World’s Scholars Cup

Social studies
On the Edge of Society
Introductory Questions
What does it mean to belong?
To be owned by something/someone

What does it mean for a group of people to be marginalized?

treat (a person, group, or concept) as insignificant or peripheral.

Is it always better to be included than to be excluded?

Who decides who belongs in a certain group?
Is it always wrong to exclude people from a group?
Are there any situations in which one might want to be marginalized?
Should people ever be integrated with others against their will?
What is the difference between exclusion and inequality?
Can people ever be “separate but equal”?
Are there any valid arguments against inclusiveness as a social goal?
Are there any steps toward increasing inclusiveness with which you would be
uncomfortable
Are there times when stratification is necessary or beneficial for a society?
Is the world becoming more inclusive? Is your school? Is your country?
Is there a difference between being in the minority and being marginalized?
Are different marginalized groups in the same society natural allies, or are they
just as likely to turn on each other?

People of the Feather

Basic Features of Social Groups
power structures | roles | communication structures
similarity | interdependence | injunctive and proscriptive norms
Power structures
Power
It is basically the part of a community that can affect a decision making process,
it is the capacity to bring about change. This power can include any large bodies
of land in a geographically restricted area, where any party or group of people
can influence the community.

Roles
Roles in a community are what define what people do, and how the are placed in
the hierarchy order. King to Ministers(War, prime etc.), to soldiers to high class to
middle class to workers to servants to peasants.

Community structures
A community structure is basically the relationships between people, missions
and goals, management, activities, and outcomes involved.So, a community
structure is just defined by 4 factors, the diversity of the people, the number of
people, which is a measure of both species richness and species evenness.
Entitativity: When does a group think of itself as a group?

Culture Identity groups

Definition
Being able to associate with or feeling part of a group based on culture
Often refers to heritage and race

Culture groups
Defined by the way they act, what principles they live by and the things they
believe in.
Is not a static principle, people can have their cultural identity change over time
and have additional cultural identities.
Crowds vs. Mobs

Crowd
A collection of individuals gathered around a centre of common attention
Main intentions are to observe the attraction for their own interests

Mob
Large and disorderly group of people
An acting crowd that is inclined to taking aggressive and destructive behavior in
order to solve a problem
Tuckman Model
Describes the 5 stages that are vital in building a high-functioning team

Forming Stage

At this point, a team should discuss with each other:

Members’ skills, backgrounds and interests

Project goals
Timeline
Ground rules
Individual roles

As groups start to familiarize themselves, roles and responsibilities will begin to

form.
Important to develop relationships with teammates and understand what role
each person plays.

2) Storming Stage
The reality and weight of completing a task has now hit everyone
Personalities may clash, disagreements will happen

It is important to remember that experiencing conflict in a team is normal, and

should not be avoided, or the problem will grow until it blows up ALLAHUAKBAR.

At this point, teammates will have to acknowledge and accept each other’s flaws
and learn to work alongside them. This step is important in building an efficient
team.

3) Norming Stage

People start to notice and appreciate team members’ strengths.

Everyone is contributing and working together as a team

Teammates will work better together and deal with disagreements easier, as they
have already done it before. By appreciating each other’s work team mates will
work more productively and the appreciation fuels their motivation and mindset.

4) Performing Stage

Members are confident, motivated and familiar enough with the project
Team can operate without supervision

At this point, everyone is heading full-speed towards their goal and strive to work
towards it. The team are at their prime and accomplishes a high-functioning
team.

5) Adjourning Stage (Added in 1977)

When the project ends, the team disbands

This phase is known as mourning, as teammates have grown close and feel a
loss now that the experience is over.

Seceder Model
Illustrates how the desire to be different than average can lead to formation of
groups in a population.
Demonstrates complex group formation behavior and the dependency on the
population size

Consists of a population of simple entities which reproduce and die

In a single reproduction event three individuals are chosen randomly and the
individual which has the largest distance to the center is reproduced by created
mutated offspring

The offspring replaces a random chosen individual of the population

The individual based model shows how the tendency to be different leads to the
formation of hierarchically structured groups- seceder effect.
Investigates the fitness landscape (reproductive success)- the fit individuals are
always located in the worst regions of the fitness landscape where replication
rate is relatively low

Homans’ Theory (by George Homans)

Used to identify the external factors that can disrupt/destroy a project

“The more activities persons share, the more numerous will be their interactions
and
the stronger will be their shared activities and sentiments,
and the more sentiments people have for one another,
the more will be shared activities and interactions”
The key element is interaction because that is when members they develop
common sentiments for each other.
The sentiments are usually expressed through the formation of informal groups
If any disturbance is caused to any of the three activities, it is likely to disturb all
the others

The three elements are related to each other. Members share activities and
interact with each other not just for physical proximity, but to accomplish group
goals.

Social Exchange Theory

All human relationships are formed with the use of a subjective cost-benefit
mindset and the comparison of alternatives to determine risks and benefits
A minimum positive level (benefits greater than costs) of an outcome must exist
in order for attraction to take place

Benefits- gratify needs

Costs- causes anxiety, frustrations, embarrassment or fatigue

Example: a person may feel that the cost of their romantic relationship outweighs
its benefits will most likely leave the relationship.
Will form a relationship with (B) because of common attitudes and values [C]

The couple will strive to maintain a balance between attraction and common
attitudes.
Swarm Behaviour
Collective behavior of decentralized, self-organized systems (natural or artificial)
No central structure that dictates how the individuals should behave
Interactions can cause ‘intelligent’ global behavior that is only accomplished as a
group

Boids Model (Reynolds 1987)

An artificial life program to simulate the flocking behavior of birds.

Rules applied in the Boids world:

Separation- steer to avoid crowding flockmates

alignment - steer towards the average heading of the flockmates
Cohesion- steer to move toward center of mass of flockmates

Herd Mentality

Describes how people can be influenced by peers to adopt certain behaviors on

an emotional response rather than rational.
People will likely follow the opinions and decisions of the majority of others in
their group, even when it is not a rational decision.

Experiment on herd mentality (Leeds University)

Volunteers were told to randomly walk around a large hall without talking to each
other.
A few were given instructions on where to walk.

Results showed that people end up blindly following the one or two instructed
people

It took only 5% of confident looking people to influence 95% of people in the

crowd.

The experiment shows that humans are subconsciously affected by herd

mentality, as most don’t even realize that they are becoming a follower of
another.

A long time ago humans formed tribes and colonies, which created a socially
driven mindset for humans, as social communities grew, this behavior was
passed onto future generations and thus makes us more inclined towards herd
mentality.
To follow the group, to go Astray
Informational vs normative vs referential conformity
Conformity is a type of social influence involving a change in belief or behavior in
order to fit in with a group.
Informational- conformity that occurs because of the desire to be correct
Normative- occurs because of the desire to be liked and accepted
Referential- You conform because a group norm defines the membership in a
group in a certain way.Therefore you don’t conform to others you conform to what
is expected from your group norm and form you as a member.
Social identity theory
By: Henry Taifel and John Turner( 1979)
A theory that predicts group behaviour on the bases of perceived group status
differences.
There are 2 types of identities:
Personal identity- about a person's characteristics: such as appearance or
personality
Social identity- about a group which they belong to : such as citizen of a
particular country or student of a certain university
3 mental processes are used to evaluate the social identity theory:
Social categorization- categorising people into groups based on similar
characteristics. There can be 2 types of groups:
In group- a group made up of people with similar interests or identities
Out group- people who do not belong to a specific in- group
Social identification- the qualities in a group that are self- descriptive to the
people in it
Social comparison- evaluating your own self or your own group with others.
When we do not have any objectives, for self evaluation we do this
Self categorization
A social identity provided by social groups to their members so that group
members can have a positive distinctiveness in terms of we rather than I
The underlying premise behind this theory is that people place themselves and
others into social categories on the basis of the underlying attributes and this
process of social categorization shapes a range of attitudes, emotions, and
behaviors.
Dominant culture
the dominant culture is a culture that is the most powerful widespread or
influential within the social or political entity in which multiple cultures are present
In a society refers to the established language religion values rituals and social
customs
Counter culture
A counterculture is a group of people whose values, norms, and behavior clash
with those of the prevalent culture.
Highbrow vs. lowbrow
Anything high-brow is usually intellectual in nature, and people who appreciate
such things are also called highbrows.(Highbrows usually have money and are
sometimes considered snobby)
The opposite of highbrow is lowbrow, which refers to vulgar and less
sophisticated culture and people.
Asch Paradigm
The Asch paradigm, in psychology, is a series of experiments on conformity run
by Solomon Asch in the 1950s. These experiments tested the way individuals
responded to group-think, and to what extent social pressure could cause a
person to conform.
The Initial Asch Conformity Experiment
In the initial experiment, a test subject was asked simply to complete a vision test
for a research project. They were then invited into a room with seven other
“participants.” The other participants were Asch’s collaborators, with scripted
responses; in each run of the experiment there was only one 'real participant’.

A set of two large cards was displayed; one with one line, the other with three.
Each participant was asked aloud which line on the second card (A, B, or C) was
most like the line on the first. In each case the true answer was obvious (in the
example to the left, the true answer is C).
The seven fake participants gave answers they had previously decided on, and
the real participant was always asked the question last.
In eighteen trials, the seven fake participants gave a unanimous wrong answer
12 times. The aim of the study was to see how this environment would affect the
participant, and how far he would be willing to conform to others’ answers.
He repeated his test over 50 times to find out that:
In 36.8% of cases, the decision was made to join the unanimous majority and
give a wrong answer when asked which line was the same.
25% of the participants never answered
When interviewed, the participants gave different reasons for having made the
decision to conform or not conform.
Some acknowledged they had known the right answer all the time, but had not
wanted to give it for fear of being thought peculiar.
For others, the unanimous opinion of others had been enough to make them
distrust their eyes; they figured everyone must be better at differentiating and so
have the right answer.
later, Solomon Asch ran variations on the original Asch paradigm experiment to
determine what factors would change an individual’s likelihood of yielding to
conformity.
He found that having a partner, greatly decreased the number of conformity
cases.
However, if the partner leaves halfway, the rate of conformity increases.
The number of fake people that are a group affect the conformity to an extent.
One person- not much difference, 2 people- significantly increases the conformity
rate, 3 people- enough to make the participants feel like they are wrong, after 3
people, how many ever more people are added does not really matter.
Crutchfield Situation
Was recreating the Asch Pilgrim in a better way
All participants were placed in cubicles with separation walls
All participants were shown shapes and asked to judge the area of them. They
were to tell their answers by pressing a switch.
They were also told that their answer would be visible to people in the other
cubicles. They were allowed to give their responses in the end.
But IRL, the responses of other people were purposefully controlled by the
experimenter. And he made it like all the other people gave the same incorrect
answer, making it similar to Asch’s experiment.
He conducted the experiments of all the sample people at the same time, so the
participants can be studied simultaneously.
Although participants did conform to the apparent group’s incorrect judgements,
fewer people actually conformed in the Crutchfield situation relative to the Asch
situation. Some commentators posit that this observation was due largely to the
fact that participants’ responses were private (i.e., no one knew which participant
gave which response).

Them-ocracy: Understanding exclusion and rivalry

Ingroup vs. Outgroup

Ref. [https://ethicsunwrapped.utexas.edu/glossary/in-groupout-group]
Ingroup
A social group in which a person identifies themself as a member
Based on a variety of factors, like age, race, gender and religion

Outgroup
A social group in which a person does not identify themself as a member (not
part of the group)

Our tendency to distinguish between ingroup and outgroup have moral

implications

A member of an ingroup may treat an outgroup member more harshly than their
ingroup peer
This can lead to people making immoral judgements when facing people
Ingroup and outgroup mindset can prevent people from conscious and thoughtful
reflection and can cause harm to others.

Outgroup Homogeneity
Ref.
[https://psychology.iresearchnet.com/social-psychology/group/outgroup-homogen
eity/]

Tendency for ingroup members to see themselves as more diverse than how
they are seen by outgroups
For EXAMPLE, Chinese people see themselves as quite diverse and different
from one another, but Americans view them as being similar to each other.

People are more familiar with members in their own groups than with outgroups,
this causes them to appreciate the diversity within their ingroups.

Trait Ascription
The tendency for people to view themselves as relatively variable in terms of
personality, traits and mood whereas viewing other people as predictable when it
comes to personal traits.

The reason for this bias is because our own decisions and actions are more
observable than with others

Trait ascription can result in stereotypical viewpoints and may influence prejudice
towards other groups/people

Intergroup Interactions
Ref.
[https://classroom.synonym.com/what-are-five-patterns-of-intergroup-relations-12
083370.html]

The interaction between two different intergroups results in intergroup behavior.

Patterns of intergroup interactions

Assimilation [mainly culture and race]

Represents complete tolerance
Two or more separate integroups blend together to form one common culture, or
a completely new one

2) Segregation [ethnicity/race]
The separation of two racial/ethnic intergroups within a society
Forms of segregation can occur in workplaces, residences and social institutions

Voluntary segregation
Members of an intergroup may prefer working together or living close to each
other
Involuntary segregation
The legal separation of groups
Or through unwritten customs

3) Slavery
The legal ownership of one group by another
The group with ownership controls every aspect of the enslaved group, like
reproduction, type of employment and religion
Usually applied to minority groups for the financial gain of the majority

4) Expulsion
The forced removal of a population that occupies a territory by another
population that wants to claim the territory
The removal might be a dominant portion of the territory, or can be completely
outside the territory

5) Genocide
The extreme manifestation of intolerance
The mass execution of a minority population by a majority population
Typically state sponsored, the majority calls the order as they view the minority
population as inferior or dangerous

Social Comparison
Theory in which individuals determine their physical and social worth by
observing how it stacks up with others

Social comparison can be done healthily, for self-improvement and development.

Otherwise, it can promote biased, competitive and selfish attitudes.

Social Invisibility
When a social group is marginalized (‘pushed to the edge of society and ignored
by others’)
Can also refer to individuals who are overlooked by others which can make them
appear ‘invisible’ to others.

Social invisibility has psychological effects. Having a disconnected feeling from

society can cause absorbed coping and breakdowns- Not being able to share
feelings with others

Amity-Enmity Complex
Ref. [https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Amity-enmity_complex]

A term introduced by Arthur Keith in in his work, ‘The Theory of Human

Evolution’.

Keith stated how humans have evolved by different races, culture, tribes and
display patriotism, morality, leadership and nationalism.

Those who belong in the ingroup are tolerated

But those who are part of an outgroup are subject to hostility

"The code of enmity is a necessary part of the machinery of evolution. He who

feels generous towards his enemy... has given up his place in the turmoil of
evolutionary competition

Keith states how conscience in humans develops ‘duality’- protect and save
friends, and hate and defeat enemies

Internalized Oppression
Ref. [http://www.gcorr.org/what-is-internalized-oppression/]
Oppression is hatred and prejudice towards one group by another group.

Oppressed groups will eventually tend to believe the lie that they are inferior and
a problem,
this can cause individuals to shift from a healthy mindset into an unhealthy
self-image that depicts the inferiority.
When oppressed groups believe the discrimination that they have received from
the oppressor, they have internalized the oppression

Internalized oppression is like taking dishonesty as the truth. It leaves people

with little dignity and respect for their own self and can be a source of physical,
mental and spiritual pain for many individuals across communities.

