Midterm Flashcards
define Culture
the acquired knowledge that people use to generate behavior and interactions w/ the world around them
define Ethnography
the systematic study of individual cultures
> explores cultural phenomena from the point of view of the subject of the study
what is the principal method of anthropology?
Participant Observation and field study
define “arm chair anthropology”
what are some of its issues?
the practice of studying human cultures without direct observation or fieldwork
> problematic b/c it involves making conclusions & assumptions based on limited information (is often ethnocentric)
how did Franz Boas address the issues of “arm chair anthropology”?
He emphasized cultural relativism & holistic approach (4 fields of anthropology)
define Ethnocentrism
the evaluation of other cultures according to one’s own culture
define Cultural Relativism
contextualizing standards & customs w/ historical particularism
explain the example of Kuru in context of Cultural Relativism
Kuru spread among the Fore when a member of the community ate the diseased (brain) flesh of another member of the community. Human societies develop death rituals to address the painful experiences caused by loss.
define Emic explanation
(inside) knowledge that considerers perspective of the participants
define Etic explanation
(outside) knowledge that consists of perspective of the observer/researcher
> doesn’t have to be meaningful for members
what does Reflexivity in fieldwork refer to?
the researcher actively examines and considers how their own personal beliefs, biases, and social position might influence their observations, interactions, and interpretations of the data they are collecting
what is a cross cousin?
how is this different from a parallel cousin?
A “cross cousin” is the child of your parent’s opposite-sex sibling (e.g., your father’s sister or mother’s brother), while a “parallel cousin” is the child of your parent’s same-sex sibling (e.g., your father’s brother or mother’s sister)
what are the four subfields of anthropology?
Cultural, Biological, Archaeological, and Linguistic
what is meant by “functionalism”
the theory that all aspects of a society serve a function and are necessary for the survival of that society
how might postpartum taboos
“function” to prevent kwashiorkor?
Food taboos can protect mother and fetus from food toxin and malnutrition from disease.
what is tacit culture?
unspoken, silently learned
what is explicit culture?
verbally instructed and taught
what are facultative traits? what are some examples of them
characteristic that can change or adapt based on environmental conditions
ex. Skin pigmentation, Muscle mass, Callus formation
what is Prestige Bias?
copying successful/prestigious people
what is Conformist Bias?
emulating what the majority is doing – “herd mentality”
describe the internalization of culture
integration of beliefs with one’s sense of self – process of cultural schema becoming a part of human motivation system (biological)
define schema
mental structures to organize knowledge and guide cognitive processes/behavior
describe the Fujita and Sano effect experiment
American and Japanese people have similar values, but their different practices appear to be different beliefs
> variation is due to internalization of diff. schema
what is the Fujita and Sano effect
there aren’t often big differences in values, but rather institutions (interpretation)
