Chapter 1 Flashcards
What is Anthropology?
The study of humans
What do Anthropologists study?
They study the biological and social past and present of humanity
What does Anthropology explore?
Cultural diversity, human origins, past human societies, and human languages
Why are humans so diverse?
Because people have adapted to the environment physically and socially
Holism
How everything interacts and influences each other
The parts of the system that interconnect and interact to make up the whole
____, _____, _____, _____ are four key approaches that anthropologists use to do their research
Holism, Comparison, Dynamism, and Fieldwork
What do anthropologists compare?
They compare and contrast data to see what we have in common and how we’ve changed over time
Dynamism
Ability to change/adapt
How we are able to adapt to survive as a species
Fieldwork
Zhang Qian
One of the first people to study and document cultural differences and introduce these differences (such as Buddhism) into Chinese culture through travel
Ibn Battuta
One of the first people to write his own cultural observations aka pre-anthro
Age of Discovery
European Colonization (exploitation and political work)
Ethnocentrism
The belief that one’s culture is better than others
Age of Enlightenment
An era where science was used to question authority and religion
Charles Lyell
A geologist who discovered the earth must have gradually changed over time
Herbert Spencer
He was inspired by using scientific methods to understand social evolution (the idea that societies have become larger and more complex over time
Lewis Henry Morgan
Said societies progress through the same stage development: savagery-barbarism-civilization
Falsely stated that societies are more “advanced” through their technological development
Participant Observation Fieldwork
Method of immersive long standing fieldwork that current anthropologists use
Franz Boas
Founder of American Anthropology
Cultural Anthropology
focuses on similarities and differences among living societies. Remove their biases to understand others
Cultural Relativism
The idea that cultures differ but are not better or worse than each other
Margaret Mead
Believes Socialization plays more of a role than nature in terms of child development
Indigenous
Native people who know about the environment through prolonged exposure
What are the anthropological subdisciplines?
Archoelogy, Cultural Anthro, Biological Anthropology, and Linguistic Anthropology
Bronislaw Malinowski
Revised what Lewis Morgan said and claimed that cultures that seem backward are not but every culture and is designed to fulfill the social and biological needs of people. All societies use religion and science.
Emile Durkheim
Explained how religion is a set of practices and beliefs to sacred things. Code of Morality
Belief
Relies on trust and faith
Human Biology
How the human body is affected by different physical environments, cultural influences, and and nutrition
Human Variation
Physiological differences among humans around the world
Human Adaptation
Physiological responses and genetic advantages populations have to survive
Scientific Method
What scientists use to prove something is true or not
Jean Piget
kids are curious by nature hence natural scientists
Maria Montessori
Was interested in how kids learn and developed her own teaching/learning method
Natural Processes, Phenomenons, and forces
Things that can be proven with a scientific explanation
Why does science exclude the supernatural from study?
It’s hard to prove the supernatural with the scientific method
Hypothesis
An educated guess/explanation why something is or isn’t the way it is (scientists use this for directing their research)
Testable
It can be proven true or false using the scientific method
Empirical
Experience that is valid because you can observe it
What is an effective scientific study?
It has accurate and precise data
Self Correcting
The process where scientists each other to keep themselves accountable
Scholarly Peer Review
Informal and Formal scientific collaboration
Is the scientific method circular or linear? Why or why not?
Circular because it’s a back-and-forth process
Scientific Process Steps
Observations -> Hypothesis->Predictions->Test->Hypothesis Supported or Rejected
Theory
Series of wide phenomena that explain why certain things occur
Law
Explains if x happens then y will happen. Predicts what will happen under certain circumstances.
Knowledge System
system of knowledge that is shared by a group of people that explains why certain things happen
Subfields
Subarea.
Ex: Archeology is the specialization of anthro
Subdiscipline
Subareas. For example Molecular Anthro is a subarea of biological anthro
What are the four subfields of Anthro?
Cultural Anthro, Biological, Archeology, and Linguistic
What are the subdisciplines of Biological Anthro?
Primatology, Paleoanthroapology, Bioarcheology, Molecular Anthro, Forensic, and Human Bio
What is Primatology?
The study of anatomy, behavior, ecology, and genetics of living and extinct non human primates (apes, monkeys, and lemurs).
Dian Fossey
She studied gorillas and found out gorillas are human like
Karen B. Strier
Discovered 60% of primates are endangered
How can the study of non human primates impact humans?
It can help us understand how a similar species evolved which can give us insights into our own evolution
Paleoanthropology
Study human ancestors from the distant past to learn how, why, and where they evolved. Study of human fossils.
Hominem
Human ancestors/fossil relatives
Bipedal
Walking on two feet
Donald C. Johnson
Discovered a 3.2 million fossil in 1974
Australopithecus Afrarensis
Transitional species
Molecular Anthropology
Uses molecular techniques to compare and contrast ancient and modern populations of human and non human principles
Denisovans
Genes that help modern day humans survive
Neanderthals
DNA that is used to create modern-day humans (newly discovered species). Also, Denisovans as well are new.
How do humans differ in comparison to primates?
We have a 2-4% difference in comparison to primates
Bioarcheology
They study human skeletons and materials around the remains. This helps them understand how people lived and died.
Otzi
Very well preserved man frozen in the Alps
H. pylori
The bacteria Otzi died from is similar to modern-day diseases in Asia
Forensic Anthropology
Used to figure out cause of death usually for crimes. Helpful for unidentified individuals.
Where is Forensic Anthro used?
Law enforcement and crime scenes
Biological Anthropology
Study of human origins, evolution, and variation. Some focus on primates while others focus on extinct humans.
Nina Jablonksi
Skin Pigmentation
Hominins
Modern day humans
Jane Goodall
Discovered primates are just as smart and engaged in field based research
Applied Anthro
practical knowledge (uses theories, methods, and findings to solve world problems in every kind of setting)
Paul Farmer
used historical, social, medical, and political knowledge to treat Haitians
Physical Anthropology
Earlier name of biological anthro
Why is the name physical anthro not used anymore?
Because the name is focused on physical variation of humans and used to rank humans by race. Also, we now know that biological, molecular, and the environment affect humans so once those were added to the field then the name changed to reflect those changes.
Phillipe Bourgois
Believed that the individual and social inequity can trap people in drugs and poverty
Linguistic Anthropology
How language affects humans
Sapir Whorf Hypothesis
Based on the language you speak, it changes how you perceive/think about the world.
Who founded the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis?
Benjamin Whorf,
Why did Ekkehart Malotki critique Benjamin’s theory?
She felt some elements like time are universal and the perception of time isn’t as pronounced as Whorf thought
Archeology
Focuses on materials from the past to understand humanity
What’s the difference between prehistoric and historic archeologists?
Prehistoric focuses on past socities
Historic focuses on present/recent societies
Prehistoric Archeology
They focus on societies that lacked a writing system because they want to understand those types of societies. And they do this by analyzing the artifacts they’ve left behind.
Excavation
a method of careful digging and removing dirt to uncover material remains while recording their content
Kathleen Kenyon
One of the first female archeologists working in a male dominated field.
Historical Archeologists
Study recent societies
Garbage Project
Contemporary landfill treated as a historical site to figure out why and how the victims died the way they did.
What’s the difference between a subfield and a subdiscipline?
Subdiscipline: four major areas of focus that make up anthro.
Subfield: sub specializations of a specific area. Ex: primatology is a subfield of bio anthro
How is science different from other ways of knowing?
It relies on empirical data
