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Material World
- 1. • Learning Goal: Analyze photos from different countries to compare/contrast the families, their environments & possessions. 1
- 2. 2 MaterialWo rld photographer Peter Menzel with Buddhist monksin Bhutan
- 3. Imagine your house catches on fire. Your family is able to safely escape. What is one possession you would want to make sure and get before you joined your family outside? WHY did you choose this object?
- 4. What do you think your MOM (or dad or aunt or grandma, etc) would save?
- 5. And the adults said… 5 1) Smartphone: 31% 2) Pet(s): 18% 3) Cash: 13% 4) Jewelry: 11% 5) Tablet device: 10% 6) Wallet/purse/handbag: 5% 7) Photos: 4% 8) Laptop: 3% 9) Desktop computer: 3% 10) Keepsakes: 1%
- 6. Demographics • Characteristics of human population (gender, age, etc.)
- 7. H.D.I. Rank • Human Development Index • Ranking of nations according to their level of human development out of 187 countries: – Wealth – Range of things people can do in life – Well-being (health: physical, mental)
- 8. H.D.I. Rank Highest 1.Norway 2.Australia 3.U.S. 4.Netherlands 5.New Zealand 6.Canada Lowest 182. Liberia 183. Chad 184. Mozambique 185. Burundi 186. Niger 187. Democratic Republic of Congo
- 9. GDP Per Capita • Value of products that a country produced per person
- 10. 1. Qatar $98,900 2. Luxembourg $80,559 3. Singapore $59,710 183. Burundi $605 184. Zimbabwe $515 185. Dem. Rep. Congo $349 6. U.S. $50,600
- 11. Years of Schooling • When you graduate high school, how many years of schooling will you have? • If you go to college….. • If you become a doctor…..
- 12. Economy • A system in which people produce, buy, and sellhings • 3 economic systems: 1. Traditional: Passed down to you 2. Command: Government control 3. Market: You choose your job
- 13. Life Expectancy • Average length of life • What country in the world do you think would have the HIGHEST? • The LOWEST?
- 14. 1. Monaco 89.68 years 2. Macau 84.43 years 3. Japan 84.19 years 220. South Africa 49.41years 221. Guinea-Bissau 49.11 years 222. Chad 48.69 years 51. U.S. 78.62
- 15. Poverty Line • The minimum level of income needed to meet a person’s basic needs in a given country • The average world figure is $2 per day; the average for the U.S. is $30 per day
- 16. In which country do you think you would…… •Earn the most money? The least? •Most likely to get sick? •Be the happiest? The most miserable?
- 17. 17 Countries we will study: • Bhutan • Cuba • Mali • Kuwait • South Africa • Mongolia Japan Iceland Thailand Samoa Haiti United States
- 19. 19 Bhutan
- 20. Bhutan Population: 725,000 Life Expectancy: 68 years Years of Schooling: F: 12 M: 12 Economy: Traditional HDI Rank: 140 GDP per capita: $6,800 Population living below the poverty line: 23% Climate: Mountain
- 21. 21
- 22. 22 Most Valued Possession: Religious book, school books, and jump rope. Number of: TVs: 0 Radios: 1 Telephones: 0 Automobiles: 0
- 23. 23 Describethe appearanceof the house Most housesin Bhutan arebuilt of compacted earth and wood.
- 24. 24 Most houses have windows without glass.
- 26. 26
- 27. 27
- 28. 28 What do you think theseobjectssitting in front of thefamily are? What purposemight they serve? • Part of their Buddhist religion.
- 29. 29 What purposedo you think thissection of thehouse serves? Attached to the house is a place where animals live.
- 30. 30
- 31. 31
- 32. 32
- 33. 33 Thisphotograph showsthefamily in 2001, along with thenew possessionsthey’d acquired sincethe original photograph wastaken.
- 35. 35 Cuba • Island country in theCaribbean • Fidel Castro
- 36. Cuba Population: 11,000,000 Life Expectancy: 78years Years of Schooling: F: 16 M: 15 Economy: Command HDI Rank: 59 GDP per capita: $10,200 Population living below the poverty line: N/A Climate: Tropical
- 37. 37
- 38. 38 Most Valued Possession: FAMILY Number of: TVs: 3 Radios: 3 Telephones: 0 Automobiles: 0
- 39. 39 The U.S. had a trade blockade against Cuba from 1962 to 2015; therefore, they do not have access to newer/more modern things.
- 40. 40
- 41. 41
- 42. 42 How many generationsof peopleappear in this picture? As part of their culture, there are 3 generations living in the house together.
- 43. 43 What kind of treesdo you see? What doesthis imply about Cuba’s climate?
