Listen now | In this episode of the Extra Credit podcast, we talk to anthropologist Ward Keeler about his life, his research on southeast Asia, and the complexity and inescapability of hierarchy in human affairs.
I agree that hierarchy is inevitable and necessary but I'd quibble with the examples given above. In Australia it is routine for professors to be called by their first name; this is somewhat true for medical doctors as well. The authority of these figures is not thereby diminished. I think authority resides in the office rather than in the etiquette of how to address someone. Cultural difference teaches a lot. Australia is a monarchy but is also a highly egalitarian culture; the US, like all republics, tends to be more formal when it comes to how citizens interact with one another. Hierarchy does its necessary work in both places. Thanks for this Substack, which I very much enjoy reading.
I agree that hierarchy is inevitable and necessary but I'd quibble with the examples given above. In Australia it is routine for professors to be called by their first name; this is somewhat true for medical doctors as well. The authority of these figures is not thereby diminished. I think authority resides in the office rather than in the etiquette of how to address someone. Cultural difference teaches a lot. Australia is a monarchy but is also a highly egalitarian culture; the US, like all republics, tends to be more formal when it comes to how citizens interact with one another. Hierarchy does its necessary work in both places. Thanks for this Substack, which I very much enjoy reading.