Intro to Cultural Anthropology: The Global Economy

Intro to Cultural Anthropology Written Assignment 2: The Global Economy[This ethnographic exercise is adapted from https://anth101.com/challenge8/ and Kenneth J Guest, Cultural Anthropology Fieldwork Journal (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2017), p. 49-52.] Written Assignment Due: Thursday, March 21, 2019 Do you know where the items you use everyday come from? Today’s global economy is a complex network of exchanges and connections that reach far beyond the store across the street. A piece of chocolate, a cup of coffee, or a smartphone link the wealthiest resident of a world capital or a student at a university to a subsistence farmer in Africa or a factory worker in Mexico. In today’s world we are all deeply connected. Anthropologists have often traced the movement of commodities such as silver, sugar, fur, tea, and coffee to reveal the global connections—political, economic, military, and social—that link producers and consumers, rural and urban communities, and people and nations on opposite sides of the world. Tracing the movement of commodities illuminates the human dimensions of globalization that are often obscured by distance and marketing. For this assignment, you will focus on an item/product that has a global history. Your item is: baseballs hat _______(yankee)_____________________________________ Please answer each question below using complete sentences (and paragraphs if necessary). Be as specific as possible. You will most probably need to search for the answers for each question online; please use English-language webpages ONLY and at the end of each answer, please list the website(s) you used to get the information.(See example at end of this handout) PLEASE DO NOT COPY FROM OTHER STUDENTS OR HELP OTHER STUDENTS. This is an exercise in independent critical thinking based on your observations and research. IF YOU COPY TEXT DIRECTLY FROM WEBSITES, YOU MUST USE QUOTATION MARKS (“ ”) 1) What is the item? What brand is it? What company owns/distributes this item? Where is the company’s headquarters located? Where did you buy this item from? Approximately how much did this item cost? (Include a photo of this item if you want) (2 points) Baseball hat (yankee), the New Era Cap Company mainly distributes the caps and that of other Major League Baseball (MLB) franchises, and the company’s headquarters are in Buffalo, New York. I bought the “Men's New York Yankees New Era Navy MLB Team Classic Game 39THIRTY Flex Hat” at $ 29.99 from mlbshop.com Websites: 1) /new-york-yankees/caps/t-36999821+d-6738669958+z-97-1139205032 2) What are this item’s raw materials (if it is food, what are its ingredients)? Be specific. (1 pt) The baseball hat is made of 95% Polyester/5% Spandex /new-york-yankees/mens-new-york-yankees-new-era-navy-mlb-team-classic-game-39thirty-flex-hat/t-25224309+p-5694020521516+z-9-890441304 3) Where do the raw materials or ingredients come from and how were they extracted? Be specific. (2 points) In the past the caps were mainly made from cotton, but now synthetic fibers are used. Polyester (polyethylene terephthalate) is synthesized from petroleum-based products, while spandex is a 85% polyurethane polymer. /blog/know-fibers-difference-between-polyester-an...