Cannibalism  

From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia

(Difference between revisions)
Jump to: navigation, search
Revision as of 17:51, 25 September 2007
Jahsonic (Talk | contribs)
(In popular culture)
← Previous diff
Current revision
Jahsonic (Talk | contribs)

Line 1: Line 1:
 +[[Image:The Raft of the Medusa (1818-19, Le Radeau de la Méduse) is a painting by the French painter Théodore Géricault.jpg|thumb|left|200px|''[[The Raft of the Medusa]]'' (1819) by Théodore Géricault]]
 +[[Image:Cover of Sweeney Todd, published by Charles Fox in 48 numbers.jpg|thumb|right|200px|''[[Sweeney Todd]]'']]
 +{| class="toccolours" style="float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 2em; font-size: 85%; background:#c6dbf7; color:black; width:30em; max-width: 40%;" cellspacing="5"
 +| style="text-align: left;" |
 +"[[Ungawa]]"--chief of the cannibals to [[Lou Costello]] in ''[[Africa Screams]]''
 +<hr>
 +"The [[hero]] is [[slain]] by the [[cuckold|husband]] of the [[lady]] whose love he has won, his [[heart]] is cut by the husband from his body and cunningly served to the lady at meal-time."--"[[The Legend of the Eaten Heart]]" (1911) by John Mattzke
 +|}
{{Template}} {{Template}}
'''Cannibalism''' (from [[Spanish language|Spanish]] ''caníbal'', in connection with alleged cannibalism among the [[Carib]]s), also called '''anthropophagy''' ''anthropos'' "man" and ''phagein'' "to consume" is the act or practice of [[human]]s consuming other humans. In [[zoology]], the term cannibalism is extended to refer to any [[species]] consuming members of its own kind. '''Cannibalism''' (from [[Spanish language|Spanish]] ''caníbal'', in connection with alleged cannibalism among the [[Carib]]s), also called '''anthropophagy''' ''anthropos'' "man" and ''phagein'' "to consume" is the act or practice of [[human]]s consuming other humans. In [[zoology]], the term cannibalism is extended to refer to any [[species]] consuming members of its own kind.
Care should be taken to distinguish among ritual cannibalism sanctioned by a [[cultural code]], cannibalism by necessity occurring in extreme situations of [[famine]], and cannibalism by [[Mental illness|mentally disturbed]] people. Care should be taken to distinguish among ritual cannibalism sanctioned by a [[cultural code]], cannibalism by necessity occurring in extreme situations of [[famine]], and cannibalism by [[Mental illness|mentally disturbed]] people.
 +
 +==Myths, legends and folklore==
 +Cannibalism features in the folklore and legends of many cultures and is most often attributed to evil characters or as extreme retribution for some wrong. Examples include the [[witch]] in "[[Hansel and Gretel]]", [[Lamia (mythology)|Lamia]] of [[Greek mythology]] and [[Baba Yaga]] of [[Slavic folklore]].
 +
 +A number of stories in [[Greek mythology]] involve cannibalism, in particular cannibalism of close family members, e.g., the stories of [[Thyestes]], [[Tereus]] and especially [[Cronus]], who was [[Saturn (mythology)|Saturn]] in the Roman pantheon. The story of [[Tantalus]] also parallels this.
 +
 +The [[wendigo]] is a creature appearing in the [[Native American mythology|legends]] of the [[Algonquian peoples|Algonquian]] people. It is thought of variously as a malevolent cannibalistic spirit that could [[spiritual possession|possess]] humans or a monster that humans could physically transform into. Those who indulged in cannibalism were at particular risk, and the legend appears to have reinforced this practice as [[taboo]].
== In popular culture == == In popular culture ==
