802 Matching Annotations
  1. Nov 2020
    1. scriptures

      I don't think this is the right word

    2. angry sad

      ?

    3. angry when

      should be

      angry, when

    4. court

      courtship

    5. The author elaborates that the people of this culture are bound by kinship, and they are socially linked with each other. It makes society very interwoven. Different examples are given to support the hypothesis.

      While this is true, the main hypothesis of the piece isn't about kinship, which is how this makes it sound

    6. In different societies, people have different norms and cultures that they follow. A person who enters a community with a different culture tends to be alienated by these norms.

      These are true statements, but they're so general that I'm not sure they're really necessary here?

    7. The paper’s main argument is to discuss, with examples, why people of Western Apache society refrain from a speech in different settings

      good

    8. they have a different culture from the rest of society.

      this makes it sound like they have one culture and everyone else has another, single culture

    9. Basso. The

      You need a comma here instead of a period

    10. Basso, K. H.

      use his full first name here and put it first, as you do in the first sentence of your summary

    11. Basso writes this article in an attempt to correct these misleading assumptions and stereotypes

      excellent assessment of why the article is important

    12. a question to bring up would be, knowing the brutal history American Indians have had with foreigners, have silence in certain situations always existed in many American Indian cultures, or did it come about after interactions with foreigners which could have made them very cautious and hesitant to form social relations and also learn how to control and handle themselves around certain people?

      Very interesting point. Raising a new question the reading points us to is a great strategy for assessing its scholarly contribution.

    13. I guess

      avoid "I guess", "I think" etc. You can just say "a question this article raises is whether, knowing the brutal history..."

    14. The evidence all show clear examples using stories and quotes from Western Apaches regarding silence within certain situations, defending the author’s hypothesis. In each situation, there is a level of uncertainty either for another individual or unpredictability of how a person might react. 

      Great--your overview above of each of the situations is excellent, and here you concisely say what form the evidence takes and why it supports the overall argument.

    15. goes on to compare the use of silence in Western Apache culture to other cultures, like the Navajo Indians in the American southwest

      he does mention Navajos at the end, but does he compare them thoroughly enough that this is really part of his argument in the article? not sure...

    16. Basso then attempts to defend his hypothesis that in situations where the Western Apaches use silence are in situations where there is uncertainty or unpredictability in social relations.

      Excellent! (you might also mention that the uncertainty is related to people's social status)

    17. the author discusses his research of situations where silence is encouraged and used in Western Apache culture

      Well phrased

    18. Basso, K. H. (1970). “To Give up on Words”: Silence in Western Apache Culture. Southwestern Journal of Anthropology, 26(3), 213-230

      Should have a period at the end following the page numbers.

    19. gesture”, however

      comma goes before the closing quotes

    20. when they see it being the best way to communicate

      I don't know if it's so much that they see it as "the best way to communicate" but rather that silence is appropriate and expected in some situations

    21. Page

      don't need "page" here, just the number

    22. I feel like

      Avoid "I think" and "I feel" etc. Just say "This example is easy to understand..."

    23. The author develops a strong argument that expresses that in the Western Apache culture silence is critical and should be valued the same as words.

      what evidence does he use to support this argument?

    24. While reading this article, the author

      this makes it sound like the author is reading the article...

      You can remove "while reading this article" since it's fine to just say "the author shows..."

    25. It goes against what we would traditionally consider language, but it expands our knowledge on language and the diversity of it.

      Yes, this is a good way to summarize the article's contribution

    26. The definition of language is “the principal method of human communication, consisting of words used in a structured and conventional way and conveyed by speech, writing, or gesture”

      You don't so much need to define language for your reader. But in any case, if this is a direct quote you need a citation so the reader knows where it came from.

    27. talking to a stranger sometimes allows for silence because you never know what is okay to say to others without offending or crossing boundaries with people you don’t know.

      I believe in the article Basso outlines a different reason that Apaches use silence in this and other situations

    28. Silence can be beneficial to many situations such as listening to someone vent about their problems, in church, in serious situations and much more.

      Is this a point Basso makes in the article?

    29. focuses on the use of silence and why it’s acceptable to not use words at times.

      good concise summary of the main point

    30. g.” e

      remove this period

    31. what silence truly is

      it's not about what silence "truly" is, but rather how silence works in one culture, for one group of people

    32. I’m not sure where this aptitude for interpreting silence developed, but I do know

      This is a summary, so it's not necessary to discuss what you know or don't know

    33. Silence is usually thought of as the lack of language, devoid of all communication, however, this is not the case.

      Yes! Very good point.

