Questions related to Patterson 1997 article in reader (it is also online).
Reading questions due in class on Jan 17. Answer two of the following three questions in a two part answer of at least 400 words.
1. Why is Patterson’s account of the English subjugation of the Irish during the 16th century interesting in light of the way that race and ethnicity were used to define “Progress” and “Civilization” by the British and Spanish Empires during the ensuing centuries?
2. During the 19th century, how were Mathusian and Darwinian concepts exploited by early anthropologists and state intellectuals to justify the ongoing genocide against indigenous peoples around the world (see also pp. 21-22 of Wenke book)?
3. Given the political and historical context presented in this essay by Patterson, can you describe a critical application of evolutionary concepts in New Archaeology (as you read in Wenke, pp25-27)? In your opinion, are evolutionary concepts more applicable to Paleolithic archaeology than to the study of more socially complex organization? What relevance do evolutionary concepts have to topics such as state collapse, in your view?