MT #1 Flashcards
1
Q
What is Anthropology?
A
The study of people through their origins, material belongings, contemporary variations and their changes over history
2
Q
What is Biological anthropology?
A
Subfield that studies human biological evolution, primates, and contemporary variations among peoples of the world.
3
Q
What is Archaeology?
A
The study of human past through the excavation and analysis of material remans (ancient garbage)
4
Q
What are the three examples of “ancient human garbage”
A
- Artifacts: objects made or modified by humans (Lithics - stone tools + byproducts of making them)
- Ecofacts: Recovered from archaeological context that are remains of organisms (ex. Dino bones)
- Features: Non-portable portions of site (ex. Fire pit)
5
Q
What is linguistic anthropology?
A
the study of human communications within its sociocultural context.
6
Q
What are the four branches of linguistic anthropology?
A
- historical linguistics: language change
- descriptive linguistics: language structure - Sociolinguistics: language use
- Ethnolinguistics: language culture relationship
7
Q
What is cultural anthropology?
A
studies specific contemporary cultures and the more general underlying patterns of human culture derived through cultural comparisons
8
Q
What is ethnography?
A
Description of a culture by means of direct fieldwork
9
Q
What is ethnology?
A
Comparative study of cultural differences between two or more cultures.
10
Q
What is holism?
A
The study of cultures as wholes, not simply as a collection of parts
11
Q
What is comparative approach?
A
Use of cross cultural comparisons to understand issues facing many cultures worldwide (ex. Globalization impacts, inequality)
12
Q
What is ethnocentrism?
A
the practice of viewing the cultural features of other societies in terms of ones own. Operates under the assumption that there are absolute standards. (Ex. Upside down global map)
13
Q
What is Cultural relativism?
A
Any part of a culture must be viewed in its proper cultural context rather than from the viewpoint of the observer. Rejects absolute standards (ex. Upside down map)
14
Q
What is an emic perspective?
A
The insider view. Describes a culture from the perspective of the people being studied.
15
Q
What is an Etic perspective?
A
The outsider view. Describes a culture based on the perspectives of the anthropologists.
16
Q
What is culture?
A
Everything that people have, think, and do as members in society.
17
Q
What are values?
A
What is important to people and that which they act to acquire or maintain.
18
Q
What are norms?
A
Ideas about what is appropriate and what is inappropriate behaviour (ex. Canadians saying sorry)
19
Q
What are the Characteristics of culture?
A
- Culture influences biological processes
- Culture is based on symbols
- Culture is learned
- Culture is unconscious
- Cultures are generally integrated
- Culture is shared
20
Q
How does culture influence biological processes?
A
Humans all meet the same biological needs, but culture shapes how these needs are met
- Eating: what, how, and when we eat as well as cultural significance of specific foods
- Drinking: What is served and who consumes it
- Bathroom: where, when, and how we clean
- Sleeping: who sleeps where, how much sleep one should have
21
Q
How is culture based on symbols?
A
Symbol is something tangible, such as a material object or behaviour, that represents something intangible, such as value, attitude, belief, or organization (ex. Rings for marriage)
22
Q
How is culture learned?
A
Through - observation, Participation, being taught
- Enculturation: The process by which humans learn their culture
23
Q
How is culture unconscious?
A
Our own culture is so ingrained (a part of us) that it is often taken for granted. We view our values and behaviour as ‘natural’ and ‘normal’
24
Q
How are cultures integrated?
A
Must look at the whole and how different aspects of culture are integrated and work together.
25
How is culture shared?
Members of a culture share the same material possessions; similar attitudes, beliefs, and values; and they act in similar ways and participate in the same rituals and ceremonies.
- Culture and identity: We derive a large part of our sense of identity or who we are from our culture
- Culture is relative: What we have, think and do are relative to a particular group of people and are thus culturally relative.
26
How does culture change?
brought about by internal and external factors
Internal (within culture) - inventions/innovations, new cultural features or a combo of existing features
External (Greatest change) - Cultural diffusion, spreading of a trait
27
What is cultural diffusion?
Process is a selective (not everything is exchanged), two way, reciprocal process where cultures merge.
