Anthropology Flashcards
What is anthropology?
the study of the lives and cultures of human beings, both alive and dead, examining how they live, think, communicate, produce, and interact with their social and physical environment.
What is ethnocentrism?
The tendency to look at the world primarily from the perspective of one’s own culture, often leading to bias and judgment.
What is the major goal of cultural anthropology?
Cultural relativism, which is the belief that each culture is important and unique, deserving respect.
Why do Kayan women wear neck rings?
Reasons include protection from becoming slaves, enhancing attractiveness by exaggerating sexual dimorphism, resembling a dragon (important in folklore), and cultural identity associated with beauty.
What are some characteristics of culture?
Politics, economics, family, communication, recreation and leisure, war, knowledge and beliefs, and material culture.
What is ethnology?
The study of the origins and cultures of different races and peoples, including marriage customs, kinship patterns, political and economic systems, religion, art, music, and technology.
What is ethnography?
Extensive notes taken by ethnologists during participant observation, providing an in-depth description of a particular culture (a case study)
Why are ethnographies important?
They provide insight into daily life in unfamiliar environments, teach about global issues, and offer holistic, multifaceted accounts of cultural practices.
What is participant observation?
A method where researchers live and participate in the culture they study to gain in-depth cultural understanding, though it can be subjective and should be complemented with objective data.
What did Margaret Mead conclude in her study of Samoan adolescent girls?
She concluded that adolescence was a stress-free time for Samoan girls due to their sexual freedom, suggesting sex roles are determined by culture, not biology.
What is the difference between cultural relativism and ethnocentrism?
Cultural relativism is respecting and accepting other cultures, while ethnocentrism is judging other cultures by one’s own values.
Why was Margaret Mead’s study controversial?
Derek Freeman later found Samoan sexual practices to be restrictive, suggesting Mead was misled by her informants. Paul Shankman noted both anthropologists were correct for their times, as Samoan culture had changed significantly.
What did Ruth Benedict do during WWII?
She researched Japanese culture for the U.S. government to help understand and defeat the Japanese army, using cultural materials and interviews with Japanese immigrants and Japanese-Americans.
What is netnography?
A method of studying online social behaviors in digital environments, focusing on the perceived and symbolic meanings within social contexts.
What are rites of passage?
Culturally defined ceremonies, rituals, or events that mark a transition from one stage of life to another.
What are some common ceremonies to mark different stages of life in most cultures?
Birth, puberty, marriage, reproduction, old age, and death.
What are the three stages of the rites of passage process?
Separation, transition, and incorporation.
What happens during the separation stage?
The individual is removed from society to prepare for their transition, often involving geographic change and a change in physical appearance.
What occurs during the transition stage?
The individual is isolated from society to prepare for reentry in a new role, which can last from a few hours to several years.
What happens during the incorporation stage?
The individual reenters society in their new role, sometimes marked by tattoos, scars, body paint, or new clothing.
Why are rites of passage important?
They help understand growth, maintain community stability, provide entertainment, and pass on traditions and values.
What is the difference between secular and religious rites?
Secular rites are not related to religion, while religious rites are associated with belief in God or a religion.
What is gender?
A cultural construction that classifies people, often based on assigned sex, and includes a spectrum that recognizes more gender diversity.
What questions do anthropologists ask about gender?
How deeply is gender tied to cultural practices? In what ways does a person learn their gender? What are definitions and practices of gender in a particular time and place?
What is toxic masculinity?
A set of attitudes and behaviors expected of men that negatively impact men and society, such as suppressing emotions, maintaining hardness, and using violence to show power.
What is the difference between sex and gender?
Sex is assigned at birth based on biological characteristics, while gender is a cultural classification that may or may not align with one’s sex.
What are some cultural expectations of females?
Always dress well, be feminine, thin, nurturing, and let men go first
What are gender roles?
Expectations about tasks, attitudes, and behaviors that are culturally assigned based on sex and gender.
What are some cultural expectations of males?
Be strong, bold, independent, muscular, assertive, not show weakness, and excel in sports and career success.
What is kinship?
A relationship that exists between two or more people based on genetics (ancestry), mating, or law (marriage, adoption, etc).
What are some culturally defined ideals of masculinity?
