Cultural anthropology and food Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Cultural anthropology and food - Research Paper Example Food has become extremely instrumental in clearly defining the differences among the diversified cultural groupings. Like all the other known culturally defined symbols and materials, food has also served in both solidifying group membership and setting groups apart (John 2001, 161). It strengthens the cultural groupings or national identity. Food clearly distinguishes people from different cultural backgrounds. John (2001, 243) argues that the correlation of one’s consumption, belonging and identity of feeds gives one imaginations of the person he or she is. The food consumed has been used in the western and African countries to identifying the cultural backgrounds of an individual. Although in the past language has widely been perceived as a marker of culture, food has always endured where the language is lost, or its use is limited. According to the cultural anthropologists, food has been used in observing prestigious festivals and rites. According to John (2001, 128), Korean and Americans have varied preferred food. For instance, Koreans culture can easily be associated with the inclination for moon cakes. While that of people from America is associated with pizza and hamburger eating behaviors. Conclusively, observing the kinds of foods consumed by one, can easily tell their culture. Therefore, according to the anthropologists food and culture are

The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict - Essay Example It is within this context of competing narratives and intractable conflict that the Oslo peace process was born. Guided by the hope of arriving at a just and lasting peace, Israeli and Palestinian leaders designed, composed, and signed seven interim agreements, known as the Oslo peace process. These agreements were intended to resolve their differences on issues such as borders and security, Jerusalem, and the right of return for refugees. They were also meant to mark a time of relative tranquillity in the region, particularly as compared to the violence that has been witnessed throughout Israel- Palestine’s troubled history. Agreements were reached through various means, such as public, back-channel, official, and non-official efforts. Throughout this process, the United States was involved as a mediator, though less so during the initial stages, which included the composition and signing of the Declaration of Principles, Oslo I, and Oslo II. However, following the 1997 election into the office of the Likud party’s Benyamin Netanyahu, the U.S. became more involved through subsequent agreements, including the Hebron Agreement, the Wye River Memorandum, and the Sharm el-Sheikh Memorandum. While conceding to the fact that Oslo ultimately failed, it significantly contributed to the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. First, Oslo succeeded in transforming the conflict from a struggle over identity (which is an existential and intractable one) to a struggle over concrete and potentially tractable issues.