Final Exam Flashcards
biological anthropology
study of the evolution, function, and health of the human body and our closest primate ancestors across time and space
linguistic anthropology
the relationship between language and culture
archeology
branch of anthropology that studies human history and its artifacts.
sociocultural anthropology
the study of how societies are structured and how cultural meanings are created
society
society is a group of people who live together and share common culture, beliefs, and ways of interacting
culture
culture is defined as the shared beliefs, values, practices, customs, behaviors, symbols, and material objects that are passed down from one generation to the next within a society or social group
ethnocentrism
evaluating another culture based on your own culture (superiority)
ethnocentric fallacy
The belief that one’s own ethnic group is innately superior to others and that all other groups should therefore be judged by one’s own local standards
cultural relativism
no behaviour or belief can be judged wrong or odd just because it is different to our own
relativistic fallacy
claiming that something is true for one person but not true for someone else, when in fact that thing is an objective fact
critical cultural relativism
questions cultural beliefs and practices
thick descriptions
deep descriptions and interpretations that a researcher is observed and is documented using visual observations or interviews
applied anthropology
a sub discipline that specializes in putting anthropological knowledge into practice
methodology
an approach to systematically learning about something
ethnographic fieldwork
a research method in which sociocultural anthropologists have intensive, long term engagements with a group of people
qualitative data
exploration + examination (thick data)
quantitative data
measurement + assessment (big data)
participant observation
The participation and observation of daily tasks within a particular group
rapport
The participation and observation of daily tasks within a particular group
informal interview
spontaneous and unstructured (open ended conversation) but are recorded with permission
formal interview
scheduled with and structured to discuss predetermined topics, also recorded with permission
polyvocal research
hearing diverse voices by interviewing various different categories of people to get diverse perspectives
emic
“insiders perspective” (uses cultural relativism to understand pov of informant)
etic
“outsiders perspective” (uses comparative categories, explanations and interpretation to analyze the situation)
reflexivity
a critical self-examination of the role the anthropologist plays and an awareness that one’s identity affects one’s fieldwork and theoretical analysis
culture shock
the feeling of disorientation in the initial stages of fieldwork when someone is adjusting to a new language, beliefs, food or even climate
armchair anthropology
when anthropologists did not visit people or cultures and were just studying them themselves (read journals and reports and made interpretations off of that)
colonialism
the practice of gaining partial or full political control over a country while exploiting it economically, filling it with settlers and claiming it as their own
civilizing mission
Europeans recorded ongoing of people they stayed with and tried to convert them to Christianity
ethnography
written description and analysis of a particular group of people
salvage anthropology
an approach where anthropologists witnessed the extinction or assimilation of Indigenous peoples throughout the world, so they tried to rapidly document these cultures before they disappeared
positionality
how your own social position and power can shape your identity
privilege
the advantage someone has over another
progress
the idea that human history is the steady advance from a life dependent on nature to a life of control and domination over nature
unilinear cultural evolution
idea that all societies go through the same series of standardized stages and that all humans are on the same trajectory of development
culture change
the change in meaning that people ascribe to experiences and changes in their way of life (allows culture to be dynamic)
achieved status
a form of status that is earned, an identity that is believed to be in flux and that is dependent upon the actions and achievements of an individual
ascribed status
a form of status that is hereditary or given at birth, an identity that is perceived as fixed and unchanging because a person is born with it
irrigation agriculture
form of cultivation in which water is used to deliver nutrients to the plants
carrying capacity
the number of people a given area of land can provide for before environmental degredation starts to occur
“putting out” system
merchants provide materials and tools for workers to produce products in their homes (workers were essentially employees)
world bank
lending institution for nations and their economic development
imf
regulates currency transactions between countries
interpersonal theory of disease
tension or conflict within their social relations are what causes disease (withcraft, spirit possession, soul loss)
personalistic theory of health
disease results from aggressive and purposeful supernatural acts (ghost, ancestor, evirl spirit, God)
naturalistic theory of health
disease results from natural forces and an upset in the balance of body elements
transformative healing
long term healing that doesn’t necessarily cure any specific illness
restorative curing
healing that cures you of an illness
worldview
worldview is the comprehensive, shared understanding of the world held by a particular culture or group
metaphor
reinforce our beliefs and our understanding of reality
domain of experience
an area of human experience (business, war, science, family life etc.) that people borrow meaning and apply it to other areas
key metaphor
a term to identify meanings that people in a specific culture attribute to their experience
rituals
validate beliefs and enact key metaphors
ethnographic time
case studies written some time ago that only show a screenshot in time and often hold bias
syncretism
term given to the combination of old beliefs or religions and new ones (often introduced during colonization) to create a new worldview
secularism
the separation of political and economic realms of society from religion or spirituality
kinship
