Anthropology Flashcards
Social Change
Changes in the way that society is organized, and in the beliefs and practices of the people who live in it.
Anthropological Questions
1) What are some factors that cause social change?
2) What reasons can be applied to describe why cultures change?
3) How useful are these ideas or explanations when applying them to the modern world?
4) Are anthropological findings valid from one era to another?
Diffusion
Occurs when one culture borrows cultural symbols from another
Acculturation
Process that results from prolonged contact between two cultures during which they interchange symbols, beliefs and customs
Incorporation
Where people may freely borrow selected elements
Directed change
When one culture defeats or otherwise controls another
Cultural evolution
This view proposes that cultures evolve according to common patterns
Change in various countries
Originally studied cultures that were isolated, now study rich and poor cultures
Sources of cultural change
Invention
Discovery
Diffusion
Enculturation
Invention
New products, ideas and social patterns that affect the way people live
Discovery
Finding something that was previously unknown to the culture
Enculturation
Process by which members of a culture learn and internalize shared ideas, values and beliefs
Physical environment
The physical environment influences a culture
Level of technology
Degree of technology available, together with the physical limitations of the environment, determine how receptive a culture will be to the need for change
Social organization
How is the culture organized? What is its kinship system? How is labour divided and allocated? Are social rules flexible or tightly regulated?
