Exam 2 Flashcards
Interaction
altering of nature
Domestication
intentional planting or cultivation of selected plants and the taming/breeding of certain species of animals
Horticulture
cultivating using hand tools powered by human muscles
Intensive Agriculture
cultivating plots annually or semi-annually; uses irrigation, fertilizers, and plows powered by animals
Surplus
the amount of food a farmer produces in excess of the consumption of themselves and dependents
Peasants
rural people integrated into a larger society politically and economically
Nomadism
seasonal mobility, often involving migration to high altitude areas during the hottest/driest parts of the year
Transhumance
pastoral pattern - migration to different elevations for seasonal differences and the availability of pasture lands
Maasai
cattle herders
- look down on cultivation because their herds represent wealth and are the main symbol of their cultural identity relative to their neighbors
- live off of products of their cattle (blood, milk, meat curds)
- continue to live this way for cultural and ecological reasons; helps define their cultural identity relative to their neighboring peoples
Globalization of Production
process of corporations headquartered in one country relocating their production facilities to other countries to reduce production costs and remain globally competetive
Reciprocity
transfer of goods for goods between two or more individuals or groups
Redistribution
collection of goods or money from a group followed by a reallocation to the group by a central authority
Market
exchange by means of buying and selling, using money
Generalized Reciprocity
giving of goods without expectation of a return of equal value at any definite future time
Balanced Reciprocity
exchange of goods considered to have roughly equal value; social purposes usually motivate the exchange
Negative Reciprocity
exchange motivated by the desire to obtain goods in which the parties try to gain all the material goods they can
Social Distance
degree to which cultural norms specify that two individuals or groups should be helpful to, intimate with, or emotionally attached to one another
Tribute
rendering of goods to an authority such as a chief
Money
objects that serve as media of exchange in a wide range of transactions of goods, services or both
Limited-Purpose Money
money that may be used to purchase only a few kinds of goods
Market Globalization
worlds national economies are integrated into a single global exchange system organized by market principles
Band
small foraging group with flexible compostion that migrates seasonally
(25-50)
Simple Bands
independent political units, consisting of little more than extended family, with informal leadership in one of the older family members
Composite Bands
independent political units with extended families that live together for most or all of the year
Big Men
political leaders with no formal offices and whose leadership is based on influence and authority
Comanche
Influence
ability to convince people they should act as you suggest
Authority
right of a person to command another
Tribe
independent political unit with many geographically dispersed communities held together by sodalities
(100)
Sodalities
formal institutions that unite geographically scattered groups, may be based on kin groups or not
Cheyenne
Chiefdoms
centralized political system with formal authority of offices or titles
(1000)
States
centralized, multilevel political unit with a bureaucracy that acts on behalf of the ruling elite
(10k-1bil)
Inca Empire
Social Control
when behavior is constrained into what’s acceptable, maintaining conformity
Law
social control - authority, universal application, obligation, and sanction
Self Help Legal Systems
informal legal systems in societies without centralized political systems, in which authorities who settle disputes are defined by the circumstances of the case
Feud
dispute settlement in self help legal systems with balanced killings
Court Legal System
systems in which authority for settling disputes and punishing crimes is formally vested in a single individual or group
Incipient Court
judicial authorities meet in private, evidence is not formally collected and parties involved aren’t formally consulted
Courts of Mediation
judges attempt to reach compromise solutions based on norms and values
Courts of Regulation
use codified laws, with formally prescribed rights, duties, and sanctions
Reasonable Person Model
model used in legal reasoning that basically asks how a reasonable individual should have acted under the circumstances
Inequality
degree to which individuals, groups, and categories differ in the access to rewards
wealth, power, prestige
Egalitarian Society
form of society in which there is little inequality in access to culturally valued rewards
Ranked Society
has limited number of high ranking social positions that grant authority; groups are ranked relative to one another, highest rank bringing highest rewards
Stratified Society
heritable differences in access to wealth, power, and prestige
Class
system of stratification in which memberships in a stratum can theoretically be altered and intermarriage between strata is allowed
Caste
stratification system in which membership in a stratum is in theory hereditary, relationships/contact among members of different strata are governed by explicit laws, norms or prohibitions
Castes in Traditional India
Brahmins Kshatriyas Vaishas Shudras Untouchables
Ideologies
ideas and beliefs that legitimize and reinforce inequalities in stratified societies
Secular Ideology
ideology that justifies inequality based on society wide benefits
Functional Theory of Inequality
stratification is a way to reward individuals who contribute most of society’s well being
Conflict Theory of Inequality
stratification benefits mainly the upper stratum and is the cause of most social unrest and other conflicts in human societies
Consanguines
people related by birth, “blood relatives”
Affines
people related by marriage, in-laws