- 44. 44
- 45. Thisphotograph showsthefamily in 2001, along with thenew possessionsthey’d acquired sincetheoriginal photograph wastaken.
- 47. 47 Mali
- 48. Mali Population: 16,000,000 Life Expectancy: 54 years Years of Schooling: F: 7 M: 8 Economy: Traditional HDI Rank: 182 GDP per capita: $1,100 Population living below the poverty line: 36% Climate: Dry
- 49. 49
- 50. 50 Most Valued Possession: bicycle Number of: TVs: 0 Radios: 1 Telephones: 0 Automobiles: 0
- 51. 51 What isthishousemadeof? Thehouseismadeof mud, including theroof.
- 52. 52 Doesthishomehaveelectricity or running water?
- 53. 53
- 54. 54
- 55. 55 Carrying laundry to the Niger River
- 56. 56
- 57. 57Toilet on a boat dumping into the Niger River.
- 58. 58 What arethesepeople doing? Why you think they’re on theroof? Becausethey livein the desert climate& haveno electricity, families sleep on theroof at night to stay cool.
- 59. 59 Muslim Mosque, also made of mud
- 60. 60
- 61. 61
- 62. 62 Thisphotograph showsthefamily in 2001, along with thenew possessionsthey’d acquired sincetheoriginal photograph was taken.
- 64. 64 Japan
- 65. Japan Population: 127,000,000 Life Expectancy: 84 years Years of Schooling: F: 15 M: 16 Economy: Market HDI Rank: 10 GDP per capita: $36,900 Population living below the poverty line: 16% Climate: Temperate
- 66. 66
- 67. 67 Most Valued Possession: FAMILY Number of: TVs: 1 Radios: 3 Telephones: 1 Automobiles: 1
- 68. 68 Thefamily usesthiskitchen applianceevery day. What typeof food do you think it cooks? Ricecooker
- 69. 69
- 70. 70 Maya hangs out with the family dog before heading to school.
- 71. 71
- 72. 72 Gardener cutting grass with a pair of shears.
- 73. 73 Thisphotograph showsthefamily in 2001, along with thenew possessionsthey’d acquired sincetheoriginal photograph wastaken.
- 74. 74
- 75. South Africa The Quampie Family
- 76. 76 South Africa
- 77. South Africa Population: 48,000,000 Life Expectancy: 49 years Years of Schooling: F: 13 M: 13 Economy: Market/Traditional HDI Rank: 121 GDP per capita: $11,600 Population living below the poverty line: 31% Climate: Dry
- 78. 78
- 79. 79 Most Valued Possession: Number of: TVs: 1 Radios: 1 Telephones: 1 Automobiles: 0
- 80. 80 The Quampie family lives in Soweto. This place is a township that was formed under the laws of apartheid.
- 81. 81SOWETO
- 82. 82 Why do you think thehouses havefencesand barson the windows? Soweto isnot asafeplace, and most familiesstay insideafter 8:00 p.m.
- 83. 83The Quampie family’s house does not have indoor plumbing.
- 84. 84
- 85. 85
- 86. 86 If it is after 8 pm, family members go in a bed pan & wait until morning to dump the waste.
- 87. 87
- 88. Out of all the countries, which one would you feel the most UNCOMFORTABLE living in? WHY?? Cuba Mali Japan South Africa
- 90. 90 Mongolia • Sparsely populated • Formerly communist, now democratic
- 91. Mongolia Population: 3,000,000 Life Expectancy: 68 years Years of Schooling: F: 15 M: 14 Economy: Market HDI Rank: 108 GDP per capita: $5,500 Population living below the poverty line: 30% Climate: Dry
- 92. 92
- 93. 93 Most Valued Possession: TV, statue of Buddha Number of: TVs: 1 Radios: 0 Telephones: 0 Automobiles: 0
- 94. 94 Many families in Mongolia live in gers because they are nomadic.
- 95. 95
- 96. 96
- 97. 97 The family doesn’t have indoor plumbing, but has access to electricity.
- 98. 98
- 99. 99 What typeof meat might thisfamily haveeaten on this night? For aspecial treat, thefamily butchered thesheep for Peter. They boiled thesheep’sbladder, which they had filled with itsblood and tied off.
- 100. 100
- 101. 101 Thisphotograph showsthefamily in 2001, along with thenew possessionsthey’d acquired sincetheoriginal photograph wastaken.
- 102. 102
- 103. 103
- 105. 105 Kuwait • Vast petroleum resources • Severely damaged by 1990 Iraq invasion
- 106. Kuwait Population: 2,700,000 Life Expectancy: 77 years Years of Schooling: F: 15 M: 13 Economy: Market HDI Rank: 54 GDP per capita: $40,500 Population living below the poverty line: NA Climate: Dry
- 107. 107
- 108. 108 Most Valued Possession: photo of son in the U.S. Number of: TVs: 2 Radios: 4 Telephones: 5 Automobiles: 4
- 109. 109 Do they look relatively old or new? Why do you think they have four cars?
