The importance of American role to deal with global inequality created through globalization

Title:  The importance of American role to deal with global inequality created

              through globalization

Topic: Globalization

Relation: Spradley, Conformity and Conflict, Chapter 15, pgs. 146-155

Source: My information comes from the article of Judy Miller.

“Globalization Widens Rich-Poor Gap, U.N. Report Says”

http://www.nytimes.com/1999/07/13/world/globalization-widens-rich-poor-gap-un-report-says.html

Description: This article talks about that globalization intensify the gap between poor and rich nations. America dominates all economically over the world. Dollars is very strong in terms of monetary mobilization. As the Internet and computer technology spread in the world, this world has been globalized and developed. However, as this article states, the problem is wealth distribution is poorly divided between poor and rich countries like “Wealth inequality.” From this article, even if poorest nation face difficulty such as the corruption, and mismanagement of resources, they do not handle well and this lets other rich nation to hesitate giving foreign aid to them.  Since industrialized countries have more accessibility to technology, the gap between rich and poor gets bigger and bigger as one of elements to accompany in globalization. This is why there is anti American or anti free trade, as well as anti globalization sort of ideas are out there in our current society.  In the end, this article concludes that America should be a very helpful country in order to pursue human rights as well as democracy. The international community has not figured how to deal with such global inequality, and this would be next step that America has to deal with.   

Commentary/Analysis:  According to the chapter 15 in Conformity and Conflict titled Global women in the New Economy, the author says “Thanks to the process we loosely call ‘globalization,‘ women are on the move as never before in history.” This article is about as the world gets globalized, people tend to migrate to the rich nations from the poor ones, especially women. But even those women go to other nations for money, the gap between poor and rich does not minimize. Therefore, I thought that this chapter in Conformity and Conflict could be related with the article that I found. In CC, rich nations didn’t take any action for those who migrate from poor nation. “Global inequalities in wages are particularly striking” (CC 152).  However, like the article I found said, if richer countries try to support and give aids to poor nations, the gap between them can be gradually minimized.  

Hamar Cow Jumping – Ethiopia

Title: Hamar Cow Jumping – Ethiopia

Topic: Rites of passage

Relation: The concept of rites of passage introduced by Arnold van

Gennep in chapter 6 of ANTHRO pages 139-140

Source: My information comes from Jamie Frater’s “10 Bizarre Rites of Passage” and the site of Indians4Africa.com

1.    http://listverse.com/2009/12/28/10-bizarre-rites-of passage/

2.    http://indians4africa.com/sport/2012/03/hamar-cow-jumping-ethiopia/

Description: The post, written by Jamie Frater, that I found firstly tells us “Rites of passage in adolescence are a cross-cultural phenomenon.” Frater gave the information of 10 exotic rites of passage in the world. However, I focused on the one of the Ethiopian tribe Hamar’s ritual called “Cow Jumping. “ 12-15 years of boys have to go through this ceremonial to get permission from father in law in order to marry with girls. Those men have to jump four cattle stood in a row successfully. When Hamar boys succeed to pass this test, they earn respect and are able participate in the Hamar women-beating ritual that proves that Hamar girls show their devotion to their men.

Commentary/Analysis: Arnold van Gennep introduces the concept of rites of passage in ANTHRO (139). He says there are three phases of rites of passage: separation, transition, and incorporation. However, I found out that Hamar’s cow jumping is related with what Gennep says. Particularly, the cow jumping was associated with the transition and the incorporation phases. It is because the Hamar’s ceremony is one of the ways to prove that young boys are on the way of being men.  Also, this ritual emphasizes in marriage ceremonies. “We are not born with an identity; it is something we learn…In all societies, people are constantly changing their identities as they move through the life cycle.” (RR 139) It is true that we are getting to know ourselves constantly from the three phases that Gennep explains to us.