ANT 101 WEEK 1 DQ 1 ASSIMILATION OR CULTURAL RELATIVISM

Assimilation or Cultural Relativism. Choose either Option A or Option B. Formulate an initial post in which you address the points noted in the prompt for your chosen option.

Option A: Assimilation The textbook discusses the process of assimilation. After viewing the film, Indian School: Stories of Survival, answer the following questions: • What is the definition of assimilation according to your textbook? • What were you most surprised to learn from the film? • Why did the American government decide to assimilate Native American children into Western culture? • How did this affect them long term? • Is assimilating others into another culture ever justified?

Option B: Cultural Relativism Cultural relativism asserts that every culture has its own set of customs and beliefs, and that culture must be understood by the standards and values of the people within that culture. Anthropologists think that what might seem cruel or irrational in our own culture must be seen through the lens of cultural relativity, and that all cultures have practices or beliefs that can be seen by others as repugnant or incomprehensible. After reading The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, explain whether you think cultural relativism can coexist with the idea of universal human rights. Is it possible for anthropologists to promote human rights without imposing their own values and ideas of human rights? Explain your position.