Anthropology: Fields & Schools of Thought Breakdown

Question 1

What does the Cultural Relativism school of thought offer? (A)

• Main Points?
• Proponents?
• Criticism?

Answer 1

Main Points:
- Each culture has its own set of rules and should not be compared
- People should avoid Ethnocentrism
- Remember that the rules of each culture are valid and acceptable

Proponents: Franz Boas and Ruth Benedict

Criticism: If everything in culture is valid, does that include negative aspects such as child abuse?

Question 2

What does the Functionalist school of thought offer? (A)

• Main Points?
• Proponents?
• Criticism?

Answer 2

Main Points:
- Everything in a culture serves to meet the needs of that culture
- Ensuring the survival of the culture
- Everything in a culture is necessary for its survival

Proponents: Emile Durkheim, Bronislaw Malinowski, Talcott Parsons

Criticism: If everything is necessary, does that include the negative aspects such as racism and genocide?

Question 3

What does the Cultural Materialism school of thought offer? (A)

• Main Points?
• Proponents?

Answer 3

Main Points:
- The environment (food, shelter, climate) influences how cultures develop
- Cultures develop on a trial-and-error basis
- Cultures develop in stages: Infrastructure, Structure, and Superstructure

Infrastructure: Basic needs
Structure: Social systems, political standpoints, family, economy
Superstructure: Religion, symbols, values, ideas

Proponents: Marvin Harris

Question 4

What does the Feminist Anthropology school of thought offer?

• Main Points?
• Proponents?
• Criticism?

Answer 4

Main Points:
- Examining gender roles
- Recognizing biases and inequalities within cultures and anthropology itself
- Aims to correct androcentrism (male-centred focus)

Proponents: Ernestine Friedl, Henrietta Moore, Margaret Mead

Criticism: Focuses too much on gender rather than other issues

Question 5

What does the Postmodernist school of thought offer? (A)

• Main Points?
• Proponents?
• Criticism?

Answer 5

Main Points:
- There is no objective truth
- Most Postmodernist practice Reflexivity

Proponents: Nancy Scheper-Hughes, Michel Foucault

Criticism: Several ideas offered by postmodernists are dangerous to the discipline

Question 6

What do Paleoanthropologists study?

Answer 6

Bones and stone remains from our ancient ancestors (sometimes called “Bones and Stones”).

Question 7

What do Primatologists study?

Answer 7

Primates.

Question 8

What do Human Variationists study?

Answer 8

The similarities and differences between existing human populations.