28
What is acculturation, cultural hegemony,and cultural genocide?
Acculturation: Where subordinate culture adopts many of the cultural traits of a more powerful culture
Cultural Hegemony: Forced assimilation by a dominant culture
Cultural genocide: Complete loss of culture (residential schools)
29
What is the difference between society and culture?
- Society: Organized group of interdependent people who share a common territory, language and culture who act together for the common survival and well being.
Barrel model of culture:
- Every culture is an integrated system
- There are functional relationships among the economic base (infrastructure), the social organization (social structure), and the ideology (superstructure)
30
What are the 6 cultural universals?
1. Economic system
2. Systems of marriage and family
3. Educational system
4. Social control system
5. System of supernatural belief
6. Systems of communication
31
What is a theory?
A general statement that suggest a relationship among phenomena. Theories allow us to predict and postulate about the way things are
32
What is a hypothesis?
A proposed explanation to a theory
33
What is an inductive approach?
Proceeds without a hypothesis: Data is collected through unstructured, informal observation, conversation etc.
- Uses qualitative (no numbers), emic data
34
What is emic data?
Insiders perceptions and categories, and their explanations for why they do what they do
35
What is a deductive approach?
Starts from a research question or hypothesis, collects relevant data
- Qualitative (numbers) and etic data
36
What is Etic data?
Analytical framework used by outside analysts in studying culture.
37
What is armchair anthropology?
never encountering a culture and instead going off of colonial encounters
38
What is colonialism?
Cultural domination of a people by a larger, wealthier powers
39
What is evolutionism?
The idea that the cultures fit into one of three stages: Savagery, Barbarism, Civilization (IS ethnocentric, and has since been abandoned)
40
What is unilateral evolution?
the idea that all societies pass through the same development states in the same order, from simple to complex.
41
What is diffusionism?
Societies change as a result of a cultural borrowing from one another.
- Deductive approach
- Fieldwork: At first they didn’t live with the people they were studying (changed with Bronislaw Malinowski - Trobriand islands)
42
What is functionalism?
Social Institutions are integrated and function to maintain or satisfy the biological needs of the individual. Bronislaw Malinowski
- Humans have culture instead of inborn instincts. And culture is what makes fulfillment possible
- criticized for not being able to account for change and free will
43
What is Historical particularism?
Goal was to uncover the past influences on a given culture that shaped its present form. Used an inductive approach
- the idea that each culture had its own unique history.
- culture should be studied individually with the use of ethnographic data
- Franz Boas: strong advocate for fieldwork, tried to understand emic perspective
44
What is the culture and personality theory?
Explores the relationship between culture and psychological variables such as personality, emotion, cognition. Uses the idea that personality is largely the result of cultural learning.
- Margaret mead: student of boas, wrote coming of age in Samoa, first public anthropologist.
45
What is neoevolutionism and cultural ecology?
Culture is shaped by environmental conditions. Through culture humans adapt to technoenvironmental conditions. Focuses on how similar, not how unique
- Julian Steward: cultural ecology examines the interactions between people who live in similar environments and their tech, social structure, and political institutions.
- Leslie White: neoevolutionism similarities between culture can be explained by parallel adaptations to similar natural environments.
46
What is Cultural materialism?
Cultural systems are most influenced by such material things as natural resources technology, and human biology.
- Etic viewpoint. More scientific, empirical, and capable of generating causal explanations.
- 60s Marxist theory influence. De emphasizes role of ideas and values in determining conditions of social life.
47
What is French structuralism?
Identify the mental structures that underpin culture and social behaviour. Best way to understand a culture is to collect stories and myths and analyze the underlying themes in them,
- Claude Levi Strauss
- The human mind thinks in binary oppositions (ex. Hot cold, male female).
48
What is symbolic anthropology?
Influenced by French structuralism. Goal is the interpretation of symbols, we behave according to symbols.
49
What is Interpretative anthropology?
Culture is a web of symbols and meaning, and the job of anthro os to interpret those meanings.
- Clifford Geertz: Balinese cockfights
50
What is postmodernist anthropology?