- 110. 110
- 111. 111 Thestriped towershavesomething in common with thetanksthat can beseen on nearly every house. Kuwait hasno riversor lakes, so it isvery hard to find freshwater. Thetowersand tanksareused to storedesalinated seawater.
- 112. 112 Why do you think they havesuch abig sofa?
- 113. Abdulla Family Servants • Agnes and Zavier Fernandes. • Servants from Goa, India. • They have a 1 year old son in India that they have not seen in months.
- 114. 114 Kuwaitis have a very strong Muslim faith. These firefighters took a break so they could participate in the required one o’clock prayer.
- 115. 115
- 116. 116The Abdulla’s new home
- 117. Bathroom
- 119. 119 Iceland • A highly developed country • Natural energy resources
- 120. Iceland Population: 300,000 Life Expectancy: 81 years Years of Schooling: F: 20 M: 17 Economy: Market HDI Rank: 13 GDP per capita: $39,900 Population living below the poverty line: N/A Climate: Polar
- 121. 121
- 122. 122 Most Valued Possession: cello, horses Number of: TVs: 2 Radios: 2 Telephones: 1 Automobiles: 2
- 123. 123 Thispicturewastaken in thewinter. What timedo you think it is? Thepicturewastaken at 3:00 pm. On that day thesun came up at 11 am, and set before4 pm.
- 124. 124 Overlooking the town in December at noon.
- 125. 125
- 126. 126 Thisphotograph showsthefamily in 2004.
- 127. 127Blue Lagoon outside of a power plant. Here, 470`F water is pumped up from over a mile beneath the earth.
- 128. 128 Because of the extreme northern location of Iceland, the Northern Lights fill the night sky.
- 129. List 2 things that would change in your life if you moved to Mongolia or Kuwait. What would be 1 thing you would miss if you lived in Mongolia. Would you prefer life in Kuwait over your life now?
- 130. Closure • What country did you find to be the most interesting today? WHY? • Name something that you had in common with one of the families. 130
- 132. 132 Thailand
- 133. Thailand Population: 67,000,000 Life Expectancy: 74 years Years of Schooling: F: 13 M: 12 Economy: Market HDI Rank: 103 GDP per capita: $10,300 Population living below the poverty line: 8% Climate: Tropical
- 134. 134
- 135. 135 Most Valued Possession: motor scooter Number of: TVs: 1 Radios: 1 Telephones: 0 Automobiles: 1 (motor scooter)
- 136. 136 What do you think thenet isused for?
- 137. 137 The family sleeps under mosquito nets to protect them. This also prevents the spread of diseases such as malaria.
- 139. 139
- 140. 140
- 141. 141 Does this home have indoor plumbing?
- 142. 142 Doing laundry
- 143. 143 What animalsdo you seein this picture? What purposesdo you think these animalsservefor thefamily?
- 144. 144
- 145. 145
- 146. 146Water taxi
- 148. 148 Samoa • Formerly called Western Samoa • Traditional culturewith somemodernization • Christianity
- 149. Samoa Population: 200,000 Life Expectancy: 73 years Years of Schooling: F: 13 M: 12 Economy: Traditional HDI Rank: 96 GDP per capita: $6,300 Population living below the poverty line: N/A Climate: Tropical
- 150. 150
- 151. 151 Most Valued Possession: pigs & hand-woven mats Number of: TVs: 0 Radios: 1 Telephones: 0 Automobiles: 0
- 152. 152 Thisisatraditional Samoan house, called afale. A faleisahousewith no wallsand aroof. In what waysdo you think thishouseiswell suited to theclimateof Western Samoa?
- 153. 153
- 154. 154 This is the cookhouse: a detached kitchen, used to keep the living quarters clean & smoke free.
- 155. 155 What animals do you see? What do you think this family eats?
- 156. 156Gathering fruits/veggies/roots from the surrounding forest to eat.
- 157. 157 Roasting a pig with peeled taro root over hot volcanic rocks.
- 158. 158Spearing an eel for dinner.
- 159. 159
- 160. 160
- 161. 161
- 162. Would you be willing to try some of the foods eaten in these countries? Do you think it would be fun or more of a pain to have your house on stilts?
