Chapter 15, Politics, Power, and Violence Video Solutions, The Essence of Anthropology

Problem 1

The basic challenge for people in all societies is to decide who gets what, when, where, and how. In many states, political power is concentrated in the hands of an elite few belonging to a dominant nationality or ethnic group. Imagine you belong to a repressed group such as the Quechua of Ecuador, depicted in the chapter's opening photograph. What would you do if you were systematically frustrated in the exercise of your human rights in a political system that discriminates against your ethnic group?

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Problem 2

Given the basic definition of politics presented in the beginning of this chapter, why do you think that power in egalitarian societies plays a relatively insignificant role?

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Problem 3

. If political organization functions to impose or maintain order and to resolve conflicts, why do you think that a government in a country such as your own is so interested in legitimizing its power? What happens when a government loses such legitimacy?

Kaylee Mcclellan

Numerade Educator

Problem 4

Which nationalities or ethnic groups do you know that are dominant, and which can you identify that are in a minority position or are repressed? What is the basis for this inequality?

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Problem 5

When your own government declares war against another country, on which basis does it seek to justify its decision to send soldiers into battle? Do you know the death ratio of noncombatants to soldiers in your country's most recent war?

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