Anthropology Unit Test Flashcards
Acculturation
the meeting of two or more cultural groups and the resulting cultural changes to each
Bilineal
a kinship system in which people trace their ancestry through both their mothers and fathers
Bipedalism
walking on 2 legs
Bridewealth
The groom or the groom’s family must pay a father to marry their daughter
Cultural relativism
not judging a culture to our own standards of what is right or wrong, strange or normal
Culture
the total system of ideas, values, behaviours, and attitudes of a society commonly shared by most members of society
Dowry
money or property provided by a women’s family in order to find her a husband.
Egalitarian
families with equal power
Emic perspective
the P.O.V. of an insider of a culture
Enculturation
the process of absorbing one’s own culture
Endogamy
preference of marriage within the group. Marrying within one’s family’s social or ethnic group
Ethnocentric
believing that one’s own culture is superior to all others
Ethnography
the written account of a culture
Ethnology
the study of the origins and cultures of different races and peoples
Etic perspective
the P.O.V. of an outsider to a culture
Folkways
stem from customs - conventional ways of doing things such as rules of etiquette
Fossil
preserved remains of biological matter
Hominin
a human or human ancestor
Idiom
A group of words whose meaning should not be taken in a literal sense.
Informant
a reliable and knowledgeable person who provides specific information to an anthropologist studying his or her community
Jargon
the specialized or technical language of a trade, profession, or similar group or culture
Kinship
the relationship between 2 or more people that is based on common ancestry, marriage, or adoption
Linguistics
the anthropological subfield that focuses on language and its importance to understanding human history, culture and biology.
Material culture
centers upon objects, their properties, and the materials that they are made of, and the ways in which these material facets are central to an understanding of culture and social relations
Matriarchal
women granted more authority
Matrilineal
a kinship system in which people trace their ancestry through their mothers
Matrilocal
newly married couple moves in with wife’s family.
Monogamy
relationships where an individual has one partner. Serial monogamy refers to monogamous relationships that occur one after the other.
Mores
serious rules of conduct identified with group welfare or survival
Multiculturalism
the state of a society or the world in which there exists numerous distinct ethnic and cultural groups seen to be politically relevant
Objective
a comprehensive and comparative study of humanity in both its biological and cultural aspects
Participant Observation
A method of research in anthropology which involves extended immersion in a culture and participation in its day-to-day activities
Patriarchy
the oldest male, family head has control
Patrilineal
lineage or family relationships traced through the male side of the family.