* In [[1729]] [[Jonathan Swift]] wrote ''A Modest Proposal: For Preventing the Children of Poor People in Ireland from Being a Burden to Their Parents or Country, and for Making Them Beneficial to the Publick'', commonly referred to as ''[[A Modest Proposal]]'', a [[satire|satirical]] [[pamphlet]] in which he proposed that poor [[Ireland|Irish]] families sell their children to be eaten, thereby earning income for the family. * In [[1729]] [[Jonathan Swift]] wrote ''A Modest Proposal: For Preventing the Children of Poor People in Ireland from Being a Burden to Their Parents or Country, and for Making Them Beneficial to the Publick'', commonly referred to as ''[[A Modest Proposal]]'', a [[satire|satirical]] [[pamphlet]] in which he proposed that poor [[Ireland|Irish]] families sell their children to be eaten, thereby earning income for the family.
*[[The Raft of the Medusa]] *[[The Raft of the Medusa]]
 +*[[Cannibalism in fiction|more cannibalism in fiction]]
 +==As used to demonize colonized or other groups==
 +Unsubstantiated reports of cannibalism disproportionately relate cases of cannibalism among cultures that are already otherwise despised, feared, or are little known. In antiquity, Greek reports of cannibalism, (often called ''anthropophagy'' in this context) were related to distant non-Hellenic [[barbarians]], or else relegated in [[Greek mythology]] to the 'primitive' [[chthonic]] world that preceded the coming of the Olympian gods: see the explicit rejection of human sacrifice in the cannibal feast prepared for the Olympians by [[Tantalus]] of his son [[Pelops]]. All South Sea Islanders were cannibals so far as their enemies were concerned. When the [[whaleship Essex]] was rammed and sunk by a whale in 1820, the captain opted to sail 3000 miles upwind to [[Chile]] rather than 1400 miles downwind to the [[Marquesas]] because he had heard the Marquesans were cannibals. Ironically many of the survivors of the shipwreck resorted to cannibalism in order to survive.
 +
 +However, [[Herman Melville]] happily lived with the Marquesan Typees (Taipi), rumored to have been the most vicious of the island group's cannibal tribes, but also may have witnessed evidence of cannibalism. In his semi-autobiographical novel ''[[Typee]]'', he reports seeing [[shrunken heads]] and having strong evidence that the tribal leaders ceremonially consumed the bodies of killed warriors of the neighboring tribe after a skirmish.
 +
 +[[William Arens]], author of ''The Man-Eating Myth: Anthropology and Anthropophagy'', questions the credibility of reports of cannibalism and argues that the description by one group of people of another people as cannibals is a consistent and demonstrable ideological and rhetorical device to establish perceived [[Cultural imperialism|cultural superiority]]. Arens bases his thesis on a detailed analysis of numerous "classic" cases of cultural cannibalism cited by explorers, missionaries, and anthropologists. His findings were that many were steeped in racism, unsubstantiated, or based on second-hand or hearsay evidence. In combing the literature he could not find a single credible eye-witness account. And, as he points out, the hallmark of ethnography is the observation of a practice prior to description. In the end he concluded that cannibalism was not the widespread prehistoric practice it was claimed to be; that anthropologists were too quick to pin the cannibal label on a group based not on responsible research but on our own [[culturally-determined]] pre-conceived notions, often motivated by a need to exoticize. He wrote:
 +
