Core Concepts - West and Pelissier Readings

Question 1

What is meant by “ethnographic turn” in regards to anthropology?

Answer 1

Studying cultures in their own right rather than classifying and ranking them according to an external norm. No one view is “accurate”.

Question 2

Why did Europeans change their definition of non-europeans from “natural slaves” to “natural children”?

Answer 2

To promote the view that these imperfect people can be “raised” into civilization (and converted to christianity).

Question 3

What is the difference between “monogenesis” and “polygenesis” with regard to anthropology?

Answer 3

Monogenesis: one human race
Polygenesis: each race is a species of human

Question 4

What did John Locke propose in regards to culture acquisition in children?

Answer 4

That culture is learned and not inherited biologically.

Question 5

What does the mechanistic world view proposed by Isaac Newton describe?

Answer 5

That the world/universe is a closed system of interlocking parts that works like a machine.

Question 6

What did the “universal historians” believe about human/historical change (think past to present to future)?

Answer 6

That there is a development based on accumulation of prior culture. Ex: savagery -> barbarism -> civilization

Question 7

What did all of the enlightenment historians mentioned by West agree upon with regards to human/historical change?

Answer 7

That historical change progresses in a positive direction towards the perfect.

Question 8

True or False: “Positivists” would argue that society always evolves/changes in a positive direction. (*Review)

Answer 8

False? True? In the viewing notes it says they believed in societal evolution in a particular direction, but not that it must always be positive (I’d argue probably true just because “positive is in the name”).

Question 9

Did all cultures/societies have a concept of “religion” prior to contact with Europeans? Elaborate.

Answer 9

No. Europeans imposed this terminology onto the rituals of other societies, though that group may not previously have made such a distinction.

Question 10

What did E.B Taylor (from the West lecture) posit with regards to the change of a culture/society over time? (maybe too specific a question, sorry!)

Answer 10

That cultures and societies evolve from simple -> complex.

Question 11

What organizations did the majority of early anthropologists work for? What did this enable?

Answer 11

Most worked for colonial governments and their work enabled the establishment and perpetuation of colonialism.

Question 12

What could be described as the main theme of West’s historical account of the discipline of anthropology?

Answer 12

Historically, anthropologists have viewed societies/cultures in terms of the “enlightened” and the “unenlightened”. Anthropology is euro-centric and cannot be separated from colonialism.

Question 13

How have Plato’s thoughts (Plato’s cave analogy) influenced western education/schooling positively?

Answer 13

Encourages the learner to seek truth and question what that is or what that means.

Question 14

How can Plato’s thoughts (Plato’s cave analogy) be problematic in terms of western education/schooling?

Answer 14

Makes it easy to say that one entity has all the enlightenment and therefore all others are ignorant. One short step from there and BAM! now you have colonialism.

Question 15

Contrast the terms “difference by kind” and “difference by degree”.

Answer 15

Kind: many kinds. Descriptive/qualitiative
Degree: better or worse. Evaluative/quantitative

Question 16

How do schools successfully accelerate learning faster than other environments?

Answer 16

By selecting, simplifying, and focusing (can’t find this in the slides anywhere but it’s from the practice test).

Question 17

What is the “focus” of formal learning? Where does it often happen?

Answer 17

The focus is on the teaching and the learning itself. Principles for use across contexts. Happens in a school or other place dedicated to learning.

Question 18

What is the “focus” of informal learning? Where does it often happen?

Answer 18

On the activity being performed. Not usually generalizable. Happens while on activity of practice.

Question 19

How do differences in speech take on cultural meaning in schools?

Answer 19

They get applied to achievement and power. Those with “other” speech patterns tend to be thought less of.

Question 20

What is meant by the term “legitimate peripheral participation” in regards to anthropology?

Answer 20

Moving from being simply an individual learner, to participating in the social world as a learner.

Question 21

What could be described as the main theme of the assigned reading from Pelissier on anthropology in education?

Answer 21

It is important to overcome binary thinking in education: Ex: formal vs informal, civilized vs primitive, abstract vs concrete, etc.