Height, musculature, amount of fat, length of head hair, and other body hair.
What are the three main purposes of dating?
Socialization, mate selection, and recreation.
What are the three types of kinship systems?
Patrilineal, matrilineal, and bilineal systems.
How has online dating changed the way people date?
Online dating has increased accessibility to potential partners, offers convenience, and can help match people based on specific criteria
What can kinship patterns determine?
Where you live, how generations are connected, how property is inherited, and who holds power in the family.
What are the different types of marriages?
Monogamy, polygamy, polygyny, polyandry, and group marriage.
What are the three major functions of marriage?
Provides for survival and socialization of children, defines rights and obligations of the couple, and creates new relationships between families.
What are some reasons for the practice of polygyny?
It can symbolize wealth/power, provide labor support, and allow for shared child-rearing responsibilities.
How is marriage changing in Canada?
More couples are choosing not to marry, having children outside of marriage, and common-law relationships are more common. Same-sex marriages and interfaith/interracial marriages are also increasing.
What is group marriage?
: Several husbands and wives form a family unit, sharing parental responsibilities and resources.
How does the Na society view marriage and family?
The Na have no formal marriage; women live with their maternal relatives, and men have “walking marriages” where they visit women without forming permanent bonds.
What is an arranged marriage?
Marriages set up by someone other than the people getting married, often focusing on child-rearing, economic, and kinship functions over personal desires.
What is the significance of polyandry in certain cultures?
Helps keep land within the family, provides labor support, and serves as a form of birth control.
What are the three main areas of linguistic anthropology?
Historical linguistics, structural linguistics, and sociolinguistics
What is linguistic anthropology?
The study of the structure and diversity of language systems used by humans and how language affects and expresses culture.
What are the key functions of language?
Expresses ideas, allows for communication, transmits culture, and can be verbal or nonverbal
What does historical linguistics study?
The origin and evolution of languages, comparing similarities and differences in language structures.
What does sociolinguistics examine?
How language serves and is shaped by the social nature of human beings.
What does structural linguistics focus on?
How sounds are put together to create meaning in language.
What are pictographs?
Drawings representing physical objects used to communicate ideas, originating around 9000 BC.
When did written language become common?
Around 5000 years ago, becoming more widespread with the printing press in the 15th century.
What does the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis propose?
Language structure determines a speaker’s worldview, influencing how people perceive and understand the world.
What is archaeology?
The study of human behavior using material remains through excavation and reconstruction.
What are the three types of writing systems?
Logographic, syllabic, and alphabetical.
Why is archaeology important?
It helps us understand who we are today by knowing where we come from and provides insights into ancient cultures.
What did archaeologists learn from the Mantel site?
The site had palisade walls for defense, evidence of fishing, gathering, agriculture, longhouses, and a piece of iron indicating trade.
What are examples of material remains in archaeology?
Pottery, carved bone, tools, buildings, post marks, seeds, animal remains, and garbage.
What tools are used in archaeological digs?
Big digger, shovels, flags, trowel, brushes, toothbrushes, and 3D imaging.
When did archaeology become a scientific discipline?
In the 1920s, following developments from antiquarian collections and early scientific approaches.
What methods do archaeologists use to analyze sites?
Sifting dirt, flagging artifacts, creating 3D site images, and mapping excavation areas.
What is an artifact?
Objects left behind by people that were used in their daily lives.
What is a midden?
The place where ancient peoples left their garbage
Name different types of archaeology
Egyptology, classical archaeology, Polynesian archaeology, Mayanology, North American archaeology, Kentucky archaeology, underwater archaeology.
How do different environments affect archaeological findings?
Wet, dry, cold, and volcanic ash environments preserve remains differently, impacting what is discovered
What happened to the Franklin Expedition?
They got stuck in the ice; skeletal remains and notes were found in 1859, with the ships discovered in 2014 and 2016.
What is garbology?
The study of contemporary society through its garbage.
What can we learn about our society by looking at garbage?
Diet and nutrition, literacy, technology, values and beliefs, and patterns in behavior.
How do patterns in behavior relate to garbage?
Patterns in behavior lead to patterns in artifacts found in garbage.
