Textbook Chapter 2 pt. 2 Flashcards
Who created the idea of human agency?
Karl Marx
What is human agency?
human agency- the exercise of at least some control over their lives by human beings
social living and cultural sharing are necessary for individual human beings to develop what we recognize as _______ _______.
human nature
_________- the dialectical relationship between biological processes, in which each makes up an important part of the environment to which the other must adapt
coevolution
Why do cultural differences matter?
- what counts as an object or event in one tradition may not be recognized as such in another
- human experience is inherently ambitious
What is ethnocentrism?
the opinion that one’s own way of life is natural or correct and, indeed, the only true way of being fully human
The ultimate result of ethnocentrism may be ____ and ________.
war
genocide
The ultimate result of ___________ may be war and genocide.
ethnocentrism
What is genocide?
the deliberate attempt to exterminate an entire group based on race, religion, national origin, or other cultural features
Is it possible to avoid ethnocentric bias?
by becoming aware of unsuspected possibilities, you become a different person
What is cultural relativism?
cultural relativism- understanding another culture in its own terms sympathetically enough so that the culture appears to be a coherent and meaningful design for living
How does genitalia mutilation occur in the case of males?
Circumcision. ritual experts may cut off the foreskins of the penises of adolescent boys, who are expected not to show fear or pain
What is circumcision?
the removal of the male foreskin
Why is circumcision popular in Western societies?
Familiar practices in Western societies, for religious reasons (Judaism) and medical reasons (hygienic measures)
True or False: Female genital cutting is familiar in Western societies
False; female genital cutting is unfamiliar in Western societies
