Anthropology Final Flashcards
Culture is shared
people within a culture share ideas and symbols that are meaningful to them
Culture is shared, re: eating, drinking, sleeping, etc
everyone understands how to perform “natural” but culturally specific activities
Culture is learned
one learns how to operate and get by within their culture, learns rules and consequenes
enculturation
learning culture that requires trial and error over time
culture is symbolic
certain patterns or ways of doing things have symbolic meaning ex: length of sleeves on kimono, arrow through heart
culture is integratted
specific things hold it together, ex: beer, roughriders
how are cars an example of how culture is integrated?
traffic signs, parking lots, Canadian Tire –> infrastructure
culture interacts and changes
material changes –> sexuality, foods, smoking permits
hybridication and localization
news ways of doing things and new ways of thinking of things
culture has cultural universals
points of similarities and continuinity between different cultures that help oine learn and share and be flexible in another culture
examples of cultural universals
humour, kin terms, belief system, marital rules, ideas about what is good/bad/ugly
ethnocentricm
belief that one’s culture of thinking is superior to other cultures and their way of thinkgin
cultural relativity
one must suspend judgement on other cultures in order to understand in their own cultural terms
holism
one must look at another culture as complex systems of social, political, and economic activities
functionalism
idea that things/ideas/activities in a culture are useful for it ex: groundhogs are helpful because of feb 1
jane Howell
studies women’s lives in Oaxaca Mexico
Culture
dynamic system of adaption
subculture
a culture within a culture
Pleuralistic society
has multiple ethnic groups
barrel model of culture
superstructure (ideas), social structure (class), infrastructure (economy and subsistence strategies), environment
nature vs nurture
biology vs culture
thinking about vs having
interpretism vs materialism ex: incest taboo b/c of connection to consequences or just random idea people thought up of
agency vs strucutre
how much “autonomy” and “free will” can one exceresise within the larger cultural forces of social order, religion, laws, inequalities, and gender expectations?
fieldwork and its discontents
- too much bias, one finds what they want to find
- not all elelments of culture are functional
- ethics
- can anth really say anything about human nature?
- what belongs to who?
- representation
malinowski introduced…
emic and etic
subsistence
way of getting food or products
modes of reciprocity
generalized, expected, redistribtion
generalized reciproticty
no expectation that exhcange will take place within a speciic time frame
expected reciproticty
time frame is important, as is equivilent value of exchange
redistribution
exchanges are poooled to be redistrubted at a specific time in the future (potlatch)
changing nature of modes of production
1 - many cultures now produce a surplus for commercial purposes
2 - foragers, horts, and pastoralists are encounced in captilist sustem and work for low wages
3 - reliance on money as a mode of exchange results in urban shift, reduced well being, increased dependencies, and family restructuring
relationship from commodity to capitalism
commodity needs capitalism needs belief in capitalism
ethnomedicine
the medical practices a culture uses for healing and curing purposes
ethnoetiologies
how people in another culture explains illness
eitiology
the study of cuase and orgiin
how can human suffering be alleviated?
community healing, humoural (balance), healers and the substances they use
disease
a physical pathology, usually diagnosable
illness
subjective distressing feeling, often culture specific
culture bound ilnness
an illness associated with a specific culture
etic
a prespective taken by someone outside the culture
emic
POV of someone inside the culture
somatization
occurs when stressors are so high the individual racts to the stress through illness
approaches to illness
Ecological/Epidemiological theoretical approach, interpretive, criticial, and medical pluralism
Ecological/Epidemiological theoretical approach
how aspects of the natural env interact with cultural to cause helath problems
ex: colonialism and historical trauma, education, sharing, grief resolution
intereptive approach to theories of healing
how do people in other cultures label, describe, expereience, and amange their own illness and healing?
