November 20, 2015: 4:00 PM-5:45 PM
Centennial G (Hyatt Regency)
Reexamining the familiar is a useful way to discover new components, processes, and ways of thinking about common phenomena. Strangeness is a force that invites curiosity and creativity. This panel will examine familiarity and strangeness through the lens of neuroanthropology. Neuroanthropology is dynamic and rapidly emerging framework that emphasizes the importance of biological variation, brain plasticity, processes and cultural context in describing consciousness. These attributes of neuroanthropology wonderfully position researchers to deeply explore the novel and routine using a biocultural synthesis. For example, neuroanthrpology examines the bio-symbolism that allows new behaviors become habits, strange people to become friends, and strange cultures to become accepted. Alternatively, neuroanthropology beautifully describes the interaction that occurs between a human consciousness and a social group when a relationship becomes estranged, someone develops Alzheimer’s, or a community member experiences trauma. Through neuroanthropology, this panel demonstrates the usefulness of interdisciplinary approaches in examining unfamiliar phenomena and exploring habitual modes of existence.
This session would be of particular interest to:
Practicing and Applied Anthropologists, Teachers of Anthropology in Community Colleges, Students, Those involved in mentoring activities
Organizers: Mark W Flanagan (University of Georgia)
Chairs: Mark W Flanagan (University of Georgia)
Discussants: Daniel H Lende (University of South Florida)
4:00 PM
When the Familiar Becomes Strange: Iu-Mien Refugee Traditional Books in the Context of Cultural Change and Preservation
Jeffery L MacDonald (Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization)
4:15 PM
Cultivating Strangeness: The ‘integral Transformative Practice’ Experiment of Michael Murphy and George Leonard
Mira Z Amiras (San Jose State University)
4:30 PM
Strangeness in Substance Usage: Self-Medication & New Psychedelic Substances Tarik Najeddine (Unaffiliated)
4:45 PM
Neuroanthropology of Solutions As “Strange Thoughts”
Mark W Flanagan (University of Georgia)
5:00 PM
Discussant Daniel H Lende (University of South Florida)
5:15 PM
Discussion