Black Sheep Effect [when you apply black dye to a sheep in Minecraft]
LOL-Arnav btw
https://dictionary.apa.org/black-sheep-effect

Black sheep effect is one person’s tendency to judge a person more negatively
when that person is in their own group than a person from an outgroup.
According to social identity theory, people respond negatively to those who act in
ways that threaten the group’s identity, hence the term ‘black sheep

‘Black Sheep’ in common language refers to someone who is out of the ordinary
or odd, the black sheep effect is explained by the social identity theory, people
will judge those more negatively even if they are an intergroup member if they act
as a threat to the group’s identity
Robber’s Cave
https://psychology.iresearchnet.com/social-psychology/social-psychology-experi
ments/robbers-cave-experiment/

An experiment to examine the effects of hostility and conflict between two

seperate intergroups

Twenty boys who had similar demographic features were split into two teams and
sent to a summer camp in Robber Cave State Park. The study took place in 3
separate stages that were 1 week apart:

Group formation
Intergroup competition
Intergroup cooperation

This was to encourage the development of unique ingroup identities among the
boys, which indeed worked well as it resulted in the emergence of group statuses
and identities.

In the second stage, the two teams participated in competitive activities, where
the winning team received gratification from winning prizes. This promoted rivalry
amongst the two teams, with verbal and physical attacks becoming imminent
from the two teams of boys.

In the third and final stage researchers arranged a situation to attempt to reduce
the hostility between the two teams. Resources became limited, as several
problems arose. One event involved a problem with the camp’s water supply, and
another one involved a broken down truck that was to carry supplies to the camp
The two teams eventually decided to work together for their survival, and this
developed harmonious friendships and amendments.

Implications and social impact

This experiments indicates how contact alone is not enough to restore harmony
between two groups.
Discrimination and prejudice results when teams are placed in competition for
valuable resources
Prejudice is largely a product of social situations. Individual pathology is not
necessary to produce outgroup hatred.

Stanford Prison Experiment

https://www.verywellmind.com/the-stanford-prison-experiment-2794995

A social psychology experiment held in 1971 to investigate the effects of

perceived power, focusing on the struggle between officers and prisoners.

The purpose of the experiment was to understand the development of norms and
the effects of roles, labels, and social expectations in a simulated prison
environment

The experiment:

70 participants were split up and assigned to the role of an officer or a prisoner.

24 Prisoners were blindfolded and sent to a psychology department of Stanford
University, where there was a basement set out as a prison.
The guards were allowed to act in any way they wanted, but they decided to act
in a hostile and dehumanizing way to the prisoners
A few prisoners started to experience severe negative emotIons, like crying and
anxiety
The experiment was ended early, at six days, when the situation of prisoners
started to become devastating problem (riots, mental breakdowns,)

Implications and the effect on society.

When given a position of power, the guards acted in ways that they would not act
in their everyday lives.
The prisoners, placed in state of no control, became passive and depressed.
Suggests that the position of power can affect the behavior and actions of people

Here There be ___: Understanding the Margins of Society

Uh B00ty I’ll finish this on Thursday I will work hard and deep for it master. I
promise I will get the second bullet point finished then revise from your guys’
notes. Now I gotta grill a hamburger YeeT Uh-UH yeeTeRz in toown ooh sh1z am
I drunk naaah impossible to get drunk here man it ain’t legit boi im just high on
somehthin mann.,;l
+

Mechanics of Marginalization
discrimination
Discrimination means treating a person unfairly because of who they are or
because they possess certain characteristics.
Examples include: Age, Gender, Race, Disability, Religion, Pregnancy and
maternity, Sexual orientation, Gender reassignment, Marriage and civil
partnership
Colonialism
Colonialism is the practice by which a powerful country directly controls less
powerful countries and uses their resources to increase its own power and
wealth.

Slavery
Slavery refers to a condition in which individuals are owned by others, who
control where they live and at what they work. Slavery had previously existed
throughout history, in many times and most places. The ancient Greeks, the
Romans, Incas and Aztecs all had slaves.
Hegemony
Hegemony, the dominance of one group over another, often supported by
legitimating norms and ideas.
The associated term hegemon is used to identify the actor, group, class, or state
that exercises hegemonic power or that is responsible for the dissemination of
hegemonic ideas.
Nepotism
Nepotism is based on favour granted to relatives in various fields, including
business, politics, entertainment, sports, religion and other activities.
The term originated with the assignment of nephews to important positions by
Catholic popes and bishops.
endogamy
Endogamy is the practice of marrying within a specific social group, caste or
ethnic group, rejecting those from others as unsuitable for marriage or other
close personal relationships. Endogamy is common in many cultures and ethnic
groups.
Rankism
Rankism is an assertion of superiority. It typically takes the form of putting others
down. It's what “Somebodies” do to “nobodies.” Or, more precisely, it is what
people who think they're Somebodies do to people they take for nobodies
Xenophobia
Xenophobia is the fear and distrust of that which is perceived to be foreign or
strange.
Sexism
Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on a person's sex or gender.
Sexism can affect anyone, but it primarily affects women and girls.
It has been linked to stereotypes and gender roles, and may include the belief
that one sex or gender is intrinsically superior to another.
racism
Racism is the belief in the superiority of one race over another, which often
results in discrimination and prejudice towards people based on their race or
ethnicity.
ageism
Ageism is stereotyping and discrimination against individuals or groups on the
basis of their age.
ableism
Ableism is discrimination and social prejudice against people with disabilities.
Ableism characterizes persons as defined by their disabilities and as inferior to
the non-disabled.
Elitism
Elitism is the belief or attitude that individuals who form an elite — a select group
of people with a certain ancestry, intrinsic quality, high intellect, wealth, special
skills, or experience — are more likely to be constructive to society as a whole,
and therefore deserve influence or authority greater than that of others.
bullying
Bullying is the use of force, threat, or coercion to abuse, intimidate or
aggressively dominate others.
The behavior is often repeated and habitual.
One essential prerequisite is the perception, by the bully or by others, of an
imbalance of social or physical power, which distinguishes bullying from conflict.
victimization
to treat someone in an intentionally unfair way, especially because of their
race,sex, beliefs, etc.
social dominance orientation
Social dominance orientation (SDO) is a measure of an individual’s support for
group-based hierarchies. It reflects a person’s attitudes toward hierarchies in
general, as well as beliefs about whether one’s own group should dominate other
groups.
People with high SDO believe that society should be structured in terms of
inequality, with some groups at the top (i.e., possessing more power and
resources) and others at the bottom.
People with low SDO, in contrast, believe that society should be structured in
terms of equality, with no single group dominating others.

Poverty and Social Stratification

Gini Index
It is the measure of economic inequality, measuring income distribution and
wealth distribution among a population.
Highest Gini index/coefficient is Lesotho with 63.2

Great Gatsby curve

The Great Gatsby curve is a chart plotting the (positive) relationship between
inequality and intergenerational social immobility in several countries around the
world.
Poverty Gap index
The poverty gap index is a measure of the intensity of poverty.
It is defined as the average poverty gap in the population as a proportion of the
poverty line.
Social class
a division of a society based on social and economic status.
Social mobility
Social mobility is the movement of individuals, families, households, or other
categories of people within or between social strata in a society.
Division of Labour
It the assignment of different parts of a manufacturing process or task to different
people in order to improve efficiency.
It is most often applied to systems of mass production and is one of the basic
organizing principles of the assembly line.
Redlining
In the United States and Canada, redlining is the systematic denial of various
services to residents of specific, often racially associated, neighborhoods or
communities, either directly or through the selective raising of prices.
Davis-Moore hypothesis
It that the greater the functional importance of a social role, the greater must be
the reward. (this is a very short version of it.)

Homelessness
It is when you don’t have a home to live in.
Slums
A slum is a highly populated urban residential area consisting mostly of closely
packed, housing units in a situation of deteriorated or incomplete infrastructure,
They were inhabited primarily by impoverished people(poor people).
Favelas
A favela, Brazilian Portuguese for slum, is a low-income historically informal
urban area in Brazil.
The first favela, now known as Providência in the center of Rio de Janeiro,
appeared in the late 19th century, built by soldiers who had nowhere to live
following the Canudos War.
Shanties
A shanty town or squatter area is a settlement of improvised housing which is
known as shanties or shacks, made of plywood, corrugated metal, sheets of
plastic, and cardboard boxes
Skid row
Skid Row is an American hard rock band, formed in 1986 in Toms River, New
Jersey.
Sebastian Bach, Rachel Bolan, Dave Sabo, Scotti Hill are the members.

Race and Ethnicity

Segregation
The separation of a race, ethnicity or class from another group.
Segregation often explains the effects of inequality, as segregation limits the
opportunities of the group

Self-Segregation
The separation of a race, ethnicity or class that is done by the group itself
This could result in the inability for normal social interaction with other outgroups

Ethnocentrism
The view that one’s own culture is better than another
It consists of evaluating others’ cultures from the perspective of their own
Today many scientists believe that ethnocentrism is a feature in all cultures

Tribalism
Customs and beliefs that are transmitted and enacted in groups (tribes) that
share a common identity
Tribalism relates to how humans will naturally form social networks (tribes)
May also refer to how a person thinks in a way that is loyal to their social group
above all else

Supremacism
Ideology which holds that a particular class of people is superior to others, and
that it is entitled to dominate, control and subjugate others
Supremacism causes prejudice and can come in forms of discrimination and
racism.

Reverse racism
Racism towards the majority race (typically used in the context of Whites)
The ironic act of using race to gain special status or privileges while at the same
time demanding others treat them as equal.

Eugenics
Study or belief aimed at the possibility of improving the qualities of the human
species by discouraging the reproduction of humans with genetic defects
(negative eugenics)
Encouraging the reproduction of humans with desirable traits (positive eugenics)

Institutionalized racism
When racial discrimination has become established as normal behavior within a
society or organization
Expressed in the practice of social and political institutions
Racism by individuals or social groups, influenced by behavior norms that
support racist thinking

“Race traitor”
The disapproval of a person perceived to be supporting attitudes or positions that
are thought to be against those of that person’s own race
Another example, a person who supports actions that benefit races other than
their own may be characterized as a ‘race traitor’

“Passing”
The ability of a person to be regarded as a member of an intergroup that is
different from their own
May include racial identity, ethnicity, social orientation and social class

Reparations
Usually, the term for the compensation in money, material and labor that is
payable by a defeated country to another country or individual for the loss
suffered from the result of war.
Making amends for wrong or injury done
Gender and sexism
Institutional sexism
It’s a set of rules - both over and referential- that discriminate against women and
afford better opportunities for men. This can include:
At work, companies create job requirements and reward employees for a set of
skills and abilities that only men seem to possess.
In our criminal justice system, it’s requiring rape victims to jump through
countless hurdles to prove that they said no and didn’t really mean yes — even
just for a moment.
Objectification
In social philosophy, objectification is the act of treating a person, or sometimes
an animal, as an object or a thing.
It is part of dehumanization, the act of disavowing the humanity of others
Masculinity vs femininity
To define masculine, using the word “Goal” makes more sense than using the
word “Tough“. Another way to define masculine is: “Winning & decisiveness are
important in society”.
Characteristics that define a man
Winning is good, and gets you rewarded:
Standing or status is important
Competition
Admiration for the winner
When we define femininity the word “Tender” makes good sense. However, a
better way to define femininity is “Process orientation and consensus“.
Characteristics and propaganda for women
Sticking out your head is not good
There should be equality
There should be consensus( agreement as a group)
Sympathy for the loser
Mansplaining
The explanation of something by a man, typically to a woman, in a manner
regarded as condescending or patronizing.
pay gap
The gender pay gap or gender wage gap is the average difference between the
remuneration for men and women who are working.
There are two distinct numbers regarding the pay gap: unadjusted versus
adjusted pay gap.
The unadjusted pay gap is simply the raw difference between
The adjusted pay gap usually takes into account some factors that impact the
gap’s existence, such as differences in education, job experience, job sector, job
position, number of hours worked, marital status, parenthood status, etc.

gendercide
Gendercide is the systematic killing of members of a specific gender. The term is
related to the general concepts of assault and murder against victims due to their
gender, with violence against women and men being problems dealt with by
human rights efforts.

heteronormativity
Heteronormativity is the belief that people fall into distinct and complementary
genders (male and female) with natural roles in life. It assumes that
heterosexuality is the norm or default sexual orientation, and that sexual and
marital relations are most (or only) fitting between people of opposite sex.

glass ceiling
When people refer to a glass ceiling, they are talking about the attitudes and
traditions in a society that prevent women from rising to the top jobs.

gender identities
Gender identity is the personal sense of one's own gender. Gender identity can
correlate with assigned sex at birth, or can differ from it. All societies have a set
of gender categories that can serve as the basis of the formation of a person's
social identity in relation to other members of society.

LGBTQ+
LGBTQ+ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (or
questioning) and others.
You might also see it written as LGBTQA, with the A signifying either ally (i.e.
supportive) or asexual.
Lesbian – a woman who is exclusively or almost exclusively attracted to other
women.
Gay – someone whose attractions are exclusively or almost exclusively
same-gender. While anyone can identify as gay, the term tends to be associated
more with men than with women (who may also identify as lesbian).
Bisexual (or bi) – someone who is attracted to their own gender and another.
Transgender (or trans) – Typically refers to anyone whose gender identity does
not align with their assigned sex and gender at birth. Some trans people are
binary-identified, others are not.
queer was once considered a derogatory term for LGBT people. Many people
within the community think the word has been reclaimed, but it may still be
offensive to some – especially people from older generations. It’s one of those
words that it’s easier for people inside the community to use than outside it. It’s
probably best not to describe someone as queer unless you’re sure they are
comfortable with it!
toxic masculinity
Toxic\ Hegemonic masculinity is defined as a practice that legitimizes powerful
men's dominant position in society and justifies the subordination of the common
male population and women, and other marginalized ways of being a man.
Intersexuality
“Intersex” is a general term used for a variety of conditions in which a person is
born with a reproductive or sexual anatomy that doesn't seem to fit the typical
definitions of female or male

Additional Terms to Explore

second-class citizen
A second-class citizen is a person who is systematically discriminated against
within a state or other political jurisdiction, despite their nominal status as a
citizen or legal resident there.
Basically, a person whose rights and opportunities are treated as less important
than those of other people in the same society
dehumanization
to deprive of human qualities or attributes,
Or divest of individuality: Conformity
vagrant
a person who is poor, does not have a home or job, and moves from place to
place ( sometimes colloquially refer to drunkards like this, lol)
alien
a person of another family, race, or nation
a foreign-born resident who has not been naturalized and is still a subject or
citizen of a foreign country broadly: foreign- born citizen
Untouchable
Members that are disagreeable or defiling to the touch are called “untouchable.”
literally ,one that is untouchable specifically
A belief that members of a large formerly segregated hereditary group in India . it
is believed that it is unacceptable for “untouchables” to physically contact a
member of a higher caste, as it can have “dangerous” effects on the members of
the higher society.

