Introduction to cultural anthropology

Running head : Introduction to cultural anthropology

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Philippe Bourgois conducted fieldwork in urban United States and Central America in relation to political issues related to ethnicity dislocation of street children , political violence , labor relations and popular resistance . In United States , Bourgois fieldwork mainly focuses on social suffering , cultural issues and political economy . His most recent work relates to substance abuse , homelessness , violence and HIV prevention . He argues that although inner city street culture of drug dealers emerges as a search for dignity and rejection of

racism , it is one aspect that has led to personal degradation and community ruin . His assertion points out two interrelated concepts that are structure and agency used by anthropologists to understand how society is produced and reproduced . A major concern in this is an illustration on how structure and agency shape the lives of Primo Ceasar . A close look of the two terms has an outstanding feature that relates to live at inner-city streets . Structure is the recurrent patterned arrangements which limit choices and opportunities posed by individuals . On the other hand , agency is the capacity of individuals to act independently and make their own free choices . It is the intention , dream , hope determination and effort to do something for change in support of continuity . The relationship between structure and agency as applied by anthropologists to understand how society is reproduced include the concept of complementary forces . A society is a collection of individuals from different backgrounds and considers certain values...