    34. basso

      Basso

    35. Meeting Strangers, Courting/Dating, Children

      don't capitalize these words

    36. used, Basso

      use a period instead of a comma here

    37. Did you know there is an innate language that all humans speak? This language is silence.

      Hmmm... I like the opening with the question. But is silence really an "innate" language? Yes, all people have the innate capacity to not speak, but not speaking doesn't mean the same thing to everyone, suggesting there are different codes/languages for using silence

    38. used in countless different ways in many cultures

      yes...so if it's culturally variable, it's not innate

    39. basso

      Basso

    40. Ochs, Elinor, and Bambi B. Schieffelin. (1984) 1995. “Language Acquisition and Socialization: Three Developmental Stories and Their Implications.” In Language, Culture, and Society: A Book of Readings, edited by Ben G. Blount, 2nd ed., 470–512. Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland Press

      Why is this here?

    41. extracted

      cut this word out

    42. but in actuality, ours and others may be more alike then what was initially thought.

      why would it be interesting or important that there are similarities among cultural or linguistic practices that at first seem very different?

    43. The different situations described in the article about how the Apache people socially interact can effectively support the hypothesis that staying silent within the Western Apache can be “a response to uncertainty and unpredictability in social relations” (227).

      Good summary of the overall argument or hypothesis

    44. they don’t know what each of them are capable of.

      yes, this is a crucial part of the argument

    45. the hypothesis

      which hypothesis?

    46. language

      While language is a feature in this article and used to introduce the author's argument, the main point is not how Inuit language is different

    47. The reading was very useful and impactful to me

      A summary should address why the reading is important to any reader, rather than just you

    48. The main lesson that Briggs’s obtained was there was “no universal set of concepts” in regards to emotions.

      Yes, precisely, this is one of her main conclusions. But she also addresses why this is important, once she draws this conclusion.

    49. because it shows how the Inuit culture is different from ours

      more specifically, it demonstrates how Inuit emotions are different

    50. English, this

      This comma should be a period. These are two complete sentences.

    51. To support this, Briggs uses primary sources from her own accounts as a member of Inuit community. For example,

      Good, this is clear way to tell your reader how Briggs is using evidence, and another good use of an example

    52. 4

      when citing a page number for a direct quote, use the journal page number, not the PDF page number. So, this would be page 160

    53. Briggs discovered how the Inuit had associated emotions with with social meanings, values and also actions. For example

      This is good, very helpful to offer an example of how she is making this association

    54. (Briggs 4)

      In this kind of writing, you don't need to cite in parentheses with a page number unless it's a direct quote. Otherwise, we already know that you're referring to the article you're summarizing

    55. that

      who

    56. .

      this should be a comma

    57. that I found very interesting

      avoid language like this in a summary, since the goal is to summarize what the author said, rather than point out what you found interesting

    58. wanted to identify how Inuit emotion is expressed and received

      Yes, this is definitely much closer to what she says she studied. Although the article says she came to be interested in this through her experience there, and your summary makes it sound like that's what she went there specifically to study.

    59. The goal of Briggs was to identify how language differs around the world, especially in such an exotic area as the Arctic

      I don't see anything in the article that suggests this was her goal...?

    60. journal article Emotions Have Many Faces: Inuit Lessons

      journal articles go in quotation marks, not italics

    61. For this assignment, I have chosen to analyze

      You can omit things like this. It's redundant, since given the fact that you're writing about this article, I know that you've chosen it.

    62. It reiterates that uses and ideas of language are predicated upon cultural factors.

      Why is this an important implication? Which cultural factors is Gaudio specifically talking about here? Why should the reader care that what they think of as "casual" conversation is actually an effect of the "cultural-ideological processes of global capitalism" (659)?

    63. effectively introducing an instance of casualness

      Is this an instance of casualness?

    64. “Good Will Hunting”,

      pretty sure (but not certain) movie titles should be italicized, not in quotes

    65. “virtually unheard of”

      good use of direct quotation here, with page number citation at the end of the sentence

    66. through their creation of a “safe” and “cultured” environment

      Another important point for his argument, and one that could also use a bit of clarification as to why it's important

    67. intentionality

      I'm not sure what you mean by "intentionality" here. This might benefit from a little clarification, especially as to why or how this intentionality is important to the phenomenon and/or to his argument.

    68. customer’s

      customers'

    69. He especially highlights the common necessity of scheduling coffee meet-ups due to busy schedules in the average person’s life.

      Yes, this is an important part of his argument. You might expand on why the scheduling part is relevant. Why does he take time to highlight this, in light of the fact that he's discussing something that's purported to be "casual"? And why is this important in relation to modern capitalism?

    70. Relatedly

      Good transition

    71. financial

      minor distinction, but I think "economic" might be more precise than "financial"?

    72. The author uses an example from his previous research in Nigeria to further this point

      This paragraph is an excellent summary of what evidence the author uses to support his argument.

    73. two characters of vastly different socioeconomic backgrounds discuss getting coffee.

      good point, and it underscores Gaudio's assertion that coffeetalk is a phenomenon that is rooted in certain class-differentiated assumptions about social interaction.

