Primatology
Scientific studies concerning primate and human behavior have been subject to the same set of political and social complications, or biases, as every other scientific discipline. The borderline and multidisciplinary nature of primatology and sociobiology make them ripe fields of study because they are amalgams of objective and subjective sciences. Current scientific practice, especially in the hard sciences, requires a total dissociation of personal experience from the finished scientific product (Bauchspies 8). This is a strategy that is incompatible with observational field studies, and weakens them in the eyes of hard science. As mentioned above, the Western school of primatology tries to minimize or control subjectivity to the greatest degree possible, while the Japanese school of primatology tends to embrace the closeness inherent in studying nature.
Social critics of science, some operating from within the field, cry foul when reviewing the young disciplines of primatology and sociobiology. Claims are made that researchers form opinions on issues concerning human sociality prior to doing their studies, and then seek evidence that agrees with their worldview or otherwise furthers a sociopolitical agenda. In particular, the use of primatological studies to assert gender roles, and promote or subvert feminism has been a serious point of contention.
An example of this is Zuckerman’s 1932 study of captive hamadryas baboons, as critiqued in Sturm and Fedigan's Changing Views on Primate Societies. Zuckerman observed male baboons kill each other off in great number in their captive environment. Whether intended or not, the study served to reinforce images of the male as the sole competitor in an often violent race to secure dominance and access to a harem of females. Despite wildly unrealistic overcrowding and completely incorrect male to female ratio, Zuckerman's paper was viewed as good science at the time. These ideas justified the status quo of human male dominance, and consequently, the studies were widely supported and assumed to be the basis of a primate-wide template for behavior, including that of humans. Incidentally, the hamadryas baboon females are among the most submissive and most gender-unequal of all primates, although primates and humans share a tremendous variation in troop structure (Hrdy 101, Stone).
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Sources
- Haraway, Donna J. (1990). Primate Visions. Routledge. ISBN 0415902940.
- Blaffer Hrdy, Sarah (1999). The Woman That Never Evolved. Harvard University Press. ISBN 0674955390.
- Stone, Linda (2005). Kinship and Gender. Westview Press. ISBN 081334302X.
- Bauchspies, Wenda K.; Restivo, Sal Croissant, Jennifer (2005). Science, Technology, and Society: A Sociological Approach. Blackwell Publishing Limited. ISBN 0674010043.
- Stone, Linda (2005). Kinship and Gender. Westview Press. ISBN 081334302X.
- Stone, Linda. Kinship And Gender: An Introduction. Boulder, Colo: Westview Press. ISBN 0-8133-4302-X.
- Fedigan, Linda Marie; Strum, Shirley C. (2000). Primate encounters: models of science, gender, and society. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0226777553.
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See also
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External links
- World Directory of Primatologists
- Primatologist Biographies
- multisensory representation of number in infancy
- Primatology.org A community run blog, with contributions from primatologists around the world.
- Master in Primatology Master's Degree and Doctorate Programme in Primatology, University of Barcelona, Spain.
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