Kin Group
group of people who culturally conceive themselves to be relatives
Nuclear Family
family group consisting of a married couple and their offspring
Extended Family
group of related nuclear families
Household
dwelling usually inhabited by consanguineous and affinal relatives of fictive kin who cooperate and share resources
Fictive Kinship
condition in which people who aren’t biologically related behave as if they’re relatives of a certain type
Incest Taboo
prohibition against sexual intercourse between certain kinds of relatives
Exogamous Rules
marriage rules prohibiting individuals from marrying a member of their own social group or category
Endogamous Rules
marriage rules requiring individuals to marry members of their own social group or category
Monogamy
only one spouse
Polygyny
one man is allowed to have multiple wives
Polyandry
one woman is allowed to have multiple husbands
Group Marriage
several women and several men are married to one another simultaneoulsy
Polygamy
multiple spouses
Marriage Alliances
relationships created between families or kin groups by intermarriage
Levirate
custom whereby a widow marries a male relative of her deceased husband
Sororate
custom whereby a widow marries a female relative of his deceased wife
Bridewealth
custom that requires a man and/or his relatives to transfer wealth to the relatives of his bride
custom that requires a man and/or his relatives to transfer wealth to the relatives of his bride
custom in which a man spends a period of time working for the family of his wife
Dowry
custom in which the family of a woman transfers property or wealth to her and/or her husband’s family upon her marriage
Postmarital Residence Pattern
majority of newly married couples establish their own residence
Patrilocal Residence
couples live with or near the husband’s parents
Matrilocal Residence
couples live with or near the wife’s parents
Unilineal Descent
through one line
Patrilineal Descent
individuals trace their most important kinship relationships through their fathers
Matrilineal Descent
individuals trace their most important kinship relationships through their mothers
Clan
named unilineal descent group, some of whose members are unable to trace how they are related
Video
hunting promotes kinship
key to survival is kinship
no written language/tech
John Marshall
Arranging a Marriage in India
Serena Nanda
Sita was her informant
helped a friend match her son for arranged marraige
Life without Chiefs
for tens of thousands of years life went on without authority figures (Marvin Harris)
Sinai, Solomon Islands youth wanted to become big men (mumi)
Douglas Oliver
Julian Steward
3 aspects of cultural ecology
- relationship between technology & environment
- behavior patterns by which technology is utilized
- what is the link to other aspects of culture
Leslie A White
culture becomes more complex over time
ExT=C
E-amount of energy used per capita per year
T-technological efficiency with which energy is used
C-level of culture
Descent Groups
descending from a common ancestor
Unilineal Descent Group
group of relatives, all of whom are related through only one sex
Unilineal Extended Families
grouping formed by tracing kinship relationships through only one sex
Lineage
unilineal descent group larger than an extended family whose members can actually trace how they are related
Nonunilineal Descent
individuals don’t regularly associate with either matrilineal or patrilineal relatives, but make choices about whom to live with, whose land to use, etc
Cognate Descent
relationships may be traced through both females and males
Cognatic Descent Group
group of relatives created by tracing relationships through both females and males
Bilateral Kinship
individuals trace their relationships through both parents
Kindred
all the bilateral relatives of an individual
Kin Terms
words to refer to relatives
Kinship Terminology
logically consistent system by which people classify their relatives into labeled categories
Cultural Construction of Kinship
idea that kinship relationships a given people recognize don’t perfectly reflect biological relationships
Eskimo Terminology
kinship system in which no nuclear family kin term is extended to more distant relatives
Hawaiian Terminology
kin system in which only sex and generation are relevant in defining label categories of relatives
Iroquois Terminology
kinship system in which Ego calls parallel cousins the same term as siblings, fathers brother as father, and mother’s mother as mother
Omaha Terminology
kinship system associated with patrilineal descent in which Ego’s mother’s relatives are distinguished only by their sex
The Capitalist Class
(1% of the population) composed of investors, heirs, and a few executives; divided into “old” money and “new” money
The Upper-Middle Class
(14% of the population) composed of professions and upper managers, almost all of whom have attended college or university frequently have post-graduate degrees
The Lower-Middle Class
(30% of the the population) composed of lower managers, craftspeople and foreman - have at least a high school education
The Working Class
(30% of the population) composed of factory workers and low-paid white collar workers - most have high school educations
The Working Poor
(22% of the population) composed of relatively unskilled blue-collar and white-collar workers, and those with temporary and seasonal jobs - if graduated high school, probably did not do well in school
The Underclass
(3% of the population) concentrated in the inner cities, little connection to the job market - welfare is their main support
Patriarchal
Men dominate women, women have no power what so ever
Serial Monogamy
One spouse at a time e.g. United States (people get divorced and remarried)
Cross cousins
children of siblings of the opposite sex
Parallel cousins
children of siblings of the same sex
Pastoralism
Adaptation in which the needs of livestock for naturally occurring pasture and water greatly influence the movements of groups