the study of family composition, marriage and descent patterns
kin types
terms used to denote biological relationships among family members (father, mother, brother, etic perspective)
kin terms
culture-specific terms used to denote family relationships (from an emic perspective)
nuclear family
family group consisting of a father, mother and their biological or adopted children
consanguineal
kinship characterized by the sharing of common ancestors
bilateral kinship
a system in which individuals trace their descent through both parents
matrilineal kinship
a system of descent in which persons are related through their mother only
patrilineal kinship
a system of descent in which persons are related through their father only
incest taboo
a rule that prohibits sexual relations among kin of certain categories, such as brothers or sisters, parents and children or cousins
exogamy
a rule that requires a person to marry someone outside of their own group
endogamy
a rule that requires a person to marry someone inside their own group (a lineage, an ethnic group, a religious group
polygamy
a form of marriage in which a person is permitted to have more than one spouse
polygyny
a form of marriage in which a man in permitted to have more than one wife
polyandry
a form of marriage in which a woman is permitted to have more than one husband
lingusitics
scientific study of language
dialect
mutually intelligible variation of a language
diglossia
two languages are used within a single speech community where one is considered more prestigious
social identity
the view that people have of their own and other’s position in society
enculturation
the process through which individuals learn their identity
imagined communities
Refers to fact that even in absence of face-to-face interactions, a sense of community is culturally constructed by forces such as the mass media
personhood
the social and cultural recognition of an individual as a person within a specific society
selfhood
an individuals personal sense of identity and how they perceive themselves (internal thoughts, feelings and autonomy)
egocentric self
individualistic self, acts independently, responsible for self, possesses intrinsic qualities, ignores the role of culture in shaping the self (North Americans)
sociocentric self
context dependent, no intrinsic self so cannot possess enduring qualities, self as an entity within concrete situations or roles (Japanese)
ethnicity
Refers to a group of people who perceive themselves as a unified group based on shared (real or imagined) history, culture, language or religion
principle of reciprocity
giving and receiving of gifts
traditional gifts
items that are made or appropriated, possessed, personalized objects, defining buyer’s identity
commodities
objects of value that are sold and bought in the market for a price
social stratification
The ordering and ranking of individuals within society (Based on power, wealth, prestige and privilege rooted in criteria like class, caste, race, gender and more)
meritocracy
where people can theoretically rise or fall in class based on their achievements
caste
determined by birth and heritage, no social mobility
class
determined by economic factors, allows for social mobility
racism
systems of prejudice based on physical differences and the belief that these physical differences are paired with behavioural, physical or intellectual differences
individual racism
personal biases result in discrimination against individuals because of their race
institutional racism
systems and structures (education, healthcare, housing, employment) perpetuate racial inequalities, institutional practices and policies create barriers for marginalized groups
systemic racism
embedded across social, economic and political systems
white privilege
positioning of white individuals at the top of racial hierarchies and that they have greater authority and privileges over non-white people
sex
biological differences (hormonal, chromosomal, physical differences)
gender
cultural roles, behaviours and expectations
gender stratification
Widely held beliefs about the attributes, differences and roles of men and women influence societal expectations and limit opportunities for individuals based on gender norms
hegemonic masculinity
Refers to culturally dominant ideal of masculinity that prioritizes traits like strength, dominance, competitiveness, independence and emotional stoicism
intersectionality
how multiple aspects of identity (race, gender, class etc.) interact to shape social experiences
new racism
a form of soft racism that posits racial differences as cultural rather than biological
globalization
the process in which businesses or other organizations develop international influence or start operating on an international scale
neoliberalism
governments must not interfere with the functioning of markets
market externalities
costs that are not included in the prices people pay (example- health risks and environmental degradation)
capitalism
An economic system in which private actors own and control property in accord with their interests and demand and supply freely set prices in markets in a way that can serve the best interests of society
cultural homogenization
erodes cultural diversity, leading to a uniform global culture dominated by Western norms
conflict model of cultural interaction
suggests that globalization amplifies tensions between distinct cultural systems
homogenization model of cultural interaction
globalization leads to cultural standardization where local cultures are gradually replaced by a dominant global culture
hybridization model of cultural interaction
globalization fosters the blending of global and local cultural elements to create new, hybrid identities
glocalization model
emphasizes how global products or ideas are reinterpreted within local contexts, reinforcing rather than eroding local identities
renegade dreams
How the physical and emotional scars of violence shape both individuals and communities
ethnocide
the attempt to destroy the culture of a people
genocide
the attempt to exterminate a people
refugees
groups of people who have left their homeland due to warfare, forced expulsion, acts of terrorism or other factors
diaspora
a population whose members are dispersed and living outside their homeland
collateral damage
human deaths
carpet bombing
massive bombing
surgical strikes
bombing that only eradicates military targets
christmas tree farms
weapon piles based in submarines
