Power, Civilization, and the Self
Anthony Alms, Rutgers University, Fall 2005
Assignment 1
In “Waiting for a Jew” Jonathan Boyarin suggests that it is the very marginality of the Eighth Street Shul that enables (or allows) him to develop a “transcultural” self. Do you agree with Boyarin that “communities on the edge of mass society” may be the best places in which to develop such an identity? Why or why not? What is the value of transcultural selfhood?
Please remember to address all three questions, and be sure to include at least one quotation from Boyarin in each paragraph.
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Assignment 2
In his essay, Stephen Jay Gould tells a “fable” about how woolly mammoths may have descended from elephants inhabiting Siberia (328). The story illustrates the “mechanism” of genealogical change (or “evolution”): specific traits that occur randomly in a species may—by enabling individuals possessing the traits to survive a change in climate—become dominant characteristics of the species. In the development of the mammoths, a trait of marginal importance (hairiness) in a mild climate becomes a means of survival in a cold climate. In a five-page paper, address the following question: What impact, if any, could marginality (as Boyarin experiences it) have on the genetic “evolution” of the human species?
You may choose to focus on either future evolution or on human development in the past. Either way (but especially if you choose a historical perspective), read very carefully what Gould writes in his penultimate paragraph.
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Assignment 3
Alexander Stille uses the Ganges River as a focus for religion, science (or technology), politics, and international cooperation in the face of imminent environmental disaster. If the river is to have a “next life”—at least for humankind—it seems there will have to be changes made in local religious and scientific practices, as well as in local and international politics. Drawing on ideas and concepts from Stille, Gould, and Boyarin, discuss the following: How might globalization affect the relationships between religion, science, and politics in the Third World?
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Assignment 4
In “The Ganges’ Next Life,” Alexander Stille writes about India as a traditional country that offers no resistance to outside influence, and yet somehow remains “impregnable” (549). In “The Power of Context,” Malcolm Gladwell writes that “the reason most of us [as individuals] seem to have a consistent character is that most of us are really good at controlling our environment” (191). Basing your ideas on the evidence presented in both essays, address the following: What is the relationship between control and character, when it comes to a country? In what ways, and to what extent, is the character of a society influenced by the control that that society attempts to exert, both over its own members and over external influences?
Remember to play “devil’s advocate.” That is, at some point in your paper discuss the position that is the opposite of the position you are arguing.
To get started with the assignment, do some writing on the following questions:
1. What does Stille mean when he writes that India is “impregnable”?
2. What is Gladwell’s “power of context” argument, exactly? What is a “tipping point”?
3. Do you think that Gladwell’s power of context argument supports Stille’s idea that a “wide-open” society like India can remain “remarkably itself”? Why or why not?
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Assignment 5
In the selections from The Ape and the Sushi Master, Frans de Waal writes of a continuity between “humanity’s heroic combat against forces that try to drag us down” and “the doctrine of original sin” (661). The dualistic outlook that would place civilization at odds with instinct, de Waal maintains, is the same outlook that views morality as a struggle against a sinful human nature. Yet based on various examples of unpremeditated altruism in animals and humans, it appears that civilization and morality may reflect not so much a struggle against evil as a conformity to some essential “goodness.” Moral behavior, in this view, is “firmly anchor[ed]…in the natural inclinations and desires of our species” (663). Basing your argument on the evidence presented in both essays, address the following: What is the relationship between civilization and human nature? Does civilization reflect an essential goodness on the part of humans, or does it exist to rein in a natural tendency toward destructive behavior?
In your paper, be sure to draw equally on both authors.
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Assignment 6
By beginning his essay with a reference to the expression “Speak truth to power,” James C. Scott seems to imply (albeit in retrospect, after defining his terms) that a hidden transcript is a more truthful expression of self than its corresponding public transcript is. The “truth,” suggests Scott, is influenced in some way by the domination of those in power. De Waal and Gladwell likewise suggest that the truth about a given phenomenon may be other than what is typically presented. Using concepts and examples from each author, address the following: How does the current distribution of power, wealth, and status in the United States affect the way in which “truth” is represented here?
Consider the following questions in your prewriting:
1. What are some of the alternative views that Scott, de Waal, and Gladwell argue for, and what accepted views do they argue against?
2. Does each author make a convincing case for the “correctness” of his respective position? That is, do you think the new “truths” presented by each author irrevocably supersede the positions they argue against? Why or why not? 3) Do you think these new views will become commonly accepted as truths? Why or why not?
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