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Cultural Anthropology > FInal Exam > Flashcards

FInal Exam Flashcards

1
Q

Ambilineal Descent

A

-can go through male or females, can use both matrilineal and patrilineal descent
-association to famous people in Western culture

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2
Q

Animism

A

-Spirit or soul animates beings/features
-lives inside them

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3
Q

Animatism

A

-Divine essence can be contained
-Luck in objects
-Touching/ holding a rabbit’s foot allows for connection with the supernatural

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4
Q

Art

A

-Emote
-Often symbolic
-Has cultural meaning, produced in patterned ways
-Sometimes thought provoking
-expresses as well as communicates
-stimulates the senses, affects emotions, and invokes ideas

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5
Q

Avunculocal Residence

A

-married couple moves in with female’s mother’s brother
-pre-existing female-oriented lineage
-considerable fighting in society

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6
Q

Band

A

-Local group or band
-Informal leadership if any (roles are more fluid)
-Foraging or food collecting
-Very small, low density communities
-Egalitarian
-Distribution: mostly reciprocity

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7
Q

Belief System

A

-used to encompass less complex sets of social and cultural traits found in less complex societies (often cultures of the archaeological record)
-Religion is a complex, modern subset of belief systems

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8
Q

Bilateral Kinship

A

-Ego-centered
-Do not allocate importance to ancient ancestors

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9
Q

Bilocal Residence

A

-Can practice patrilocal or matrilocal residence
-Usually practiced by societies under pressure or are unstable

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10
Q

Biomedical Paradigm

A

-identify illnesses based on ideology
-varies based on worldview, exclusionary western ideal
-thinking about death as something to be solved
-medicine is primarily cultural, some science

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11
Q

Body Decoration/ Adornment

A

-all societies decorate or adorn the body
-extremely universal
-enormous cultural variation in the parts decorated and how
-typically for aesthetic purposes
-can be used to delineate status, occupation, etc.
-Erotic significance in some cases

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12
Q

Bride Price/ Wealth

A

-often paid from the husband’s family to the bride’s
-take women= household loss compensation
-‘buy’ wife

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13
Q

Caste

A

-most restrictive form of social stratification
-practice endogamy
-only present in state level societies

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14
Q

Chiefdom

A

-Multi-local group
-Some specialized political officials
-Extensive or intensive agriculture and/ or herding
-Large communities of medium density
-Rank society
-Reciprocity and redistribution
-chief is a member of historically significant kin group
-male chief in violent societies
-villages may have representatives that report back to the chief
-more complex subsistence practices
-chief resolves conflict and represents to the outside world
-chiefs may manage redistribution
-collective intent moderates the community
-Chiefs have greater prestige only

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15
Q

Clan

A

-A set of kin whose members believe themselves to be descended from a common ancestor
-links back to that ancestor are not specified
-Totem: animal that is forbidden from consumption for some tribes who see them as their common ancestor

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16
Q

Compatibility-with-Childcare Theory

A

-Bad omen to have twins, cannot feed both
-menstruation= energy expensive
-modern females menstruate hundreds of times in a lifetime
-Females stay with babies to feed them, are important for future reproduction

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17
Q

Cultural Resource Management

A

-Recovering and preserving the archaeological record before programs of planned change disturb or destroy it.
-some countries have historical preservation laws that require allocation of federal funds to ensure damage to archaeological resources is mitigated
-may also work with native peoples to preserve their cultures
-efforts to train and employ tribal members in CRM
-accounts for the majority of archaeology jobs in the United States today

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18
Q

Culture Bound Syndromes

A

-unique illnesses specific to certain cultures
-Ex: Suso, Anorexia Nervosa in Wester Societies

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19
Q

Deism

A

Generic belief in some sort of supernatural being

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20
Q

Double Descent

A

-Individuals affiliate for some purposes with a group of matrilineal kin and for other purposes with a group of patrilineal kin

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21
Q

Dowry

A

-Bride’s family gives it to the bride
-Bride brings payment to new house

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22
Q

Indirect Dowry

A

-Husband’s family provides
-payments first given to bride’s father to pass down to the bride

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23
Q

Economic (Business) Anthropology

A

-Anthropologists can help businesses understand other cultures
-Assist multinational corporations
-Can also help business members understand their own organization’s culture
-may also be used to determine marketing tactics by discovering what people want

