Chapter 10 Flashcards
What is summarizing symbols?
represent a whole semantic domain and invite us to consider the various elements within it (e.g. Canadian flag, Queen Lili“uokalani)
What is worldview?
An encompassing picture of reality created by members of a society
What is elaborating symbols?
represent only one element of a domain and invite us to place that element in its wider semantic context (e.g. cultural mosaic)
What is a metaphor?
A form of thought and language that asserts a meaningful link between two expressions from different semantic domains
E.g., “the Lord is my Shepherd”
What are key metaphors?
symbolic representations that are widely understood within a culture and central to that culture’s worldview
Found in everyday experiences, encompassing the social, organic, and technological realms
What is a societal metaphor?
a key metaphor whose model for the world is the social order
In the European scientific worldview, societal metaphors have been particularly salient
Metaphors of gender, labour, and conflict shape our understanding of biology and health.
E.g., biologists comparing cells to an assembly line in a factory
Emily Martin points out that these metaphors impact not just our understanding but also our lived experiences.
Gender stereotypes and conception
What is an organic metaphor?
A key metaphor whose predicate lies in the image of a living body
E.g., comparing a living body with parts and functions to the functioning of a society
What is a technological metaphor?
A world-view metaphor that employs objects made by human beings as metaphorical predicates
E.g., using the computer as a model for the mind
What is Bowen’s definition of religion?
Ideas and practices that postulate reality beyond that which is immediately available to the senses
Why is Bowen’s definition of religion important?
It emphasizes ideas over beliefs
It includes practices (e.g., ritual)
It is broader than spiritual being or the supernatural
What is animism?
A worldview in which all natural objects and phenomena, animate and inanimate, have spirits. Today, many anthropologists prefer the term relationally.
What is ancestor worship?
A worldview in which deceased ancestors are still connected to the living relatives and have the power to intervene in the daily life of the living
What is a ritual?
A repetitive social practice composed of a sequence of symbolic activities in the form of dance, song, speech, gestures of the manipulation of objects to a culturally defined ritual schema and closely connected to a specific set of ideas that are often encoded in myth.