- 164. 164 Haiti • Oneof theworld’spoorest countries • Suffered a7.0 magnitudeearthquakeJanuary 12, 2010
- 165. Haiti Population: 9,800,000 Life Expectancy: 63 years Years of Schooling: NA Economy: Market/Traditional HDI Rank: 161 GDP per capita: $1,300 Population living below the poverty line: 80% Climate: Tropical
- 166. 166
- 167. 167 Most Valued Possession: None – say they own nothing of value Number of: TVs: 0 Radios: 0 Telephones: 0 Automobiles: 0
- 168. 168 All meals are cooked in the separate kitchen, which is a dirt-floored shelter with a hole in the roof to let out smoke.
- 169. 169 To clean the cooking pots, they scrub them with sand.
- 170. 170
- 171. 171 Less than half the population can read and write.
- 172. United States The Skeen Family
- 173. 173 United States
- 174. United States Population: 300,000,000 Life Expectancy: 78 years Years of Schooling: F: 18 M: 16 Economy: Market HDI Rank: 3 GDP per capita: $50,700 Population living below the poverty line: 15% Climate: Temperate
- 175. 175
- 176. 176 Most Valued Possession: Bible Number of: TVs: 2 Radios: 3 Telephones: 5 Automobiles: 3 (dune buggy)
- 177. 177 Imaginethat your family hasbeen selected to take part in the“Big Picture,” just as theSkeen family and theother familiesyou’ve seen agreed to do. • What itemswould you want to highlight in theforeground of thephotograph?
- 178. “Anything you cannot relinquish when it has outlived its usefulness possesses you, and in this materialistic age a great many of us are possessed by our possessions.” Peace Pilgrim 178
Editor's Notes
- The following slides feature the homes and possessions of twelve families whose environments and lifestyles differ from each other in significant ways. Material World photographer Peter Menzel traveled to various countries and invited families to be photographed for this project. Each family that agreed to participate was asked to place all of its possessions in front of the family home. This created the scene we see in each family’s “Big Picture.” The photographs provide a revealing glimpse into the families’ daily lives. They also reveal information about the societies in which the families live and their most important values. As you go through the following slides, think about the similarities and differences between the various families and their environments and cultures. In what ways can you relate to each family’s experience? What are the most striking differences between your life and theirs?
- Bhutan is a tiny, mountainous country nestled between India and Tibet. Its people practice Buddhism and live a very traditional lifestyle. Most people farm and live in small villages. In an effort to preserve the country’s traditional characteristics, the Bhutanese government allows relatively few tourists to enter the country each year. The Bhutanese people have a low life expectancy, a high rate of infant mortality, and high levels of infectious disease. In recent years, however, Bhutan has made significant advances in longevity and curtailing disease: for example, life expectancy has gone up nearly 12 years in the past decade alone, and increased access to safe water and sanitation has reduced the spread of infection-based illnesses. Government programs have made plastic pipe available for bringing water from unpolluted sources to people’s homes and have also mandated the use of pit latrines in place of “going bush.” Bhutan still has to deal with environmental degradation that has resulted from large livestock herds that overgraze, as well as a rising demand for wood to be used for fuel. The following slides present a photograph of the Namgay family and their home in the small village of Shinka, Bhutan.
- (Give students approximately one minute to view the image, then move on to the following slide.)
- (Give students approximately one minute to view the image, then move on to the following slide.)
- Most houses in Bhutan are traditional structures built of compacted earth. Thus, the house appears “earth colored.” It is made from easily acquired materials available locally. A house may last only 20 or 30 years, but because it is built of earth and wood it readily recycles itself into the land.
- In front of the family, we see offering bowls, a statue of the Buddha, a prayer book, and other items important to the family’s Buddhist religion. Most of the objects are made of metal, which the family would have needed to buy or acquire outside their home rather than make themselves. They appear in the foreground of the photograph because the family considers them their most valued possessions. (Teacher’s note: the photographer asked the family to choose the most treasured items from their house and put them in a prominent place for the photo.)
- The animals live under this part of the house. Traditionally in Bhutan, animals live on the ground floor; the second floor holds the kitchen, prayer room, and sleeping rooms; and the top floor is used to store food for both the family and the animals. Because flies breed in the animal manure on the ground floor, and the house’s windows have neither glass or screens, flies can become very bothersome during the warmer months. This causes a health problem that the government has tried to address by requiring that families no longer keep animals under the house, but instead place them in a separate corral or barn.
- People in the photo [foreground]: Nalim (53, family matriarch and wife of Namgay), Zekom (9, daughter of Nalim and Namgay), Bangum (also called Kinley, 21, daughter of Nalim and Namgay), and Namgay (57, family patriarch and husband of Nalim); [background] Sangay (wife of Sangay Kandu) holding Tandin Wangchuck (7 months), Sangay Kandu (husband of Sangay), Sangay Zam (12, daughter of Sangay Kandu and Sangay), Chato Geltshin (12, son of Sangay Kandu and Sangay), Geltshin (9, son of Sangay Kandu and Sangay), Choeden (16, daughter of Sangay Kandu and Sangay), Chato Namgay (14, monk, son of Sangay Kandu and Sangay), and Drupchu (50, brother of Nalim).