critical presepctive in explaining illness
looks at the way economic and politcal strucutres shape people’s health, cupports that income is correlated to good health
medical pluralism
refers to the simaltaneous presence of more than one system of healing within a culture
diseases of development
due to deforestation and dams like chagas, dengue, and lyme
kinship
key social organizing prcinple
two different types of kinship linkage
formal and informal
types of formal kinship
cosanguineal and affinal
types of informal kinship
fricitive and friends
bilineal descent
trace relationship of ego through mother and father, mother’s kin is equally important to father’s kin
unilineal descent
ego is traced through either father’s or mother’s side, not both
patrilineal puzzle
woman’s status is presumed as infereioir to men’s in spite of woman’s ability to produce the very children who will perpetuate the male’s lineage
matrilineal puzzle
man must look after his own mother and sisters and aunts, etc, as well as wife, so who does he have allegiance to?
difference between kinship and adoption in western and non-western societies
biology is emphasized more in western, while social components weigh more in many non western societies
endogamy
in marrying
exogamy
out marrying
several explanations of the incest taboo
kin confusion (who to call what), gene theory (genetic weakness), aversion theory (growing up with)
marriage gifts
brideservice, bridewalth/brideprice, dowry
brideservice
groom works for parents of the bride for a specific amount of time
bridewealth/brideprice
goods are transfered from groom’s family to bride’s family
dowry
goods are given to the bride’s family to the groom’s family tand to the newlyweds
functions of kin
political alliances, economic support, religious knowledge, historicity, establishes power, well-being
changes in kinship and households
matrilineal descent is decreasing, age of marraige is rising, number of single parent households/blended families is rising
if people act like kin…
they usually are
social rewards
monetary wealth, power, prestige
characteristics of stratified societies
- obvious ineqalities in access to social rewards, resources
- access to rewards is difficult because of race, ethnicity, class, and gender
- symbolic indicators are clearly visible, some people are not able to access their own nation’s g/s because they hold allegience to their tribe/ethnic group
- few groups enjoy tremendous luxeries at the expence of other group’s labour
- few social groups who do enjoy luxeries fail to distribute them evenly
caste based societies are…
endogamous, assigned membership at birth, heirarchically arranged, socially segregated, little mobility
class based societies are…
exogamous, not assigned memberhsip at birth, heirarchial, composed by elites who resist efforts to change the system (?), mobility is possible but not likely
ideologies used to maintain inequalities
ethnocentrism; moral ideologies; ideologies around gender, sexual orientation, age; ideologies around violence
conflict theory of inequality
explains inequalities in terms of domination and exploitation
language
manipulation of symbols shared, understood, and passed on from generation to generation
non verbal language
kinesics, proxemics, sign language, silence
verbal language
formal and informal
kinesics
non verba communication
proxemics
social space communication
features of language
productivity, displacement, arbitatriness, phenology, ambigutiy, intonation, error correction, semantic domain
productivity (features of language)
ability to communicate “new” messages and have them understood
displacement (features of language)
talk about past, present, and future form, and non existent things
arbitrariness (features of language)
relies on symbolism
phenology (features of language)
how you pronounce and write sounds
ambiguity (features of language)
context is important
intonation (features of language)
voice qualities convey meaning
error correction (features of language)
we can correct our language when it is uttered or written incorrectly
semantic domain (features of language)
words grouped together to communcate meaningfulness
gender and language
tag questions (wasn’t it?), pre-sentence qualities (I’m not sure but..”), intonation (women tend to rise at the end of sentences), interuption (men inturupt women more than each other), sarcasm (women = control, men = humour)
code switching
ability to change from one level of language to another or one language to another
pidgin
rudimentary language used to get by due to 1) prolonged contact between two different linguistic societies 2) need to communicate 3) an absense of another language that would work
use of ebonics
identity/uniqueness us vs them power/agency stigma acceptance
Sapir-whorf hypothesis
language determines thought
cultural constructionism
context and social position shape the content, form, and meaning in one’s speech
canadian dainty
wiped out by immigrants (non-british) after WWII