Homo sacer
Means ‘Sacred man’ in Latin
A person who is removed from society and deprived of all rights and all functions
in civil religion

Lumpenproletariat
“Social scum” according the Marxist terminology
Term to describe the unorganized and unpolitical orders of a society who are not
interested in revolutionary advances
Describes members of the proletariat. Especially criminals, vagrants and the
unemployed, who lack awareness of their collective interest as an oppressed
class

Baekjeong
Means “untouchables” in Korean, a minority group of Korea
The minority group lived in segregation and away from mainstream outgroup
societies

Burakumin
Means “hamlet people/village people”
An outcast group at the bottom of the traditional Japanese social hierarchy
Has historically been the victim of severe discrimination
Unsolved Mysteries

Contending with the unknown

Investigation methods

Inductive vs deductive vs abductive reasoning

What are they?
Inductive:- Inductive reasoning is the opposite of deductive reasoning. Inductive
reasoning makes broad generalizations from specific observations. This can be
used at all times, whether it is scientific or non-scientific(real life).
Deductive :- It is the way of finding out logical or valid reasoning. It’s the process
of using hypothesis, then examines all possibilities to reach a clear valid reason
behind something. This type of reasoning is used in areas where accurate
explanations are required, usually after discovering a rare phenomenon
happening.
Abductive :- It is the practice of determining the result of something, by using
incomplete set of results. It usually starts off with a incomplete set of
observations and proceeds to find the most likely result of it. It is based on
making and testing hypotheses using the best information available. It is mostly
used in real life scenarios.

Hard evidence: Forensic science

Forensic science is the type of science that uses recognition, identification, and
evaluation of physical evidence. It is mostly used in the judicial system. It is also
used for solving crimes. It resolves the issue by exposing the perpetrator of the
crime, or the link to who did the crime through:
Physical evidence - Examining it
Administration of tests
Interpretation of data
Clear and concise reporting
Truthful testimony of a forensic scientist - the giving of accurate results in the
court and not lying about anything.
History
DNA fingerprinting was first used as a police forensic test to identify the rapist
and killer of two teenagers, Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth, who were both
murdered in Narborough, Leicestershire, in 1983 and 1986 respectively. The
beginning of forensics was in 1986.

Philosophy of the unexplained

Epistemology
It is the philosophical study of nature, origin and the limits of humanity in terms of
knowledge.
René Descartes (1596–1650) is widely regarded as the father of modern
philosophy. He invented epistemology.

Why should there be a discipline such as epistemology? Aristotle (384–322 BCE)

provided the answer when he said that philosophy begins in a kind of wonder or
puzzlement. Nearly all human beings wish to comprehend the world they live in,
and many of them construct theories of various kinds to help them make sense of
it. Because many aspects of the world defy easy explanation, however, most
people are likely to cease their efforts at some point and to content themselves
with whatever degree of understanding they have managed to achieve.

Johari window
The Johari window is a technique that helps people better understand their
relationship with themselves and others.
It was created by psychologists Joseph Luft (1916–2014) and Harrington
Ingham (1916–1995) in 1955, and is used primarily in self-help groups and
corporate settings as a heuristic exercise.

Belief vs Knowledge
Knowledge is when a person has a complete understanding of a topics in their
head and can retain it. It basically the knowing of things.
Belief is the unfactual knowledge of things, it is something we know but can’t
prove it scientifically. For example: Does god exist?, Is there heaven or hell?, etc.

Intuition
It is the ability to understand something instinctively, without the need for
conscious reasoning.

Vocab to know for this subject: -

Intuition - The ability to understand something instinctively, without the need for
conscious reasoning.
Cognitive dissonance - The state of having inconsistent thoughts, believes or
attitudes especially relating to behavioral decisions.
Whodunit - a story or play about a murder in which the identity of the murderer is
not revealed until the end.
Fata morgana - It is the complex form of a superior mirage that is seen in a
narrow strip above the horizon.
Cold case - An unsolved criminal investigation which remains open pending the
discovery of new evidence. Antonym - Hot case.
Paranormal - Events or phenomenons that occur within the presence of a
demonic or evil spirit, and cannot be explained by science.
Preternatural - It is basically the same thing.

Where did they come from?

The pyramids
The pyramids were built during the time when, Egypt was one of the most richest
and the most powerful dynasties in the world. The pyramids symbolised the
hierarchical status of the kings(pharaohs) in the egyption society. They were
believed to have been chosen by the gods to serve as mediators between them
and the people on earth. Because of this, it was in everyone’s interest to keep
the king’s majesty intact even after his death, when he was believed to become
Osiris, god of the dead.

Stonehenge
New study shows that around 5,000 years ago, during the Neolithic era, humans
quarried approximately 80 bluestones (each weighing up to three tons)
specifically for Stonehenge. They transported the stones to the site in Wiltshire
by moving them south, down from the Preseli Hills, and loading them on rafts to
carry them up the Bristol Channel.

The Hanging gardens

The Hanging gardens in the the Neo-Babylonian Empire, built by its greatest king
Nebuchadnezzar II (r. 605-562 BCE). One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient
World, they are the only wonder whose existence is disputed amongst historians.
Babylon, located about 80 km (50 miles) south of modern Baghdad in Iraq, was
an ancient city with a history of settlement dating back to the 3rd millennium
BCE. The greatest period in the city’s history was in the 6th century BCE during
the reign of Nebuchadnezzar II when the city was the capital of the
Neo-Babylonian Empire.

Zuni language
The Zuni language is one unique language and historians believe it has been
preserved for more than 7,000 years. It was a language used by tribes about
6,000 years ago. They believe that without the language they would have had not
means of communicating. In New Mexico this language is spoken and was
passed down from generation to generation.

Nazca Geoglyphs
The Nazca are a group of very large geoglyphs formed by depressions or
shallow incisions made in the soil of the Nazca Desert in southern Peru. They
were created between 500 BCE and 500 CE.

The Flying Dutchman

The Flying Dutchman is a legendary ghost ship that can never make port and is
doomed to sail the oceans forever. The myth is likely to have originated from the
17th-century golden age of the Dutch East India Company. The oldest extant
version has been dated to the late 18th century.

Giant spheres of Costa Rica

The stone spheres (or stone balls) of Costa Rica are over three hundred
petrospheres in Costa Rica, located on the Diquís Delta and on Isla del Caño.
Locally, they are known as Las Bolas (literally The Balls). Their origin is not yet
found.

The Terracotta Warriors

The Terracotta Army was constructed to accompany the tomb of China’s first
emperor as an afterlife guard. The thousands of detailed life-size models
represent the army that united China at the end of the Warring States Period
(476-221 BCE). They were molded in parts, fired, then assembled. Here are
some facts about them: -
They are called The Qin Tomb Terracotta Warriors and Horses
It has hundreds of life-size model soldiers, horses, and chariots in battle array
It was built in 246–206 BC. With the tomb of Emperor Qin Shihuang it took
720,000 builders.
Took half a day to build.
They are mostly known by history and Chinese culture enthusiasts
Puma Punku
Pumapunku, a name that means “door of the puma,” was a holy site started
between 500 and 600 CE. It grew and expanded as its people did, reflecting the
increasing power of the civilization that built and rebuilt it over hundreds of years.
It was built by the Tiwanaku tribe. This was first found by the Inca tribe.

Ulfberht swords
A mystery sword made by the Vikings and engraved with the word Ulfberht has
stumped archaeologists. The sword is forged in such a way that it looks to have
been made by technologies that weren’t available until 800 years after the Viking
era. Around 170 of the swords have been found, all of which date from between
800 AD to 1000 AD, but the technology that would have forged them is from the
Industrial Revolution of the 1800s and 1900s. A television programme has looked
into the mystery in more detail called, ‘Secrets of the Viking Sword’. Its
researchers say that to forge the iron which the swords are made of, the ore
needs to be heated to around 3000 degrees (F).
Do They Exist? Did They Ever?
Atlantis
Plato told the story of Atlantis around 360 B.C. The founders of Atlantis, he said,
were half god and half human. They created a utopian civilization and became a
great naval power. Their home was made up of concentric islands separated by
wide moats and linked by a canal that penetrated to the center. The lush islands
contained gold, silver, and other precious metals and supported an abundance of
rare, exotic wildlife. There was a great capital city on the central island. If the
writing of the ancient Greek philosopher Plato had not contained so much truth
about the human condition, his name would have been forgotten centuries ago.
Because "It's a story that captures the imagination," says James Romm, a
professor of classics at Bard College in Annandale, New York. "It's a great myth.
It has a lot of elements that people love to fantasize about."

Tenth Planet
Mars-sized planet appears to be lurking at the edge of the solar system,
scientists have announced. The planetary mass object seems to be disrupting
the orbits of other, smaller rocky bodies within the Kuiper Belt a disc-shaped
region of icy bodies beyond Neptune that encircles the whole solar system and
extends around 2.3 billion miles.This planetary object is different from the
hypothetical Planet Nine(Pluto) a huge object believed to be orbiting the sun from
the outer solar system. Evidence for this planet was announced in 2016, when
scientists from Caltech, California, found several objects with highly unusual
orbits. These orbits could, however, be explained by the existence of a giant
planet with a mass about 10 times that of Earth.

The Land of Punt

The Land of Punt was an ancient kingdom. A trading partner of Egypt, it was
known for producing and exporting gold, aromatic resins, blackwood, ebony,
ivory, and wild animals. The region is known from ancient Egyptian records of
trade expeditions to it. In Ancient Egyptian texts it was known as “The land of
gods” and a region rich in resources.

El Dorado
The dream of El Dorado, a lost city of gold, led many conquests on a fruitless
trek into the rainforests and mountains of South America. But it was all wishful
thinking. The "golden one" was actually not a place but a person. It was a
European myth that arose of El Dorado, as a lost city of gold waiting for
discovery by an adventurous conqueror, it raises an endless thirst for gold and an
unending drive to exploit these new lands for their monetary value.
This is a artistic version of El Dorado.

Area 51
In the middle of the barren Nevada desert, there's a dusty unmarked road that
leads to the front gate of Area 51. It's protected by little more than a chain link
fence, a boom gate, and intimidating trespassing signs. It is America's much
mythicized top secret military base that would be under closer guard, but make
no mistake. They are watching. Beyond the gate, cameras see every angle. On
the distant hilltop, there's a white pickup truck with a tinted windshield peering
down on everything below. Locals says the base knows every desert tortoise and
jack rabbit that hops the fence. Others claim there are embedded sensors in the
approaching road. There have been rumors about the Moon landing being filmed
in that area by the US Government.

Holy Grail
The Holy Grail is traditionally thought to be the cup that Jesus Christ drank from
at the Last Supper and that Joseph of Arimathea used to collect Jesus’s blood at
his crucifixion. From ancient legends, the Holy Grail has been an object of
mystery and fascination for centuries.The word “grail” probably comes from the
Latin word gradale, which refers to a deep platter that foods were served on at
medieval banquets. Throughout the years, the Grail has been described as a
dish, a ciborium, a chalice, a platter, a goblet and even a stone. Scientific dating
confirmed that the Grail was made between 200 B.C. and 100 A.D. The
historians also presented data that included three years of research on the
whereabouts of the Grail.

Fountain of Youth
The Fountain of Youth is a spring that supposedly restores the youth of anyone
who drinks or bathes in its waters. Tales of such a fountain have been recounted
across the world for thousands of years, appearing in writings by Herodotus, the
Alexander romance, and the stories of Prester John. A person named Ponce de
León was the one to be searching for the Fountain of Youth when he traveled to
what is now Florida in 1513.
Dark Matter
Dark matter is a hypothetical form of matter that is thought to account for
approximately 85% of the matter in the universe, and about a quarter of its total
energy density. The majority of dark matter is thought to be non-baryonic(it is a
subatomic particle, such as a nucleon or hyperon, that has a mass equal to or
greater than that of a proton.), in nature, possibly being composed of some
as-yet undiscovered subatomic particles.By fitting a theoretical model of the
composition of the universe to the combined set of cosmological observations,
scientists have come up with the composition that we described above, ~68%
dark energy, ~27% dark matter, ~5% normal matter.

New Zealand
New Zealand was the last significant landmass on earth to be settled by humans.
East Polynesians reached New Zealand about 700 years ago in a series of
tremendous oceanic canoe voyages to begin settlement of what was to become
New Zealand. Their populations grew rapidly and led to the extinction of many
unique species of flightless birds, including all 9 species of Moa, some of which
grew to about 3.6m (12 ft) in height with neck outstretched and weighed about
230kg (510 lb) . Over time their culture in these colder lands diverged into the
unique Māori that the artists of Captain Cook recorded.
What were they?

Monsieur Chouchani
Monsieur Chouchani, (January 9 1895 – January 26 1968), or "Shushani," is the
nickname of an otherwise anonymous and enigmatic Jewish teacher who taught
a small number of distinguished students in post-World War II Europe and
elsewhere, including Emmanuel Levinas and Elie Wiesel.
Eliezer Wiesel, (September 30, 1928 – July 2, 2016) was a Romanian-born
American Jewish writer, professor, political activist, Nobel Laureate, and
Holocaust survivor. He authored 57 books, written mostly in French and English.
Emmanuel Levinas (12 January 1906 – 25 December 1995) was a French
philosopher of Lithuanian Jewish ancestry who is known for his work related to
Jewish philosophy, existentialism, ethics, phenomenology and ontology.

Lori Erica Ruff

Kimberly Maria McLean, A.K.A Lori Erica Kennedy Ruff, was an identity thief who
remained unidentified for nearly six years after her death. She was eventually
identified as a native of suburban Philadelphia who left home at age 18, in the fall
of 1986, because she did not get along with her mother and stepfather.

Atacama skeleton
Ata is the common name given to the 6-inch long skeletal remains of a human
fetus found in 2003 in a deserted Chilean town in the Atacama Desert. DNA
analysis done in 2018 on the premature human fetus identified unusual
mutations associated with dwarfism and scoliosis, though these findings were
later disputed. The extracted DNA from the mummy’s bones were pieced
together the real and tragic story of the individual, known as Ata. Rather than a
visitor from another world, Ata was a girl who appears to have been stillborn, or
to have died immediately after birth, with devastating mutations that shaped her
extraordinary body.
Taured Man
The year 1954 was hotter than normal in Tokyo, but at Haneda Airport everything
was usual/normal. That is, of course, until one unknown date when a routine
European inbound plane dropped off its passengers. As the crowd made its way
through customs, a neatly-dressed middle-aged Caucasian man stepped up and
told officials this was just a normal business trip or him, one of three so far this
year to Japan. His primary language was French, yet he spoke Japanese and
several other languages. In his wallet was a variety of currencies from various
European countries, as if to verify his frequent flyer tendencies. When they asked
him for his country of origin, things became strange. He casually stated that he
was from Taured, on the border between France and Spain. The officials told him
that Taured didn’t exist, but he presented them with his passport issued by the
nonexistent country of Taured—which also showed visa stamps corroborating his
previous business travels to Japan and other countries. Yet when they called the
company he said he was having a meeting with, they had never heard of him or
his company ever before that moment. The hotel he had reserved a room at had
no reservation for such a person, and the bank listed on his checkbook appeared
not to exist. Map of the country of Andorra, believed to be “Taured”. The officials
scoffed; surely, this was some elaborate practical joke for his benefit. Customs
officials showed him a world map and pointed to the tiny country of Andorra.
Perhaps that was his real country of origin and somehow he was either mistaken
or having his own little joke? The man became irate(to have great anger towards
something), saying that Andorra didn’t exist but it was right where Taured should
be. His proud country had existed for a thousand years. Still in shock over his
misplaced homeland, the mystery man was detained(to be held back) by
customs and given a room at a nearby hotel for the night while officials tried to
figure out what was going on. The following morning, the mystery deepened.
Taured’s one and only known resident completely vanished from his hotel room
which had been guarded by immigration officials all night long. And to make
matters worse, all of his personal documents including his passport and driver's
license issued by the mystery country vanished from the airport’s security room.
Police and airport officials searched in vain for the mysterious man. It was as if
the whole encounter had never actually happened. This was a very weird and
mind-boggling event, and it is speculated that the man was indeed traveling
through space and time.