- Cuba is an island country in the Caribbean. Its northern shore lies only 90 miles south of the southern tip of Florida. In the 19th century, Cuba was a Spanish colony and a major sugar producer, primarily because of the significant number of African slaves who worked on the plantations. During the Spanish-American War in 1898, the United States helped the Cubans win their independence from Spain—although the U.S. military occupied Cuba until 1909. Though technically a democracy, for most of the first half of the 20th century Cuba was ruled by a series of dictators. In 1959, Fidel Castro led a successful revolution and transformed Cuba into a socialist state. Under Castro’s leadership, Cuba has developed the best health and education systems in Latin America, but has also experienced repression and suffered economically from a debilitating trade embargo by the United States, whose government considers Castro an enemy. You will now meet the Costa family of Havana.
- (Give students approximately one minute to view the image, then move on to the following slide.)
- We can see at least three generations in this picture. The grandparents sit in chairs to the left of the parents and children. We also see aunts, uncles, and cousins. The picture therefore shows two sets of parents with their children. This is called an extended family, meaning not just the immediate family (traditionally the father, mother, and children) but also grandparents, aunts, and uncles living together as well. In Cuba, extended families commonly reside together—largely for cultural and economic reasons. The grandparents might take care of the children while their parents work, or other family members might take care of older relatives who can no longer take care of themselves. Also, several families living together can pool their money and reach a higher standard of living than they might have if they lived in three separate homes. Think about the reasons why it might be cheaper for an extended family to live together. (Note to teacher: The people on the left are neighbors watching the process of making a family portrait with all the family’s possessions outside the house. The people in the background are also neighbors.)
- We can see some palm trees in the far background, at the end of the street, and planted in a pot next to the sofa where part of the family sits. Palm trees grow in warmer subtropical climates. Cuba has a warm and humid climate. We can also tell that it was warm on the day this photo was taken because the family members are wearing short-sleeved clothing.
- Left to right, front row: Euripedes Costa (husband of Angelina, father of Eulina, Ramon, and Orlando), Angelina Allouis (wife of Euripedes, mother of Eulina, Ramon, and Orlando), Eulina Costa Allouis (42, daughter of Euripedes and Angelina and mother of Iris and Javier), Iris (daughter of Eulina), and Javier (son of Eulina). Back row: Sandra Raymond (wife of Ramon, mother of Lisandra and Favio), Lisandra (16, daughter of Sandra and Ramon), Ramon Allouis Costa (son of Euripedes and Angelina, husband of Sandra, father of Lisandra and Favio), and Favio (6, son of Sandra and Ramon). Far back: Orlando Costa Allouis and his wife and two children (who were not part of the original Material World picture because they didn’t live nearby at the time). Although the house seems to have gotten smaller as the children got bigger, part of the reason may be the increase in material possessions as well. New possessions in the Euripedes house: television, fan, two large chairs, sofa covering, dining room set, telephone, blender, dish washer, gas stove, wall clock, and wall hanging. New in Eulina’s House: gas stove, ceramic deer, television, VCR, television stand, black and white television, and wall hanging. New in Ramon’s house: television, boombox, leather briefcase (Sandra’s), dining room set, wireless phone; couch, chairs, low white table, and two new dogs.
- Mali is a West African country with enormous mineral resources and a vibrant culture that has produced unique sculpture, music, and architecture. Despite these assets, the people of this sparsely populated and impoverished country have a much lower life expectancy and a higher infant mortality rate than people in most other countries. From the 13th to the 16th century, Mali was a wealthy kingdom that served as a crossroads between northern Islamic and southern African cultures. The French colonized this region in the 1880s and ruled it until 1960. In the following slides, you will learn about the Natomo family of Kouakourou, Mali.
- (Give students approximately one minute to view the image, then move on to the following slide.)
- This house is made of mud, including the roof. In this desert environment, it’s not easy to find enough wood to build a house. The family’s village lies on the Niger River. Earth and water are readily accessible here, so most people here build their houses out of mud bricks and then plaster them over with more mud. The thick earthen walls provide good insulation, keeping the buildings relatively cool in the hot, dry climate. The vast majority of houses in Mali are built of mud.
- Nothing in this photo would lead us to believe that this home has electricity. In fact, the entire village lacks electricity. The only common examples of modern technology in the village are battery-powered radio boomboxes, on which men enjoy listening to soccer games and music. The village today has a few televisions; people use car batteries to power them and then recharge the batteries with small solar panels.
