On Tuesday Iceland announced it would resume commercial whaling after a hiatus of 20 years.

Conservation groups are particularly angered by plans to hunt endangered fin whales; Iceland maintains numbers are high enough to permit hunting.

It disputes the assessment of scientists in IUCN, the World Conservation Union, that fin whale stocks are fragile.

'Flagrant disregard'

But Mr Bradshaw disagreed. "World opinion is rightly outraged by this flagrant disregard for international agreements," he said.

"There is no rationale for this decision, and Iceland cannot even find markets for the whalemeat it gets from so-called 'scientific' whaling."

Iceland's whale hunt to begin

In diplomatic circles, summoning an ambassador is regarded as a fairly serious expression of displeasure.

But Stefan Asmundsson, Iceland's whaling commissioner, said his government was not concerned.

"Of course we want to have good relations with the UK and other countries around the world, and we're hopeful that while perhaps not agreeing with us they will see matters from our standpoint," he told the BBC News website.

"The British government's position is well known, and we understand where they're coming from, putting whales as a separate kind of animal that cannot be hunted; but we cannot accept that."

Commercial returns

A global moratorium on commercial hunting has been in place for 20 years, with only Norway breaking it, having legally lodged a "reservation" to the moratorium when it came into force.

Since 2002 Iceland has been catching minke whales in the name of scientific research, as it is allowed to under International Whaling Commission (IWC) rules.

Iceland's decision is extremely disappointing
-- Chris Carter

Whether it is legally entitled to resume commercial whaling is another matter.

Having left the IWC in 1992, it rejoined a decade later expressing a reservation to the moratorium, but anti-whaling countries believe this to have been illegal.

"Iceland's decision is extremely disappointing," said New Zealand's Conservation Minister Chris Carter.

"New Zealand will be making it very clear to the Icelandic government that we utterly reject their country's right to resume commercial whaling, and remain a part of the IWC."

But international reaction has not been entirely negative. Japan, which hunts more whales than any other country, welcomed Iceland's move.

"The size of Iceland's catch will in no way endanger the whale population," said Fisheries Agency official Hideki Moronuki.

Japan currently hunts for scientific research, but makes no secret of its desire for a return to commercial whaling.

At this year's IWC meeting it was able to push through a resolution, the first in 20 years, endorsing the eventual return of commercial fleets.

Some anti-whaling nations have vowed to step up diplomacy to prevent such a resumption.