Somerton Man
John Lyons and his wife were strolling along Somerton Beach in South Australia
when they noticed a man lying slouched against the seawall at an uncomfortable
angle. His body was flat, his head was propped up awkwardly on the concrete
wall. Lyons was worried, only because the mosquitoes were out on him and the
man didn’t seem to be reacting to them at all. He went over to check he was
breathing, but as he approached the man raised his right arm. Lyons and his wife
walked on. The next morning was the first day of summer 1948. Lyons went for a
morning swim at the same beach and, as he towelled off, he noticed the same
man, lying in the exact same position he’d seen him the night before.The man
was dead. An unsmoked cigarette rested on his chest, his hair was immaculate,
and his double-breasted jacket was pressed and in perfect condition. The man
didn’t seem homeless or like he’d been drinking; rather he was well-presented
and overdressed for what was a warm evening prior. Who he was and why he
was on the beach has remained a mystery for 70 years, despite decades of
thorough investigation and a number of leads. His autopsy revealed a number of
abnormalities that suggested he had been poisoned. The findings read in part:
“There was blood mixed with the food in the stomach. Both kidneys were
congested, and the liver contained a great excess of blood in its vessels, the
spleen was strikingly large, about three times normal size, there was destruction
of the centre of the liver lobules revealed under the microscope and acute
gastritis haemorrhage, extensive congestion of the liver and spleen, and the
congestion to the brain.”

Bog bodies
A bog body is a human cadaver that has been naturally mummified in a peat bog.
A bog is a wetland that accumulates peat, a deposit of dead plant material—often
mosses, and in a majority of cases, sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main
types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, quagmire, and muskeg.
Such bodies, sometimes known as bog people, are both geographically and
chronologically widespread, having been dated to between 8000 BCE and the
Second World War.

Sky Object
On Monday, YouTube user Ken Roberts uploaded a video titled “UFO Crashing
Releases Orb Over Southern California. Anyone Else See It?” He claims that he
was driving home from work when he saw this mysterious light in the sky, and
pulled over to the side of the road to film it. A few seconds into the video a bright
chunk appears to jettison off of the main body and blaze away in the opposite
direction. He claims it then went up into the sky and completely disappeared,
though that part wasn’t captured on film. He reports that he didn’t hear any
explosions associated with the event.After this video was released, there were a
number of explanations postulated to explain this event. These included meteors
associated with the Quadrantids meteor shower, a fallen satellite, or experimental
government hardware. However, the fireball shown in the video doesn’t behave
in a manner to be expected from any of those things. Meteors typically move
much more quickly than this object. While it is common for meteors to fall apart
as they burn in the atmosphere, it would be extremely odd for a single piece to
break off and then completely change direction like that. Even if this was a
satellite or something that exploded in the atmosphere, you wouldn’t see one
single piece acting in that manner.
Greek Fire
Greek fire was an incendiary weapon used by the Eastern Roman (Byzantine)
Empire that was first developed c. 672.a combustible compound emitted by a
flame-throwing weapon and used to set light to enemy ships. It was first used by
the Greeks besieged in Constantinople. Some accounts say that Petroleum and
oil were used as a compound. Other Greek Fire recipe or formula which seems
far more likely include a combination, or composition of ingredients such as
Quicklime, Saltpeter, Bitumen, Sulphur, Resin and Pitch.
Archimedes Death Ray
The Greek mathematician Archimedes. For more than 50 years, Archimedes
churned out answers to great ­mathematical and practical questions. He is
responsible for calculating pi; that alone would have assured him a place in the
annals of history. But he also created calculus proofs 2,000 years before calculus
itself was invented. He concluded that objects lose an amount of weight when
they're in water equal to the weight of the fluid they displace (Archimedes'
principle of hydrostatics). You can thank Archimedes for steel ships and hot air
balloons. Archimedes was every bit a mad genius, and he was socially
handicapped by the breadth of his intellect. When he came up with his principle
of hydrostatics, he'd been in the bath. Archimedes was so gripped by excitement
at his breakthrough that he ran naked through the streets shouting "Eureka!" And
his death came from a lack of comprehension that he was in danger. A Roman
soldier sent to capture Archimedes entered his home. Archimedes, in the thick of
determining a geometry proof using figures drawn in the sand on his floor,
dismissed the stranger: "Do not disturb my diagrams," Archimedes told him.The
soldier flew into rage and beat him to death.

Mithridate
Mithridate, also known as mithridatium, mithridatum, or mithridaticum, is a
semi-mythical remedy with as many as 65 ingredients, used as an antidote for
poisoning, and said to be created by Mithridates VI Eupator of Pontus in the 1st
century BC. Potnus is in modern day eastern Black Sea Region of Turkey. Its
meaning in the Oxford dictionary is that a medicine that is believed to to be a
cure for all disease and poison.

The Havana Syndrome

What The Heck?

Magnetic Pole reversals

If geologic history repeats itself, Earth’s magnetic poles should eventually swap
places. This much is undeniable. Based on the magnetic fingerprints locked into
ancient rocks, we know that over the last 20 million years, magnetic north and
south have flipped roughly every 200,000 to 300,000 years (this rate has not
been constant over the planet’s lifetime, though). The last of these major
reversals occurred about 780,000 years ago, although the Poles do wander
around in between these larger flips. Climate change also affects the magnetic
pole reversal. When this happens there isn’t a huge threat to humanity.

Bermuda Triangle
Some possible explanations include magnetic disturbances and atmosphere
aberassions. Some reports also said that alien UFO’s flyby’s. Scientist’s also
Believe Atlantis and sea monsters to time warps and reverse gravity fields,
whereas more scientifically minded theorists have pointed to magnetic
anomalies, waterspouts or huge eruptions of methane gas from the ocean floor.
Oak Island Money Pit
By most accounts, the story of Oak Island's Money Pit begins in the summer of
1795 when a teenager named Daniel McGinnis saw strange lights on an island
offshore from his parent's house. According to author Lee Lamb, upon
investigating the island for the source of the lights, McGinnis noticed a peculiar
circular depression approximately 13 feet in diameter on the island's forest floor
(2006). Looking around, McGinnis observed that a number of oak trees
surrounding the depression had been removed. In addition, McGinnis saw that a
block and tackle hung from a severed tree limb directly over the shallow hole.
Although some researchers refute the presence of the block and tackle, whatever
he witnessed that day convinced him that the scene was worth investigating.
McGinnis decided to leave the island to enlist the help of two friends, John Smith
and Anthony Vaughan. The following day the three teenage boys began
enthusiastically excavating the curious site.

Deep blue hole

The Great Blue Hole is a large underwater sinkhole off the coast of Belize. It lies
near the center of Lighthouse Reef, a small atoll 100 kilometres (62 miles) from
the mainland of Belize City. The hole is circular in shape, over 300 metres (984
ft.) across and 125 metres (410 ft.) deep. The world’s largest natural formation of
its kind, the Great Blue Hole is part of the larger Barrier Reef Reserve System, a
World Heritage Site of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO).
Dyatlov Pass incident
Known as the Dyatlov Pass Incident, the mystery includes a sliced open tent,
bodies dressed in underwear in the snow, traces of radiation and a victim missing
a tongue.
The deaths have been blamed on everything from avalanches to UFOs, but the
Russian prosecutor general's office now hopes to put any far-flung theories to
rest.

Science
Empowering technologies
Science of batteries
The electrodes in the battery contain atoms of certain conducting materials. For
instance, in an alkaline battery, the anode is typically made of zinc, and
manganese dioxide acts as the cathode. And the electrolyte between and inside
those electrodes contains ions.

Anode: - Positive
Cathode: - Negative
Electrolyte : - Play a key role in transporting the ions between the cathode and
anode.
Capacity: - Is how much charge the battery can hold.
Discharge: - Self-discharge is a phenomenon in batteries in which internal
chemical reactions reduce the stored charge of the battery without any
connection between the electrodes.

Dangers of batteries
By nature, lithium-ion batteries are dangerous. Inside, the main line of defense
against short circuiting is a thin and porous slip of polypropylene that keeps the
electrodes from touching. If that separator is breached, the electrodes come in
contact, and things get very hot very quickly. The batteries are also filled with a
flammable electrolyte, one that can combust when it heats up, then really get
going once oxygen hits it. That liquid is mixed with a compound that can burn
your skin.

But however, Lithium-ion batteries are incredibly efficient. They stuff freakish
amounts of energy in a tiny package, one that can keep a phone or laptop
running all day. Li-ion power cells are also a very mature technology. The first
rechargeable lithium-ion batteries were used in Sony Handycams more than 25
years ago, and now there are dozens of battery suppliers around the world. If
you're making a camera, car, plane, or fitness tracker, including a Li-ion cell is
generally a plug-and-play step in the manufacturing process.

Real life examples

Apple macbook batteries are prone to exploding due to the overuse of the battery
as it gets older. Apple says that you need to replace your macbook battery every
1 year. Apple's swelling batteries are toxic to humans, and the vented gas is
flammable and corrosive. Lithium Polymer batteries are not as bad as most
batteries in terms of toxicity, but when handling a burst battery, never touch your
mouth, nose and eyes; wash your hands thoroughly, and stay in a ventilated
area.Medical conditions caused by exposure to Lithium Polymer Chemicals
include burns to skin, eyes, and mucous membranes.

Art & Music

Guided questions

What, if anything, can art and music express that other subject areas—such as
history and literature—cannot? What can they express more effectively?
Do evolving social values mean that we appreciate certain past works more than
we once did? Are there others that we appreciate less?
Is it all right for works to make people uncomfortable? Are certain kinds of
discomfort acceptable and others not?
Do we assume too much about the intentions and beliefs of artists? Do they
assume too much about their subjects?
Do works of art and music express the ideology and values of the individuals
most responsible for creating them, or of the larger group that may have
supported them?
Has it been historically more challenging for members of certain groups to find
success as artists and musicians?
Art
In the gallery of their Own : Isolation and Separation
Office in a Small City | Edward Hopper

In this painting, there is a man sitting in an office and looking out at the view from
the place. The solitary office worker in this scene is isolated both physically and
emotionally. There is no indication of his particular profession, as he sits in his
shirtsleeves; he appears, in fact, to be daydreaming rather than working. The
postwar culture of American business is evident in the mass-produced office
furniture, the impersonal atmosphere of the office itself, and the man's
detachment from his unseen coworkers. Despite the light and air afforded by his
corner office, he appears trapped in place. He is framed by the office window,
and his head is profiled against another window and the wall of the building
beyond, in a manner that suggests his containment within his environment. The
solitude of the man, and the contrast between the stark, utilitarian upper story of
the building and its decorative false front, visible at the lower right, suggest
Hopper's own ambivalence toward modern urban life.

Hiding in the City- Vegetables | Liu Bolin

This is basically a picture where Liu Bolin has

painted his body to camouflage into a painting. His “disappearance” in the picture
gives it a deeper sense and message.The funds he uses are symbolic, and
represent China's high-speed plunge into the era of the consumer society. He
says “My task is to stand there, trying to be still, setting up the camera position
and coordinating with my assistant and drawing the colours and shapes that are
behind my body on the front of my body. If the background is simple, I usually
have to stand for three to four hours. The background of this piece is more
complex, so I need three to four days in advance for preparation.”

Papilla Estelar | Remedios Varo

Papilla Estelar translates to Star Maker in English. Remedios Varo was exiled
out of Spain during the Spanish Civil War and moved to Paris, eventually fleeing
to Mexico during World War II. in this image, we can see a female seated in a
small room that is sucking star stuff into a mill, feeding the processed star stuff to
a caged moon. Varo painted Papilla Estelar in 1958 after she fled to Mexico; the
art community in Mexico was not welcoming to the European artists.
The small space and caged moon creates a sense of being trapped and isolated,
perhaps a reflection of how Varo felt in Mexico isolated from her homeland.
However, the milled star stuff represents hope and the action of feeding it to the
moon is an attempt to transform hope into an opportunity.
This painting reminds the viewer of the hope that comes out of trials and that light
comes from within and that it is the viewers job to harness it.
Here we are | Kushana Bush

In a brocade of figures, colour, gesture and pattern, Bush infuses historical

references with symbols of our contemporary world, blurring temporal, cultural
and geographical boundaries so that, contrary to the assertion of the title, exactly
where we are, is anything but clear-cut. Looking at the picture, we can establish
that an exchange is taking place between two parties. Hand gestures and facial
expressions ricochet from one party to the other, and among their crowded
bodies, lie an assortment of things. This scene of market place trading, or
perhaps dispute resolution, teems with mixed images. Yet, its formal values
create a distinct sense of coherence; it is at once confused and balanced. Her
storied depictions of collision and coexistence tap into something fundamental
about the fabric of societies; the way we commune and communicate; the way
we construct meaning and create purpose; the way we exchange and evolve.
Untitled ( cobweb/ crossings) | Reena Saini Kallat

‘Untitled (Cobweb/Crossings)’, is an oversized web formed with hundreds of

rubber-stamps that weaves the history of the city onto the façade of the museum.
Each one bears the colonial name of a city street that has now been replaced by
an indigenous one. Part of the bureaucratic apparatus, rubber-stamps
metaphorically either seem to endorse or stamp histories out of existence. While
unknowingly, unconsciously, histories are constantly being interpreted and
altered, what’s interesting is the comfort and ease with which people shift
between the old and new names, often referring to a place with numerous
appellations at the same time. The web is a home, linear, fragile, protecting the
physical self; at the same time it can also be a restricting trap. A cobweb is
evocative of time and appears to hold dust from the past.

Open border | Atelier ARI

Open Border is a long wall, placed perpendicular to the skating trail on the
Assiniboine River in Winnipeg, Canada. The red, almost four meter high barrier
spans the river, creates a strong border. The double wall is cladded with red
insulating strips that keep the cold wind out. The inner walls create a series of
interlinked spaces. Skaters and pedestrians can cross the border over the full
length. Inside the wall the atmosphere feels warmer, a friendly place that invites
people to play and come together. Open Border responds to the tensed political
climate. The completion of the project is at the same that the United States
president confirms his plans for the construction of a wall along the Mexican
border. Open Border is part of the 2017 Warming Huts Competition. Through an
open competition, each year a number of combinations of architects and artists
are selected to build a pavilion along the skating trail.
Self - Portrait with Jewish Identity Card | Felix Nussbaum

This picture depicts a Jewish man who is wearing the yellow star of David, has a
Jewish identity card, and there is a high wall behind him that represents fear and
oppression. Nussbaum’s painting was then seen by Nazis. He was arrested
within a year that he created this painting, and was taken to a concentration
camp with many other victims. However, he managed to escape from there and
he then hid in Brussels for the rest of his life.

A light in obscure places | The Unseen, the misunderstood

Between the margins | Toyin Ojih Odutola

In her work, Toyin Ojih Odutola asks us to imagine a world just different enough
from the one we live in to be a little uncanny and tremendously revealing, in
which black people haven't been held back by centuries of slavery, colonialism,
and their myriad consequences. In a first-floor space at the museum, Ojih
Odutola shows seventeen large pastel, charcoal, and pencil works on paper,
depicting members of a sprawling family of Nigerian landowners, posing in their
opulent surroundings and in the open air, their poses and settings. Toyin Ojih
Odutola’s drawings unfold like stories. She says, “I am an investigative artist, so
for me the black figure is a medium,” she says. “What I’m trying to do is show you
that you can use black bodies in a way that explores ideas, rather than simply the
condition of blackness.”

