Intro to Social Anthropology Unit 1 Flashcards
anthropology
the study of the full scope of human diversity, past and present, and the application of that knowledge to help people of different background better understand one another. greek anthropos (human) and logos (thought, reason, study). 18th/19th centuries, European colonialism and transportation tech
ethnocentrism
the strong human tendency to believe that one’s own culture or way of life is normal and natural; using one’s own culture to evaluate and judge the practices and ideals of others
ethnographic fieldwork
a primary research strategy in cultural anthropology typically involving living and interacting with a community of people over an extended period to better understand their lives
what does anthropology study?
people and their local communities, particularly marginalized communities;
people and the structures of power; believe that all humans are connected
four-field approach
the use of four interrelated disciplines to study humanity: physical anthropology, archaeology, linguistic anthropology, and cultural anthropology
holism
the anthropological commitment to look at the whole picture of human life – culture, biology, history, and language – across space and time
biological anthropology
aka physical anthropology; the study of humans from a biological perspective, particularly how they have evolved over time and adapted to their environments
paleoanthropology
the study of human evolution through the fossil record
primatology
the study of living nonhuman primates as well as primate fossils to better understand human evolution and early human behavior
archaeology
the investigation of the human past by means of excavating and analyzing material remains (artifacts)
prehistoric archaeology
the reconstruction of human behavior in the distant past (before written records) through the examination of artifacts
historic archaeology
the exploration of the more recent past through an examination of physical remains and artifacts as well as written or oral records
linguistic anthropology
the study of human language in the past and present
descriptive linguists
those who analyze languages and their component parts (construct written language from spoken)
historical linguists
those who study how language changes over time within a culture and how languages travel across cultures
sociolinguists
those who study language in its social and cultural contexts
cultural anthropology
the study of people’s everyday lives and their communities - their communities, behaviors, beliefs, and institutions, including how people make meaning as they live, work and play together
patterns of meaning embedded within each culture, and develop theories about how cultures work
ways local communities interact with global forces
participant observation
a key anthropological research strategy involving both participation in and observation of the daily life of the people being studied
living and working with people on a daily basis, often for a year or more
ethnology
the analysis and comparison of ethnographic data across cultures
looks beyond specific local realities to see more general patterns of human behavior , explore how local experiences intersect with global dynamics
globalization
the worldwide intensification of interactions and increased movement of money, people, goods, and ideas within and across national borders
connected strongly with anthropology
several key dynamics: time-space compression, flexible accumulation, increasing migration, uneven development, all at rapid pace
time-space compression
the rapid innovation of communication and transportation technologies associated with globalization that transforms the way people think about space (distances) and time
flexible accumulation
the increasingly flexible strategies that corporations use to accumulate profits in an era of globalization, enabled by innovative communication and transportation technologies (outsourcing, offshoring)
increasing migration
the accelerated movement of people within and between countries
uneven development
the unequal distribution of the benefits of globalization
anthropocene
the current historical era in which human activity is reshaping the planet in permanent ways
climate change
changes to Earth’s climate, including global warming produced primarily by increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases created by burning of fossil fuels
culture
a system of knowledge, beliefs, patterns of behavior, artifacts, and institutions that are created, learned, shared, and contested by a group of people
a shared belief system of what is right and what is right, what is normal and appropriate
enculturation
the process of learning culture, from people and cultural institutions
norms
ideas or rules about how people should behave in particular situations or toward certain other people “normal” and appropriate behavior challenged when norms enforced by a dominant group disadvantage or oppress a minority within the population
exogamy
marriage outside one’s group
endogamy
marriage within one’s “group”
values
fundamental beliefs about what is important, what makes a good life, and what is true, right, and beautiful balancing – privacy vs. security
symbols
anything that represents something else
mental maps of reality
cultural classifications of what kinds of people and things exist, and the assignment of meaning to those classifications brain creates shortcuts to navigate our experiences and organize all the data that comes our way shaped through enculturation globalization puts pressure on mental maps of reality, closer contact with world’s diversity
cross-cultural and comparative approach
the approach by which anthropologists compare practices across cultures to explore human similarities, differences, and the potential for human cultural expression
unilineal cultural evolution
the theory proposed by nineteenth-century anthropologists that all cultures naturally evolve through the same sequence of stages from simple to complex
savage, barbarian, civilized; western cultures tops
discredited, racist
historical particularism
the idea, attributed to Franz Boas, that cultures develop in specific ways because of their unique histories
society
the focus of early British anthropological research whose structure and function could be isolated and studied scientifically
structural functionalism
a conceptual framework positing that each element of society serves a particular function to keep the entire system in equilibrium; society as living organism; narrow focus at current point ignoring history and neighbors
