When I began my training as an anthropologist, I wanted answers to large, sweeping questions.  I grew up in a community and at a time when people attributed different intrinsic abilities, natures and rights to black people, women, and various ethnic groups. I wanted to know if these sweeping generalizations were true. Were these supposed differences universal-were they found everywhere? If not, then they couldn't be innate-something else explained them. What? And why the differences?