Woman ironing( Isis) | Vik Muniz

To make this image, Muniz recreated his subject, one of Rio de Janeiro's trash
pickers, in recycled material. In this way, form and subject come together to bring
light to the lives of this marginalized community. Vik Muniz was born in São Paulo
and began his career as a sculptor before turning his attention to photography
and conceptual artworks. He is known for his photographs of unique works he
creates by hand, using alternative materials, such as food, garbage, and
diamonds. Recreating well-known works of art, people, and places, Muniz
reimagines his iconic subjects in his photography.

Seodang | Kim Hong- Do

A sniveling young student with his back turned to his teacher, who is sitting
behind him wearing a square headgear, called a banggeon in Korean, is the focal
point of this painting.
He is surrounded by his fellow students, who seem to find the situation amusing.
The circular composition of the painting, the omission of background, the use of
simple brushstrokes to capture the folds in clothes, and the facial expressions
help viewers feel the atmosphere of this old classroom.
This was one of the earliest paintings to depict normal people

Free period in the Amsterdam Orphanage | Max Liebermann

In 1876, one year after his first visit to Holland, Max Liebermann set up his studio
in the municipal orphanage of Amsterdam.
He was fascinated by the clear, vibrant colours and uniforms of the orphaned
girls.
He incorporated them into several of his paintings. This is one of several studies
made in preparation for the famous "Free Period" in Frankfurt's Städel Museum.
Although his painting describes the young girls' activities – in the style of the
realist painter he continued to be – he is captivated by the light and colour
conditions that he tries to capture.
The fourth Estate | Giuseppe Pellizza de Volpedo
“The fourth estate” is a term that refers to a social and political force whose
influence is not consistently or legitimately recognized. Of course, identifying this
social and political force is contingent on the historical context in which it is
registered, as well as the process by which it is historicized.
Amid the historical moment in Italy marking passage from the 19th to the 20th
century, the artist Giuseppe Pellizza da Volpedo completed The Fourth Estate,
his large-scale painting depicting a procession of striking workers walking toward
the brightly lit picture plane.
Pellizza’s The Fourth Estate has become a seminal example of Social Realism at
the turn of the century and a symbolic marker of socio-economic struggles within
the shifting political histories of Italy.
Stag at Sharkey's | George Bellows
Bellows was no stranger to Sharkey's Athletic Club, a raucous saloon with a
backroom boxing ring, located near his studio.
Founded by Tom “Sailor” Sharkey, an ex-fighter who had also served in the US
Navy, the club attracted men seeking to watch or participate in matches.
Because public boxing was illegal in New York at the time, a private event had to
be arranged in order for a bout to take place. Participation was usually limited to
members of a particular club, but whenever an outsider competed, he was given
temporary membership and known as a “stag.”
Although boxing had its share of detractors who considered it uncouth at best or
barbaric at worst, its proponents—among them President Theodore
Roosevelt—regarded it a healthy manifestation of manliness.
Around the time Bellows painted Stag at Sharkey’s, boxing was moving from a
predominantly working-class enterprise to one with greater genteel appeal.
For some contemporaries, boxing was a powerful analogy for the notion that only
the strongest and fittest would flourish in modern society.

The Potato Eaters | Vincent Van Gogh

Van Gogh saw the Potato Eaters as a showpiece, for which he deliberately chose
a difficult composition to prove he was on his way to becoming a good figure
painter.
The painting had to depict the harsh reality of country life, so he gave the
peasants coarse faces and bony, working hands. He wanted to show in this way
that they ‘have tilled the earth themselves with these hands they are putting in
the dish ... that they have thus honestly earned their food’.
He painted the five figures in earth colours – ‘something like the colour of a really
dusty potato, unpeeled of course’.
The message of the painting was more important to Van Gogh than correct
anatomy or technical perfection.
Hotel , Room 47 | Sophie Calle
This is a two-part framed work comprising photographs and text. In the upper
part, the title Room 47 is printed below a colour photograph of elegantly carved
wooden twin headboards behind a bed covered in rich brown satin.Below it, three
columns of italic text are diary entries describing findings in the hotel room
between Sunday 22 February 1981 and Tuesday 24.
In the lower frame a grid of nine black and white photographs show things listed
in the text above. This work is part of a project titled The Hotel.
The artist drew this with high detail by examining the belongings of hotel guests
which were unknown to her while she worked there. However, her job ended
quite soon after that.
The absent occupants described in Room 47 are a family of four – two parents
and two children – as revealed by their four pairs of slippers. Calle does not go
through their suitcase, commenting: ‘I am already bored’.
From their passports she discovers that the parents are a married couple from
Geneva and she copies out four postcards one of them has written. Words on
one of these hint at problems within the family.
Pacific | Yukinori Yanagi
Discussing Pacific in 1996, Yanagi stated that ‘Through my work I expose
movement and transportation’ .
In light of this, the ants’ lines of movement between and across the depicted flags
in this installation could be taken to
suggest the migration of people between different nations, especially given
Yanagi’s own status as an Japanese emigré who often travelled between his
home country and America. In 2003 Yanagi said that his works involving ants and
national flags are designed to suggest that ‘Nations, ethnicities, religions are all
ghettos.
They are surrounded by imaginary boundaries born out of social or institutional
constructs’ and that when the ants erode the clear boundaries between the flags
in these works,
this serves as ‘a simple, equal and hopeful way of expressing the gradual
unification of all the world’s nations’
Fountain | Marcel Duchamp
Fountain is one of Duchamp’s most famous works and is widely seen as an icon
of twentieth-century art. The original, which is lost, consisted of a standard urinal,
usually presented on its back for exhibition purposes rather than upright, and was
signed and dated ‘R. Mutt 1917’ountain tested beliefs about art and the role of
taste in the art world.
Interviewed in 1964, Duchamp said he had chosen a urinal in part because he
thought it had the least chance of being liked (although many at the time did find
it aesthetically pleasing).
He continued: ‘I was drawing people’s attention to the fact that art is a mirage. A
mirage, exactly like an oasis appears in the desert. It is very beautiful until, of
course, you are dying of thirst. But you don’t die in the field of art. The mirage is
solid.’
Extensively studied and the subject of various interpretations, Fountain has
continued to exert an extraordinary power over narratives of twentieth-century art
in large part because of its piercing – if also humorous – questioning of the
structures of belief and value associated with the concept of art.

Between the Cracks | Cynthia Decker

Cynthia Decker's Between The Cracks, Art Appeelz Removable Wall Art Graphic
and an example of 3D digital art depicting that, as Decker states, 'In every
society there are people who are overlooked-people who have fallen between the
cracks.'
In every society, there are people who are overlooked, there are people many
choose not to see. In a social sense, these people have fallen between the
cracks
The Awakening Slave | Michelangelo
The awakening slave is most powerful sculpture among the slaves in the series.
The beautiful figure, which strikes an unnatural pose, is expressive and seems to
be struggling to burst out of the marble block.
This work was commissioned by Pope Julius II for his tomb. Originally,
Michelangelo was supposed to carve more than 40 figures to surround Moses.
However, after Julius II died, the project stopped because there was minimal
funding and he could not find Mable to use for sculpting.
He eventually returned to work on them but did not complete some of them
because he was not satisfied with them or he had changed plans. For this
reason, most of the figures are incomplete and are fittingly referred to as Titan
slaves.
Some argue that this state of incompletion and rough characteristics was
necessary for the feel and impact of the pieces. They claim that the figures were
intentionally left unfinished to represent the unending struggle of humans to be
free from the trappings of material possessions.

Isleworth Mona Lisa | Unknown

Some say Leonardo’s masterpiece has a twin – another portrait of the Florentine
merchant’s wife, painted when she was younger.
The Isleworth Mona Lisa is wider than the Mona Lisa in the Louvre, having
columns on either side which also appear in some other versions.
The figure of the Isleworth Mona Lisa closely resembles that of the Mona Lisa,
being identically composed and lit.
However, the face of the Isleworth Mona Lisa appears younger, leading to
speculation that it is an earlier version by the artist.
According to Pulitzer, multiple art experts agreed that the neck of the Isleworth
Mona Lisa is inferior to the necks of other Leonardo subjects. Furthermore, the
background in the Isleworth painting is considerably less detailed than the
background in the Louvre painting.
For these reasons, several people Pulitzer consulted believed that the hands
and face of the portrait were done by Leonardo, but the rest may have been
finished by another or others.

Woman Ochre | Willem de Kooning

Woman-Ochre is a 1955 abstract expressionist oil painting by Dutch-born
American artist Willem de Kooning, part of his Woman series from that period.
It was controversial in its day, like the other paintings in the series. Like the other
paintings in the series, it depicted a female figure, recognizable albeit highly
stylized into abstract shapes.
They were controversial both among de Kooning's fellow artists and critics. The
former, especially Jackson Pollock, felt the artist had been unable to sustain
abstract expressionism’ s goal of pure painting by resorting to what was still
recognizably figurative art.
From outside the community, critic Emily Genauer attacked the works from a
feminist perspective, calling them misogynistic(strongly prejudiced against
women) depictions of women being tortured.
This painting was stolen in 1985 at the University of Arizona Museum of Art in
Tucson and is yet hoped to be found.
Mike the Headless Chicken | David Herrera
This unusual piece of art was created to tribute the odd life of a real chicken
The story goes something like this: Mike the chicken was to be dinner one night
in September 1945, in Fruita, Colorado, but after his beheading he just couldn’t
sit still. He walked around trying to preen, peck, and crow, the last of which
usually resulted in a gurgling sound.
To try to figure out what had gone wrong (or right, for Mike), the headless chicken
was taken to the University of Utah for tests. Attempts at the university to
replicate the fate of Mike were fruitless. Many chickens died. But Mike lived on.
Apparently his neck had been cut in exactly the right place.
One modern-day chicken expert theorizes that pretty much all Mike lost to the
axe was his face. The blade missed his jugular vein, which, along with a timely
blood clot, is why he didn’t bleed to death. The reason he kept moving is that the
majority of the bird brain is in the very back of the head, where basic and motor
functions are controlled. This is why chickens other than Mike have been known
to run around with their heads cut off. Mike still had 80 percent of his brain, and
his neurons were still active and receiving oxygen.
Miracle Mike the Headless Chicken, as he came to be known, toured the country
for 18 months after that fateful night. At 25 cents per peek, he brought his owners
a lot of money. He was fed a mixture of milk and water with an eyedropper, as
well as small kernels of corn that were put down his throat.
His throat also had to be cleaned every so often to prevent mucus buildup, and
one night in Phoenix, Arizona, Mike choked to death on a piece of corn. His
owners had left the syringe they used to clean his throat at the sideshow Mike
had been part of the day before and were unable to help him. Mike’s body has
never been found.
There is a sculpture of Mike on the corner of Aspen and Mulberry Streets in
Fruita, which also honors him with an annual “Mike the Headless Chicken
Festival,” usually in May or June. Attendees can participate in events like the “5K
Run Like a Headless Chicken Race” and “Pin the Head on the Chicken.”

La Sagrada Familia | Gaudi

Construction of Barcelona's iconic (but controversial) church is expected to be

completed in 2026—a century after the death of its architect.
Gaudí worked steadily on his masterpiece until his death in 1926, at which point
an estimated 15 to 25 percent of the total design, including the crypt, the apse
walls, a portal, and a tower, was complete. Since then a series of architects have
attempted to continue his legacy. Not surprisingly, progress on Sagrada Família’s
construction has faced a few setbacks over the past 130+ years. Vandalism in
1936 following the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War resulted in the destruction of
many of Gaudí’s models. The sacristy( basically a store room in a church ) was
destroyed in a fire in 2011.
There were 3 main facades. Much of the ornate Nativity facade was completed
by Gaudí himself, who feared that beginning with the austere Passion facade
would temper the public’s enthusiasm. The Passion facade’ s gaunt, tortured
figures, sculpted by Josep Maria Subirachs, have met with probably some of the
harshest complaints from critics, though the church’s website defends the design,
saying its graphic nature remains true to Gaudí’s original vision of a facade
meant to inspire fear. The Glory facade, expected to be the largest and most
impressive of the three, began construction in 2002.
When built, the tallest spire, which symbolizes Jesus Christ, will secure Sagrada
Família’s place as the world’s largest church building.
Though still incomplete, the church sees an estimated 2.8 million visitors each
year.

Key to the City | Paul Ramirez Jonas

Paul Ramírez Jonas’s Key to the City bestowed the key to New York City—an
honor usually reserved for dignitaries and heroes—to esteemed and everyday
citizens alike.
For this participatory public art project, Ramírez Jonas reinvented the civic
ornamental honor as a master key able to unlock more than 20 sites across New
York City’s five boroughs and invited the people of the city to exchange keys in
small bestowal ceremonies.
Upon receiving a key, individuals were then encouraged to explore locations
ranging from community gardens to cemeteries, and police stations to museums.
Key to the City sought to ignite the public’s imagination with a complex portrait of
New York City that included both the traditional tourist attractions and new places
city dwellers might otherwise never visit.
The project expanded Ramírez Jonas’s longstanding interest in the key not so
much as an object, but a vehicle for exploring social contracts as they pertain to
trust, access, and belonging.

Harold Whittles Hears for the First Time | Jack Bradley

This picture shows a rather astonished little boy: he isn’t sure what’s happening,
or how it’s happening. From a world of silence, he has suddenly been
transported to a world of rich, vibrant sound. It is new, it is strange, and it’s also a
little scary. His little eyes grow wide with wonder, and he is itching to respond to
this new world that has been presented to him.
Harold Whittles, the little boy, has just been fitted with a hearing aid.
Deaf until then, Harold was introduced to sound with the arrival of technology at
his doorstep. Just as his doctor fitted the hearing aid, the first wave of sound
awoke a dormant sense in the little boy.
Hearing aids can however often be faulty and hence, not provide the exact
details of what's really happening, making them guilty of manipulating the
situation.
This picture created a sensation, following many more youtube videos of people
hearing for the first time.

