Midterm 2 Flashcards
- What are some of the ways in which humans produce or collect their food?
Foraging - Food is collected from the local environment
Pastoralism - Subsistence strategy that relies on raising livestock
Horticulture - Small-scale farming for personal use
Agriculture - Large-scale use of domesticated plants and animals
Domestication - Organisms changed through human control of demography, reproduction, diet.
- What is domestication?
Organisms changed through human control of demography, reproduction, diet, etc.
Select traits desirable to humans -Disposition, Taste, Size
- In what ways are domesticated plants and animals often changed?
Animal Domestication - Anatomical changes, Trauma/disease patterns, Selection for traits that render an animal less “fit”, Presence outside of natural range
Plant Domestication - Unable to reproduce without human intervention, Seeds remain on stalk (tough rachis), Gigantism, Larger seeds, DNA
- How did plants and animals become domesticated?
Plant Domestication - Likely incidental rather than intentional at first, Harvesting plants with the best traits and planting their seeds, Short term choices = long term changes, Intentionally manipulating plants to create more desirable strains
Animal Domestication - Anatomical changes, Trauma/disease patterns, Selection for traits that render an animal less “fit”, Presence outside of natural range
- How does culture influence what we think counts as food and what foods are healthy?
What we consider food is partially culturally determined, Huge variety of things we could conceivably eat but don’t, Some foods considered inedible by one group may be desirable for another, Appropriate food pairings – pineapple on pizza?
- What is the importance of food sharing in human societies?
Preparing food and eating often highly social, Express solidarity and maintain social bonds, Reaffirm cultural values, Ex. Western families traditionally meet to consume evening meal, Food sharing likely has deep evolutionary roots, observed in other primates, Reciprocal Altruism = giving freely with the expectation that others will do the same, Costly Signaling = Giving to demonstrate value and wealth
- How do humans use food to mark our social identities?
Foods maintain social identities - Markets and festivals, Okanagan fruit, Craft brewing
- How is food used in rituals?
Incorporated into rituals - Feasting and fasting
Reaffirms religious identities and values – Gratitude, Self-control, Purity
- How has globalization shaped foodways?
Separation of production and consumption - How comfortable would you be killing a cow?
Potentially undermines the cultural value of food, Counter trends - Pick your own berry farms, Farmer’s markets, Petting zoos
- How is the field of economic anthropology different from economics?
All aspects of how humans meet their needs and wants, Broader focus on non-market economies, Social and cultural meaning of economic activity, Why people want things in the first place
- Identify and explain each of the modes of production
Production: transforming raw materials into product
Distribution: getting products to people
Consumption: using up the products
- How is work defined and carried out by different societies?
Tributary Production: Production still largely domestic, BUT…, Portion of production given to rulers as tribute, Less direct control over means of production, Pre-industrial societies in many parts of the world
Capitalist Production: Many modern industrial societies, Workers sell labour to capitalist class who own the means of production, Less control over products of labour and other decisions surrounding work
Different modes coexist to varying degrees, Ex. Many subsistence farmers still participate in market capitalism, Ex. Many people who live in capitalist societies engage in informal/domestic economic activity
- Why do humans give gifts?
The exchange of gifts, May be accompanied by ritual – Christmas, birthdays, Individually beneficial, Creates social connections, Communicates cultural values, Generosity, selflessness
- What are the different types of reciprocity?
Types of reciprocity correspond to social distance
Generalized: neither time nor value of return gift is specified
Balanced: return gift of equal value expected within a specific time
Negative: parties try to get the better of the exchange
- What is redistribution? What are some examples?
Economic contributions from group members aggregated, Redistributed to provide for members, Requires centralized social organization, Ex. Taxes
- How is market exchange different from reciprocity?
Market: Institution for regulating exchange, Money: a multipurpose medium of exchange, May be considered a form of negative reciprocity, Usually less personal, but not always – hairdresser/barber
- What are informal economies?
Economic activity unregulated and untaxed, “Grey markets”, Operates according to own internal rules, Huge proportion of global economic activity, Missed by common economic metrics like GDP
- What are some ways that globalization has impacted economic activity around the world?
Disposable clothing in the West sent to SA, Asia, Africa, Sold in public textile markets or out of households, Unregulated and untaxed, Sellers follow market rules and make business decisions Traditional basket making in southern Tanzania - used for domestic tasks, Competition from cheap plastic containers, Revived for overseas markets/means of cultural expression, Complicated consequences of globalization
- How does consumption influence production and distribution?
Consumer behavior drives changes in production and distribution - Ethically sourced goods, Fair trade, Organic, Local goods
- How does our culture influence our patterns of consumption?
Some consumption is context specific, Consuming specific dishes, Wearing certain clothes, Drinking alcohol at work
- How is politics related to economics?
Different groups within society have different economic resources and goals, Political power often derived from economic control of land, money, labor
- What are class and caste? What is the difference?
Class: Defined by wealth and occupation, In capitalist economies often linked to control over factors of production, Also, about social relations and presentation, use of symbols, E.g., Elizabethan Sumptuary Laws (1500s), E.g., Old money vs New money Class identity intersects with other social categories, Class inequality tends to mirror other forms of inequality, Gender, Race, Ethnicity
Caste: Endogamous occupational groups in a hierarchical system, Movement and association between castes prohibited – Heritable + for life, European executioners, West African Iron workers, Burakumin in Japan
- What is social complexity?
Many parts and connections between those parts, Large populations, Surplus production, More and larger institutions, Social stratification – distinct layers
- What are the categories of social complexity? What common features define each one?
Band (based on skill, age, gender), tribe (Equal access to wealth and prestige), chiefdom (Greater ability to coerce), state (Bureaucracy with significant power – taxation, enforcement), Egalitarian (everyone is equal), Ranked (levels), Stratified.
- How might states have formed?
Bureaucracy with significant power – taxation, enforcement, Monopoly over the legitimate use of force, Large populations supported by agriculture, Significant stratification
- How and why do states collapse?
Foreign invasion, Disease, Social inequality, Natural disaster, Climate change, Environmental mismanagement
- How do societies maintain social control?
Enforce/encourage cooperation, Discourage destructive behaviour, Methods of control are different and culturally derived
- How do societies create social solidarity between people not directly related to one another?
Age sets: sodalities that organize people based on age, Grades in primary education, Maasai – boys, junior warrior, senior warrior , elders
- What is power, and what are the different types?
Power: ability to transform a situation, In society - to make others do what you want, Sources of power and ways of securing legitimacy are culturally dependent
Interpersonal power - Ability of one individual to impose their will on another
Organizational power - Ability to control others in particular social settings
Structural power - Control over social settings
- How does the use of power differ between types of societies?
States tend to rely on formal coercive methods, Law courts, police, military, Code of Hammurabi, Babylon, However, individuals must also be persuaded to accept social controls
- What are the different types of conflict?
Feuds – recurring hostility between kin groups, Revenge
Raids – acquires resources from other populations without controlling them, Parasitic