A school of anthropology that advocates the switch from cultural generalizations and laws to description, interpretation, and the search for meaning
- Ethnographies are written from several voices: that prof the observer as well as the people under analysis.
51
What is being reflexive?
Recognition of anthropologies biases as well as the influence of he anthropologists own personal situation and experiences in the production of anthropological knowledge
52
What is ethnographic fieldwork? What are the goals of ethnographic fieldwork?
the practice where an anthropologist is immersed in the daily life of a culture to collect data.
- Goals include: avoiding ethnocentrism, cultural relativism, sustaining diversity, seek cultural competency (ability to interact with people of different cultures)
53
What is community based participatory research?
Partners within a community are involved with all aspects, gathers why questions through qualitative data.
54
What are the stages of fieldwork?
1. Selecting research problem
2. Formulating research design
3. Collecting data
4. Analyzing data
5. Interpreting data
6. Presenting results
55
What are the goals of participatory observation?
Participant observation: Living with and participating as much as possible in the lives of the people under study
- Goals: Establish rapport (especially with gatekeepers), Practice proper gift giving based on culture, select a relevant role, establish that the people ate the experts of the subject.
56
What is the Hawthorne effect?
Bias when participants change behaviour to meet the norm of researcher.
57
What are the trobriand islands? Who studied there?
Bronislaw Malinowski studied the peoples of this island using participant observation fieldwork.
58
What is interviewing? What are the types of interviewing?
More purposeful than just regular conversation as it allows the collection of data through targeted questions.
- Types: Structured (near end of process, large number of participants asked a set of questions), Semi-structured (rely on interview guide on relevant topics), Unstructured (Early stage, individuals are asked to respond to broad open ended questions)
59
What is census taking?
Collection of demographic data about studied culture
60
What is ethnographic mapping?
Near beginning of process - where do people live, work, shop, etc
61
What is document analysis?
Looking at texts and historical documents. Goal is for gain insight into the present from records of the past.
62
What is ethnohistory?
63
What is collecting genealogies?
Data of the kin of the collaborators
64
What is a cross cultural comparison?
Looking at other ethnographies to compare and contrast the group being studied.
65
What is HRAF?
Human relations area files: contain lots of ethnographic data
66
What is situated knowledge?
Knowledge that is influenced by anthropologists age gender etc.
67
What is inter subjectivity?
68
What is autoethnography?
Part autobiography and part ethnology, systematic sociological introspection. Allows for insights into culture and the effect of anthropologists emotions.
69
What is life histories?
Can be acquired through document analysis, interviewing in depth is the norm. Assumed experience is representative of the culture.
70
What is multi sided fieldwork?
Focuses on processes that are not contained by social, ethical, religious, or national boundaries. Follows people, plots, lives, etc from site to site.
71
What is applied anthropology?
Application of anthropological knowledge, concepts, theories, and methods to the solution of specific societal problems.
It is essential that anthropologists are able to apply their perspectives
72
Applied medical anthropology?
The application of theories concepts
And methods in the study of health in order to improve the wellbeing of people everywhere.
73
Why is it essential to study cross cultural health systems?
In order to understand how all cultures view health, illness, disease, etc. This also helps emphasize that western medicine and its labels do not equal other cultures labels.
74
What is the difference between illness and disease?
- Disease refers to biological health problem that is objective and universal.
- Illness refers to a culturally specific perception and experience to a health problem.
75
What is Somatization?
Process where body absorbs social stress and manifests symptoms of suffering. Ex. Anorexia
76
What is an ethnoetiology?
Refers to a cross cultural specific causal explanation for health problems and suffering.
- Natural, Psychological, supernatural, socioeconomic (structural suffering)
77
What are the differences between private, community, and humoral healing?
- Private healing (western, individual healing), community (mobilization of community energy as key to cure), Humoral (based on balance among elements within body and environment: ex. Foods having healing and cooling effects)
78
How does globalization affect health?
New diseases being spread more easily through travel, Economic development is causing health issues, and medical pluralism (presence of multiple health systems within society, ex. Have with every meal of the day has different meanings to different groups)
79
What is environmental anthropology?