    74. Though this example is not typical ethnographic evidence, in this instance, it perfectly encapsulates what the author is trying to say in an easily-understood, relatable manner

      Excellent! You're right in that this is not what we'd typically consider "ethnographic" yet at the same time (imho) it's an example of the phenomenon he's talking about, it's easy to understand, and (at least for those who've seen the movie) it's easy to relate to.

    75. opens with and continuously refers back

      good observation

    76. Gaudio argues

      Another great way to frame a summary, and again an excellent restatement of Gaudio's argument.

    77. The author states

      This is precisely the kind of thing you want to say in a summary, and in addition your paraphrase of his argument is spot-on.

    78. Gaudio’s primary argument is that “casualness” is culturally constructed- not naturally occurring.

      Excellent, succinct restatement of Gaudio's argument.

    79. “Looking Like a Language, Sounding Like a Race: Raciolinguistic Ideologies and the Learning of Latinidad”

      Book titles should be in italics, without quotation marks. So, this would be "...the book Looking Like a Language, Sounding Like a Race: Raciolinguistic Ideologies and the Learning of Latinidad, by Jonathan Rosa, the author..."

    80. The languagelessness is planted in the root of these students that invokes the notion of them belonging to neither party.

      This sentence could use some rewording for clarity. Specifically, "the root of these students" is unclear. Also I'm not sure "invoke" is the right word here.

    81. The irony is that while bilingualism is understood as a valuable asset or goal for middle class and upper- class students, for working- class and poor students it is framed as a disability that must be overcome.

      Good example of an assessment of the author's contribution to scholarly understanding--in other words, a good answer to the question "what is surprising" about the author's findings, i.e. how it advances our understanding of the particular phenomenon being studied (in this case, bilingualism)

    82. I believe

      Does Rosa (appear to) believe this, or does he state this explicitly?

    83. This is why the most effective and important change should be from within. We ought to change our own thinking paradigms about bilingualism

      This appears to be an ethical (i.e. a should or ought) statement...is this an assertion Rosa is making? Or is this an assertion you're making? If you're summarizing Rosa's argument, make that more clear. If this is an assertion you're making, it should be made less explicitly in the context of a reading summary (which isn't to say I disagree with you, just that the summary genre is not the place to make explicit statements about one's own beliefs).

    84. the primary language of children considered a problem and treated it as inessential to ‘real’ education

      This clause of this sentence doesn't seem to be grammatically correct...?

    85. I would say

      Is this what Rosa is saying?

    86. believe

      Especially in summaries, avoid "I believe" or "I think" or "I would say". Just say, e.g. "the main points are…" or "It's vital that issues like these are discussed…"

    87. “non- non”

      Use single quotes if this is a direct quote that contains quotation marks--so, "The notion of a 'non-non' is an explicit example..."

    88. He found out that most of these ELL students’ skills were measured only in relation to lack of their limited English proficiency and there was no formal way in which their Spanish language proficiency was recognized as academically useful

      excellent, concise restatement of Rosa's findings

    89. This raciolinguistic ideology frames the linguistic practices of racialized populations and creates an inverted conceptualization of bilingualism

      great. This is a good restatement of Rosa's argument. However, I think this is the first time you've mentioned "raciolinguistic ideology" and that that ideology is what's doing the reconceptualization of bilingualism. Saying this sooner would have helped me understand this paragraph better.

    90. original definition of bilingualism

      be careful with statements like this... how do we know what "the original definition of bilingualism" is? wouldn't this vary depending on who, when, and for what purpose it was being "defined"?

    91. looking at it as a deficiency altogether can be substantially ignorant

      perhaps, but Rosa is looking at the definition of bilingualism within a particular ideological system that he's identified, and an ideological system can't exactly be contested or evaluated as ignorant by comparing it with a different ideological system (e.g., neurolinguistics or whatever discipline Nacamulli is in--which isn't to say Nacamulli is incorrect, but rather that it's like comparing apples to organges).

    92. it becomes redefined

      To clarify, it seems Rosa is saying that within the ideology of languagelessness, an "inverted conceptualization of bilingualism" is created, and within this framework bilingualism becomes redefined as deficiency. So it would help to clarify this when you say that the definition became faulty "to people," because he's talking about a specific group of people here.

    93. since language is indispensable in any civil society, working on this is equivalent to working in the root cause of any given problem.

      Excellent point. However, is this an argument the author is making, or is this your assertion? Typically in a summary we want to stick to summarizing what the author is saying and avoid advancing our own arguments (at least so explicitly, since in a way we're always approaching something from a certain viewpoint).

    1. Back when I was in college, I learned that the difference between capitalism and feudalism—or what was sometimes called the "tributary mode of production"—is that a feudal aristocracy appropriates its wealth through "direct juro-political extraction." They simply take other people’s things through legal means. Capitalism was supposed to be a bit more subtle.

      Parse this quote

    1. How does sign language unify the deaf and hearing population with variations that cause sign to differ all over the world? How can we (hearing community) play a role in influencing the deaf community’s sign language?  

