CHAPTER 2

Question 1

culture

Answer 1

• a system of knowledge, beliefs, patterns of behavior, artifacts, and institutions that are created, learned, and shared by a group of people.
• culture is constantly shared and contested.
• no individual can have their own culture. you need at least 2 people to have a culture.

Question 2

enculturation

Answer 2

the process of learning a culture.

Question 3

norms

Answer 3

(element of culture) ideals or rules about how people should behave in particular situations or towards certain other people - what is considered “normal” and appropriate behavior.

Question 4

values

Answer 4

(element of culture) fundamental beliefs about what is important, what makes a good life, and what is true, right, and beautiful.

Question 5

symbols

Answer 5

(element of culture) (symbols/ symbolic actions) something that stands for something else.
ex: middle finger = “f-you” in America.
anything that conveys meaning beyond itself.

Question 6

mental maps of reality

Answer 6

• “maps” that humans construct of what kinds of people and what kinds of things exist. #shortcuts

Question 7

cultural relativism

Answer 7

calls for the suspension of judgement while attempting to understand a group’s beliefs and practices within their own cultural context.

Question 8

unilineal cultural evolution

Answer 8

a concept that all cultures would naturally evolve through the same sequence of stages.

Question 9

Edward Burnett Tylor’s concept on culture

Answer 9

culture = unified and complex system of ideas and behavior learned over time, passed down from generation to generation, and shared by members of a particular group.

Question 10

historical particularism

Answer 10

a concept, culture = cultures arise from different causes, not a uniform process

Question 11

structural functionalism

Answer 11

each part of society- including kinship, religious, political, and economic structures- fit together and has a unique function within the larger structure.

Question 12

interpretivist approach

Answer 12

explore culture primarily as a symbolic system in which even simple, seemingly straight forward actions can convey deep meanings.

Question 13

power

Answer 13

the ability or potential to bring about change through action or influence.

Question 14

stratification

Answer 14

uneven distribution of resources and privileges among participants (caused by power in a culture.)

Question 15

hegemony

Answer 15

the ability of a dominant group to create consent and agreement within a population without the use or threat of force.
(two components of power, 1 material (hard) power = force ex: military, economic or political powers. vs. hegemony (soft power) ).

Question 16

agency

Answer 16

potential power of individuals and groups to contest cultural norms, values mental maps of reality, symbols, institutions and structures of power.

Question 17

epigenetics

Answer 17

area of study in the field of genetics exploring how environmental factors directly affect the expression of genes in ways that may be inherited between generations.

Question 18

human microbiome

Answer 18

the complete collection of microorganisms in the human body’s ecosystem.

Question 19

cosmopolitanism

Answer 19

the idea that all human beings are, or could be / should be, members of a single community.

Question 20

What is culture? (4 things)

Answer 20

• shared
• learned / taught
• adaptive
• changes

Question 21

What are the elements of culture?

Answer 21

• norms
• values
• symbols

Question 22

What does culture do? (3 things)

Answer 22

1- Provides us with mental-maps of reality.
2- Shapes the world’s view.
3- Patterns our behavior.
ex: provides guidelines for how we behave, what we wear and where we wear it, etc…