types of magic
imitative (x is similar to y so actions on x will be felt by y) and contagious (supernatural forces transfered from A to B through proximity or contact)
most cultures use magic and religion to
excersise control, cover all bases, amke sense of the world, build identity, and give hope
religion and magic re: differences
spiritual healing vs physical healing, group activity vs individual, regular place and time vs irregular performed when necessary
relgiion and magic share…
imbuded with myth and doctrine
myths are designed to
explain, validate a culture’s identity and existence, offers a moral code, carry important messages, be ahistorical
doctorine
is written, explicity tells one how to interact with supernatural world, how it came to be and what the consequences are if the right protocols aren’t followed
spirit beings and forces are…
preditcable and unpredictable, approachable and unapproachable, helpful and harmful, aligned with sacred places and spaces, frequently contact to one’s dead ancestors, rituals used for protection particularity if taboo are not followed
life cycle rituals
helps people go through crucial stages of their lives
pilgrimage
sacred ritual done to be spiritually cleansed and show devotion to deities
rituals of reversl
allows people to let off steam in socially accepted ways
calendric rituals
ceremonies designed to concide with the calendar
rites of passage
involves separation, transition, and incorporation
religious practicioners
tell the supernatural what to do, effect a cure, tell people what to do, source of powers is instituion
functions of relgion
1) social control
2) ethics
3) group solidarity and social cohesion
4) explanation
5) emotional and solace
mana
force derived from the supernatural world, can be ingested
ways cultures change
inovation/invention, diffusion, acculturation, cultural loss, modernization, genocide
inovation/invention (ways cultures change)
noticing something that wasn’t known before, things put together in a new way, result from a lot of thought and goals, won’t be adopted if too radical, cons and benefits are always being assesed
diffusion (ways cultures change)
one culture invents an artifact, idea, and it migrates to another culture, is then modified to suit the needs of its new context, if too expensive/unrewarding, will not diffuse
acculturaton (ways cultures change)
massive changes occur in one of the cultures, results in loss or modifcation
cultural loss (ways cultures change)
culture can lose artifacts, practivies or ideas once considered useful
modernization (ways cultures change)
advances certain advantages with non-modern cultures, but also affected cultures world-wide, massive consumerism and heavy use of non renewable resources are disadvantages
genocide
extermination of one group of people by another group (beothuk), done in the name of progress, public safety, religion, and economis
development
developing nations want to be like developed countries, aka being more American, technological progress is essential
theories of globalization based on…
trickle-down effect, with elites at the top and the masses towards the bottom
Under-differentation
the tendency to view less developed countries as more alike than they are
over innovation
introducing change that isn’t really utilitarian
homosapiens
300 000 - 160 000 yrs ago in Africa
microculture
distinct part of local regions
wegewa
7 categories of taste + tart, balnd, pungent
EDS
excessive daytime sleepiness, Japan
McDonaldlization
powerful US dominated corporate culture, word has become more culturally homogenous
race
based on homogenity of biological traits
ethnicity
shared sense of ID among those who share heritage, language, and culture
Ju/hansi
move several times per year, seasonal availability of H2O
Bananans
new guinea, pacific
6 major herd animals
sheep, goats, cattle, horses, donkeys, camels
navajo
women inherit cattle
three hypothesises to explain male dominace
men + plowing, women + child care, women + food processing
family farming
geared to provide for family, produce goods for sale
women working hours __% less than men
25
zapotec
derives income from labour of men and women separately
industrial agriculture and its social effects
greater use of complex technology, displacement of workers, greater use of captial, reduces flexibility, greater use of energy, greater dependence on global market of energy supplies
minimalism
few, finite consumers, adequete means to sustain, foragers, and also hort and past
consumerism
may, infinite demands, industrial and informatic
leveling mechanisms
unwritten, culturally embedded rules that prevent a individual from beoming wealthier/more powerful
personalized consumption
know where the products were produced and by who
kuru
canilbalism disease
balanced exchange
gave 20 system of transfer in which goal is immediate on eventual balance in value
pure gift
extremee general reciprocity, no exception of thought of return
kulu