 +:"Anthropologists have made no serious attempt to disabuse the public of the widespread notion of the ubiquity of anthropophagists.&nbsp;... in the deft hands and fertile imaginations of anthropologists, former or contemporary anthropophagists have multiplied with the advance of civilization and fieldwork in formerly unstudied culture areas. ...The existence of man-eating peoples just beyond the pale of civilization is a common ethnographic suggestion."
 +
 +Arens' findings are controversial, and have been cited as an example of [[postcolonial]] [[historical revisionism|revisionism]]. His argument is often mischaracterized as "cannibals do not and never did exist", when in the end the book is actually a call for a more responsible and reflective approach to anthropological research. At any rate, the book ushered in an era of rigorous combing of the cannibalism literature. By Arens' later admission, some cannibalism claims came up short, others were reinforced.
-== Cannibalism in fiction ==+Conversely, [[Michel de Montaigne]]'s essay "[[Of Cannibals]]" introduced a new multicultural note in European civilization. Montaigne wrote that "one calls 'barbarism' whatever he is not accustomed to." By using a title like that and describing a fair indigean society, Montaigne may have wished to provoke a surprise in the reader of his ''Essays''.
-Some examples of cannibalism in fiction are:+== See also ==
-* [[Classical mythology]]:+* [[Alferd Packer]], an American prospector, accused but not convicted of cannibalism
-** [[Thyestes]]+* [[Androphagi]], an ancient nation of cannibals
-** [[Tereus]]+* [[Asmat people]], a Papua group with a reputation of cannibalism
-* [[William Shakespeare]]'s ''[[Titus Andronicus]]'', in which a character is unknowingly served a pie made from the remains of her two sons+* [[Cannibalism in popular culture]]
-* [[Herman Melville|Herman Melville's]] ''[[Typee]]'', a semi-factual account of Melville's voyage to the Pacific Island of [[Nuku Hiva]], where he spent several weeks living among the island's cannibal inhabitants, after which he fled the island fearing to be eaten. +* [[Cannibalism (poultry)]]
-* [[H. G. Wells|H.G. Wells's]] ''[[The Time Machine]]'', an [[1896]] science fiction novel features cannibalism by the more advanced species as a means of survival.+* [[Chijon family]], a Korean gang that killed and ate rich people
-* [[Jack London|Jack London's]] ''[[White Fang]]'', in which White Fang attacks and devours Lip-Lip, a rival sled-dog.+* [[Homo antecessor]], an extinct human species, suspected of practicing cannibalism
-* ''[[Stranger in a Strange Land]]'' by [[Robert Heinlein]]. Among (non-human) [[Martians]], eating one's dead friends is an act of great respect. Some humans adopt the practice. +* [[Issei Sagawa]], a popular Japanese celebrity who killed and ate a fellow student
-* In ''[[Soylent Green]]'', a [[1973]] science fiction film starring [[Charlton Heston]], [[Edward G. Robinson]], and [[Joseph Cotten]], Soylent Green is the processed remains of corpses rendered into small green crackers.+* [[Manifesto Antropófago]], (Cannibal Manifesto in English), a Brazilian poem
-* ''[[Secrets (play)|Secrets]]'', a 1973 TV comedy play by [[Michael Palin]] and [[Terry Jones]] in which some chocolate factory workers fall into a mixing vat and become part of the confectionery+* [[Noida serial murders]], a widely publicized instance of cannibalism in India
-*''[[The Texas Chainsaw Massacre]]'' ([[1974]]) and its sequels fictionalize the accounts of [[Ed Gein]], turing the cannibal-murderer into an entire family of psychopaths.+* [[Placentophagy]], the act of mammals eating the placenta of their young after childbirth
-* [[Hannibal Lecter]], a fictional character created by [[Thomas Harris]] in the [[1983]] novel ''[[Red Dragon]]'', but most famously depicted in Harris's ''[[The Silence of the Lambs]]'', released in [[1988]], and ''[[Hannibal Lecter|Hannibal]]''+* [[R v Dudley and Stephens]], an important trial of two men accused of shipwreck cannibalism