A Show of Hands | Htein Lin

Those arms are the forearms of former political prisoners (PPs), captured in
plaster of Paris (PoP).
The purpose of plaster of Paris is to fix a broken bone. After six years, the artist
was able to return to Burma for the first time in February 2012. She met a
number of my old friends, former political prisoners, freshly released from prison.
In the eighteen months since, almost all political prisoners have been released.
During this period, fresh from jail, they remain strongly cohesive, bound by their
common past. Over time, they will start to take different paths, as politicians,
business people, journalists, activists and parents. She captured this important
period in their lives, and gather them and their experiences into an archive, called
‘A Show of Hands’.
Under decades of military rule since 1962, Burma became a broken country. But
now it is starting the slow process of healing, not least by the return of the
political prisoners to society, and their contribution to a better future.
If you break your arm, your bones heal thanks to the immobilization of the
plaster, and the natural healing of your body. But it takes time to heal, and during
that time you are immobilized. Over 3,000 political prisoners were immobilized in
prison and sacrificed years of their lives during the period 1988-2012.
A Show of Hands is being both recorded and being extended via the social
media. It also puts political prisoners in touch with their friends and families in
exile. Even as the plaster dries, former prisoners have recorded and uploaded
their own casting experience. They have been contacted across continents by
Skype with friends in the diaspora, using social media and internet opportunities
which they did not even dream of at the start of their struggle in 1988.
These connections represent the importance of the community in Myanmar, and
reinforce the importance of treating our fellow men and women with respect,
compassion and loving kindness. People often ask us how we survived under the
military regime, and how we survived in jail. Each of us had our survival
strategies, but the main answer to that question is that we had the support of our
community, and we had solidarity between individuals, just as plaster of Paris
supports the arm and the healing bone.
Behind the scenes
Curator-
A curator (from Latin: cura, meaning "to take care") is a manager or overseer.
Traditionally, a curator or keeper of a cultural heritage institution (e.g., gallery,
museum, library, or archive) is a content specialist charged with an institution's
collections and involved with the interpretation of heritage material.
Handler-
An art handler is a person who does none other than handle artwork. Sometimes
this profession is referred to as an art preparator, but no matter what you may
call the position, anyone who is looking to go into this field needs to be highly
trained in how to care for art.
Restorer-
A fine art restorer is responsible for repairing damage to artwork such as
paintings, murals, sculptures, ceramics, textiles, paper works, books, and other
cultural objects or historical artifacts. Sometimes the job involves, more simply,
cleaning the artwork and preserving it for the future.
Concept Artist-
Conceptual art. a type of art in which the artist's idea, or concept, of a work of art
and of the means of executing that idea have primary importance while the
artwork itself, which may or may not be produced, is regarded as secondary. A
conceptual artist is an artist that does conceptual art.
Museum Registrar-
A registrar's job is primarily concerned with the movement of objects in and out of
museums and galleries
Conservator-
A conservator-restorer is a professional responsible for the preservation of
artistic and cultural artifacts, also known as cultural heritage.
Collection Manager-
A collection manager ensures the proper care and preservation of objects within
cultural institutions such as museums, libraries, and archives. Collection
managers, along with registrars, curators, and conservators, play an important
role in collections care.
Sound engineer-
An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps
to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound
sources using equalization and audio effects, mixing, reproduction, and
reinforcement of sound.
Producer-
An art producer often works for an an arts institution such as the public
programming section of a museum or an independent performance theater,
overseeing the technical and event production side of an arts program.
Lisencer -
*The person who grants a license to another, the latter called the licensee*
Art licensing is conducted through legal contracts between the manufacturer
(Licensee) and the artist (Licensor). An agreement is structured around about
what art is being licensed, for use on what products, to be sold in what territory
and for what time frame (among other legal details – including how you are paid
your share of the royalties/fees, duration of the agreement, what happens when a
decision is made to terminate the agreement, etc.)
Back up singer-
Backing vocalists or backup singers are singers who provide vocal harmony with
the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. In some cases, a backing vocalist
may sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a
counter-melody.
Orchestrator -
An orchestrator is a trained musical professional who assigns instruments from
an orchestra or other musical ensemble to a piece of music written by a
composer, or who adapts music composed for another medium for an orchestra.
Record Label-
Record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and
trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing,
promotion, and enforcement of copyright for sound recordings and music videos
Roadies-
The road crew/ roadies are the technicians or support personnel who travel with
a band on tour, usually in sleeper buses, and handle every part of the concert
productions except actually performing the music with the musicians.
Conductor-
The person standing in the front ( with his back mostly to the audience) in an
orchestra or choir is generally known as the Conductor, choral director,or
choirmaster or Maestro,and the stick/wand he carries in his hand and waves is
called a baton.
Neglected Histories
Introductory questions:
What is the difference between history, prehistory, and historiography?
History is the study of the past, particularly how it relates to humans as it is
described in written documents.
Prehistory refers to the time before human civilization developed and started
writing things down. Scientists often speculate about what happened in
prehistory, which is also known as prehistoric times.
Historiography is the study of the discipline and practice of history and the
writings of past historians.

Who decides what history is taught in school?

In literal sense, there are national education policies in many countries that
define the curriculum, including the subject of history. However, there are slight
variations in different places.

Do all history books tell the same story? If not, what leads them to tell different
stories? Do these stories ever contradict one another?
There are slight variations in almost every version of history in different places.
This begins right from the Bible, which has a bit more than 400 versions, only in
english.
These different versions are not only found in histories but also myths. For
example, world creation stories, which have subtle differences in almost every
version.
These differences can be due to : translation to different languages, political and
social reasons or to match the culture and norms of the society that the history is
being taught to.
Do you learn the same history that your parents learned in school? If not, why
and how has it changed?
History taught at school has obviously changed since the older generation.
History is the study of past human events, hence, there only has to be a new
important human event that has to happen to replace the older one.
Some histories and stories stay in history textbooks for longer than others
because of the impact they have had on the world.

Along these lines, explore the concept of historical revisionism. Discuss with your
team: are some reasons for “revising” history better than others? What are
common criticisms of revisionism?
Historical revisionism refers to the reinterpretation of a historical event.
Includes revising of order, moral and jugements
Examples of recent historical revisionism include: korean War, Pluto, social story
of USSR, causes of WW1,the cold war, etc.
Reasons for historical revisionism:
To make sure that the history is not biased or influenced by Xenophobia in any
way
New sources in other languages that change perspective
New discoveries and advancements in science
Governments release classified information to the public
In order to promote a type of Ideology
As cultures develop and change, new perspectives are seen

Are there episodes in your country’s past that are not frequently taught?
History of the small colonies that suffered due to british actions, are not often
taught in british schools. Ex. include Zimbabwe and Palestine. The reason for
this is thought to be nationalism

Are there episodes in your country’s past that you would prefer not be taught, or
that you believe should be taught differently?
Is the idea of “history” biased against cultures and groups of people that keep
fewer written records? If so, how can historians tell their stories?
The idea of History is about humans, narrated from a Human’s perspective.
Hence, it can always be prone to biases in terms of culture, ideologies, etc.
however, as new things are discovered and cultures develop and change,
histories evolve and change continually too. This concept is what was already
explained as “ historical revisionism”
What matters more: the history of people who needed help, or the history of the
people who helped them?
The purpose of history is to look back at the events, how they were shaped and
why were they like that, so that we can take away something from them that will
help us live in a better way.
The history of people who needed help, tells the various different forms of things
that were not enough in the past, or at least wasn’t shared fairly among people.
They show us the importance of the things that we do have today.
The histories of the people that helped others show us how helping others has a
positive effect on us and others. Moreover, it tells us how to help people and
teaches us important values.
However, since history is a tool from the past that is used to improve the future,
what matters the most is the value or message the particular event/ story delivers
and not the people that are in it

What do you think historians will write about the year 2019 a hundred years from
now? Are there groups of people you think they will neglect?
Major events that would affect the world, even in the future are likely to be the
recorded history of 2019.
Examples: Brexit, a century since the bombings, raids and riots of 1919, etc
Minority groups always tend to be a little neglected sometimes. Like today,
histoires might be not told in order to promote nationalism and other ideologies
However, many more things can happen because we are only in the 2nd month
of 2019 nd still have 10 months to again. Again, histories that give inaccurate
dates could say that some things happened in 2019 when they really have not
and revised histories can then further rectify or damage the already existing
history.
When everyone around you chooses to believe in a story that contradicts what
you have learned about the past, should you contradict them, stay quiet, or do
your best to find common ground? What if “everyone” includes your history
teacher—or your parents?
Is it more important to study the history of one person who made decisions that
affected a million people—or of the million people whom those decisions
affected?

Invisible children-
historical debates on what it means to be a child
A question to consider: are children omitted from so many histories because they
did not matter as much as adults—or because they did not have the chance to
speak as loudly?
Past studies show that childrens’ ideas and thoughts were not considered to be
very significant it the olden times.
The children in the olden days grew in a very dependant and controlled
environment and were not allowed to make many decisions on their own, until
they became “ parents”, which was usually about the age of 13 in old times, and
about 20-25 in the recent past. Ex. Romeo and Juliet
They were suppressed by adults and other society “norms” even if they did try to
speak out. Their parents would do so to hold up their status in the general
society. However, adults were not really controlled by their parents, and were to
be independent in terms of decisions they make, allowing their different thoughts
and voices to be heard in the society.
Children were therefore not heard in the past because, they were fed the idea
that their voices would not matter and the fear of how to support themselves in
life, if they are abandoned by their parents, who are usually the first objectors.

“Being” versus “Becoming”: Explore the thoughts of Aristotle, John Locke, and
Jean-Jacques Rousseau on the nature of childhood. Which philosopher do you
think has had the most impact on how we think about childhood today?
Being is part of the essential nature of some abstract entities. They are ideas that
exist in the immaterial realm of pure information and do not change.
Becoming is the essential nature of concrete material objects, which are always
changing.
Aristotle recognized the importance of early childhood as a formative period of
human development. He divided schooling into three stages: primary, secondary,
and higher education. Ages 7-14 would attend primary and could consist of
gymnastics, writing, reading, music, and drawing. Ages 14-21 would attend
secondary and would continue their primary studies while implementing
literature, poetry, drama, choral music, and dancing. The last four years would be
spent in military drill, tactics, and strategy.
Higher studies would begin at age 21 and continue as long as the student was
willing and able. Higher education was for males only as Aristotle believed
women were not capable of such complex studies.
Two main views of Aristotle on education: people go to school to learn morals,
virtues, build character, find what they wish to do with their life, what they find to
be enjoyable in life, etc.
Another aspect in which Aristotle influenced education today is his views on
realism
John locke thought that children’s brains were empty when they were born. The
first step to a healthy mind was a healthy body.
He was against corporal punishment. He believed that behavior in children
should be motivated by the “esteem or disgrace” they receive from their parents
John Locke thought that children were born without any knowledge. He thought
the mind is tabula rasa, or blank slate.
Locke thought that the only way that children get knowledge is from doing
different things in life and getting experience from those things.
Locke’s ideas on how children get knowledge changed how people thought about
children. Children were seen in a better way and got more respect from adults.
Locke wanted parents to spend more time with their children and help them
learn. He thought that children’s development of knowledge needed parents to
help children experience new things and teach about those things.
Locke pushed nurture as the most important part of child development.
Rousseau’s theory of education emphasized the importance of expression to
produce a well-balanced, freethinking child. He believed that if children are
allowed to develop naturally without constraints imposed on them by society they
will develop towards their fullest potential, both educationally and morally.
Aristotle believed strongly in the importance of an education that studies the real
world and then draws conclusions and gains knowledge through analytical
exercises. With practically everything that is done today and taught today, there
is most relevant relation to that of Aristotle and his beliefs.
Consider the work of Phillips Aries, who argued in Centuries of Childhood: A
Social History of Family Life that the modern notion of childhood was “invented”
in the 17th century. What evidence does he use to back his claims, and what are
some criticisms of his work? Discuss with your team: does childhood need to be
reinvented in the 21st century?
Centuries of Childhood: A social history of family life
The book argues that childhood as an idea has changed over time. It covers the
concepts of childhood, adult–child relations, and childhood experience across
cultures and time periods.
Its most famous conclusions are that "childhood" is a recent idea,and that
parenting in the Middle Ages was largely detached.
Ariès claims the following: Nuclear family bonds of love and concern did not exist
in the era, and children died too often to become emotionally attached. Children
weren't treated as delicate or protected from sexuality.They spent time with
adults outside of family structures, and were not always segregated to school
and family structures.Often they would be fostered to others as domestic
servants.
Despite the book's fame for its thesis, Centuries of Childhood focuses more on
the beginnings of systematized schooling and the decline of a common public
sociability.
This focus extends from the author's greater criticism of modern life and its
schism of social elements he saw to be once united: "friendship, religion, [and]
profession".
In this way, Ariès did not believe modern families adequately replace the role of
common public community.
The idea of “teenagers” as a special group between children and adults emerged
at the beginning of the twentieth century. Discuss with your team: is the concept
of teenagers one that took too long to come about? Is it already outdated? Would
you agree, as this article suggests, that the United States invented teenagers?
A child in…
Ancient Egypt
Egyptian Children’s lives were divided into various clearly defined stages.
The toddler during the earliest years of life stayed at home and learnt basic skills
of talking and walking from his parents. But there were also wet nurseries which
looked after the kids if their mothers were absent or not available. Children had a
variety of toys and games which filled their pre-school lives.
At about the age of 4 or 5, the children were sent to schools where properly
defined curriculum of education was provided and they were taught almost all the
available branches of knowledge. School education continued until about the age
of 14.
During this time, various subjects including mathematics, history, geography, and
medicine etc. were taught to the children.
Children were educated at village schools which were established at many
places. Schools were also generally attached with temples or government
buildings which signified the government patronage of education.
There were also special schools for the children of nobility which was called the
“school of the prince” since the Pharaohs son also went there
However, girls could not attend the schools and were generally instructed at
homes.
After that, most of the students joined the professions of their fathers while some
pursued advanced studies as well. Agriculture was the most common profession
while well to do facilities also indulged in trade and commerce.
Ancient Egyptian children used specific types of clothing which did not change
markedly over the centuries. Up until the age of 6, most Ancient Egyptian
Children simply did not wear any clothes. This was particularly true for the
children of the common people. Ancient Egyptian Children started wearing
clothes at the age of 6 which were primarily designed to protect the body from
dry heat. It was common to use a plain garment of cloth which could be wrapped
around the body. Additionally, the children also wore jewellery which included
bracelets, anklets, and various hair accessories. The children of ancient Egypt
also had a certain kind of hair style which consisted of a side-lock on the right
side of the head. As they grew up into adults, they used the same clothing that
their parents used.
The lives of ancient Egyptian children were not very different from the lives of the
children from other ancient societies.
2. Medivial Europe
Childhood in medieval England was determined by both social and biological
factors. According to common law, childhood ranged from the birth of a child until
he or she reached the age of 12. At this point, the child was seen as capable and
competent to understand his or her actions, thus rendering them responsible for
them.
According to canon law, girls could marry at the age of 12 and boys at the age of
14.
For most children growing up in Medieval England the first year of life was one of
the most dangerous, with as many as 50 percent of children succumbing to fatal
illness. During this year the child was cared for and nursed, either by parents (if
the family belonged to the peasant class) or (perhaps) by a wet nurse if the child
belonged to a noble class.
At age seven play was still an important part of the child's life; however, as the
child's ability to learn and fulfil family duties grew, so did their responsibility to
contribute.If circumstances allowed, seven was the age of entrance into formal
education.
Peasant and urban children took up responsibilities around the house. By age
12, the child began to take on a more serious role in family duties. Although
according to canon law at the age of twelve girls could marry, this was relatively
uncommon unless the child was an heiress or belonged to a family of noble birth.
Peasant children at this age stayed at home and continued to learn and develop
domestic skills and husbandry.
Urban children moved out of their homes and into the homes of their employer, or
master (depending on their future roles as servants or apprentices). Noble boys
learned skills in arms, and noble girls learned basic domestic skills.
The end of childhood and entrance into adolescence was marked by leaving
home and moving to the house of the employer (or master), entering a university
or into church service.
3. Colonial America
Cradles in Colonial America were long and narrow, they purpose being that a
child would not be able to curl up, but would have to stretch out its legs. This was
thought to help a child get ready to walk. The belief then was that a baby would
not learn how to walk on its own, and so it had to be taught. Swaddling also
straightened out a baby's limbs.
Once a baby reached about six to nine months, babies were dressed in stays
and petticoats, the skirts coming about a foot longer than the end of their legs.
This discouraged crawling, which was considered too animalistic.
Learning to walk was very important, and to protect a child from hurting his head
when he fell, special headgear called a pudding cap was worn. The common
belief was that too many falls would harm the brain by turning it into pudding.
Another contraption to help children walk was leading strings, cords attached to a
toddler's clothes that an adult held to guide the child and prevent him from sitting.
Walking stools were also common tools to help a child learn to walk. A baby was
placed in it, sometimes for such long stretches of time that he fainted from
exhaustion of holding himself up.
Mortality rates were much higher in colonial times than now, due to lack of
sanitation, malnutrition, diseases, and accidents. In relatively healthy towns it
was not unusual for one in ten children to die before the age of five.
Both girls and boys wore long gowns that did not distinguish their sex. These
gowns often fastened down the back. Both sexes wore a linen shift, along with
several petticoats, and unless they still wore a clout, they did not wear anything
in the way of underwear. This made it easy for the child to go to the bathroom. A
cap was worn over the hair. The only way to tell for sure that a small child was a
boy, was if they wore a falling band, which was a square shaped collar.
Towards the end of the colonial era, boys' clothes began to look more like their
fathers' than earlier children's clothes. Children wore stays from as soon as they
began to walk, made of cloth and cording, wood, or whale baleen. This helped
their posture as they grew.
During meal time, the saying "Children are to be seen, not heard" was true. They
were to eat as fast as possible, silently, and leave the table as soon as they were
done. In some cases, children didn't even sit at the table, they stood behind the
adults and food was handed back to them.
Young children had household chores such as shelling corn, carding cotton and
wool, cutting sugar, gathering scouring rushes, and picking feathers off of the
geese 3 or 4 times a year.
Seven was a crucial age for children in Colonial America. At this age, a boy was
given breeches to wear, instead of stays and petticoats. He wore a frock coat,
waistcoat and a hat instead of a cap. The threat of being put back into childish
clothing encouraged boys to behave themselves. Girls kept their childish clothing
until about the age of twelve, and even after that their clothing did not much
differ. A younger girl sometimes continued to wear leading strings, as a symbol
that she still was not independent.
Boys went to grammar school for their education in writing and arithmetic. For
girls, education came second to her training in household duties. They also might
work in the family business or as apprentices.

