Benjamin Lee Whorf et les fondements boasiens de l'ethnolinguistique contemporaine

RÉSUMÉBenjamin Lee Whorf et les fondements boasiens de l'ethnolinguistique contemporaineBenjamin Lee Whorf est probablement l'anthropologue le plus méconnu de son époque. Cet article analyse cinq aspects de son œuvre : ses hypothèses sur la relativité linguistique à partir de plusieurs points de vue, y compris à la lumière de sa biographie; ses réflexions sur le langage, la pensée et la réalité; ses liens avec l'anthropologie boasienne et la première école de linguistique à Yale; sa recherche sur le hopi et ce qu'il appelait l'européen standard moyen; et son influence sur l'ethnolinguistique et les sciences cognitives contemporaines. Bien qu'il fasse aujourd'hui figure d'original, ses contemporains percevaient simplement Whorf comme l'un des linguistes s'intéressant aux langues amérindiennes dans l'équipe d'Edward Sapir. Sa notion de relativité linguistique reposait sur les catégories grammaticales et sous-tendait une diversité culturelle et un relativisme très éloignés de la conception universaliste des sciences cognitives. De ce fait, son travail s'insère parfaitement dans la tradition de recherche interculturelle de l'ethnolinguistique.Mots clés : Darnell, ethnolinguistique, linguistique amérindienne, Whorf, science cognitiveABSTRACTBenjamin Lee Whorf and the Boasian Foundations of Contemporary EthnolinguisticsABSTRACTBenjamin Lee Whorf and the Boasian Foundations of Contemporary EthnolinguisticsBenjamin Lee Whorf is probably the most misread anthropologist of his day. This paper explores his linguistic relativity hypotheses from a variety of points of view, including his Personal biography ; the emergence of his mature thought about language, thought and reality; his lies to Boasian anthropology and the First Yale School of Linguistics; his research on Hopi and Standard Average European ; and his influence on contemporary ethnolinguistics and cognitive sciences. Although Whorf is remembered as something of a maverick, he was perceived by his contemporaries as one among a group of Amerindian linguists around Edward Sapir. His notion of linguistic relativity was based on grammatical categories, assuming a cultural diversity and relativism quite distinct from thc universalist thrust of cognitive science. This focus places him firmly in the cross-cultural research tradition of ethnolinguistics.Key words : Darnell, ethnolinguistics, amerindian linguistics, Whorf, cognitive science

Case 3 : Coming Together to Promote Change: Best Practices to Prevent, Treat, and Manage Type 2 Diabetes in Indigenous Communities in Canada

Marie is a nurse and a member of the Bull Rapids First Nation. She is frustrated that there are no resources to help Indigenous people cope with the issue of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, which is a major health issue in this community. Marie knows something needs to be done, so she undertakes research to determine whether there are any interventions that can help her community prevent, treat, and manage type 2 diabetes. During her research, she discovers Diabetes Alliance and the quality improvement strategy they have developed to empower Indigenous communities to create their own plans to combat diabetes. The purpose of this case is to give a brief overview of the colonial practices and the proximal, intermediate and distal determinants of health that have caused many of the health issues that occur today in Indigenous communities. It will also provide an opportunity for students to think critically about how chronic diseases can be addressed and what can be done to help improve the situation in Indigenous communities in Canada. This case gives students a chance to explore the concept of traditional knowledge, its importance to Indigenous communities, and how it can and should be incorporated into interventions. After reading this case, students will understand the historical events that have created the current health predicament in these communities. If students understand the issues that have caused the problem, it can help dispel any negative preconceptions that students may have of Indigenous people. This case provides an avenue for Indigenous students to discuss issues that actually impact them, their families and communities

Case 2 : Hurricanes and Health: A Systems Thinking Approach to Understanding Complexity and Context