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24
Q

Economy-of-Effort Theory

A

-Jobs assigned based on pre-existing knowledge
-Already have tools and knowledge
-Less expensive in terms of time than teaching someone new
-hunter= combat, ability to hunt humans

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25
Q

Egalitarian

A

-Bride service and female exchange often occur because women make significant contributions to primary subsistence
-Usually give males less access to rewards
-Often support individual self help and can tend towards violence rather than consensus
-Negotiation and mediation are central
-Competition for leadership can become intense in some tribes
-leadership shifts informally from one person to another
-unenclosed area in art= non-differential access to property
-repetition of certain symbol: lack of political organization
-empty space: society’s relative isolation

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26
Q

Endogamy

A

-required to marry within a particular group
-common in caste systems
-frowned upon to marry outside of your status
-nobility families (genetic problems)

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27
Q

Ethnomedicine

A

-Health related beliefs, knowledge, and practices of a cultural group
-Every culture has an ethnomedical perspective
-Primates also use herbs to prevent/ protect against disease or infection

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28
Q

Exogamy

A

Required to marry someone outside of your group

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29
Q

Expendability Theory

A

-Men tend to do more dangerous work in a society because the loss of men is not as great a disadvantage reproductively as the loss of women
-Risk-taking in small communities

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30
Q

Extended Family

A

-Often consists of a married couple and one or more of the married children living in the same household
-prevailing form of family
-may be very large, encompassing three or four generations
-may also be composed of families linked through a sibling tie

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31
Q

Family

A

-A social and economic unit consisting of one or more parents and their children
-must have children to be an anthropological family

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32
Q

Fine Art

A

-Western construction of what art is
-Art that typically has value attributed to it
-Exclusive labeling

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33
Q

Folklore

A

-A broad category comprising all the myths, legends, folktales, ballads, riddles, proverbs and superstitions of a cultural group
-generally transmitted orally
-Not always clearly separable from the other arts

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34
Q

Forensic Anthropology

A

-Specialty in Anthropology dedicated to solving crimes and why they occur
-insight into state-sponsored violence
-identification of genocide victims can be particularly disturbing.

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35
Q

Gender

A

-Refers to cultural expectations and experiences of females and males
-Social Construction: society agrees on rules
-External sociocultural influences are important
-Ex: Aggression and socialization because these are not biological

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36
Q

Gender Roles

A

-nearly universal
-Evidence of gendered roles also extends to primates, may accept roles different from biology
-Defined as role assignments for females and males that are a product of a particular culture.
-Set up to provide an adaptive advantage
-Some tasks are difficult to execute biologically

37
Q

Gods

A

-Any kind of supernatural being that has a name/ individual identity
-often anthropomorphic in feature

38
Q

Incest Taboo

A

-most rigid marriage regulation
-found in all cultures
-no culture today permits incest within the nuclear family

39
Q

Kinship

A

-provides the main structure of social action in non-commercial societies which have no autonomous individuals
-Kin are the people obligated to help you whether the help is deserved or not
-living with or near kin has been the basis of social organization for many societies

40
Q

Levirate

A

Custom that obliges a man to marry his brother’s widow

41
Q

Lineage

A

-Set of kin whose members trace descent from a common ancestor through known links
-Often designated by name of common female or male ancestor

42
Q

Magic

A

-any actions which compel the supernatural to act in specific and intended ways
-often pertains to immediate assistance

43
Q

Mana

A

-Luck, gravity, life force, etc.
-Non-anthropomorphic you can connect to
-can influence the physical world

44
Q

Marriage

A

-socially sanctioned union between 2 or more people
-typically at least one male, one female
-Economic and sexual function

45
Q

Matrilocal Residence

A

-Married couple goes to live with female’s family
-Subsistance contribution correlation

46
Q

Medical Anthropology

A

-study of heath, illnesses and related treatments
-Increased realization that biological and social factors need to be considered if we are to reduce human suffering
-Western and non-western medicine are both valuable.