      I think these might be discussion questions, but you don't need these in an article summary.

    1. Will a

      Will, an

    2. How

      Yes!! Thank you for including the italicized How

    3. The first being taboos fulfil a practical positive function in adaptation to its habitat.

      It's important to note that this mode of understanding food habits is one the author does not agree with. This disagreement might be subtle to someone not accustomed to reading anthro stuff, but he totally disses this approach to understanding table manners

    4. fulfil

      fulfill

    5. table manners as being incorporated into a symbolic order.

      Excellent. This is a very significant point of this article

    6. the reading,

      not necessary. You can say

      In "Chinese Table Manners..., Eugene Cooper discusses..."

    7. author

      you don't need to say "author" here since it's implied that he's writing.

    8. ,

      comma not necessary here

    9. . “Chinese Table Manners: You Are How You Eat.” 

      italicize How in the title

    10. How

      this word should be italicized in the title

    11. very point

      this should read

      One very common point

    12. quotes

      technically Cooper isn't quoting here, you are. You might say

      Cooper writes, "One..."

    13. The one thing in common that both Chinese and US culture have is the idea of not trying to disgust the people around you. 

      hahahah, yes this is definitely true :)

    14. This is very different from the customs in the US. People will be greedy about a particular food or tell the host or people around that certain foods are not good.

      Again, is this a point the author is making? He is comparing customs to the US, but this first sentence sounds like you're saying that in the US you won't be considered disrespectful if you don't follow expected patterns of behavior. Also I"m not sure I agree that there's no taboo against being greedy when eating in groups in the US...?

    15. (180)

      In this kind of writing, you don't need to include parenthetical page number references unless it's a direct quote, since we assume that everything you're saying are the ideas presented by the author whose reading you're summarizing.

    16. In the US, people have no custom like this. People eat what they want, and the host will either see or get told that a particular food is not good.

      I appreciate your comparison here with the US, as comparison is a very important part of anthropology. However, since this is a reading summary, it should stick mainly to summarizing what the author has said. Did Cooper say this about US customs?

      Also, to be a bit contrarian, is it really the case in the US that no one ever eats something they don't like? I can imagine a situation where someone would finish something even if they didn't love it "just to be polite"...

    17. Culture

      culture, no capital C

    18. the Western.

      the western hemisphere? or the west?

    19. Copper

      Cooper

    20. -

      remove this hyphen

    21. only looking for it to receive the attention it deserves for the reason it deserves. That is the heart of her article.  

      Meneley is not making an argument about olive oil's benefits. The article is about how people talk about olive oil, but again she's not presenting information that is meant to change people's perceptions or ideas about olive oil itself.

    22. This shows the amount of care and small difference that go into creating and caring for olive oil.

      Based on what follows this quotation in the text, I would say it's less about what's involved in creating olive oil and more about how what people say about olive oil needs to be understood in terms of class and social hierarchy, which is not considered by many of the people who compare appreciating olive oil to appreciating wine.

    23. forces them to admit that olive oil, although highly regarded in the culinary world and within households, is not as special as people have been made to believe. She does not aim to discredit the ingredient but rather debunk its perceived “naturalness” and maybe have people to learn respect the food for what truly makes it good.

      See my comment above. And again, it's not necessarily about proving that people were wrong about olive oil being special, rather bringing up contradictions. But this doesn't mean she's saying she has the answer about what makes it "truly" good.

    24. Meneley does not see this process as a negative but instead as a necessary thing that has fallen into the negative stigma of “unnatural” because of branders and public perception.

      Yes, you're onto something here, especially with the idea of stigma. If natural-ness is seen as good in discourses about health, the fact that olive oil (all of it, not just artisanal) is a product that requires a fair amount of technology to produce would be stigmatizing, so people find different ways to distinguish their product, one of which is being "artisanal"... and yet even to do that they rely on lots of "technoscientifc" means, This suggests that if we think of "natural" as something that's not technological, how can anything be natural if even proving it's natural involves technology?

    25. she is much more interested in the real reason olive oil is a gift and not so much why people wrongly think it’s a gift, that being that it still contains many health benefits

      It's not accurate to say she's interested in showing how people are wrong and that she's presenting a right answer, and she's not making a claim about olive oil's health benefits. She is showing how other people make claims about olive oil's health benefits, and about other benefits, but she's not so much doing so to prove one side wrong and the other side right, but to show how they contradict each other, even if both might be true.

    26. her argument that people fall victim to the marketed portrayal of olive oil and lose sight of the real reason the food of that culture thrives

      Again, not so much about people being victims of marketing strategies, especially if opposing that to some real reason that olive oil is truly good.