- These people are sleeping on the roof of their house. This picture was taken in the early morning (6:30 am, right before the sun came up), so they have not yet awoken. The fact that people sleep on the roof suggests that it’s too warm to sleep inside the homes; people choose instead to sleep on the roof, where it’s cooler. The photograph was taken during an extremely hot time of year. The people sleeping will probably not remain so for long, since the sun will soon begin to get very hot.
- Front row, left to right: Fourou (12, daughter of Fatoumata and Soumana), Mamadou (10, son of Pama and Soumana), Fatoumata (10, daughter of Fatoumata and Soumana), Mama (8, son of Fatoumata and Soumana), and Kansy (4, son of Fatoumata and Soumana). Back row, left to right: Soumana Natomo (46, husband of Pama and Fatoumata), Pama Kondo (35, wife of Soumana and co-wife of Fatoumata Toure), Mama (13, son of Pama and Soumana), Kontie (16, son of Pama and Soumana), Pai (18, daughter of Pama and Soumana), and Fatoumata, (33, wife of Soumana and co-wife of Pama) holding Tena (4 months, daughter of Fatoumata and Soumana). New possessions: The family’s only new material possessions since 1993 are a few pieces of clothing, arranged in front of them on the roof of their earthen house; a plastic teapot; and a new storage room in the market area. Part of the courtyard has been repaired and replastered in the years since the first picture. Since the original photo was taken in 1993, Soumana Natomo has gained greater importance in the community’s administration due in large part to his quiet demeanor and gentle disposition—good qualities for an arbiter of village affairs. Pama Kondo, his first wife, is a grain trader who works alongside Soumana; they have built this into a business that supports the family of 15 people (including three extended family members who now live with the family).
- (Give students approximately one minute to view the image, then move on to the following slide.)
- This is a rice cooker. Most Japanese families have them, since rice makes up a very important part of the Japanese diet.
- Left to right: Mio Ukita (17, daughter), Sayo Ukita (mother and wife), Maya Ukita (14, daughter), and Kazuo Ukita (father and husband). New possessions include two single beds from Sayo and Kazuo’s room, blankets and sheets, washing machine, rice cooker, electric water pot, cordless phone, vacuum cleaner, gas stove, table, porcelain elephant, globe, 3 clocks, teapot, white pottery, selection of books, VCR, hula hoop, massage chair, Othello game, car, new desk, two CD players, many CDs, well over one hundred comic books, Walkman, stuffed animals, two mobile phones, plastic organizer drawers, futon, chair, clothes valet, computer, full-length mirror, vanity and stool, exercise stepper, rocking chair, and air cleaner. Sayo Ukita and her husband Kazuo continue to live in the manicured suburb of northwest Tokyo called Kodaira City. Their daughter Mio is a first-year university student, concentrating on biology (her first field experience, in May, involved milking a cow). Daughter Maya, 14, attends the eighth grade and still plays the piano. The family has replaced a great deal of their belongings since the original picture was taken. Their dog Izumaru has died, but they did not replace him. Mio has a new laptop for school, and both girls have mobile phones. The Nintendo game player is still hooked up to the family’s extra television set in the dining room, but it is not used as often as it had been when the girls were younger.
- Lying at the southern tip of the African continent, South Africa has vast mineral wealth and is famous for its gold and diamond industries. It is also known for its system of apartheid, which was repealed in the 1990s. Apartheid legally segregated South Africa’s population, placing black, “colored,” and Indian people into separate categories inferior to whites. The people of South Africa still have to deal with the ramifications of apartheid, and many racial struggles continue to this day. The Qampie family pictured in the following slides lives in Soweto, a neighborhood of Johannesburg, South Africa’s largest city. Soweto developed as a group of South African townships (areas in which non-white South Africans were forced to live in order to separate them from whites). Soweto’s townships are overwhelmingly black, and it is one of the poorest areas of Johannesburg. The name “Soweto” comes from “South West Township” (the first two letters of each word).
- (Give students approximately one minute to view the image, then move on to the following slide.)
- The windows have bars on them. Like the fences, this is a security measure designed to keep out intruders. The Qampie’s neighbors also have bars on their windows.
- The center of a vast empire in the 13th century, Mongolia today is a sparsely populated country that lies between China and Russia. Mongolia aligned with the communist politics of the Soviet Union during most of the 20th century, but became a democracy in 1992. Since then, Mongolia has gradually adapted to a market-based economy, gaining some of its benefits but also suffering the accompanying problems of increasing unemployment and falling output. Almost one-third of Mongolians are nomadic or semi-nomadic, moving around the land in search of pasture for their herds of livestock. Another third of the population lives in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar. Many people on the outskirts of the city live in traditional dwellings but commute to city jobs—including the Regzen family, whom you will meet in the following slides.