47
Q

Mediums

A

-Tend to be females
-Part-time practitioners
-Asked to heal and divine while in possession trances
-Possessed by spirits
-Described as having convulsions, seizures, and temporary amnesia

48
Q

Monogamy

A

-One only has one spouse at a time
-common in Western societies
-plural marriage is illegal

49
Q

Monotheism

A

-Only one deity in all cosmetology, or only on high ranking deity above all others
-central being

50
Q

Music

A

-Wide variation across the world
-Production varies from culture to culture
-connection to childbearing

51
Q

Neolocal Residence

A

-rarest
-couple starts a new household after marriage
-postindustrial and commercialized societies
-individual accessibility
-consumption is ideal
-demonstration of viability
-times of stress= extended family residence

52
Q

Nuclear Family

A

married couple and children

53
Q

Patrilocal Residence

A

married couple goes to live with the male’s family

54
Q

Peaceful Resolution of Conflict

A

-No further conduction of violence after resolution
-Avoidance
-Community action
-Negotiation and mediation: both parties negotiate, settlement, third party assistance= mediation
-Ritual reconciliation and apology: give up status to get out of social jail, humble yourself, express remorse
-Oaths and Ordeals: formalized ways of convincing a society you are going to reduce conflict, swear on a bible, prove worth in an ordeal
-Adjunction, courts, and codified law: formal system, acceptance of fundamental principles of the process

55
Q

Personalistic Practitioners

A

-practitioners who deal with more than the body
-illness may be viewed as a result of someone’s social life being out of order

56
Q

Physicians

A

-certain substances or treatments will fix the problem
-rely on science for authoritative knowledge
-value is also placed on own clinical experience
-Often consider own observations more important than patient reports
-attempt to do something even in the face of uncertainty
-low value placed on talking with patients
-rely on technology heavily for diagnosis
-give patients relatively little information

57
Q

Polyandry

A

Many men married to one woman

58
Q

Polygamy

A

-plural spouse marriage
-feature of most societies
-Two types: polyandry and polygyny

59
Q

Polygyny

A

Multiple females married to one man

60
Q

Polytheism

A

-Includes many named beings
-None of which outrank another

61
Q

Postpartum Sex Taboo

A

-long taboo: low protein diet
-Mother puts off having another baby: current infant has a better chance for survival by being fed by mother for longer (prevents protein deficiency)
-Common in tropical regions
-Prevents parents from carrying two children at the same time
-Statistical association with low protein diets and a longer taboo

62
Q

Practicing Anthropology

A

-Becoming an agent of change
-less of a consultant position
-more negatively paternalistic

63
Q

Applied Anthropology

A

-employed outside of colleges or universities
-The use of anthropology knowledge to solve real world problems

64
Q

Priests

A

-full-time male specialists who officiate at public events
-very high status
-Relate to gods beyond the control of an ordinary person
-May be distinguished by special clothing or hairstyle
-training can be vigorous and long
-supported by donations
-often have some sort of political power as a result of their office
-Dependence on ritual protects a priest
-nonresponse of gods= person is unworthy of supernatural favor.

65
Q

Primary/ Secondary Subsistence

A

-Primary: attainment of resources
-Secondary: processing of resources for consumption
-Both are important
-Masculine gender is correlated with more primary subsistence activities
-non-subsistence related activities are often also divided on the basis of gender in cultures
-Mining falls to men: more physically demanding

66
Q

Rank

A

-Virginity emphasized in rank and stratified societies
-Chief in chiefdoms has a higher rank than others
-hereditary leadership
-Gods may also be ranked like people
-Some spirits may be promoted to rank of gods
-one leading voice drowned out by others in songs
-Adornment used to differentiate

67
Q

Religion

A

-A set of beliefs and practices
-Any set of attitudes, beliefs, and practices pertaining to supernatural power
-Some beings in some cultures are natural
Usually include:
-social
-morals/ ethics and laws
-sacred texts
-History
-Ritual
-Practitioners
-Symbols
-Cosmology
-Mythology

68
Q

Sex

A

-Purely biological differences
-bimodal distribution in humans
-hormonal, phenotype, genitalia, genetics
-Small portion of intersex: chromosome complications, mixed genitalia

69
Q

Sexuality

A

-All societies have rules governing proper conduct
-Every society has rules about premarital sex
-Rules about sex in marriage
-Rules about extramarital sex
-Homosexuality rules

70
Q

Sexually Dimorphic

A

-Occurs on a species level in humans
-Females and males in of our species are generally of different size and appearance
-Extends beyond genitalia differences alone.
-muscle mass
-grip strength
-expression of hair
-hip: waist ratios
-Fat: muscle ratios

71
Q

Shaman

A

-Usually a part-time male specialist who has fairly high status in his community and is often involved in healing
-Deals with spirits to get their help or prevent them from causing harm
-Enters into a trance

