introduction to anthropology Flashcards
the study of humanity
anthropology
5 social sciences
anthropology
sociology
politcal science
psychology
economics
4 fields of anthropology
biological
linguistics
archeology
cultural
the study of the anatomical, physiological, and genetic characteristics of both ancient and modern human populations
biological anthropology
3 sub fields of biological anthropology
primatology
paleoanthropology
study of human biological variation
the study of the human society and cultures through the analysis of material remains such as bones, pottery, tools, and architecture
archaeology
2 sub fields of archaeology
pre historic and historic archaeology
the descriptive, comparative, and historical study of communication (primarily language) among humans, including its similarities and differences in time, space, and society
linguistics
three sub fields of linguistics
historical
descriptive
sociolinguistics
the study of human society and culture
cultural anthropology
is broadly defined as the use of anthropological theory, methods, and data to address real world concerns
applied anthropology
each culture is the product of its own history and thus each culture is unique
historical particularism
each cultural must be studied on its own terms and evaluated by its own standards not ours
cultural relativism
judging culture by our standards
ethnocentrism
our beliefs and behaviors serve to maintain our society and culture
functionalism
based on the premise that each culture is comprised on several interrelated parts and these parts must be understood to understand the culture
holism
most of what we do for example, adolescence and gender roles are not a product of instant or biology, it is the product of culture and thus developed by us and subject to be changed by us
cultural constructivism
culture is significantly influenced by our environmental surroundings, culture is how we adapt to the environment
cultural materialism
understanding cultures through meanings and ideas people studied
cultural interpretivism
a contemporary theoretical approach in anthropology and sociology that challenges the assertion that scientific methods, technological change, mass media, and urbanization as progress
postmodernism
acknowledges that economics, political organization, and media influence what people think and what they do
structure
the ability to act against the structure and the ability to act in one’s own self interest
agency
the belief that biology has a significant influence on why people believe and behave -not true
biological determinism
the belief that culture significantly influences behavior - not entirely true absolute because of human free will and the sometimes vagueness of culture
cultural determinism