    27. whereas in reality, this form of eating is truly good because of its prominence of its healthy fats

      This makes it sound like the ideas in the first part of this sentence are a sort of mythology and the "true" story is scientific/nutritional evidence, but I don't think that's what Meneley is getting at in this article. It's not so much about opposing people's ideas about health to the facts of scientific nutrition, but rather about asking how either or both of these sets of ideas are used to make olive oil into a marketable commodity that's perceived in certain ways.

    28. Olive oil falls into this “diet” because of its history and mythology, displaying it as a natural gift

      I think Meneley would say something more like this diet is constructed based on ideas of "health" and "purity" and the history and mythology of olive oil is made to fit into that construction. Rather than that olive oil's history makes it fit into this diet. The difference being that both of them are social constructs that are built around the confluence of notions of health, purity, and mythology.

    29. the

      cut this word

    30. seeks to inform the reader

      Good way to phrase this

    31. shows how farmers achieve the desire to make more income while the exportation of broccoli is increasing

      I like the graph, but I don't see how it demonstrates anything about farmers' desires for more income.

    32. The argument contradicts the traditional thought

      I'm not sure what you're saying here. Is this argument awkward because it contradicts traditional thought? If so, are you saying the evidence was unconvincing, and doesn't support the argument? That's fine if so, and you can say that explicitly if that's the case.

    33. The only awkward part of the argument

      Good way to introduce a critique

    34. They aimed to dismantle the belief that exploitation could be one reason the trade is flourishing

      This makes it sound like they're saying there's no exploitation. Are they saying that? Or are they saying it's not simply a matter of exploitation, and that the Mayan farmers also have agency within this whole system?

    35. The authors’ argument helps to understand the factors that determine the demand and supply of broccoli.

      Again, well put. I like that you're telling the reader very clearly what it is you're attempting to tell the reader.

    36. reader can interact with elements

      is "interact" the right word here? perhaps "understand" or "comprehend"?

    37. theoretical and political factors associated with non-traditional agriculture are viewed as an advantage or a disadvantage to the process

      I'm not sure what you mean by this

    38. other forces, aside from the primary producers and consumers

      an example of these "other forces" would be helpful for the reader here

    39. providing ethnographic evidence in a detailed and organized manner to help readers understand the supply chain

      Again, great way to put this.

    40. the theory of economic desires, which is influenced by the needs and wants of individual households, local connections, and global forces. They established a connection between the basic wants of both parties and the supply chain

      Yes, however your phrasing here doesn't make it as clear as it could be that the authors are also critiquing the traditional notion of desire as a purely economic phenomenon, specifically because desire is so much a product of local connections and global forces.

    41. enhance particular community values despite emerging risks and inequalities

      Yes--spot on. Excellent paraphrase.

    42. combination of farming agencies in Maya, and the local supply triggered by international demand for their products can sustain the international market for agricultural products

      This part of the sentence is unclear.

    43. Benson & Fischer (2007) are interested in knowing how

      Again, this is an excellent way to phrase this

    44. (Benson & Fischer, 2007)

      no need to cite again

    45. (2007)

      no need for the year again here since this is only related to one reading

    46. depends on the relations between Maya farmers and American consumers with a significant desire from both sides, the producers and shoppers

      Again, well said. The relations here are a critical piece, as is the idea that both sides' desires play an important role.

    47. Both parties’ desires play a crucial role in controlling the market forces that determine the sale of broccoli in the global arena

      Yes--well put again. Minor point: I'm not sure the authors would say these desires "control" market forces...maybe they are the market forces? Then again I'm not sure what "market forces" really are, and I think the authors might be trying to contest a notion that there are market forces that are somehow distinguishable from human forces...

    48. The authors’ principal argument is that the sale of broccoli in the world market is driven by the improved habits of western culture and the desire to make profits by broccoli producers in Maya

      Excellent way to say this: direct and to the point, and your reader knows exactly what to expect. However, I'm not sure what you mean when you say "improved habits of western culture." Are the authors making an assertion that these have improved? Also, is profit the only thing Mayan broccoli producers desire?

    49. (Benson & Fischer, 2007)

      No need for citation here

    50. the connection and political, economic power during the movement

      this wording is a bit unclear

    51. from Nashville, Tennessee supermarkets to Maya farmers in highland Guatemala

      doesn't it go from Guatemala to Nashville?

    52. &

      use "and" instead of an ampersand (throughout the whole summary)

    53. consumer and the producer are monumental in keeping this laborious economic system in place whether or not they realize it.

      This is definitely part of what they're saying: both producer and consumer keep the whole thing going the way it is. But they're going further than that as well.

      I'm going to quote the text below here, and underline the broader implications that they draw:

      Our argument is that farmers such as Pablo and consumers such as Susan are mutually constituted as subjects through the process of desire enacted in material chains of production and consumption. ... Where consumers and producers see themselves as directly connected and mutually dependent, they become empowered to enact change on their own terms rather than having to work within the foreshortened alternatives mediated by commercial interests. If we as consumers see “our” desiring as interlaced with “their” desiring then the notion of rational economic behavior as natural, neutral, and universal breaks down and we may see the commodity chain as operating on an “ethical plateau” in which decisions arise between different worlds

    54. the choices we make when purchasing produce greatly affects farmers. What direction farmers choose to take lies in the hands of consumers.

