From: gil@Gilsys.DIALix.oz.au (Gil Hardwick)
Newsgroups: sci.anthropology
Subject: communities
Distribution: world
Date: Tue, 29 Sep 92 12:50:32 GMT
Organization: STAFF STRATEGIES - Anthropologists & Training Agents
Reply-To: gil@Gilsys.DIALix.oz.au


In article <BvB129.Dy0@apollo.hp.com> nelson_p@apollo.hp.com writes:

 >   Why is it so unreasonable to expect references, anway?   Isn't
 >   the dynamics of communities, what makes them work, what holds
 >   them together, etc, a pretty major subject in cultural anthro-
 >   pology?
 > 
The term I used was "problematic", although I should have expanded to
idea to suggest references *exclusive* of one's own fieldwork (plus
the years of work getting enough experience to begin *understanding*
what the references actually refer to, and how limited they really
are. 

 >   [ a minor flame here:  During the Primaries I remember hearing
 >     some candidate talking about increased funding for things like
 >     Usenet and what a great tool for research, etc it is.  Indeed
 >     in the few reports I've seen in the popular press on Usenet 
 >     they often mention how it connects academia, government, and
 >     corporations, and is such a great tool for research and learning.
 > 
 >     My personal experience doesn't support this.  I mean I *expect*
 >     long winded flames and wild claims on places like talk.politics 
 >     -- that's why I post there 8-)   .  But I'm often disappointed

 Well, why not begin a pro-active session to bring this medium to
 fruition? The computer engineers and software writers have done a
 good job up to now, and I think it is time the specialties took over
 and made something really valuable of it.

 > >Your notion of a "Goodwill Bank", is germane and relevant since it is
 > >present in almost all non-industrial societies. I am hard-pressed to
 > >think of anywhere it is not central to the practicalities of people
 > >meeting their obligations to one another, although my own terminology
 > >refers to "Social Credits" since the "depository" is rarely central.
 > >
 > >I have seen them used even to the extent of patching up marriages,
 > >where a foolish fling with another woman cost a married man all the
 > >credits he had built up over the years. A breakup would have caused
 > >problems for the whole community, and the fact that he had "used up
 > >all his favours" amounted what we now legally refer to as a Community
 > >Service Order in that he would have to work without any expectation
 > >that anyone would do anything for him in return, for some time.
 > 
 >    Right, this is the kind of dynamic I'm curious about.  Has there been
 >    much research into what features of a society or culture make these
 >    work or how widespread these are among different cultures?

I guess you will, like the rest of us, have to wade through all the
literature and see what is there. I am only speaking from my own field
experience here, where I am occasionally *involved* with these matters,
and have not written any papers on them. I had an idea to let you know
what things to look for since I would very much like to see some
correlative research done in this area.

 >    ultimately I'm curious whether industrial or postindustrial cultures
 >    have, for lack of a better word, the social or cultural "infastructure"
 >    to support these things.   

In my experience it seems to be there, underneath, but pretty much on
the back foot. If you have a look in alt.pagan you can see it coming
out again . . .


Gil Hardwick                                      gil@Gilsys.DIALix.oz.au
Independent Consulting Ethnologist                            3:690/660.6
PERTH, Western Australia                                 (+61 9) 399 2401
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