Chapter 4 Flashcards
alyha
Among the Mojave people, a boy who underwent a transformation to the social role of a female
berdache
The term used by anthropologists to describe third-gender individuals of male sex. The term “female berdache” is also sometimes used.
It is regarded as offensive by First Nation and other Aboriginal people. (see “two-spirited”)
alliance theorists
Those who study the constitution of society from the perspective of family formation, in particular emphasizing how women “circulate” as marriage partners in a given society, and how acceptable marriage partners are defined as “not-kin” in varying ways.
circumcision
The excision of the foreskin of the penis to permanently expose the glands.
couvade
The term used by anthropologists to describe a variety of rituals observed by men whose wives are pregnant in order to mimic pregnancy.
Men perform the same acts and adhere to the same restrictions as their pregnant wives, and may even feign morning sickness or childbirth itself.
cultural determinism
The belief that the cultures in which we are raised determine our character, personalities, emotional lives, and behaviours (opposed to biological determinism)
cultural relativism
The belief, developed and named by anthropologists, that any individual’s beliefs and behaviours should be understood in the context of his or her own culture rather than as the product of innate or universal tendencies and values.
descent theorists
In anthropology, those who study kinship; in particular, they examine the ways in which cultures think about and structure consanquineal “blood relationships”
female genital mutilation/ female genital cutting
A number of practices that involve the alteration of the female genitalia in forms ranging from the removal of the hood of the clitoris, to infibulation.
functionalism
A school of thought that maintains that the sex-based division of labour arose because it was necessary for the survival of early human societies.
Some functionalists also argue that the preservation of the division of labour might be an evolutionary imperative.
hijras
In India, biological males or intersexed people who adopt female social identities.
Hijras once formed a distinct caste and now constitute a socially marginalized community that nonetheless has sacred and religious significance.
hwame
Among the Mojave people, a girl who underwent transformation to a male social role.
hypermasculinity
The exaggerated display of or adherence to behaviours, traits and beliefs seen as masculine
infibulation
Generally performed on girls, this is a practice that involves the removal of the clitoris and much of the tissue of the external genital, after which the vaginal opening I either stitched or held together with thorns until it heals into a closed structure with only a small opening to allow for urination and menstruation.
matriarchy
A woman-centered form of social organization in which women, particularly mothers, are at the center of prestige and power.