-* [[Fannie Flagg]]'s novel ''[[Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe]]'', in which investigators are unknowingly fed the [[barbeque]]d ribs of a man whose murder they are investigating.+*[[Self-cannibalism]]
-* ''[[Eat the Rich]]'', a [[1987]] black comedy in which a disgruntled waiter and his friends kill the management and arrogant clientele and then fed the bodies to unsuspecting customers.+* [[Transmissible spongiform encephalopathy]], a progressive condition that affect the brain and nervous system of many animals, including humans
-* Patrick Bateman, a fictional character created by [[Bret Easton Ellis]] in the 1987 novel ''[[The Rules of Attraction]]'', but most famously depicted in Ellis's ''[[American Psycho]]'', released in 1991+* [[Vorarephilia]], a sexual fetish and paraphilia where arousal occurs from the idea of cannibalism
-* ''[[The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover]]'', a 1989 film written and directed by [[Peter Greenaway]]+* [[Wari’ people]], an Amerindian tribe that practiced cannibalism
-* ''[[Delicatessen (movie)|Delicatessen]]'', a 1991 comedy film written and directed by [[Jean-Pierre Jeunet]] and [[Marc Caro]]+
-* ''[[Eating Raoul]]'', a 1982 black comedy by [[Paul Bartel]]+
-* [[Sweeney Todd]], a play about a barber who kills his customers and sells their flesh as food.+
-* The famous writer [[Lu Xun]] penned a story the [[Diary of a Madman]] in which a madman gradually became convinced that the history of Chinese civilization could be summarized in two words, "eat people", and that his friends and relatives all intend to eat him. Also ''Auntie Xianglin'', a 1918 short story.+
-* ''Parents'', a [[1989]] film directed by Bob Balaban about a disturbed young boy who suspects his parents are cooking more than just hamburgers on their backyard grill.+
-* ''[[Ravenous]]'', a [[1999]] black comedy written by Ted Griffen and directed by Antonia Bird. Based loosely on the Donner Party true story.+
-* ''[[Sin City]]'', a film by Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez, features a character played by [[Elijah Wood]] who eats the bodies of prostitutes, as well as forcing them to eat their own severed limbs.+
-<!-- Note: I feel that Soylent Green should not be included here, as it is essentially giving away the "twist" of the movie and amounts to a spoiler. You might feel otherwise. -->+
-<!-- Response/Opinion: You could argue you the same for Delicatessen. As it is, Soylent Green has become a cultural touchstone, so much so that more people probably know the twist than have actually seen the film. (And I haven't seen the film myself.) But most importantly, here's the policy page on [[Wikipedia:Warn_readers_about_spoilers|spoilers]]. I've decided to make a custom spoiler warning. -->+
-<!-- I'm giving away the "twist" anyway, for the folks who don't know what it's about. -->+
-* ''[[Cannibal! The Musical]]'', a fictionalized account of [[Alferd Packer|Alferd Packer's]] cannibalism written and directed by [[Trey Parker]] of ''[[South Park]]'' fame, which itself also depicts cannibalism in its episode ''[[Scott Tenorman Must Die]]''.+
-* ''Courtship Rite'' by [[Donald Kingsbury]], a [[Science Fiction]] novel in which cannibalism is an essential theme.+
-*''The Republic of Wine: A Novel'' by [[Mo Yan]], in which cannibalism is practiced by officials in modern China.+
-*''[[Haunted (novel)|Haunted]]'', a novel by American Author [[Chuck Palahniuk]] contains several incidences of cannibalism.+
{{GFDL}} {{GFDL}}