This case examines the complexity of responding to a natural disaster. Leona Hernandez, a water and sanitation engineer from the Pan American Health Organization, is in charge of coordinating the water and sanitation response on the island of Dominica following Hurricane Maria in October of 2017. Upon visiting one of the shelters in the remote fishing village of Scotts Head, she becomes aware of the precarious environmental conditions in the community. Many of the residents are distressed by the complete destruction of their surroundings, and a lack of running water has led to a reliance on drinking from the river. Of immediate concern is the potential for an outbreak of leptospirosis; however, issues of the disaster’s impacts on mental health are also emphasized. The Water, Sanitation and Hygiene team members each have a different idea about how to act and which response actions to prioritize. Leona must unite the team and coordinate an effective response, which becomes more complex with another storm system threatening to develop near the island

CASE 6: A Rapid Risk Assessment Tool: Determining the Risk of New/Emerging/Re-Emerging Infectious Diseases in Canada

The protagonist, Dr. Anna Moreno, is an epidemiologist at the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), where she manages the Public Health Risk Sciences Department. Her role includes managing monthly meetings and advising when it is necessary to use the Rapid Risk Assessment (RRA) tool to conduct an analysis of any emerging infectious disease relevant to Canada. The case presents a fictitious situation in which a series of outbreaks of an influenzalike infectious disease have occurred in certain regions of the Americas. In response to outbreaks of severe respiratory and influenza-like symptoms within the Americas and the more than 100 associated deaths over the past month, the World Health Organization has declared the unknown infectious disease a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). Anna has a meeting that morning, and she will need to prepare an approach to create a working group responsible for conducting an RRA for this unknown disease. Challenges arise because the existing scientific evidence and literature about the disease is limited and Anna will need to defer to the expert knowledge of her team while minimizing expert opinion bias. Given the general standards of RRAs, the assessment should be conducted within the next 24 to 48 hours. Knowing that the outcomes of the risk assessment will set the landscape for the PHAC’s response to the PHEIC, Anna and her team will need to ensure the assessment is conducted in a timely and efficient manner. The results of the RRA will be presented to upper management before being disseminated to the general public. Finally, the case includes a case study, based on true events, of the initial application of the tool to the 2015 Zika virus disease outbreak. Although the initial assessment led to the conclusion that Canadians were at minimal risk, unexpected subsequent Zika outbreaks in 2016 revealed the need to refine and adapt the RRA tool. This case study emphasizes the importance of completing a risk assessment at multiple time points throughout the course of a disease to capture the complexities of evolving information and circumstances. The pedagogical value of presenting this case is rooted in presenting a real-world situation and exposing students to the complexities of translating foundational public health practices to social contexts that do not allow for typical solutions. Although it is necessary to learn concrete knowledge in a classroom environment, this information serves as a foundation to build on through experience within the public health field. Being immersed in real-world situations is imperative for enabling students to visualize how this knowledge may not translate perfectly during a public health event. This case will complement the focus on emergency preparedness and monitoring and managerial control mechanisms emphasized in the course MPH 9010- Managing Health Services. This level of public health response provides direction and recommendations for all sectors in the face of urgent events, such as infectious disease outbreaks

Una guía general para el estudio etnográfico del habla

Los autores proponen en este artículo un marco general de preguntas que pueden formularse a los miembros de una comunidad en estudio, encaminadas a orientar el trabajo del etnógrafo que se dedica a la investigación del uso del habla

The Boasian Text Tradition and the History of Anthropology

The North American anthropological tradition, as a whole, contrasts sharply with the anthropologies which grew up elsewhere in the Western world, and forms a distinct part of contemporary anthropology on an international scale, a part which is accessible to us through disciplinary history. In this article I first argue for an historical approach as integral to mature disciplinary theory, and will then examine a specific moment in the history of North American anthropology as a microcosm of the differences between the British and North American traditions.La tradition anthropologique nord-américaine, dans son ensemble, contraste vivement avec les anthropologies qui se sont formées ailleurs en Occident, et constitue une partie distincte de l′anthropologie contemporaine à l′échelle mondiale, partie qui nous est accessible par le biais de l′anthropologie historique. Dans cet article, je plaiderai pour une approche historique comme partie intégrante de la théorie anthropologique, et examinerai un moment spécifique de l′histoire de l′anthropologie nord-américaine tel un microcosme des différences entre les traditions britannique et nord-américaine