The Cultured Chimpanzee Reflections on Cultural Primatology W C McGrew 9780511617355 Books
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Short of inventing a time machine, we will never see our extinct forebears in action and be able to determine directly how human behaviour and culture has developed. However, we can learn from our closest living relatives, the African great apes. The Cultured Chimpanzee explores the astonishing variation in chimpanzee behavior across their range, which cannot be explained by individual learning, genetic or environmental influences. It promotes the view that this rich diversity in social life and material culture reflects social learning of traditions, and more closely resembles cultural variety in humans than the simpler behavior of other animal species. This stimulating book shows that the field of cultural primatology may therefore help us to reconstruct the cultural evolution of Homo sapiens from earlier forms, and that it is essential for anthropologists, archaeologists and zoologists to work together to develop a stronger understanding of human and primate cultural evolution. - First book to provide a synthetic analysis of chimpanzee culture, covering both material and social culture - Models the origins and evolution of human culture using our closest living relatives, the chimpanzees - A significant and stimulating book which examines how anthropology, animal behavior and psychology must come together to truly understand the basis for human and animal culture
The Cultured Chimpanzee Reflections on Cultural Primatology W C McGrew 9780511617355 Books
How do we define "culture"? By location? Religion? Eating habits? Settling on any one or even a few elements makes it easy to limit culture to human beings alone. Many cultural anthropologists steadfastly keep to those bounds. McGrew argues strongly that such narrow constraints confine our thinking. His view of culture is defined as: "The way we do things". That would seem to open to almost infinite possibilities. For some, that has been the case - one researcher even sweeping pet guppies into the net. McGrew, however, is more concerned with ensuring culture takes other primates into account. In particular, he wants our nearest cousins, the chimpanzees, included in the rubric. In this finely-conceived overview, he skillfully builds a case for showing culture exists in chimpanzee society.McGrew's long career of primate research in the field granted him wide experience and many insights. The insights derived in some cases from surprises. His own observations in Gombe, Tanzania, were jarred by a visit to Mahale. No chimps in Gombe ever engaged in mutual grooming the way they did at Mahale. The Japanese team at Mahale assumed all chimpanzees did the "grooming hand-clasp", but McGrew explained it was otherwise. The event marked a major step in understanding that the usual human idea of The Chimpazee as a universal is false. Chimps have practices that vary in different places. In western Africa they will shatter hard food nuts with stone or branch hammers. Eastern chimpanzees "fish" for ants and termites with twigs, but don't pound readily available nuts. Some chimps apparently fear immersion in water, while others will plunge in up to their chests. Yet, what we know of these variations in behaviour and why it exists remains only initial awareness. McGrew calls for further research using clear parameters.
Recognising that "the way we do things" is but a way to expand our outlook to include other primates, McGrew offers a set of terms for clarification. Noting that culture studies must weave in several disciplines from anthropology to zoology, he indicates which contributions each can provide. More importantly, he suggests that cross-disciplinary research will not only help clarify what culture means, the effort would certainly further the insights in the various fields. An indication of this is found in the book's structure, which deals less about "the way chimpanzees do things" and asks more about where new data should be sought. "Speech", for example, which most humans declare sets us apart from the rest of the animal kingdom, has almost been ignored as a research topic in primatology.
McGrew avoids a strict definition of "culture". Instead, he skirts that issue, urging that "operational" values be used - is the suggested definition subject to investigation and/or testing and be reliably verifiable? Content is more important than labels, since labels produce constraints. Having been in many an academic skirmish, McGrew has no hesitation about accepting preliminary results in the new field he proposes. There's much to be done and while debate over terminology rages, chimpanzees are being habituated to humans, which changes their behaviour and may lead to their extinction. Part of that debate, he contends, takes up too much time and effort in how far "culture" can be extended. When guppy females show preference for victorious fighting males, is it necessary to argue over whether that signifies culture? Conversely, some have tried to limit "culture" to our high-tech society. Yet, that proposal fails when we examine the range of human societies. Such comparison with primate cultures is even less valid.
