Dyer and Bowker & Star
Alice (Ke Han) Li
Diana Kamin
Introduction to HCC
10.4.14
Assignment 1
Mankind is constantly striving to simplify and organize society. Classifications make that possible by metaphorically placing all objects in society into boxes so that there can be “knowledge about which thing will be useful at any given moment”(2). Geoffrey C. Bowker and Susan Leigh Star in “To Classify Is Human” state that “classification is a spatial, temporal, or spatio-temporal segmentation of the world” (10). Stereotyping is our way of placing human beings into classification’s metaphorical boxes. Richard Dyer in “The Role of Stereotypes” claims that stereotypes is the “representation and categorization of persons” (4). The process of classifying people is stereotyping.
Humans spend a large part of their lives classifying the world. To classify is to segment the world into parts or categories. Our classifications range from distinguishing clean from dirty to read from unread. Bowker and Star claim that the standards set in our lives are largely invisible, present without us realizing. This poses some questions. who makes these classifications and who may change them? They were around since we were born, created by invisible entities and “their impact is indisputable, and… inescapable” (3). After a classification is made and accepted by the general public, it becomes difficult or expensive to alter. Classifications are made in the context of our cultures. They are engrained in our social attitudes and this allows anthropologists to use them “as a device for understanding the cultures of others” (3). The evolution of classifications provide a mental map of a certain culture. Certain classifications places emphasis on one perspective and ignores others which may cause negative results and become problematic in the long term. The authors uses the example of classifying students based off of standardized achievement test schools as placing priority on academic achievements over other
Diana Kamin
Introduction to HCC
10.4.14
Assignment 1
Mankind is constantly striving to simplify and organize society. Classifications make that possible by metaphorically placing all objects in society into boxes so that there can be “knowledge about which thing will be useful at any given moment”(2). Geoffrey C. Bowker and Susan Leigh Star in “To Classify Is Human” state that “classification is a spatial, temporal, or spatio-temporal segmentation of the world” (10). Stereotyping is our way of placing human beings into classification’s metaphorical boxes. Richard Dyer in “The Role of Stereotypes” claims that stereotypes is the “representation and categorization of persons” (4). The process of classifying people is stereotyping.
Humans spend a large part of their lives classifying the world. To classify is to segment the world into parts or categories. Our classifications range from distinguishing clean from dirty to read from unread. Bowker and Star claim that the standards set in our lives are largely invisible, present without us realizing. This poses some questions. who makes these classifications and who may change them? They were around since we were born, created by invisible entities and “their impact is indisputable, and… inescapable” (3). After a classification is made and accepted by the general public, it becomes difficult or expensive to alter. Classifications are made in the context of our cultures. They are engrained in our social attitudes and this allows anthropologists to use them “as a device for understanding the cultures of others” (3). The evolution of classifications provide a mental map of a certain culture. Certain classifications places emphasis on one perspective and ignores others which may cause negative results and become problematic in the long term. The authors uses the example of classifying students based off of standardized achievement test schools as placing priority on academic achievements over other