19th century England :

Earlier generations of children had been exposed to the hardships and
responsibilities of adult life but a new shift in attitude created an expectation that
a child's life should be one of innocence and dependence.
This 19th shift in attitude was due in part to the industrialization and urbanization
of England. Children who had once laboured on the land in small communities
were increasingly employed in factories as their working class parents sought the
economic opportunities of the cities.
Working and living conditions for the working classes grew increasingly harsh
and the social reform acts of the later 19th century attempted to improve the lives
of the working poor.
Philanthropists and social reformers, motivated by their Christian values and
middle class ideals played a significant role in bringing about change.
Reformers viewed the living conditions of many working class children as
unacceptable. Children, they believed, should be protected from physical harm,
moral corruption and the responsibilities of adult life and "every child should have
a childhood"
Orphanages were established to care for the children removed from unfit parents
or those who had been abandoned or orphaned. All faiths were active in this
process including the Protestant churches. Children were rescued from family
situations deemed by the reformers to be unfit and were institutionalized for their
own protection.
In Victoria the sudden increase in population from the gold rush of 1858 brought
social problems including those involving child welfare.
Dynastic China:
In ancient China, the birth of a boy was always more important than the birth of a
girl. Girls from poor families might be sold as servants to rich families. But kids in
ancient China were loved. If a family had to give up a child, it was because they
could not afford to feed them, not because they did not want them.
Kids lived with their parents, their grandparents, their aunts and uncles and
cousins. They all lived in the same house! Their house had a shrine they used to
worship their ancestors.
Kids played with toys, like marbles and kites. They helped their parents in the
fields, unless they had hired help to do that for them. The girls helped their
mother around the house.
In Shang ang Tou times, boys had to take over the jobs of their fathers. In Han
times, schools were free for boys. Jobs and opportunities were given and very
seeked by people, in other parts of Asia too.Since girls did not go to school, and
usually could not read or write, they could not enter government service, because
they could not pass the exam. In ancient China, a girl's future was to married and
have kids of her own.
Boys lived with their family all their lives. But girls moved to their husband's
house once they married. Wives were no longer allowed to worship their own
ancestors. They had to worship their husband's ancestors and be loyal to their
husband's family. Marriages were arranged.
!kung
!kung- kung fu. These kids were the ones who went to kung fu schools and were
trained highly with strict principles and disciplines. Romance was looked down
upon, the boys went and trained hard for years while girls sat at home and
helped their mothers. However, after a few years the girls were trained too, not
particularly in Martial arts, but in similar skills.
The Yanomami
They are south american indian tribes that live in the jungles of the Amazon
rainforest, near areas like Brazil and so on.
They are only about 10,00 in number and live in small and scattered settlements.
The children and others are nomads. Hence, there are no education systems
whatsoever. They usually practice shifting (slash-and-burn) agriculture; plant and
harvest plantains, cassava, tubers, corn (maize), cotton, and tobacco; gather
fruits, nuts, seeds, grubs, and honey; hunt monkeys, tapir, deer, and fowl
The Spartan
Life for a child in ancient Sparta was not easy, you would be expected to be
strong from birth, otherwise you would not make it. For those that did survive, life
would continue to be tough, but at the end of your training, boy or girl, you would
be a physically strong, mentally strong member of one of the most powerful
states in the ancient world
What is remarkable is that girls were almost given equal education as the boys
even in those days
“ it takes a village to raise a child” - Nigerian proverb
It takes a village to raise a child is an African proverb which means that it takes
an entire community of different people interacting with children in order for a
child to experience and grow in a safe environment. The villagers would look out
for the children. This does not mean an entire village is responsible for raising
your children and/or the children of a crowd.

Rites of passages
Ceremonies that mark important transitional periods in a person's life, such as
birth, puberty, marriage, having children, and death.
Rites of passage usually involve ritual activities and teachings designed to strip
individuals of their original roles and prepare them for new roles.
The traditional American wedding ceremony is such a rite of passage. In many
so-called primitive societies, some of the most complex rites of passage occur at
puberty, when boys and girls are initiated into the adult world. In some
ceremonies, the initiates are removed from their village and may undergo
physical mutilation before returning as adults.
Examples of Rites of Passages:
Kahs- wans
Sweet sixteens
A sweet sixteen is a coming of age party celebrating a teenager's 16th birthday .
Sweet sixteens can range from modest parties at home with close family to large
affairs with a hired DJ, makeup, hair styling, expensive gowns and dresses, and
hotel ballrooms.
Krypteia
Krypteia was a rite of passage, possibly pre-dating the classical military
organisation, and may have been preserved through Sparta's legendary religious
conservatism. There are comparisons of it with the initiation rituals of some
African secret societies (wolf-men and leopard men)
Quinceanera
Quinceañera is the Spanish word for a girl who is 15 years old. Among Latinos in
the United States,quinceañera also is the name given to the coming-of-age
celebration on a girl's 15th birthday. Thequinceañera has its origins many
centuries ago when both boys and girls participated in rites of passage.
Guan li\ Ji li
The Guan Li is the Confucian coming of age ceremony. The name Guan Li refers
to the ceremony for men, while the Ji Li refers to the one for women. The age of
the person is usually 20 and during the ceremony, the person obtains a style
name. However, These ceremonies are now rarely practiced in China.
Seijin Shiki
Coming of Age Day is a Japanese holiday held annually on the second Monday
of January. It is held in order to congratulate and encourage all those who have
reached or will reach the age of majority between April 2 of the previous year and
April 1 of the current year, and to help them realize that they have become
adults. Festivities include coming of age ceremonies held at local and prefectural
offices, as well as after-parties among family and friends.
Chudakarana
Basically, a ceremony where they shave babies’ heads in India.The method
Chudakarma Sanskar varies a lot depending on the culture or ethnicity. A
brahman bhoj( an offering to god) is conducted which is followed by head
shaving and ends with Pooja offerings Baby's hairs are considered as sacred and
are disposed mixing with wheat flour or Cow dung. Also, a mix of Curd, milk and
turmeric is applied which works as antiseptic and moisturizer to keep the baby
safe from cuts if any.
“Vision quests”
Vision quest, supernatural experience in which an individual seeks to interact
with a guardian spirit, usually an anthropomorphized animal, to obtain advice or
protection. Vision quests were most typically found among the native peoples of
North and South America.
Okuyi
The Okuyi is a rite of passage practised by several Bantu ethnic groups in
different countries mainly across the west coast of Central Africa.One of the most
common types of rituals is for new mothers and their babies.
When an infant reaches about four months of age, it is taken for a Mekuyo rite of
passage where it enters another stage of his or her life. In the past, the Ukuyi
used to take the baby from the mother and most of the time the baby didn't cry.
As the baby was entering its new stage, a chorus chanted around the baby.
Together they sang several songs, one of them being a tune about a panther
taking the baby. However, in the present, the mother is permitted to hold the
infant at all times in most of the rites.
The actual ritual involves the mother and child being placed in the centre of the
ring surrounded by the chorus and the audience, the mother holds the baby and
sits on a chair.
The Okuyi points at the baby with the malanga or sometimes a spear as a way to
bless them. Then, water which has been previously placed in a bucket is
sprinkled on the baby. The Okuyi dances around the baby and mother as they sit.
Bar\ bar mitzvah
According to Jewish law, when Jewish boys become 13 years old, they become
accountable for their actions and become a bar mitzvah. A girl becomes a bat
mitzvah at the age of 12 according to Orthodox and Conservative Jews, and at
the age of 13 according to Reform Jews. It is often celebrated with a ceremony in
synagogue, tefillin wearing, and parties.

First car
In the early 60s, the first time owning a car is considered to be rite- of - passage
into adulthood
Walkabout
In Australian Aboriginal society, Walkabout is a rite of passage during which
males undergo a journey during adolescence, typically ages 10 to 16, and live in
the wilderness for a period as long as six months to make the spiritual and
traditional transition into manhood.

Childhood nowadays:- read this article

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/10317562/Kids-these-days-A-portra
it-of-childhood-around-the-world.html

What does adulting mean?

The practice of behaving in a way characteristic of a responsible adult, especially
the accomplishment of mundane but necessary tasks. Ex. 'it feels really good to
take a step back from adulting and have someone else cook dinner for me'
Domestic labour in :
A domestic worker, domestic helper, domestic servant, manservant or menial, is
a person who works within the employer's household. Other responsibilities may
include cooking, laundry and ironing, shopping for food and other household
errands.
Colonial india:
Slavery was in india long before the british rule or colonial times. It was bought in
along with the muslim rule
After the United Kingdom prohibited slavery by the mid 19th century, it introduced
a new indentured labor system that scholars suggest was slavery by
contract.According to Richard Sheridan, quoting Dookhan,continued to apply or
sanction the means of coercion common to slavery, and in this regard the Indians
fared no better than the ex-slaves"
In this new system, they were called indentured labourers. South Asians began
to replace Africans previously brought as slaves, under this indentured labour
scheme to serve on plantations and mining operations across the British empire.
The first ships carrying indentured labourers left India in 1836. In the second half
of the 19th century, indentured Indians were treated as inhumanely as the
enslaved people previously had been. They were confined to their estates and
paid a pitiful salary. Any breach of contract brought automatic criminal penalties
and imprisonment.
Many of these were brought away from their homelands deceptively. Many from
inland regions over a thousand kilometers from seaports were promised jobs,
were not told the work they were being hired for, or that they would leave their
homeland and communities. They were hustled aboard the waiting ships,
unprepared for the long and arduous four-month sea journey.
Charles Anderson, a special magistrate investigating these sugarcane
plantations, wrote to the British Colonial Secretary declaring that with few
exceptions, the indentured labourers are treated with great and unjust severity;
plantation owners enforced work in plantations, mining and domestic work so
harshly, that the decaying remains of immigrants were frequently discovered in
fields. If labourers protested and refused to work, they were not paid or fed: they
simply starved.
Latin america
The term "Latin America" primarily refers to the Spanish and
Portuguese-speaking countries in the New World.
Before the arrival of Europeans in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, the
region was home to many indigenous peoples, a number of which had advanced
civilizations, most notably from South; the Olmec, Maya, Muisca and Inca.
the region came under control of the crowns of Spain and Portugal, which
imposed both Roman Catholicism and their respective languages. Both the
Spanish and the Portuguese brought African slaves to their colonies, as laborers,
particularly in regions where indigenous populations who could be made to work
were absent.
In the early nineteenth century nearly all of areas of Spanish America attained
independence by armed struggle, with the exceptions of Cuba and Puerto Rico.
Brazil, which had become a monarchy separate from Portugal, became a
republic in the late nineteenth century.
Political independence from European monarchies did not result in the abolition
of black slavery in the new sovereign nations. Political independence resulted in
political and economic instability in Spanish America immediately after
independence.
Great Britain and the United States exercised significant influence in the
post-independence era, resulting in a form of neo-colonialism, whereby a
country's political sovereignty remained in place, but foreign powers exercised
considerable power in the economic sphere.
What is now Latin America has been populated for several millennia, possibly for
as long as 30,000 years. There are many models of migration to the New World.
Precise dating of many of the early civilizations is difficult because there are few
text sources. However, highly developed civilizations flourished at various times
and places, such as in the Andes and Mesoamerica.
Pre and post war britain
South africa
With colonialism, which began in South Africa in 1652, came the Slavery and
Forced Labour Model. This was the original model of colonialism brought by the
Dutch in 1652.
The changes wrought on African societies by the imposition of European colonial
rule occurred in quick succession. In fact, it was the speed with which change
occurred that set the colonial era apart from earlier periods in South Africa.
Initially, a colonial contact was a two-way process. However, Africans were far
from helpless victims in the initial encounter. Colonial contact was not simply a
matter of Europeans imposing themselves upon African societies. For their part,
African rulers saw many benefits to be had from maintaining relations with
Europeans, and for a considerable period of time they engaged with Europeans
voluntarily and on their own terms.
Most importantly, trade with Europeans gave African rulers access to a crucial
aspect of European technology, namely firearms. More than anything else, those
who had ownership and control over firearms were able to gather around
themselves larger and larger groups of people. In short, the ownership of
firearms turned into a status symbol and a means to gain political power.
Sadly, the article of trade in which Europeans showed the greatest interest, and
which Africans were prepared to sacrifice, were slaves. The Atlantic slave trade
stands at the centre of a long history of European contact with Africa. In other
words, the Atlantic slave trade could not have taken place without the
cooperation, or complicity, of many Africans.
As the number of transported slaves increased, African societies could not avoid
transformation, and 400 years of slave trading took their toll. Of course, not all
African societies were equally affected, but countries such as Angola and
Senegal suffered heavily.
The most important consequences of the Atlantic slave trade were demographic,
economic, and political. There can be no doubt that the Atlantic slave trade
greatly retarded African demographic development, a fact that was to have
lasting consequences for the history of the continent. At best, African populations
remained stagnant. The export of the most economically active men and women
led to the disintegration of entire societies. The trade in slaves also led to new
political formations. In some cases, as people sought protection from the
violence and warfare that went with the slave trade, large centralised states
came into being.

