Anthropology Quiz Flashcards
What is cultural anthropology?
The study of the cultures of living people
What is social anthropology?
The study and analysis of the social organization of living people
What is physical anthropology?
The study of the evolution of humankind, including the comparison of human genetic characteristics with those of apes, gorillas and chimpanzees
What is culture?
Beliefs and behaviors that are transmitted from generation to generation
What are ethnographic studies?
The studies of the culture and traditions of distinct people
What is a myth?
A true or fictional story that recounts supernatural events that are significant to members of a culture
What is kinship?
Relationships among members of a social group that are based on members’ descent from common ancestors
What is participant observation?
The anthropological method of study where a researcher live with a cultural group for an extended period to obtain an insiders understanding of the group
What is the functional theory?
Idea originated by Bronislaw Malinowski; all institutions are designed and modified to meet the needs of the majority
What is cultural evolutionism?
The now largely discounted belief of early anthropologists that all societies and cultures evolve through a series of predictable stages
What is ethnocentric?
Term describing the incorrect attitude, belief or stance that’s one’s own culture is superior and/or worthier than other cultures
What is cultural diffusion?
The now largely discounted theory of early anthropologists that civilization developed in a single place on Earth and then spread to all the others, sometimes in a deteriorated form
What is a primate?
Member of the mammal group with the most developed brains, ex. human, ape, gorilla, chimpanzee
Who is Margaret Mead?
A cultural anthropologist who studies teen culture in Samoa versus America; theorized our personalities and who we are is impacted by the culture we live in; also studied gender roles and the roles of men and women in society
Who is Ruth Benedict?
Cultural anthropologist; studied the role of religion in personality, as well as aboriginal people; believed also in the strong link between personality and culture;