Current revision

The Raft of the Medusa (1819) by  Théodore Géricault
Enlarge
The Raft of the Medusa (1819) by Théodore Géricault

"Ungawa"--chief of the cannibals to Lou Costello in Africa Screams


"The hero is slain by the husband of the lady whose love he has won, his heart is cut by the husband from his body and cunningly served to the lady at meal-time."--"The Legend of the Eaten Heart" (1911) by John Mattzke

Related e

Wikipedia
Wiktionary
Shop


Featured:

Cannibalism (from Spanish caníbal, in connection with alleged cannibalism among the Caribs), also called anthropophagy anthropos "man" and phagein "to consume" is the act or practice of humans consuming other humans. In zoology, the term cannibalism is extended to refer to any species consuming members of its own kind.

Care should be taken to distinguish among ritual cannibalism sanctioned by a cultural code, cannibalism by necessity occurring in extreme situations of famine, and cannibalism by mentally disturbed people.

Contents

Myths, legends and folklore

Cannibalism features in the folklore and legends of many cultures and is most often attributed to evil characters or as extreme retribution for some wrong. Examples include the witch in "Hansel and Gretel", Lamia of Greek mythology and Baba Yaga of Slavic folklore.

A number of stories in Greek mythology involve cannibalism, in particular cannibalism of close family members, e.g., the stories of Thyestes, Tereus and especially Cronus, who was Saturn in the Roman pantheon. The story of Tantalus also parallels this.

The wendigo is a creature appearing in the legends of the Algonquian people. It is thought of variously as a malevolent cannibalistic spirit that could possess humans or a monster that humans could physically transform into. Those who indulged in cannibalism were at particular risk, and the legend appears to have reinforced this practice as taboo.

In popular culture

As used to demonize colonized or other groups

Unsubstantiated reports of cannibalism disproportionately relate cases of cannibalism among cultures that are already otherwise despised, feared, or are little known. In antiquity, Greek reports of cannibalism, (often called anthropophagy in this context) were related to distant non-Hellenic barbarians, or else relegated in Greek mythology to the 'primitive' chthonic world that preceded the coming of the Olympian gods: see the explicit rejection of human sacrifice in the cannibal feast prepared for the Olympians by Tantalus of his son Pelops. All South Sea Islanders were cannibals so far as their enemies were concerned. When the whaleship Essex was rammed and sunk by a whale in 1820, the captain opted to sail 3000 miles upwind to Chile rather than 1400 miles downwind to the Marquesas because he had heard the Marquesans were cannibals. Ironically many of the survivors of the shipwreck resorted to cannibalism in order to survive.

However, Herman Melville happily lived with the Marquesan Typees (Taipi), rumored to have been the most vicious of the island group's cannibal tribes, but also may have witnessed evidence of cannibalism. In his semi-autobiographical novel Typee, he reports seeing shrunken heads and having strong evidence that the tribal leaders ceremonially consumed the bodies of killed warriors of the neighboring tribe after a skirmish.

William Arens, author of The Man-Eating Myth: Anthropology and Anthropophagy, questions the credibility of reports of cannibalism and argues that the description by one group of people of another people as cannibals is a consistent and demonstrable ideological and rhetorical device to establish perceived cultural superiority. Arens bases his thesis on a detailed analysis of numerous "classic" cases of cultural cannibalism cited by explorers, missionaries, and anthropologists. His findings were that many were steeped in racism, unsubstantiated, or based on second-hand or hearsay evidence. In combing the literature he could not find a single credible eye-witness account. And, as he points out, the hallmark of ethnography is the observation of a practice prior to description. In the end he concluded that cannibalism was not the widespread prehistoric practice it was claimed to be; that anthropologists were too quick to pin the cannibal label on a group based not on responsible research but on our own culturally-determined pre-conceived notions, often motivated by a need to exoticize. He wrote:

"Anthropologists have made no serious attempt to disabuse the public of the widespread notion of the ubiquity of anthropophagists. ... in the deft hands and fertile imaginations of anthropologists, former or contemporary anthropophagists have multiplied with the advance of civilization and fieldwork in formerly unstudied culture areas. ...The existence of man-eating peoples just beyond the pale of civilization is a common ethnographic suggestion."

Arens' findings are controversial, and have been cited as an example of postcolonial revisionism. His argument is often mischaracterized as "cannibals do not and never did exist", when in the end the book is actually a call for a more responsible and reflective approach to anthropological research. At any rate, the book ushered in an era of rigorous combing of the cannibalism literature. By Arens' later admission, some cannibalism claims came up short, others were reinforced.

Conversely, Michel de Montaigne's essay "Of Cannibals" introduced a new multicultural note in European civilization. Montaigne wrote that "one calls 'barbarism' whatever he is not accustomed to." By using a title like that and describing a fair indigean society, Montaigne may have wished to provoke a surprise in the reader of his Essays.

See also




Unless indicated otherwise, the text in this article is either based on Wikipedia article "Cannibalism" or another language Wikipedia page thereof used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License; or on research by Jahsonic and friends. See Art and Popular Culture's copyright notice.

Personal tools