HRAF News Vol. 2021-3
Teaching and Learning with the eHRAF Databases
HRAF staff members Dr. Francine Barone and Matthew Longcore were pleased to present Teaching and Learning with eHRAF Databases at the IUAES2020 virtual congress in Croatia. The presentation focused on the eHRAF Workbooks for teaching and learning. Our latest post Knowledge is power: anthropology of proverbs explores the field of paremiology, which is dedicated to the study of proverbs. For the second year in a row, HRAF and UConn collaborated for a successful Anthropology Day event. Lastly, HRAF is pleased to share the findings from our cross-cultural research project focused on the question of Why are Gods Thought to Cause Weather?
The IUAES2020 virtual congress, sponsored by the International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences, took place in Croatia from March 9-14, 2021. The theme of the event was Coming of Age on Earth, which "suggests that we look not only at our collective human past and present in a search for solutions, but also at new challenges to our presumed trajectory by acknowledging generational change in the form of innovations, cultural movements, different ways of seeing and mobilizing legacies in dealing with everyday changes."

Dr. Francine Barone and Matthew Longcore presented Teaching and Learning with the eHRAF Databases. The presentation focused on the development of the new eHRAF Workbooks for teaching and learning in response to the need for online resources.

An article by Fran Barone explores what anthropology, archaeology, and the ethnographic record can offer to the field of paremiology, which is dedicated to the collection and study of proverbs.

Proverbs are a simple way of expressing a well-known truth or adage based on common sense or experience. They are usually considered to be imbued with ancestral wisdom, passed down from generation to generation until they become part of a society's oral tradition.

Paremiology provides myriad opportunities for anthropologists to understand the meaning behind metaphorical turns of phrase in different cultures. However, translating proverbs can be tricky. Because language and culture are deeply intertwined, not all proverbs are universally understood across societies.

For the last six years, the HRAF team has pursued research on how living in hazard-prone environments may have influenced and transformed culture. Might these environments have affected religious belief? This research is summarized in a post titled Why are Gods Thought to Cause Weather?

HRAF researchers asked whether religions might differ in societies that have more food-destroying hazards, such as drought or floods. The researchers also asked more broadly whether resource stress or living in difficult climates might be important factors. Questions for further research include: Does climate influence religion in other ways? Does religion provide important coping skills in the face of climate change and extreme weather events?

HRAF staff members and anthropology students from the University of Connecticut met on Friday, February 19 in celebration of Anthropology Day. The event was well-attended with 45 participants including members of the UConn Stamford Anthropology Society and Honors students from ANTH 1000 Peoples and Cultures of the World.

The morning activities consisted of presentations from Dr. Carol Ember about HRAF’s history and cross-cultural research, followed by presentations from our two Melvin Ember Interns, Daniel McCloskey and Benjamin Gonzalez. UConn Honors students presented their Nascent Worlds projects. HRAF would like to thank all those who contrbuted to making Anthropology Day 2021 a successful remote event.

HRAF at Yale University|hraf.yale.edu