McGrew's plea for an expansion of the idea of culture is dramatically synthesised in his final chapter. "Standard" science cannot be practiced on chimpanzees. As he's already demonstrated, there are geographical distinctions in some chimp social behaviour. Relocating large groups of chimpanzees to determine if these differences are environmental, imparted or genetic is both impractical and unethical. Future studies, he urges, should be experimental and opportunistic in method. Strict controls are impossible, but the cross-disciplinary approach should make up for that condition. The first teams might well be palaeoanthropologists and cultural primatologists. Fossil hunters could teach field researchers in primatology much. Of course, McGrew's colleagues must be willing to learn. Which is one reason why he wrote this book. The other reason is that human beings must shed their conceit that only our species can possess culture. Discarding that prejudice will aid in awakening our impact on the rest of Nature, as well. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]
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The Cultured Chimpanzee Reflections on Cultural Primatology W C McGrew 9780511617355 Books Reviews
How do we define "culture"? By location? Religion? Eating habits? Settling on any one or even a few elements makes it easy to limit culture to human beings alone. Many cultural anthropologists steadfastly keep to those bounds. McGrew argues strongly that such narrow constraints confine our thinking. His view of culture is defined as "The way we do things". That would seem to open to almost infinite possibilities. For some, that has been the case - one researcher even sweeping pet guppies into the net. McGrew, however, is more concerned with ensuring culture takes other primates into account. In particular, he wants our nearest cousins, the chimpanzees, included in the rubric. In this finely-conceived overview, he skillfully builds a case for showing culture exists in chimpanzee society.
McGrew's long career of primate research in the field granted him wide experience and many insights. The insights derived in some cases from surprises. His own observations in Gombe, Tanzania, were jarred by a visit to Mahale. No chimps in Gombe ever engaged in mutual grooming the way they did at Mahale. The Japanese team at Mahale assumed all chimpanzees did the "grooming hand-clasp", but McGrew explained it was otherwise. The event marked a major step in understanding that the usual human idea of The Chimpazee as a universal is false. Chimps have practices that vary in different places. In western Africa they will shatter hard food nuts with stone or branch hammers. Eastern chimpanzees "fish" for ants and termites with twigs, but don't pound readily available nuts. Some chimps apparently fear immersion in water, while others will plunge in up to their chests. Yet, what we know of these variations in behaviour and why it exists remains only initial awareness. McGrew calls for further research using clear parameters.
Recognising that "the way we do things" is but a way to expand our outlook to include other primates, McGrew offers a set of terms for clarification. Noting that culture studies must weave in several disciplines from anthropology to zoology, he indicates which contributions each can provide. More importantly, he suggests that cross-disciplinary research will not only help clarify what culture means, the effort would certainly further the insights in the various fields. An indication of this is found in the book's structure, which deals less about "the way chimpanzees do things" and asks more about where new data should be sought. "Speech", for example, which most humans declare sets us apart from the rest of the animal kingdom, has almost been ignored as a research topic in primatology.
McGrew avoids a strict definition of "culture". Instead, he skirts that issue, urging that "operational" values be used - is the suggested definition subject to investigation and/or testing and be reliably verifiable? Content is more important than labels, since labels produce constraints. Having been in many an academic skirmish, McGrew has no hesitation about accepting preliminary results in the new field he proposes. There's much to be done and while debate over terminology rages, chimpanzees are being habituated to humans, which changes their behaviour and may lead to their extinction. Part of that debate, he contends, takes up too much time and effort in how far "culture" can be extended. When guppy females show preference for victorious fighting males, is it necessary to argue over whether that signifies culture? Conversely, some have tried to limit "culture" to our high-tech society. Yet, that proposal fails when we examine the range of human societies. Such comparison with primate cultures is even less valid.
McGrew's plea for an expansion of the idea of culture is dramatically synthesised in his final chapter. "Standard" science cannot be practiced on chimpanzees. As he's already demonstrated, there are geographical distinctions in some chimp social behaviour. Relocating large groups of chimpanzees to determine if these differences are environmental, imparted or genetic is both impractical and unethical. Future studies, he urges, should be experimental and opportunistic in method. Strict controls are impossible, but the cross-disciplinary approach should make up for that condition. The first teams might well be palaeoanthropologists and cultural primatologists. Fossil hunters could teach field researchers in primatology much. Of course, McGrew's colleagues must be willing to learn. Which is one reason why he wrote this book. The other reason is that human beings must shed their conceit that only our species can possess culture. Discarding that prejudice will aid in awakening our impact on the rest of Nature, as well. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]
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