1. CHAPTER 13
THE ARTS
CHAPTER OUTLINE
I. What is Art?
A. Art is very difficult to define, but it generally refers to the manifestations of
human creativity through which people express themselves in dance, music, song,
painting, sculpture, pottery, cloth, story telling, verse, prose, drama, and comedy.
B. Art and Religion
1. Definitions of both art and religion focus on the more than ordinary aspects of each
with regard to how they are different from the ordinary and profane/secular.
2. A lot of Western and non-Western art has been done in association with religion, but it
is important to remember that not all non-Western art has ritual or religious
importance.
3. Art and religion both have formal (museums and churches, temples) and informal
(parks, homes, and regular gathering places) venues of expression.
a. State-level societies have permanent structures for religion and art.
b. Nonstate-level societies lack permanent structures for religion and art.
C. Locating Art
1. In states, art is housed in special buildings like museums, concert halls, and theaters.
2. In non-states, artistic expression takes place in public spaces that have been set aside
for art.
3. In states, critics, judges, and experts determine what is art and what is not.
4. The Kalabari example demonstrates that not all sculpture is art because wooden
carvings are manufactured exclusively for religious reasons.
D. Art and Individuality
1. Some anthropologists have criticized that the study of non-Western art ignores the
individual and focuses too much on the group.
2. However, in many non-Western societies, there is more collective production of art
than in Western cultures.
3. Bohannan argued that among the Tiv, the emphasis should be on the critics rather than
the artists because the Tiv do not recognize the same connection between artists and
their art.
4. The degree to which artists can be separated from their work varies cross-culturally.
E. The Work of Art
1. In all societies art is work.
a. In nonstate societies, artists cannot work on their art all of the time as they still
must hunt, gather, fish, herd, or farm to eat.
b. In states, artists are full-time specialists whose career is their work.
2. Artistic completeness or mastery is determined and maintained by both formal and
informal standards.
II. Art, Society, and Culture
A. Art is usually a public phenomenon that is exhibited, performed, evaluated, and
appreciated in society.
1. Ethnomusicology is the comparative study of the musics of the world and of music as
an aspect of culture and society.

2. 2. Folk art, music, and lore refer to the expressive culture of ordinary people.
3. Art is a form of social communication.
B. The Cultural Transmission of the Arts
1. Art is a part of culture and as a result appreciation for the arts are internalized during
enculturation.
2. The appreciation of different art forms varies cross-culturally.
3. In nonindustrialized societies, artistic traditions are generally transmitted through
families and kin groups.
4. The art of storytelling plays a critical role in the transmission, preservation, and
expression of cultural traditions.
C. Interesting Issues: I’ll Get You, My Pretty, and Your Little R2
1. Myths are hallowed stories that express fundamental cultural values.
2. Kottak argues that the Wizard of Oz and the original Star Wars are modern American
cultural myths.
3. He performs a structural analysis of the two films to demonstrate that Star Wars is a
systematic transformation of Wizard of Oz.
D. The Artistic Career
1. In many non-Western societies children born into certain lineages are destined for a
particular artistic career (e.g. leather working, wood carving, and making pottery)
2. Full craft specialists find support through their kin ties in non-Western societies or
through patrons in Western societies.
3. The arts rely on individual talent, which is shaped through socially approved
directions.
E. Continuity and Change
1. The arts are always changing.
2. The arts incorporate a wide variety of media.
F. Beyond the Classroom: Copier: The Afro-Brazilian Art of Unity and Survival
1. Anne Haggerson studied how capoeira, an Afro-Brazilian martial art, helped people
overcome the forces of poverty, unemployment, racism, and failing schools.
2. She argues that capoeira is more than a pastime, it is a survival strategy and
educational tool for the urban poor in Salvador, Brazil.