- (Give students approximately one minute to view the image, then move on to the following slide.)
- Since gers are only a temporary type of home, they don’t generally have plumbing. It’s possible that the other (more modern) houses in town don’t yet have running water either, but they would be more likely to have plumbing than the ger. On the other hand, the ger does have access to electricity, and as a result the family can enjoy watching television. The television is the father’s most valued possession. The family also has an electric hot plate and an electric kettle for boiling water.
- For a special treat, the family ate the sheep you see standing to the right of the ger. They boiled the sheep’s bladder, which they had filled with its blood and tied off.
- From left to right: Batbileg (12, son), Regzen Batsuuri (44, father), Oyuntsetseg (38, mother), and Khorloo (17, daughter). By this time, the family had moved to a Soviet-style apartment, which they shared with an old lady and another tenant. The only new possession they had acquired since the earlier photograph was a color TV set. In the 1990s, the family took advantage of new economic opportunities: the father built a house next to the ger with materials stockpiled over a number of years, and his wife opened a small pharmacy with her former colleagues from the state-run pharmacy where she had worked before. It was a heady time for the family, and their extended family also lived with them in the house/ger compound at the edge of the city. However, Oyuntsetseg and her co-workers had taken a loan to help support their private pharmacy. They ended up borrowing too much and didn’t understand the concept of compound interest. The debt built up, and when they couldn’t pay, Oyuntsetseg’s family lost everything they had accumulated, including their ger and their house. The family of four now lives in a small apartment. They now have the running water they’d dreamed of, but they don’t own the apartment, renting one room from an 83-year-old Russian immigrant named Tanya, who also lives there. Oyuntsetseg now runs a 24-hour pharmacy in another rented room nearby.
- Kuwait is a small country on the Persian Gulf that lies adjacent to Saudi Arabia and Iraq. After World War II, Kuwait became very wealthy from its petroleum industry, and its economy flourished throughout most of the 20th century. Today, many Kuwaitis live in mansions and have servants, who outnumber their employers by a ratio of three to one. However, Kuwait still suffers from the effects of the invasion by neighboring Iraq in 1990. The Kuwaiti desert now contains land mines, and Iraq burned many of the country’s oil fields. The retreating Iraqi forces set more than 700 oil wells on fire, creating one of the world’s biggest environmental nightmares. Kuwait found its financial resources depleted and now faces an uncertain future. The country still has vast oil resources and a relatively tiny population. The following slides feature the home, possessions, and neighborhood of the Abdulla family, who live in Kuwait City.
- (Give students approximately one minute to view the image, then move on to the following slide.)
- The cars look relatively new and are shiny and clean. The family needs cars to get around Kuwait City, but they may not actually need four vehicles. They probably have four cars because they can afford them, and perhaps it is standard in their community to have several cars. The fact that they have four newer cars indicates that this family has a much higher economic standard of living than the families you have seen from Bhutan, Cuba, and Mali. (Teacher’s note: The family has two adult daughters. All the adults drive, including the women, unlike in neighboring Saudi Arabia, where women are forbidden to drive. The Kuwaiti government finally granted women the right to vote and run for office in 2005—but only if they promise to observe Islamic law.)
- These are water towers and tanks used to store desalinated seawater for city use (in the case of the towers) and personal use (in the case of the tanks). Kuwait has no rivers or lakes, so it is very hard to find freshwater above ground. The country has some groundwater (water that lies underground) with a salt content low enough to drink. Most of Kuwait’s drinking water comes from Persian Gulf seawater that has been desalinated (had the salt removed) in special plants. The desalination process requires a lot of energy. Kuwait uses oil and gas to power the desalination plants.
- The family keeps this sectional sofa in a large room in the basement, where they hold parties and family gatherings. This indicates that parties and family functions are a very important part of their life. The basement also has a swimming pool, but it suffered damage during the Iraqi invasion and was empty at the time this photo was taken.
- Originally settled by Norwegians in the ninth century, Iceland has become a highly developed country with some of the world’s top rankings in such categories as life expectancy, per capita income, and health-care spending. This island nation is blessed with natural energy sources in the form of rivers flowing down its slopes and 200 volcanoes. The hydroelectric and geothermal power that these two resources create help the country meet almost all of its energy needs. This abundance of natural energy contributes to Iceland’s high standard of living and clean air. Iceland’s economy includes fishing, manufacturing, and service industries. The Thoroddsen family, whom you’ll meet in the next few slides, lives in Hafnarfjörður, a town on Iceland’s southwest coast not far from the capital city of Reykjavík.
- (Give students approximately one minute to view the image, then move on to the following slide.)
