Question

Cargo cults, which mix melanesian and christian beliefs, are:

a. religious responses to the expansion of the world capitalistic economy, often with political and economic consequences.
b. cultural acts that mock the widespread but erroneous belief of European cultural supremacy.
c. movements that arise when natives begin to acquire and benefit from the wealth, technology, and living standards of industrial societies
d. attempts to explain European domination without actually trying to achieve similar successes.

Answer 1

Cargo cults are religious movements in Melanesian societies that emerged in response to exposure to Western material wealth and are characterized by rituals aimed at obtaining this wealth. They are understood as responses to the expansion of the world capitalistic economy, combining Melanesian and Christian beliefs. The term is not favored by anthropologists today due to its oversimplifying and pejorative implications.

Step-by-step explanation:

Cargo cults are a phenomenon that primarily occurred in Melanesian societies as a result of the interaction between indigenous populations and the forces of colonialism and modernization. The term cargo cults often refers to religious movements that emerged in response to the material wealth and technological advancements brought by Westerners during colonization and military operations. These cults synthesize local and introduced beliefs, typically Christian in nature, and are characterized by rituals that are believed to bring about the material wealth ('cargo') observed in the hands of colonizers or military personnel.

Cargo cults are often interpreted as religious responses to the expansion of the world capitalistic economy. They are not simply attempts to mock European cultural dominance or simply a means of acquiring wealth and technology as in option c. Rather, these movements tend to arise in the dynamic interchange between indigenous cultural frameworks and the disruptive influences of colonization, trade, and globalization. The rituals and beliefs associated with cargo cults can have both political and economic consequences for the societies that practice them.

It is essential to understand that the term 'cargo cult,' while widely used historically, is not favored by anthropologists today because it can oversimplify complex cultural and religious phenomena and carry pejorative connotations. Therefore, the characterization of cargo cults often requires a nuanced approach that takes into account their social, economic, and political dimensions within the context of historical and cultural change.