Explores the effects of culture on perceptions pertaining to the natural world.
80
How does western and non western knowledge on the environment differ?
Many cultures integrate science into their spiritual beliefs, social behaviours, and identities rather than distinguishing it as a separate domain of knowledge.
81
What is Ethnoscience?
Study of how people classify things in the world, usually by considering some range or set of meanings.
82
What are cultural landscapes?
Culturally specific images, knowledge and concepts of the physical landscape that helps shape human relations with that landscape. Ex. Mother Nature
83
What is ATK and TEK?
Aboriginal traditional knowledge (ATK): important part of project planning, resource management, and environmental assessment (EA).
- ATK includes Traditioonal ecological knowledge (TEK), Traditional land use (TLU), and socioeconomic.
TEK: indigenous ecological knowledge and its relationship with resource management strategies. Collecting info is important for development.
84
What is political ecology?
Studies unequal relation among societies affect the use of the natural environment and its resources. Environmental degration is a cause of marginalization.
85
What is environmental justice?
Social movement that addresses the links between racial discrimination and injustice, social equity, and environmental quality.
86
What is communication?
Process of sharing info and knowledge through verbal and nonverbal system of meaning
87
What is language?
Symbolic system of sounds that when put together with rules conveys meaning. (All languages are complex)
- body language came way before spoken language. Because individuals did no have the mental or physical capacity to speak.
88
What is historical linguistics?
Study of language through history
89
What is protolanguage?
Hypothetical common ancestral languages of two or more living languages.
90
What are the productivity and displacement features of language?
- Productivity: able to create an infinite range of understandable expressions from a finite set of rules.
- Primates use a closed call system (meaningful sounds generated in response to environmental factors)
- Displacement: Ability to refer to events and issues beyond the immediate present.
91
What are phenome and Morphemes?
- Phenome: smallest unit of sound that distinguishes meaning (“bit” vs “pit”)
- Morpheme: Smallest form that conveys meaning (“dogs” vs “dog”)
92
What is grammar and syntax?
- Grammar: Rules by which sounds are combined in a language to enable users to send and receive meaningful utterances
- Syntax: Rules that determine how phrases and sentences are constructed.
93
What is paralanguage?
Nonverbal form of communication that accompanies words and helps to convey their meaning as well ad expressing the emotional state of the speaker.
94
What are prosodic features?
Auditory qualities of speech that help interpret meaning of words. (Ex. Loudness and tone)
95
What is Haptic communication?
Form of nonverbal communication that involves touch, appropriate touching is culturally specific
96
What is Proxemics?
Your own body space, how far away you are from someone else, personal space bubble. How people use space. Canadians view of personal space is different from other cultures.
97
What is context?
Framework, background, and surrounding circumstances in which communication takes place.
98
What is a High context culture?
Have a low diversity population and share a similar culture. Communication is indirect and relies heavily on context. Ex. Italy, japan
99
What is a low context culture?
Have a highly diverse population and share diverse cultures. Communication tends to be more direct and unambiguous; Meaning is conveyed by the words themselves. Ex. North America, Great Britian
100
What is Sociolinguistics?
The study between language and society. What we say and how we say it are culturally influenced.
101
What is honourifics?
Words that show respect and encode social status.
102
What is genderlects?
Varieties of speech associated with particular gender.
Deborah Tannen - Rapport (women) vs report (men)
103
What is lingua Franca?
A common language people use to communicate when they do not share the same first language. Ex. Pilots
104
What is Pidgin?
language that blends elements of at least two parent languages, emerges when two different languages come in contact and must communicate. Ex. Haiti
105
What is Creole?
When speakers of a pidgin language pass the language on to a new generation.
Dialect: Regional or class variation of a language
106
What is an accent?
Manner of pronoun citation. Characterizes individuals
107
What is Diglossia?
A language with high and low dialects based on the content. Ex. Emailing vs texting tone
108
What is code switching?
Switching between languagewes or forms of a language depending on the social context.
109
What is the Sapir-wharf hypothesis?
Argues that a persons language shapes a persons perceptions and view of the world, and consequently their behaviour.
- peoples language affects how they think.