- We can see that the sky is quite dark, and the lights are already on in the house, cars, boats, and elsewhere. Iceland lies far north, at a latitude very close to the Arctic Circle. The city of Hafnarfjörður, where the Thoroddsen family lives, is located at about 64° north. At this latitude, winters are very dark. We can therefore tell that this photograph was taken in the wintertime. In fact, the date was December 15, 1993. On that day, the sun did not come up until nearly 11 am, and it set before 4 pm.
- Björn Thoroddsen, his wife Margret (Linda) Gunnlaugsdóttir, and their children outside their house in Hafnarfjörður, Iceland, near Reykjavík. The family is standing in the same order as they did for the family portrait for Material World in December 1993. Left to right: Sif Hauksdóttir, 28; Björn Thoroddsen, 57; Gestur Björnsson, 21; Thórdis Björnsdóttir, 17; Margret (Linda) Gunnlaugsdóttir, 52; and Gunnlaugur Björnsson, 23.
- Thailand is the only country in southeast Asia that was never colonized by a European power. Its government, a constitutional monarchy, has remained relatively stable compared to those of other southeast Asian countries. Its economic indicators increased significantly in the last part of the 20th century, although growth slowed due to an economic crisis in the late 1990s. 95% of Thai people are Buddhist, and Buddhism is central to many parts of Thai culture. The next slides introduce you to the Kuankaew family of Ban Muang Wa.
- (Give students approximately one minute to view the image, then move on to the following slide.)
- This is a mosquito net. The children sleep under the net to keep the mosquitoes and other insects out. This net is mainly used at night because that’s when mosquitoes are most active. Using mosquito nets helps residents of Thailand (and other tropical regions) prevent diseases such as malaria.
- Yes, this home does have electricity. We can see the electrical wires in the upper-right part of the photo. We also can see two electric fans, a hair dryer, an iron, an electric hot plate, a refrigerator, and a television. The presence of electricity suggests that although families in rural Thailand farm and retain an agricultural lifestyle, they have some of the modern conveniences that Westerners take for granted.
- We can see a dog in the foreground, some chickens under the basket on the right, and two water buffalo in the background on the right. The dog is a family pet, but it has no name—the Thai people don’t name their pets. The family raises chickens for food. They use the water buffalo to pull a plow and do other work in their rice field. The presence of livestock indicates that the family has a traditional agricultural lifestyle, rather than an urban one. They rely on the animals that live with them for their livelihood as well as for a major part of their diet, instead of depending completely on other people to produce the food they consume.
- Called Western Samoa until 1997, Samoa is a small country in the South Pacific. The country is comprised of nine volcanic islands. Traditional Samoan culture revolves around fishing and farming. Samoans retain many of their cultural traditions, but the pressures of modernization have had an impact on their culture and lifestyle, particularly with regard to the introduction of modern technologies. Almost all Samoans are Christian, and churches play a very important role in modern Samoan life. The following slides will introduce you to the Lagavale family of Poutasi village.
- (Give students approximately one minute to view the image, then move on to the following slide.)
- The house has no windows, doors, or even walls, allowing the maximum amount of fresh air to pass through. This helps keep the family cool. The sloping roof allows rainwater to easily run off. If you look directly below the eaves, you can see the blinds that have been pulled up to let the light and air in. During heavy rain, these blinds can be closed.
- Mexico is the world’s largest Spanish-speaking country. The country is in the process of rapid industrialization, which has lead to vast disparities between the affluent and poor members of Mexican society. Nevertheless, a growing number of working-class Mexicans have made their way into the middle class. Mexico has become increasingly urbanized, with about 75% of Mexicans currently living in urban areas. The Castillo Balderas family, featured on the next few slides, lives in Guadalajara, Mexico’s second-largest city.
- (Give students approximately one minute to view the image, then move on to the following slide.)
- The United States is the third most populous country in the world and has the world’s largest national economy. It is also an extremely culturally diverse nation. About three-quarters of Americans identify themselves as Christian, but people in the U.S. practice many other religions as well. Americans are accustomed to change, and present-day challenges for many Americans include coping with strains between religious values and secular ideals, finding ways to curb the expansion of crime and other social ills, and solving the country’s increasing environmental problems. Although it’s difficult to define the “typical” American family, the Skeen family presented on the following slides is fairly representative of a large portion of the American middle class.
- (Give students approximately one minute to view the image, then move on to the following slide.)
- Teacher’s note: Here are some additional questions you may wish to ask your students: Would you want to take all your family’s possessions outside the house for a photograph? Would you be worried about rain? About breaking something? That others would possibly judge you by what you have? Do you judge others by the number and value of their possessions? If not, what criteria do you use to make judgments about people? If your family were caught in a war situation and you were starving, how would you survive? What would you eat? Would you resort to eating pets—or even people—if you had to?