Anthropology Termonology Flashcards
Anthropology
the comparative study of cultural and social life
Global perspective
Anthropologists tackle big questions by studying a wide variety of cultures and societies around the globe.
Holism
The study of humans and their societies across time and the entire globe.
Comparative method
When you compare multiple societies and their aspects by how they are similar and different - used in ethnology
Four Fields of Anthropology
Archaeology
Biological/ Physical anthropology
Linguistic anthropology
Social and cultural anthropology
Archaeology
The study of culture based off of remains from past cultures (ex. fossils, old tools)
Biological Anthropology
The study of biological variation of humans throughout time (ex. the discussion of race not being biological and humans actually having very few biological differences)
Linguistic anthropology
The study of language in different cultures and what impact it has
Social and cultural anthropology
The study of humans by looking at their diverse societies and cultures - uses the comparative method
Ethnography
A personal account of a society or culture (fieldwork)
Ethnology
The comparison of data between two or more societies and creating an analysis based off of these comparisons (what is done after fieldwork)
Universals
Something that exists in every culture
Generalities
Patterns or traits that exist in some but not all societies
Particulars
Distinct trait that is only present in one society
Theory: unilinial cultural evolution
A 19th century theory that believes that all societies follow a linear path toward being “civilized” (civilized by western standards) and are all therefore in an upward path toward “betterment”
Ethnocentrism
Eurocentric, believing that the western world is superior to other cultures and societies and are the standard that all societies should follow - to view your culture as the best
Cultural relativism
The respect and understanding of other cultures differences rather than casting them aside because they do not fit into your view of what is “right”
Field work
Bronislaw Malinowski revolutionized the idea of field work, taking it from etic analysis to emic, encouraging anthropologists to live among the cultures they studied to understand them better
Participant Observation
Taking data and learning about a culture/ society from the inside, becoming intergrated into the community
Etic
Analyzing a culture as an outsider - non participant
Emic
Analyzing culture as someone who becomes a part of that culture - participant
Culture
A system that society holds to based off of symbols, ideas, beliefs and material items that compose their daily lives and ways of thinking
Culture is shared
Humans share their culture in many ways- it is a product of daily life and many cultures can have sub cultures
Culture is learned
Culture is learned through many ways, such as teaching language, symbols, actions and also implicit culture which is developed as a person develops their cultural lens and understanding
Culture is symbolic
Cultures use many different symbols! (ex. $)
Culture is intergrated
All aspects of culture are connected to each other - for example crime rates directly relate to levels of poverty and other aspects.
Culture is dynamic
Culture constantly changes whether it is internally (Innovation, domestic conflict) or externally (spread of culture to other cultures, assimilation, etc)
Enculturation
Culture is learned not only by experience but also through language and symbols
Explicit culture
Culture that can be taught, for example we are taught to be on time
Implicit culture
Actions that stem from a cultural lens that do not need to be taught - ex. handshake
Symbol
$ % & @ - symbols!! They may be exclusive to one culture and hold specific meanings within a culture
Levels of culture
Sub-cultures / counter cultures
Innovation
A new version of a already made cultural device or element
Conflict
Divided parts of a culture lead to change
Diffusion
Spread of parts of one culture to another (ex. mcdonalds)
Forced Acculturation
Colonialism- forced adoption of culture
Assimilation
Taking elements from another culture into yours
Cultural behaviors
Behaviors that are acceptable/crafted within a culture
Cultural artifacts
Behaviors, languages and artifacts - proof of a cultures existence
Sub-cultures
Cultures within a culture (ex. in american culture we have many different groups of ethnic americans)
Cultural knowledge
information, skills, attitudes, beliefs and the mental parts of a culture that people learn while learning of a culture
Human Biological Diversity
Humans are not very biologically diverse, and have much more similarities than they do differences - race is largely social
Race
Largely social - catergories based off of perceived physical differences
