The articles I read for this last blog highlighted anthropology's role in analyzing and providing new, constructive perspectives on how to deal with the issues stemming from the world's increasingly capitalist and globalized economic structure. Environmental destruction is the main problem which scientists have warned will worsen if something is not done to change the maintenance of the global system. Using multiple broad perspectives to gain an understanding of the present, anthropologists vitally serve to find solutions to the main environmental and economic issues which face the world today.
In his article "Anthropological Perspectives on Contemporary Human Problems", John H. Bodley describes the history of human development and how the recently-developed, globalized, capitalist system has visibly created environmental issues, and increased poverty and political turmoil as a result of strained resources. Bodley notes that in 1992, scientists globally distributed the World Scientist's Warning To Humanity, outlining the predicted problems the world would face as a result of humanity's destructive "collision course" with the environment. (7) Among these issues were the availability of biologically functional air, water, and soil. The depletion of these resources on a global scale would undoubtedly cause worldwide human suffering and a possibility of human extinction. Bodley declares that the complexity of anthropology is essential for the complicated issues facing the alleviation of the world crisis:
[ "What is needed is perspective--a combination of detachment, a predilection for viewing the total picture in the widest spatial-temporal frame, and a clear recognition of the interrelatedness of social, cultural, biological, and psychological factors. As an academic discipline, anthropology is uniquely qualified to offer such an overview." ] (9)
Bodley outlines the approaches for how an anthropologist can analyze the world crisis. The holistic approach "naturally leads to the broad questions that we must ask" using a scope that often crosses disciplinary barriers. The cross-cultural approach assumes that a problem cannot be solved without understanding how different cultures would view the situation, therefore avoiding ethnocentrism. The evolutionary approach views the history of humanity, showing what mistakes we have made or what ingenious strategies we have used in the past. Bodley finishes by analyzing how the wealth and power of transnational corporations and capitalism still has a hold on how humans will solve the world crisis.
I have seen the environmental destruction caused by capitalist economic pressures by the increase of suburban areas within the town of Woodbury, a community next to my hometown of Maplewood, MN. Apparently, in the late 1980's, Woodbury was complete farmland, consisting of vast acres of pasture and crop fields. However, if someone were to drive on the highway and pass the suburban strip malls, townhouses, housing developments, shopping centers, gas stations, restaurants, and water tower, the most farm-like thing they would be able to find would be the Land 'O Lakes facility which holds parking space for large cemi-trucks. The high increase of suburban development within the past 20 years tells me that there was a larger economic demand in the area for store-bought goods than there was for farmers' crops. While the farm land would have been less damaging to the environment than the community's smog-producing transportation and electricity-hogging businesses, the push for capitalistic values has turned the once farm-town of Woodbury into a materialistic society.
Culturally, Woodbury has put more value into cars, money, and personal appearance. Even my parents comment on how much our neighborhood cares about how good their houses or their cars look. Housing developments have gone up so fast in our neighborhood that while my dad build our house from scratch mostly by himself, within five years, nine houses were built inside the culdesac and connecting side street behind our house, and six more houses went up just down the opposite side street.
To look at Woodbury from a cross-cultural perspective Decorah, IA, Decorah has not changed that much in the past twenty years. Houses have remained relatively the same, and I have not seen many town developments in Decorah that look relatively new or modern.
Psychologically, I can say that Maplewood and Woodbury have become more mentally dependent on technology and less inclined to find happiness in nature than a farmer living in Woodbury would be able to twenty years ago.
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