p1 - ant theories Flashcards
Meaning, Scope and Development of Anthropology
Meaning, Scope and Development of Anthropology,”Functionalism by Bronisław Malinowski in Argonauts of the Western Pacific among the Trobriand Islanders. Functionalism focuses on how cultural institutions function to meet individual and societal needs, illustrating anthropology’s holistic approach to understanding cultures.”
Relationships with Other Disciplines
Relationships with Other Disciplines,”Culture and Personality by Ruth Benedict in Patterns of Culture among the Pueblo Indians. This theory explores how cultural patterns shape individual personalities, highlighting anthropology’s interdisciplinary connections with psychology and sociology.”
Main Branches of Anthropology
Main Branches of Anthropology,”Cultural Materialism by Marvin Harris in Cows, Pigs, Wars, and Witches among the Hindu culture. Cultural materialism emphasizes how material conditions (e.g., economics, ecology) influence social structure and cultural practices, central to cultural anthropology.”
Human Evolution and Emergence of Man
Human Evolution and Emergence of Man,”Out of Africa Theory proposed by Christopher Stringer and Robin McKie among early Homo sapiens. This theory posits that anatomically modern humans originated in Africa and then spread throughout the world, shaping our understanding of human origins.”
Characteristics of Primates
Characteristics of Primates,”Social Structure and Behavior of Monkeys by Jane Goodall among chimpanzees. Goodall’s research on chimpanzees revealed complex social structures, tool use, and behaviors, informing comparative primatology and primate studies in anthropology.”
Phylogenetic Status of Hominids
Phylogenetic Status of Hominids,”Australopithecines and Human Ancestry by Raymond Dart among early hominids. Dart’s discovery of Australopithecus africanus in South Africa provided key evidence for human evolution, contributing to our understanding of hominid phylogeny.”
The Biological Basis of Life
The Biological Basis of Life,”Biocultural Approach by Clarence Gravlee among the Maya population. The biocultural approach integrates biological and cultural factors to study human health and disease, illustrating anthropology’s interdisciplinary engagement with biology.”
Principles of Prehistoric Archaeology
Principles of Prehistoric Archaeology,”Cultural Evolution by Lewis Henry Morgan in Ancient Society among ancient societies in North America. Morgan’s theory of cultural evolution traces societal development from savagery to civilization through technological advancements, foundational to archaeological interpretations.”
The Nature of Culture
The Nature of Culture,”Culture as Shared Symbolic Systems by Clifford Geertz among the Balinese culture. Geertz’s theory defines culture as systems of shared symbols and meanings, emphasizing interpretation and understanding within cultural anthropology.”
The Nature of Society
The Nature of Society,”Structural Functionalism by Émile Durkheim among tribal societies. Durkheim’s theory explores how social structures function to maintain stability and coherence in society, influencing anthropological perspectives on social organization and change.”
Marriage
Marriage,”Alliance Theory by Claude Lévi-Strauss among indigenous tribes in Amazonia. Alliance theory examines how marriage creates alliances between kin groups, influencing social structures and kinship systems.”
Family
Family,”Nuclear Family and Extended Family by Bronisław Malinowski among the Trobriand Islanders. Malinowski’s study highlighted the functional roles of nuclear and extended families in supporting social and economic activities within the community.”
Kinship
Kinship,”Descent and Alliance Theory by Edward Evans-Pritchard among the Nuer people of Sudan. Evans-Pritchard’s work explored how descent groups and marriage alliances shape kinship systems, illustrating the cultural variability in kinship practices.”
Economic Organization
Economic Organization,”Subsistence Strategies by Julian Steward among Native American tribes. Steward’s research emphasized how different subsistence strategies (e.g., foraging, pastoralism) influence economic organization and social structure in societies.”
Political Organization and Social Control
Political Organization and Social Control,”Political Anthropology by Max Gluckman among the Zulu people in South Africa. Gluckman’s studies examined how political systems maintain social order and resolve conflicts through rituals and judicial processes within tribal communities.”
Religion
Religion,”Theories of Religion by Émile Durkheim among Australian Aboriginal tribes. Durkheim’s theory focused on how religious rituals and beliefs reinforce social cohesion and solidarity, illustrating religion as a cultural phenomenon.”
Classical Evolutionism (Tylor, Morgan, and Frazer)
Classical Evolutionism (Tylor, Morgan, and Frazer),”Unilinear Evolution by Lewis Henry Morgan among Native American societies. Morgan’s theory proposed that societies evolve through stages of savagery, barbarism, and civilization based on technological and social advancements.”
Historical Particularism (Boas)
Historical Particularism (Boas),”Cultural Relativism by Franz Boas among Native American tribes. Boas emphasized studying cultures within their specific historical and environmental contexts, challenging ethnocentric views and promoting cultural diversity.”
Diffusionism (British, German, and American)
Diffusionism (British, German, and American),”Culture Area Theory by Alfred Kroeber among Native American cultures. Culture area theory posits that cultural traits spread through diffusion within geographic regions, influencing cultural similarities and differences.”
Functionalism (Malinowski); Structural-Functionalism (Radcliffe-Brown)
Functionalism (Malinowski); Structural-Functionalism (Radcliffe-Brown),”Functionalism by Bronisław Malinowski among the Trobriand Islanders. Malinowski focused on how cultural institutions function to meet individual and societal needs. Radcliffe-Brown extended this to structural-functionalism, emphasizing social structures’ roles in maintaining social order and stability.”
Structuralism (Lévi-Strauss and E. Leach)
Structuralism (Lévi-Strauss and E. Leach),”Structuralism by Claude Lévi-Strauss among indigenous tribes in Brazil. Lévi-Strauss examined how underlying structures of kinship and mythology shape cultural patterns, influencing anthropology’s structural approach.”
Culture and Personality (Benedict, Mead, Linton, Kardiner, and Cora-du Bois)
Culture and Personality (Benedict, Mead, Linton, Kardiner, and Cora-du Bois),”Culture and Personality by Ruth Benedict among the Pueblo Indians. This theory explores how cultural patterns shape individual personalities, highlighting anthropology’s interdisciplinary connections with psychology and sociology.”