72
Q

Sorcery

A

-May include the use of materials, objects, and medicines to invoke supernatural malevolence
-important in societies that lack judicial authority

73
Q

Witchcraft

A

Accomplish ills by means of thoughts and emotions alone

74
Q

Sororate

A

Custom that obliges a woman to marry her deceased sister’s husband

75
Q

Spirits

A

-Unidentified, undifferentiated forces that have motivations
-Not always conscious
-Often related to the environment

76
Q

State

A

-Multi-local, often an entire language group
-A lot of specialized political officials (permanent roles)
-Intensive agriculture and herding
-Cities and towns with high density
-Class and caste differentiation
-Mostly market exchange
-Reciprocity only occurs on a local level, not the main method

77
Q

Strength Theory

A

-Biological differences: men do jobs that require the greatest brute strength
-Not always applicable: musical instrument making is knowledge based

78
Q

Supernatural

A

-non-human origin: gods and spirits
-human origin: ghosts and ancestral spirits
-Supernatural world runs parallel to the natural (Freud)
-powers believed to not be human or subjected to the laws of nature
-Illness varies: viewed as natural only in some cultures

79
Q

Susto

A

-Latin American bound cultural syndrome
-Illness you can get from witnessing/experiencing trauma
-Predisposition of the culture
-Nervousness, fever, depression, diarrhea, listlessness.

80
Q

Tribe

A

-Sometimes multi-local group
-Informal leadership if any
-Extensive (shifting) agriculture and/or herding
-Small low density communities
-Egalitarian
-Distribution: mostly reciprocity
-more than one location under a larger system
-kin groups, occasional individual elevation
-encampments may become more permanently constructed
-no property differentiation
-semi-sedentary

81
Q

Unilineal Descent

A

Person is linked to one kin group of one sex only (patrilineal OR matrilineal)

82
Q

Violent Resolution of Conflict

A

-Individual violence: act alone, kill someone yourself, violence leads to more violence
-Feuding: families that hate each other, hurt you= must hurt back
-Raiding: one group attacks another by stealing or taking resources back, highly aggressive, often becomes constant, common in pastoralism
-large-scale confrontations: military operations, warfare not resolution, must do something additional to stop the fighting, warfare itself does not end violence

83
Q

Political Warfare Society Theory

A

-men are involved in combat, military is often a major part of leadership
-brute strength is not important in modern warfare
-Massive societal populations means expendability no longer matters
-women are now involved in the military which means additional involvement in politics
-military no longer acts as a constraint on leadership

84
Q

Female Contribution to Work

A

-women put in more hours
-males put in more strenuous work, less time
-do different work
-Less complex society= more social equality

85
Q

Describe at least three of the different arguments anthropologists have given
to explain why marriage is universal among humans?

A

3 THEORIES:
-Gender division of labor: different roles= different resources, you need both halves of gender roles to meet individual needs, not very applicable to egalitarian societies.
-Prolonged infant dependency: humans stay infants/ are dependent for long periods of time, obligate people together to ensure child’s needs are met for several years, not necessary in band societies where bands are permanent structures
-Sexual Competition: humans are constantly sexually active as a species, marriage used to prevent conflict due to constant availability, ensures daily needs are met, does not solve problem of extramarital sex, evolution already assisted in reducing sexual competition

86
Q

Elman Service 4 Types of Political Organization

A

Band, Tribe, Chiefdom, State

87
Q

Describe, in detail, at least three ways in which Belief
Systems or Religions mirror and reinforce social order and cultural norms in
a society.

A

Supernatural Being Stratification
-reflects societal social stratification
-humans place themselves in a larger hierarchy to justify stratification on Earth
-reinforce social order

High Intervention of Gods
-usually socially stratified
-acceptance of higher authority

Importance of the Afterlife
-correlated with subsistence
-interest in claim to ancestors that have influence over current condition
-family property inheritance
-lineages are important

88
Q

Under what circumstances would a Belief System become
Maladaptive?

A

-When social systems change, the ideology must also change
-One example discussed in class: Aztecs used sacrifice as a method of maintaining social order and appeasing the malevolent gods.
-Many societies do not practice sacrifice due to too small of population sizes
-Aztecs could preform sacrifices due to rapid population growth

Cultural Anthropology (2 decks)

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