could not keep things for long because to posses is great, but to posses is to give
trade
formalized exchange according to set standards of value
periodic market
buying and selling takes place at regular time and particular location but no permanent physical structure
efe and lese
unbalanced exchange = efe (foragers) < lese (farmers), in congo
alternative food movements
seek to restablish direct link between producers, consumers, and marketers by promoting local, not mass-produced foods
kwakwaka
many islands and watways oenetrating coast mountins, dense forests, and sandy beaches. traveled by canoe, moved seasonally. famous for material culture, wooden totenm poles, anoes, masks, bowls, capes, skirts, blankets. cedar used for all products. 1792, explorers contacted, 1886, researchers, late 19th century, colonial authorities disproved of marraige arguments and potlatch. secret potlatches continued until ban lifted in 1951
Ju
Ju emphasize mobilization of community energy as key for cure with dancing, everyone has access to it, role of healer is open
Orang Asli
Malaysian peninsula, excessive heat = mortality, causes menstruation, violence, aggression, drunkenness; cooling is good except right after birth because mother has lost so much heat
Phytotherapy
healing through use of plants
Sherpa of Nepal
healing therapists fit in Orthodox Buddhist, including lamas for prevention and cure through blessings, amchis, Tibetan humoural healing system; Unorthodox religions/shamanic practitioners, divination; biomedical practitioners, work in clinic first est for tourists
Yemen
patrilineal, public space is separated by gender
Malaysia kinship
mother breastfeeds, establishes tie between milk giver and child, basis of incest rule, may not marry those who feed from the same breast
Closed adoption
child receives new birth certificate and birth parent ceases to ave relationship to child
open adoption
adoptees and birth parents have information about the other’s identity and are free to interact with each other
maya of Oaxaca, Mexico
godparenthood is both a sign of sponsor’s status and means to increased status for the sponsor
Hypergyny
marrying up when bride’s status is lower than the groom’s hypogyny, isogyny
Age hypogyny
bride is older than the groom; rare cross culturally but has been increasing in US due to the marriage squeeze on women who would otherwise prefer a husband of equal or older age
Heigh hypergyny
groom is taller than the bride, more common in male dominated contexts
Height isogamous
common in cultures where gender roles are relatively equal and where sexual dimorphism (differences in shape/size of female and male body) is not as marked, ie: southeast asia
Japan + marriage
case of industrial/informative economy with highly educated population in which arranged unions still constitute to substantial number of marriages (25-30% in 1995)
Polygyny (more or less common) than polyandry
more
Houshold
person living alone or more than one people who occupy shared living space and may or may not be related by kinship
nuclear household
one adult couple with or without children
extended household
more than one adult married couple
Collateral extended household
through sisters or brothers
Complex Housholds
domestic units in which one spouse lives with or near multiple partners and their children
satisfaction in arranged marriages?
Decline in satisfaction in marriage greatest for wives in arranged marriages and least for husbands in arranged marriages
Sex is more frequent among those who
1) are cohabiting but not married, 2) cohabited before marriage 3) in their second or later marriage. Less happy people have sex less frequently
Wifebeating is more common/severe when …
Les common and less severe where ….
man is in control of wealth.
women’s work groups and social networks exist
Nearly everywhere, the age of first marriage is rising, b/c of …
increased emphasis on completing a certain number of years before marriage, higher material aspirations such as being able to own a house
Marriages between people of different nations and ethnicities are increasing, partly because of…
growing rates of international migration; migrants take with them many of their marriage and family practices, and adapt to rules and practices in their area of destination, so pluralistic practices evolve, such as conducting two marriage ceremonies
Marriage crisis
cultural situation in which many people who want to marry cannot do so for one reason or another ex: unable to raise enough money for brideprice and other marriage expenses (sub Saharan Africa), China’s unwed men because of one child policy and preference for boys
In US at beginning of 21st century, three kinds of households were common
households composed of couples living in first marriage, single parent households, households formed through remarriage, and rising fourth category is multigenerational household in which an adult child or boomerang kid lives with their parents
WBM
western biomedicine