      Yes! Here you gesture toward the importance of the consumer! but isn't this a much bigger part of the argument than suggested by your summary, which talks almost exclusively about farmers?

    55. This article is striking because it challenges the reader to see the foods people take for granted and really think about where they come from.

      I like the way you put this. It's a good way to introduce the scholarly contribution of the article. And you're right that broccoli is an interesting way to look at this because it's a food many people take for granted. I think you can go a little further with this, though, as the authors are doing more than this. (See my comments below.)

    56. but they choose to produce broccoli regardless

      Yes, important point. This could use some expansion... What do the authors say about why farmers might do this?

    57. pp

      technically, pp. is "pages"--you just need one p if it's only one page.

    58. Tecp´an

      Tecpán (there should be a way to get accented characters to properly show up in these posts but I'm not sure exactly how)

    59. broccoli is sold year round

      Here you hint at the consumption side, but your reader wouldn't know from your summary that almost half the ethnography focuses on consumers and grocery stores, etc.

    60. This suggests that “desire” is ingrained in every individual, likely due to the way society conditions people to strive after certain goals. It’s not enough to simply make ends meet, people must obtain wealth that goes beyond that.

      This is an excellent example of explaining the importance of a quotation from the reading.

      I do think, however, that the authors are going even further than saying that desire is about going beyond basic needs to obtain wealth, legacy, or recognition. See p. 803, where they characterize desire as seeking "to make and remake the world around certain values". This suggests that desire is also a moral project--and thus not something that people eventually "succumb" to, as you suggest, but rather something people are always necessarily engaged in.

    61. It’s important to note that desire itself is the culmination of cultural, societal, and economic expectations. On the topic of desire,

      yes, great point, this is crucial to their notion of desire

    62. showcase how one same product can leave all kinds of people wanting and needing a variety of things.

      see my comment below, but again I think the authors are trying to showcase, or demonstrate, a little more than this

    63. all kinds of people

      they're only talking about a couple different "kinds" of people, right? maybe more accurate to say "...can leave people in very different contexts wanting..."

    64. same

      cut this word

    65. Readers often hear only one side, whether it’s the consumers or the producers of course varies.

      Grammar/punctuation tip/correction: this is really two complete sentences. It needs more than a comma in the middle. And producers and consumers both need apostrophes because they're possessive. For example:

      Readers often hear only one side; whether it’s the consumers' or the producers' side, of course, varies.

    66. in order to show the audience how in the broccoli trade, desire is common all around and it’s what drives both consumers and producers to partake in the trade. What motivates and drives said desire is the only thing that ever changes.

      Is this what they're trying to show? My sense is that it's a bit more than that... For example, in the abstract they say "Such desires simultaneously subvert and sustain the hegemonic constellations that anchor crucial nodes in the international broccoli trade."

      This seems to be different from just saying that people have desire in common and that's why they partake in the economy of broccoli

    67. author

      authors

    68. The reader is presented with two sides

      This is an accurate assessment of the reading, but your summary doesn't quite give your reader a sense of what these two sides are.

    69. Pablo grows the traditional Maize and beans to support his family but he also dedicates part of his land to grow non-traditional crops (mainly broccoli), as a way to make more money as it is demanded by the market and the cash helps his family and pocket. These two examples are enough to make a connection from the desire for broccoli to the different layers about the production of broccoli. First off economic relation is tackled here because Pablo grows broccoli in an attempt to make more money, this money is reimbursed into his pockets which is put toward his family and even his farm. The economic relation of getting more money is intertwined with Pablo’s desire to grow broccoli. In this article, desire is defined as a strong feeling of wanting something, and the motivation to keep on going even when needs are being satisfied. Pablo isn’t poor and is doing alright, yet he still grows broccoli and even sacrifices some land of traditional crops for broccoli. He has a desire so big that he plays a dangerous game by growing non-traditional crops that could potentially lead him to fail. Susan is also affected by desire but also ambition as she wants to live a more healthy lifestyle. She wants to eat good and in the process of this, she desires broccoli. Her health-conscious desires are linked to her ambition to eat better, her personal morals, and furthermore, as a consumer, she benefits because the market produces broccoli year-round. 

      This paragraph would benefit from some organizational work, in addition to the other more specific comments I've made. You switch back and forth between Pablo and Susan but the reader never gets a full picture of either one, nor how they relate to the connection you (rightly) say Benson and Fischer are making between desire and broccoli production.

    70. desire

      What is it that Pablo is desiring here that makes this risky game worth playing?

    71. In this article, desire is defined as a strong feeling of wanting something, and the motivation to keep on going even when needs are being satisfied.

