Mastering Sport Anthropology: Redefining Sport Sciences Education | Chapter 9 | Recent Research Advances in Arts and Social Studies Vol. 7

The article discusses the content and the structure of a teaching program  at  Russian State University of Physical Education, Sport, Youth and Tourism (RSUPE)[1], realized in the 2010-2020, and the main directions of its suggested development in the system of sport education in Russia and elsewhere. An interdisciplinary field of study known as "sport anthropology," or "anthropology of sport," is rapidly expanding and incorporates a wide range of techniques and methodologies, including sociological, anthropological, genetic, psychological, and physiological ones. It builds a bridge between biological and cultural anthropology, and includes a lot of topics interesting not  only for  specialists in  sport science and  training but  also for the general public. Among the most important issues are the following: influence of physical activity and different kinds of sports on growth and development of children (gender, age, ethnic aspects); obesity epidemics in the framework of changes in modern lifestyle; morphological and functional adaptations in sports of high qualification; genetic polymorphic systems associated with morphofunctional characteristics of athletes in different sport specializations; secular trends in sports – directions and differences from the general pattern, etc. The importance of the new program consists in giving new interdisciplinary approaches for problem-solving in the field of physical culture, education and sport training. It brings together methodology from different scientific disciplines: anthropology, genetics, psychology, physiology, sociology, etc. The program consisted of two years of studies, and was structured as lecture courses and practical seminars in major disciplines of biological anthropology and applied sciences.

 

The impact of the program could be evaluated in terms of much broader perspectives of the alumni’s in the knowledge of major bioanthropology theories and application of its methods in their future practical work as coaches, trainers and sport scientists.

Author(s) Details:

Elena Z Godina,
Research Institute and Museum of Anthropology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia and Department of Anatomy and Biological Anthropology, Russian University of Sport, Russia.

Adu V Makhalin,
Research Institute and Museum of Anthropology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia.

Please see the link here: https://stm.bookpi.org/RRAASS-V7/article/view/14081

The Development of Bed and Breakfast Industry in Gulangyu Island: A Cultural Anthropology Perspective | Chapter 18 | Anthropological Explorations of Gender, Identity, and Economics

In recent years, due to the improvement of people's living standards, as a new accommodation type, the B and B industry has been developing rapidly in China, especially in the tourist resort areas. However, most of the studies on B and B business form are from the perspective of tourism and economy, and analyze it from a single perspective, without considering the overall view. This paper tries to study the B and B industry in Gulangyu Island from the perspective of cultural anthropology, trying to provide new thinking for the development of B and B industry in the community of Gulangyu World International Heritage Site under the COVID-19 pandemic.

Author(s) Details:

Ma Yile,
Graduate Student in Anthropology at the School of Sociology and Anthropology of Xiamen University at Xiamen in the Fujian Province, P. R. China.

Please see the link here: https://stm.bookpi.org/AEGIE/article/view/13585

Violence and Cannibalism: Considerations on Cannibalism in Pre-Modern Societies: The Case of Mesa Verde | Chapter 17 | Anthropological Explorations of Gender, Identity, and Economics

Cannibalism refers to the phenomenon of eating one own species for certain reasons that widely exists among living things of this planet. In nature, animals eat the same kind of meat mainly for individual survival and gene continuation. For human beings, although one should not deny that cannibalism caused by a series of specific reasons is an objective phenomenon, which runs through the whole history of this species. The validity of the appalling rumors about cannibalism brought back by sailors and travelers heard for a long time, and even ethnographic data collected by modern anthropologists, need to be verified. Today, cannibalism for social and cultural reasons is a thing of the past in most societies. This paper takes Cowboy wash’s case as an example, relies on authentic ethnographic materials from various perspectives and uses the cross-cultural comparison method of anthropology. It aims at sorting out the possible causes of cannibalism from the perspectives of history and social-cultural imperatives, and tries to sieve through the relationship between violence and cannibalism.

Author(s) Details:

Zhang Yichi,
Graduate Student in Anthropology at the School of Sociology and Anthropology of Xiamen University at Xiamen in the Fujian Province, P. R. China.

Please see the link here: https://stm.bookpi.org/AEGIE/article/view/13584

History, Characteristics, and Modern Vitality of Nüshu: A Cultural Anthropology Perspective | Chapter 9 | Anthropological Explorations of Gender, Identity, and Economics

Nüshu is a syllabic script derived from Chinese characters that was used exclusively among women in Jiangyong County in Hunan province of southern China. There is the unique Nüshu Culture that has been spontaneously developing along with it. Academic research, both in China and abroad has been conducted on Nüshu over the past thirty years, however the majority is carried out from a linguistic perspective. This paper intends to study the Nüshu from a cultural anthropology perspective and investigates on the one hand its origin and history, cultural features, as well as similarities and differences compared to Madarin Chinese. In the other hand it tries to bring to light the possible reasons that still keep this rare and old female culture alive in modern society.

Author(s) Details:

Li Congrong,
Graduate Student in Anthropology at the School of Sociology and Anthropology of Xiamen University at Xiamen in the Fujian Province, P. R. China.

Please see the link here: https://stm.bookpi.org/AEGIE/article/view/13576

The Miao Marriage System and Its Evolution from the Perspective of Cultural Anthropology | Chapter 6 | Anthropological Explorations of Gender, Identity, and Economics

The Miao are an important ethnic group in China, their ethnic culture is also very unique, and the marriage system of the Miao people is undoubtedly a representative of it. This paper analyzes the evolution of the Miao marriage by consulting the literature related to the Miao marriage system, and uses the perspective of cultural anthropology to interpret the significance of some of its important customs and concepts. In addition, due to the influence of various factors, the Miao marriage system has changed, so this paper also attempts to understand these changes from the perspective of cultural anthropology, and then discusses the possible significance of this change for the Miao group itself. Of course, this paper also attempts to compare the Miao marriage system with other ethnic groups, trying to interpret the universality and differences from the perspective of cultural anthropology.

Author(s) Details:

Qin Yao,
Graduate Student in Anthropology at the School of Sociology and Anthropology of Xiamen University at Xiamen in the Fujian Province, P. R. China.

Please see the link here: https://stm.bookpi.org/AEGIE/article/view/13573

Research on the Shadow Play Culture in Shaanxi | Chapter 15 | Traditions and Cultural Heritage: Genesis, Reproduction, and Preservation

In 2011, Chinese shadow puppetry was recognized as "intangible cultural heritage" by UNESCO. This traditional art, inherited for thousands of years, was recognized by the world and became a valuable asset for humanity. As the earliest birthplace of shadow play in legend, Shaanxi has a long history of shadow play inheritance. It is said that the emperor of the Han Dynasty missed his deceased concubine and looked at other people's figures and performances across the veil, just like seeing his lover. The shadow play then spread from the palace to the people. It has become an important people's leisure and entertainment in the Song Dynasty.

The rise and fall of shadow play in Shaanxi is the epitome of the development history of shadow play in China. In the development history of shadow play, Shaanxi shadow play has formed a unique play performance style. Shaanxi Province is still one of the most important performance areas of shadow play.

This paper will introduce the definition of Shaanxi shadow play, review the development history of shadow play, tell the development status of shadow play and its cultural by-products, and put forward some suggestions on the protection and promotion of shadow play.

Author(s) Details:

Xu Shuang,
Department of Anthropology and Ethnology, Xiamen University, China.

Please see the link here: https://stm.bookpi.org/TCHGRP/article/view/9534