United states
Slavery had been practiced in British America from early colonial days, and was
legal in all Thirteen Colonies at the time of the Declaration of Independence in
1776. It lasted in about half the states until 1865. As an economic system,
slavery was largely replaced by sharecropping( a form of agriculture)
By the time of the American Revolution (1775–1783), the status of slave had
been institutionalized as a racial caste associated with African ancestry] When
the United States Constitution was ratified in 1789, a relatively small number of
free people of color were among the voting citizens (male property owners).
During and immediately following the Revolutionary War, abolitionist( a
movement to end slavery) laws were passed in most Northern states. Northern
states depended on free labor and all had abolished slavery by 1805. The rapid
expansion of the cotton industry in the Deep South after the invention of the
cotton gin greatly increased demand for slave labor to pick cotton when it all
ripened at once, and the Southern states continued as slave societies.
Those states attempted to extend slavery into the new Western territories to
keep their share of political power in the nation. Southern leaders also wanted to
annex Cuba as a slave territory. The United States became polarized over the
issue of slavery, split into slave and free states.
During the Jefferson administration, Congress prohibited the importation of
slaves, effective 1808, although smuggling (illegal importing) via Spanish Florida
was not unusual. Domestic slave trading, however, continued at a rapid pace,
driven by labor demands from the development of cotton plantations in the Deep
South. More than one million slaves were sold from the Upper South, which had
a surplus of labor, and taken to the Deep South in a forced migration, splitting up
many families. New communities of African-American culture were developed in
the Deep South, and the total slave population in the South eventually reached 4
million before liberation.
As the West was developed for settlement, the Southern state governments
wanted to keep a balance between the number of slave and free states to
maintain a political balance of power in Congress. The new territories acquired
from Britain, France, and Mexico were the subject of major political
compromises. By 1850, the newly rich cotton-growing South was threatening to
secede from the Union, and tensions continued to rise. Many white Southern
Christians, including church ministers, attempted to justify their support for
slavery as modified by Christian paternalism.
The largest denominations—the Baptist, Methodist, and Presbyterian
churches—split over the slavery issue into regional organizations of the North
and South.
When Abraham Lincoln won the 1860 election on a platform of halting the
expansion of slavery, seven states broke away to form the Confederacy( 7 states
in america that were unrecognised).. The first six states to secede held the
greatest number of slaves in the South. Shortly after, the Civil War began when
Confederate forces attacked the US Army. Four additional slave states the
seceded. Due to Union measures such as the Confiscation Acts and
Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, the war effectively ended slavery.

Indonesia
Historical and Modern Institutions (examples):
au pairs
Typically an au pair is a young, single person from overseas who wants to come
to Australia to learn English and live as a member of an Australian family. Au
pairs can be expected to do a combination of child care and light housework
duties in exchange for board and a small allowance
Nannies
A nanny provides child care within the children's family setting.
Traditionally,nannies were servants in large households and reported directly to
the lady of the house. Today, modern nannies, like other domestic workers, may
live in or out of the house, depending on their circumstances and those of their
employers.
Butlers
A butler is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the
household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the
dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some also have charge of the entire parlour
floor, and housekeepers caring for the entire house and its appearance.
amahs\Ayahs
An amah or ayah, typically chinese culture, is a girl or woman employed by a
family to clean, look after children, and perform other domestic tasks.
Governesses
A governess is a woman employed to teach and train children in a private
household. In contrast to a nanny(formerly called a nurse), she concentrates on
teaching children instead of meeting their physical needs. Her charges are of
school age rather than babies.
house girls
woman or girl employed to do domestic work. a female servant. A boy is called a
house boy
house elves
House-elves are small creatures with big eyes and bat-like ears, and are usually
very poorly clothed. They can often be found at large houses and mansions.
They are supposed to be very loyal to the head of their family. An owner or
master can 'free' a house elf by giving him or her clothes. HARRY POTTER!!!.
DOBBY IS A HOUSE ELF
housewife vs. stay-at-home mother
A housewife (also known as a homekeeper) is a woman whose work is running
or managing her family's home—caring for her children; buying, cooking, and
storing food for the family; buying goods that the family needs for everyday life;
housekeeping, cleaning and maintaining the home, etc.
Stay- at- home mother is someone who stays home to raise her children and
manage her household. She may have one child or several children, and they
can range in ages from newborn all the way up to teenagers in high school. Stay
at home mothers do not make the decision, but it can be considered as a cold
comfort
The “wages of labour” campaign:
The International Wages for Housework Campaign was a feminist global social
movement, which grew out of the International Feminist Collective in Italy in 1972
and organized resistance and public debate on the social formations produced by
gendered labor and reproductive labor, for example domestic work like
housework for example.

Slavery
In:
Ancient greece and rome
Rome
Slavery in ancient Rome played an important role in society and the economy.
Besides manual labour, slaves performed many domestic services, and might be
employed at highly skilled jobs and professions. Accountants and physicians
were often slaves. Slaves of Greek origin in particular might be highly educated.
Unskilled slaves, or those sentenced to slavery as punishment, worked on farms,
in mines, and at mills: their living conditions were brutal, and their lives short.
Slaves were considered property under Roman law and had no legal
personhood. Unlike Roman citizens, they could be subjected to corporal
punishment, sexual exploitation (prostitutes were often slaves), torture, and
summary execution. Over time, however, slaves gained increased legal
protection, including the right to file complaints against their masters.
A major source of slaves had been Roman military expansion during the
Republic. The use of former soldiers as slaves led perhaps inevitably to a series
of en masse armed rebellions, the Servile Wars, the last of which was led by
Spartacus. During the Pax Romana of the early Roman Empire (1st–2nd
centuries AD), emphasis was placed on maintaining stability, and the lack of new
territorial conquests dried up this supply line of human trafficking.
To maintain an enslaved workforce, increased legal restrictions on freeing slaves
were put into place. Escaped slaves would be hunted down and returned (often
for a reward). There were also many cases of poor people selling their children to
richer neighbors as slaves in times of hardship.
Greece
Slavery was a common practice in ancient Greece, as in other societies of the
time. Some Ancient Greek writers (including, most notably, Aristotle) considered
slavery natural and even necessary. This paradigm was notably questioned in
Socratic dialogues; the Stoics produced the first recorded condemnation of
slavery.
Most activities were open to slaves except politics, which was reserved for
citizens. The principal use of slaves was in agriculture, but hundreds of slaves
were also used in stone quarries or mines, and perhaps two per household were
domestic servants.
The academic study of slavery in ancient Greece is beset by significant
methodological problems. Documentation is disjointed and very fragmented,
focusing primarily on the citystate of Athens. No treatises are specifically devoted
to the subject, and jurisprudence was interested in slavery only as much as it
provided a source of revenue. Greek comedies and tragedies represented
stereotypes, while iconography made no substantial differentiation between
slaves and craftsmen.

Ancient near east and egypt

Egypt
Slavery in ancient Egypt existed at least since the New Kingdom (1550-1175
BC). Discussions of slavery in Pharaonic Egypt are complicated by terminology
used by the Egyptians to refer to different classes of servitude over the course of
dynastic history. Interpretation of the textual evidence of classes of slaves in
ancient Egypt has been difficult to differentiate by word usage alone.There were
three types of enslavement in Ancient Egypt: chattel slavery, bonded labor, and
forced labor.
Chattel slavery- A chattel slave is an enslaved person who is owned for ever and
whose children and children's children are automatically enslaved.Chattel slaves
are individuals treated as complete property, to be bought and sold.
Bonded labour- Debt bondage or bonded labour occurs when a person is forced
to work to pay off a debt
Forced labour- Forced labour refers to situations in which persons are coerced to
work through the use of violence or intimidation, or by more subtle means such
as accumulated debt, retention of identity papers or threats of denunciation to
immigration authorities.

Near east
slavery in the ancient world, from the earliest known recorded evidence in Sumer
to the pre-medieval Antiquity Mediterranean cultures, comprised a mixture of
debt-slavery, slavery as a punishment for crime, and the enslavement of
prisoners of war.
Masters could free slaves, and in many cases such freedmen went on to rise to
positions of power. This would include those children born into slavery but who
were actually the children of the master of the house. Their father would ensure
that his children were not condemned to a life of slavery.
The institution of slavery condemned a majority of slaves to agricultural and
industrial labor and they lived hard lives. In many of these cultures slaves formed
a very large part of the economy, and in particular the Roman Empire and some
of the Greek poleis built a large part of their wealth on slaves acquired through
conquest.

Dynastic china
In ancient China, some people were born in slavery because their mother was
slave. Others were sold into slavery, perhaps to pay a debt. During the Qin
Dynasty, captured people were made into slaves.
Slavery in ancient China was not a pleasant experience. The lives of slaves were
filled with hardship. Many were abused. Many slaves were children.
Most people who were slaves worked in the fields, alongside of peasants. They
did the same job, and had the same hours, and pretty much the same clothing
and food, as free farmers. But they were not treated with the same respect given
to farmers. Some slaves built roads. Some worked in government.
But slaves who worked for the emperor, the royal family, and sometimes the
nobles, had the worst of it. They could only do what they were told to do. They
were treated in any way that their master and his family felt like treating them.
Many were treated with great cruelty. When their master died, they were killed,
and buried with their master in his tomb, so they could continue to serve their
master after his death.
The slave society in China started in very ancient times, and continued up until
the Qin Dynasty. Qin did not do away with slavery, but rather the reverse. First
Emperor Qin was more ruthless than any other master. Qin was so ruthless in his
treatment of slaves, that after the Qin Dynasty was overthrown, the concept of
slavery in the Han Dynasty was not nearly as popular or as cruel as it once was
in other dynasties. The Tang Dynasty tried to discourage slavery; slavery was
reduced during this family's rule. But slavery rose in popularity again when this
family's rule was over.
Over the centuries, since the Qin Dynasty, other Chinese emperors have
attempted to control or do away entirely with slavery. The Ming Dynasty, for
example, made slavery illegal. Still, some people in ancient China continued to
have slaves. Even today, although slavery is illegal in China, slavery continues in
remote regions. Forced child labor continues. The government of modern day
China is working to correct this very serious problem.

Ancient middle east

The Arab slave trade was the intersection of slavery and trade in the Arab Islamic
world, mainly in Western Asia, North Africa, East Africa and Europe This barter
occurred chiefly between the medieval era and the early 20th century. The trade
was conducted through slave markets in these areas, with the slaves captured
mostly from Africa's interior and Southern Europe.
Slavery in the Muslim world first developed out of the slavery practices of
pre-Islamic Arabia,and was at times radically different, depending on
social-political factors such as the Arab slave trade. Throughout Islamic history,
slaves served in various social and economic roles, from powerful emirs to
harshly treated manual laborers.
Early on in Muslim history they were used in plantation labor similar to that in the
Americas, but this was abandoned after harsh treatment led to destructive slave
revolts,the most notable being the Zanj Rebellion of 869–883.
Slaves were widely employed in irrigation, mining, and animal husbandry, but the
most common uses were as soldiers, guards, and domestic workers.Some rulers
relied on military and administrative slaves to such a degree that the slaves were
sometimes in a position to seize power.
Among black slaves, there were roughly two females to every one male. Two
rough estimates by scholars of the number of slaves held over twelve centuries
in the Muslim world are 11.5 million and 14 million, while other estimates indicate
a number between 12 to 15 million slaves prior to the 20th century.
Haiti
Slavery in Haiti started with the arrival of Christopher Columbus on the island in
1492. The practice was devastating to the native population. Following the
indigenous Tainos' near decimation from forced labor, disease and war, the
Spanish, under advisement of the Catholic priest Bartolomeu de las Casas and
with the blessing of the Catholic church, began engaging in earnest in the
kidnapped and forced labor of enslaved Africans.
During the French colonial period beginning in 1625, the economy of Haiti (then
known as Saint-Domingue) was based on slavery, and the practice there was
regarded as the most brutal in the world. The Haitian Revolution of 1804, the only
successful slave revolt in human history, precipitated the end of slavery not only
in Saint-Domingue, but in all French colonies.
However, several Haitian leaders following the revolution employed forced labor,
believing a plantation-style economy was the only way for Haiti to succeed, and
building fortifications to safeguard against attack by the French. During the U.S.
occupation between 1915 and 1934, the U.S. military forced Haitians to work
building roads for defense against Haitian resistance fighters.
Unpaid labor is still a practice in Haiti. As many as half a million children are
unpaid domestic servants called restavek, who routinely suffer physical and
sexual abuse. Additionally, human trafficking, including child trafficking is a
significant problem in Haiti; trafficked people are brought into, out of, and through
Haiti for forced labor, including sex trafficking.
The groups most at risk include the poor, women, children, the homeless, and
people migrating across the border with the Dominican Republic. The
devastating earthquake in 2010 displaced many, rendering them homeless,
isolated, and supremely vulnerable to exploitation by traffickers.

Types of slavery :

Chattel slavery
A chattel slave is an enslaved person who is owned for ever and whose children
and children's children are automatically enslaved.Chattel slaves are individuals
treated as complete property, to be bought and sold.
Indentured servitude
Indentured servants were men and women who signed a contract (also known as
an indenture or a covenant) by which they agreed to work for a certain number of
years in exchange for transportation to Virginia and, once they arrived, food,
clothing, and shelter.
Debt bondage
Debt bondage or bonded labour occurs when a person is forced to work to pay
off a debt
Forced labour
Forced labour refers to situations in which persons are coerced to work through
the use of violence or intimidation, or by more subtle means such as
accumulated debt, retention of identity papers or threats of denunciation to
immigration authorities.
Pawnship
Pawnship, or debt bondage slavery, involves the use of people as collateral to
secure the repayment of debt. Pawnship was a common form of collateral in
West Africa. It involved the pledge of a person, or a member of that person's
family, to service another person providing credit
Slaves vs. enslaved people
Enslave is a derived term of slave. enslave is to make subservient; to strip one of
freedom; enthrall while slave is to work hard.
Slave is a person who is the property of another person and whose labor and
also whose life often is subject to the owner's volition.
Domestic slavery
Domestic Slavery refers to the practice of exploiting and exercising undue control
over another to coerce them into performing services of a domestic nature in
unacceptable conditions.

Military slavery\ conscription

Compulsory enrollment, especially for the armed forces; draft.

As of now this is a list of the poorest countries:

What is philanthropy?
Philanthropy means the love of humanity.
Poverty cycle

Ways to deal with poverty:

population control welfare
Attempting to reduce the population size or growth by decreasing the number of
births.
dole
The dole or dole is money that is given regularly by the government to people
who are unemployed.
minimum wage laws
Minimum wage law is the body of law which prohibits employers from hiring
employees or workers for less than a given hourly, daily or monthly minimum
wage. More than 90% of all countries have some kind of minimum wage
legislation.
food stamps
a small paper that is given by the US government to poor people and that can be
used to buy food: More than 200,000 retailers are authorized to accept food
stamps for groceries.
Donation
donate means to give something — money, goods, or time — to some cause,
such as a charity
Tithe
A tithe is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious
organization or compulsory tax to government.
Alms
Clothing , food or money that is given to poorer people.
Zakat
Zakat is a term used in Islamic finance to refer to the obligation that an individual
has to donate a certain proportion of wealth each year to charitable causes.
Harambee
Harambee is a Kenyan tradition of community self-help events, e.g. fundraising
or development activities.Harambee literally means "all pull together" in Swahili,
and is also the official motto of Kenya and appears on its coat of arms.

Dāna
Dāna means giving, often in the context of donation and charity. Dāna has been
defined in traditional texts as any action of relinquishing the ownership of what
one considered or identified as one's own, and investing the same in a recipient
without expecting anything in return.
ukushisa & ukwenana

tzedaka
Tzedakah is a Hebrew word literally meaning "justice" or "righteousness", but
commonly used to signify charity.