      I don't think this is correct. They do mention this way of "defining" desire, but the authors are saying it's incomplete (see p. 801). The way B&F are thinking of desire is more like being "engaged in projects that seek to make and remake the world around certain values" (803). So this is about more than needs vs. something additional...in fact, this ties into the moral theme, in that desire is about remaking the world according to values.

    72. because of its healthy lifestyle

      is it broccoli's lifestyle that is healthy?

    73. open up this article

      Since these are short summaries (and readings), there's no need to give your reader a chronological overview of the paper. Just say something like "Benson and Fisher provide examples of people..."

    74. These relations are then tied into layers: morals, ambition, desire, and motivation interacting with broccoli, by the aforementioned people. 

      Great follow-up. You bring up morals here, which is an important part of the article, but that could use a little expansion in your summary below.

    75. is about the growth and production of broccoli in relation to economic advantages, and consumer advantages by Maya farmers, and customer-consumers of broccoli.

      Good attempt at a concise one-sentence summary. This sentence could be improved with a little rewording for clarity, and by omitting the and before "consumer advantages".

    76. the commercialization of casual conversation”,

      The words of the title should be capitalized (except the and of)

    77. redefine a term that has mislead

      Not so much redefine. Anthropologists are typically less concerned with definitions than with asking readers to question their own assumptions and recognize the contradictions between assumptions and real-world actions.

    78. the comparison Clifton Spa Luncheonettes customers made to the pricing of Starbucks

      I'm not sure you need to be this specific about the details of his argument, but if you mention this piece of evidence it should be explained more. Your reader won't necessarily know what he said about Clifton Spa Luncheonettes customers.

    79. convince readers of a social and cultural unfairness being introduced into the community by a big corporation like Starbucks.

      This is an interesting point and a real anthropological conundrum. On one hand, yes--he would probably agree that there is a lot that's unfair about the fact that big corporations make a lot of money from a situation that's fundamentally based on the unequal distribution of resources. But... anthropologists like to think of ourselves as observers more than prescribers, so I think rather than saying he's trying to convince readers of unfairness, it would be more accurate to say he's trying to demonstrate or highlight unfairness or inequality.

      More importantly, however, I'm not sure whatever unfairness he's pointing out is really the main point of the article. The main point, as you say above, is to show that "casual" conversation is as we think of it is a product of political and economic forces, rather than a naturally occurring and unversal phenomenon.

    80. define a new context for language in what we think of as ordinary and casual conversations

      I would say this is close, but not quite exactly what his purpose is. It's not so much what we think of as casual conversation that he's trying to get us to see, but perhaps how the things we think of as "casual" are actually very specific to a particular class position, in a particular place and time, and that what's seen as "casual" is actually highly constructed and socially regulated--so, anything but casual

    81. I think

      avoid "I think," "I believe," etc.

      As readers, we assume this is what you think, since if you didn't think that's what his argument was, you wouldn't be saying that's what it was...

    82. These evidence help to understand how coffeetalk isn’t simple or natural but contains layers of economic and social choices Americans have to go through

      This is an accurate restatement of Gaudio's argument, but it's not clear from what comes before in this paragraph how Gaudio is drawing that conclusion from the evidence you've outlined.

    83. measure the cultural, economic and political acceptance within casual conversations

      I'm not sure what you mean by this. In what ways does he measure political acceptance?

    84. focuses on the temporal, spatio and social context

      This is a good point. Your summary would benefit from elaborating a little on why or how the temporal, spatial and social contexts are important to Gaudio's argument.

    85. context

      conversation?

    86. spatio

      spatial

    87. the idea of casual conversation not as a naturally occurring event but something that is politically, economically and culturally involved with global capitalism

      This is a good paraphrase of the author's argument. The only thing I would say is that Gaudio isn't so much "attempting to define" this idea...maybe "demonstrate" would be better than "define"? And by saying "attempt" like that, it sounds a little like you're implying he fails at the attempt. Perhaps something like "Gaudio argues that casual conversation is not a naturally occurring event..."

    88. passage

      article, not passage

    89. “Chinese Table Manners: You Are How

      How in this title is actually italicized

    90. -

      Use an em-dash (—) rather than a hyphen (-) when you're doing this kind of separation between clauses or separation for effect. Alternatively, you could use a colon.

    91. her personal morals

      Yes, the role of morality is important in this article. It would be helpful to your reader to explain this in a little more depth, since we don't normally think of broccoli as a morally-inflected thing...

    92. good

      well

    93. First off

      Just say "first," rather than "first off"

    94. These two examples are enough to make a connection from the desire for broccoli to the different layers about the production of broccoli.

      It's unclear from your summary thus far how the two examples connect desire with production.

      Also, is it really broccoli that Susan and Pablo desire? Or is broccoli a means for them to realize some other desire?