What could archaeologists learn about our culture 1000 years from now based on our garbage?
Values, beliefs, gender roles, education levels, technology, food acquisition, and daily habits.
What is Noam Chomsky’s theory of universal grammar?
The idea that all children are born with an internal set of universal rules for grammar and are predisposed to learn structured language
Why does language change over time?
Contact between cultures, isolation of groups, and new cultural demands.
How do evolutionary biologists and behaviorists view language development?
They believe language is learned and influenced by the culture in which one is raised.
What is code-switching in sociolinguistics
Alternating between two or more languages or language varieties in a single conversation.
How does body language vary across cultures?
Different cultures have unique meanings for gestures and body language.
what are the 3 types of cultural anthropology
archaeology, anthropological linguistics, and ethnology
What is the goal of physical anthropology?
To explain human evolution, understand present behaviours, and trace ancestral migration and behaviour patterns.
What is physical anthropology?
The study of human evolution and biological nature through fossils and artifacts.
What is paleoanthropology?
The study of human ancestors based on evidence from the distant evolutionary past.
What is the difference between a hominin and a hominid?
hominin refers to humans and their ancestors, while a hominid includes all modern and extinct Great Apes.
what did Charles Darwin contribute to physical anthropology?
He proposed the theory of natural selection, explaining the evolution of species over time from common ancestors.
What is Darwin’s theory of natural selection?
The idea that species evolve and adapt over time, with those best suited to their environment surviving and passing on traits.
How did Gregor Mendel contribute to our understanding of genetics?
He discovered that heredity factors do not blend but retain their identity, passing traits down through generations.
What is significant about the “Lucy” fossil?
Lucy, a 40% complete Australopithecus afarensis fossil, provided evidence of bipedalism and insight into human evolution.
Question: What evidence shows early hominins were bipedal?
S-shaped spine, wide pelvis, slanting thigh bone, double arched foot, and big toe in line with the heel.
What is significant about the Homo naledi discovery?
it showed a mix of ape and human traits and suggested possible deliberate disposal of the dead, indicating cultural practices.
What did the Laetoli footprints reveal?
They showed that bipedalism began at least 3.6 million years ago.
what is a fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains of plants and animals whose bodies were buried in sediments, such as sand and mud, under ancient seas, lakes and rivers.
what is Prognathism
when the jaw sticks out
What is primatology?
The study of primates, both in the lab and in natural environments, to understand human evolution and behavior.
Question: How are humans and primates connected genetically?
Humans and primates share 98.5% of their DNA, differing by only 1-2%
Who are our closest living relatives?
Chimpanzees and bonobos.
What are the key differences between bonobos and chimps?
Bonobos are smaller, more bipedal, have black faces with pink pigmentation and produce higher-pitched vocalizations.
Why are primates used in research?
To study our shared evolutionary history, learn about their unique behaviors, and as models for human behavior and diseases.
What did Louis Leakey propose about human and great ape behaviour?
He suggested that common behaviours between humans and great apes could have been present in our shared ancestors.
What did Jane Goodall discover about chimpanzees?
She observed that chimps are omnivores, make and use tools, and exhibit complex social behaviors similar to humans.
What was Dian Fossey known for in her study of gorillas?
She studied mountain gorillas, opposed poaching, and highlighted their dignified, social, and gentle nature.
What did Birute Galdikas discover about orangutans?
She observed that orangutans eat fruit, and mothers care for their offspring for up to 7 years.
What did Francine Patterson achieve with Koko the gorilla?
She taught Koko American Sign Language (ASL), revealing primate emotions, intelligence, and cognitive abilities.
Why are opposable thumbs significant in primates?
They enable primates to grasp small items and use tools; humans have more precise thumb movements for tasks like sign language.
How do humans differ from other primates in terms of grasping?
Humans have lost the ability to use their big toe for grasping due to bipedalism, but they have a stronger and more precise grip with their hands.
How is cultural transmission in primates similar to human socialization?
Primates learn norms, roles, and expectations within their groups, which is similar to how humans socialize and transmit culture
What did we learn about gorilla communication from Koko?
Koko demonstrated that gorillas have the ability to communicate complex emotions and thoughts through gestures, highlighting their intelligence and cognitive complexity.