thick description
a research strategy that combines detailed description of cultural activity with an analysis of the layers of deep cultural meaning in which those activities are embedded; Geertz
interpretivist approach
a conceptual framework that sees culture primarily as a symbolic system of deep meaning; Geertz
diffusion
the borrowing of cultural traits and patterns from other cultures, used to explain apparent similarities Boas
power
the ability or potential to bring about change through action or influence Wolf – see power as an aspect of all human relationships, power dynamic
stratification
the uneven distribution of resources and privileges among participants in a group or culture
hegemony
the ability of a dominant group to create consent and agreement within a population without the use or threat of force Gramsci
agency
the potential power of individuals and groups to contest cultural norms, values, mental maps of reality, symbols, institutions, and structures of power
material power
political, economic, or military power; coercion or brute force Gramsci
epigenetics
an area of study in the field of genetics exploring how environmental factors directly affect the expression of genes in ways that may be inherited between generations
human microbiome
the complete collection of microorganisms in the human body’s ecosystem
ethnographic fieldwork
a primary research strategy in cultural anthropology typically involving living and interacting with a community of people over an extended period of time to better understand their lives
try to understand people’s everyday lives, to see what they do and to understand why, understand their experience through their eyes
salvage ethnography
fieldwork strategy developed by Franz Boas to collect cultural, material, linguistic, and biological information about Native American populations being devoted by the westward expansion of European settlers
rapid gathering of all available material
met with small number of elderly informants, oral interviews
cultural relativism
understanding a group’s beliefs and practices within their own cultural context, without making judgements
participant observation
a key anthropological research strategy involving both participation in and observation of the daily life of the people being studied
Malinowski
reflexivity
a critical self-examination of the role the anthropologist plays and an awareness that one’s identity affects one’s fieldwork and theoretical analyses
engaged anthropology
applying the research strategies and analytical perspectives of anthropology to address concrete challenges facing local communities and the world at large; confronting systems of power and inequality; advocacy and activism with local communities on matters of mutual concern
Scheper-Hughes
synchronic approach
controlling experiments (fieldwork) by limiting consideration of the larger historical and social context in order to isolate as many variables as possible Evans-Pritchard
anthropologist’s toolkit
the tools need to conduct fieldwork, including information, perspectives, strategies, and even equipment; literature review, learning language, contacts, grant applications, permissions, protocols, equipment
quantitative data
statistical information about a community that can be measured and compared
qualitative data
descriptive data drawn from nonstatistical sources, including personal stories, interviews, life histories, and participant observation
key informant
a community member who advises the anthropologist on community issues, provides feedback, and warns against cultural miscues; also called ‘cultural consultant’
life history
a form of interview that traces the biography of a person over time, examining changes in the person’s life and illuminating the interlocking network of relationships in the community
survey
an information-gathering tool for quantitative data analysis
rapport
relationships of trust and familiarity with members of the community studied
kinship analysis
a fieldwork strategy of examining interlocking relationships of power built on marriage and family ties
social network analysis
a method for examining relationships in a community, often conducted by identifying whom people turn to times of need
field notes
the anthropologist’s written observations and reflections on places, practices, events and interviews
mapping
the analysis of the physical and/or geographic space where fieldwork is being conducted; recorded in maps, field notes, audio and video recordings, photographs; careful, first-hand observations and documentation of physical space
built environment
the intentionally designed features of human settlement, including buildings, transportations and public service infrastructure, and public spaces; guided by political and economic choices that determine funding
zeros
elements of a story or a picture that are not told or seen and yet offer key insights into issues that might be too sensitive to discuss or display publicly ; aka silences, what is said and what is not said
mutual transformation
the potential for both the anthropologist and the members of the community being studied to be transformed by the interactions of fieldwork
emic
description of local behavior and beliefs from the anthropologist’s perspective in ways that can be compared across cultures; understanding the local community on its own terms
etic
the analysis and comparison of ethnographic data across cultures; viewing the local community from the anthropologist’s perspective as an outsider
ethnology
an approach to gathering data that investigates how local people think and how they understand the world; the overarching process of comparison and assessment of activities, trends, and patterns of power across cultures
polyvocality
the practice of using many different voices in ethnographic writing and research question development, allowing the reader to hear more directly from the people in the study
informed consent
protecting the identities of the people involved in a study by changing or omitting their names or other identifying characteristics
anonymity
a key strategy for protecting those being studied by ensuring that they are fully informed of the goals of the project and have clearly indicated their consent to participate
ethnographic authority
what right does the ethnographer have to present certain material, make certain claims, and draw certain conclusions; include language skills, length of time engaged in study, special training and preparation, research design and implementation, quality of relationships with subjects, quality and persuasiveness of writing