    95. While

      The "while" here makes this a phrase that needs to be part of a larger sentence; if you remove "while", it would be a grammatical sentence. Alternatively, you could say "Susan chooses to eat broccoli because of its healthy lifestyle, having been persuaded by the market of how healthy this food is, while in the second example a Maya farmer named Pablo is showcased." (I would recommend the first option.)

    96. 1

      The page number you cite to should be the page number of the actual journal article (not the PDF). So since this article goes from page 800-820, if you're citing the first page it would be (Benson and Fisher 800).

    97. Benson et al

      When there are only two authors, use both in the parenthetical citation: so, (Benson and Fisher 1) for example.

  2. Oct 2020
    1. The gradual adaptation of migrant foodways by the mainstream AfricanAmerican community demonstrates the integration of rural Southern culture intourban African American consciousness and the acceptance of migrants not as back-wards, unclean, and in need of modernization, but as brothers and sisters with com-mon traditions and heritage.

      How does the evidence above demonstrate the "integration of rural Southern culture into urban African American consciousness" where foodways are a "natural vehicle for the expression...of freedom"?

    1. narrate the taste of heritage pork that further detail this complementary dualism of tastes lost and found

      How does the evidence presented above demonstrate the "complementary dualism of tastes lost and found"?

    1. observe how in the face of postmodern realities, such asthe globalized phenomenon of international refugees fromcrisis regions to the West, governments appear to formulatevery old modernist responses

      Find an example of the "modernist response" in the section below and summarize it in your own words.

    1. Boundaries and order are everything. The pres-sure from interlocutors to keep die two languages "in or-der" is so severe

      Relating to Dani's question: Hill isn't talking about a boundary that's exactly the same as some people are/should be permitted to use certain words, while others shouldn't. But is there any similarity?

      Hill is saying that such boundaries are "enforced" differently for Spanish speakers than they are for English speakers. Are the boundaries that preclude (or should preclude) people from using certain words based on who they are perhaps seen as more contestable depending on who is "allowed" to use those words and who isn't?

      For example, a common argument made that it should be considered okay for white folks to use the n-word is that black folks say it. But, what if the situation were reversed? Would it be as commonly accepted to contest the limitation of the word to a certain group of people if the people "allowed" to use it were white?

      Might it also be relevant that there doesn't seem to be any word that racializes whites in a way that's so offensive they demand others not use it?

    2. I have labeled Mock Spanish a "covert racist discourse"because it accomplishes racialization of its subordinate-group targets through indirect indexicality, messages thatmust be available for comprehension but are never ac-knowledged by speakers.

      Mock Spanish is "covertly" racist in that in order to "make sense," it relies on certain racist tropes. So even if Mock Spanish isn't overtly racist, it reproduces and reinforces racist ideas. (see discussion in last paragraph of p. 684).

    3. The main point for my argument is that Puerto Ricansexperience the "outer sphere" as an important site of theirracialization, since they are always found wanting by thissphere's standards of linguistic orderliness. My researchsuggests that precisely the opposite is true for Whites.Whites permit themselves a considerable amount of disor-der precisely at the language boundary that is a site of dis-cipline for Puerto Ricans (and other members of histori-cally Spanish-speaking populations in the United States)—that is, the boundary between Spanish and English in pub-lic discourse

      "orderly disorder": Puerto Ricans' use of Spanish (or even perceptions of accent) is perceived as not living up to "standards of linguistic orderliness" (see above paragraph for contexts in which Spanish is seen as "acceptable"). On the other hand white English speakers are given considerable latitude to cross the boundaries between English and Spanish (even if their Spanish isn't even grammatically correct).

    1. romantic

      The author uses this term, romantic, several times, but doesn't specify what he means by it, although this section implies a little about what he seems to mean. Based on Wikipedia's entry on Romanticism, it refers to an intellectual and artistic movement starting in the late 1700s in Europe that emphasized "emotion and individualism" and glorified nature and the past. What's probably most relevant about this movement is that it originated during, and in response to, the industrial revolution.

      There's a clear link between this definition and what Pratt is talking about in terms of glorifying (or even fetishizing?) certain places and practices as more directly related to traditional agricultural practices and placing higher value on food commodities that can be directly linked to the specific places or people that produced them.

      Interestingly, authenticity seems to have been a feature of the Romantic movement as well. The Wikipedia article says that adherents of Romanticism "emphasized intense emotion as an authentic source of aesthetic experience" (no citation is given for this assertion, however).

    1. he process of his becoming Black or becoming well versed with Black American cultural signs, symbols, tropes, practices, and worldviews.23Language use was central to the cultural socialization process

      What do the authors mean by "the process of...becoming Black"? Is "becoming Black" the same as "becoming well versed with Black American cultural signs..."? Or are they different, but related?

      cf. Zora Neale Hurston's "How It Feels to Be Colored Me", where she says "I remember the very day that I became colored."

      What does this imply about the meaning of "being" Black? And about race, or racialization, generally?