Exam 1 Flashcards
Anthropology
Studies humans and their cultures
Holistic Approach
Study of the whole human condition: past, present, future, biology, nature, culture
Comparative Approach
Examines all societies/cross-cultural perspectives
Biological genetic adaptation
Occurs over generations; larger barrel chest of native highlanders
Cultural Adaptation
Specific diet and clothing
Long-term biological adaptation
Occurs during growth and development; more efficient respiratory systems
Short-term biological adaptation
Occurs spontaneously; increased heart rate and hyperventilation
Subfields of Anthropology
- Sociocultural
- Archeology
- Biological
- Linguistic
Cultural Anthropology
Study of human societies and culture
Ethnology
Interpretation of the data
- compare and contrast
- they test hypothesis and build theories
Archaeology
reconstructs, describes, and interprets human behavior and cultural patterns through analysis of material culture
Biological Anthropology
studies human diversity in time and space
5 specialties in biological anthropology
- human evolution
- human genetics
- human growth and development
- human biological plasticity
- primatology
Linguistics
Studies language in its social and cultural context
Applied Anthropology
The application of anthropological data, perspectives, theories, and methods to identify, assess, and solve current social problems
Individualism
A distinct shared value and feature of American culture
Ethnocentrism
Viewing one’s own culture as superior
Culture
Includes knowledge, art, morals, beliefs, law, and habits acquired by man as members of society
Sir Edward Tylor’s definition of culture
“cultures are systems of human behavior and thought”
Enculturation
process by which a child learns their culture
Culture is what?
Acquired
5 Characteristics of Culture
- Learned
- Symbolic
- Shared
- Integrated
- Instrumental, adaptive, and maladaptive
First toolmakers date back until when?
2.6 million years ago
Hominids
Any fossil, living or human
(chimp and gorillas)
Hominins
Hominids excluding the African apes; all human species that ever existed
Humans similarities to Primates:
- ability to learn and change behavior
- tools
- aim and throw objects
- habitual hunters
Cultural Relativism
It is inappropriate to use outside standards to judge behavior in a given society. Such behavior needs to be evaluated in the
context of the culture in which it occurs. to know another culture requires full understanding of its members’ beliefs and motivations
How humans differ with Primates:
- cooperation and sharing
- mating behavior
- rules of marriage
- kinship systems
Key cultural consultants
experts on a particular aspect of local life
FGM
Female genital mutilation
(seen in african cultures)
Life histories
a personal trait of someone’s life in a culture
Kinship
Prominent building in nonindustrial societies
Malinoswki and Boas
their personal fieldwork experiences revolutionized the content and practice of anthropology
The genealogical method
- use of diagrams and symbols
Problem-oriented Ethnography
gather info on factors such as population density, environmental quality, climate, geography, diet, and land use
Longitudinal Research
long term study of community, region, society, culture, usually based on repeat visits
Team Research
based on longitudinal research
Ethnography
to discover local views, beliefs, and perceptions; based on fieldwork
Emic approach
(Native Oriented)
investigates how natives think, categorize the world, express thoughts, etc.
Etic approach
(Science Oriented)
emphasizes categories, interpretations, and features, that the anthropologists consider important
Unilineal Evolutionism
(Tylor and Morgan)
proposed that human societies have evolved through savagery, barbarism, and civilization.
Historical Particularism
(Franz Boas)
- proposed to consider the historical context of societies and to move beyond the unilineal evolutionary approach
- stressed the importance of diffusion
Diffusion
Borrowing among cultures
Functionalism
(Malinowski)
- the belief that humans have a set of universal biological needs, and customs to satisfy those needs
- suggested that customs and institutions in society are integrated and interrelated
Structural Functionalism
(Radcliffe-Brown and Evans)
Customs function to preserve the social structure
Configurationism
(Margaret Mead)
Culture, not biology, determines variation in human behavior and personality
Cultural resource management
preservation of significant cultural remains when sites are threatened by development or public work
Developmental anthropology
focus on social issues and the cultural dimension of economic development
Urban anthropology
cross-cultural and ethnographic study of urbanization and life in cities
Medical anthropology
comparative, biocultural study of disease, health problems, and health care systems
Disease
Health threat caused genetically or by bacteria, fungus, parasite, or pathogen.
Illness
Condition of poor health perceived or felt by someone
Forensic anthropology
determine the sex, age, genetic population, of skeletal or biological material in questions of civil or criminal law
