The Discipline of Anthropology

Question 1

Anthropology

Answer 1

the comparative and holistic study of human biology and culture

Question 2

The subdisciplines of anthropology

Answer 2

Archaeology, linguistics, Biological/Physical Anthropology, Cultural Anthropology

Question 3

Archaeology Examples

Answer 3

• Divided by region and time period
• Boats and navigation and getting to the americas
• Zoology (?)- humans and animals relations

Question 4

Linguistics

Answer 4

• Studying different languages
• Structural linguists
• Dead languages

Question 5

Biological/Physical Anthropology

Answer 5

• Medical are included
• Forensics
• Anthropometry
• Population Genetics
• Osteology

Question 6

Cultural Anthropology Subsets

Answer 6

• Ethnohistory
• Comparative Religions
• Nutritional Anthropology
• Economic Anthropology
• Anth. of Development
• Applied Anthropology

Question 7

Paleontology & human evolution

Answer 7

study of the human and primate fossil record.

Australopithecines> Modern Humans
Hominids - walking humans (lucy)
Slowly became more technologically advanced (handymans & stone tools)
Homorectus - first to leave Africa to the east. Fire & clothes
Neanderthals - first to bury dead

Question 8

Osteology

Answer 8

study of the human skeleton

Much information about past societies can be learned through Osteology

• Age and sex, diseases, malnutrition, warfare/catastrophic death
• Look at bones to see common patterns to see why a civilization might’ve disappeared

Question 9

Porotic Hyperostosis

Answer 9

caused by iron deficiency (meats) and anemia → malnutrition
* Cranial bones & orbitals become hollow & brittle & rough

Question 10

Harris Lines

Answer 10

striations found on long bones (arms & legs) that indicate growth stunting during developmental ages (0-7) due to malnutrition. The body shuts down growth temporarily.

Question 11

Human Variation

Answer 11

works with living groups

Population Genetics (blood samples, dna & genetics) and Anthropometry

Question 12

Anthropometry

Answer 12

studies of human weights & physical measurements/features.
Mostly on live humans
Put into computers to compare patterns of different groups to see similarities

Question 13

Spanish conquest of Peru and ‘evil spirits.’

Answer 13

Spanish couldn’t have kids because of altitude(hypoxia)

Ecological & genetic patterns (ex: incas becoming adjusted for high altitudes)

Went down to lima to have kids because they didn’t have enough oxygen

Question 14

Archaeology

Answer 14

the study of human cultural remains. Seeks to reconstruct the past structural remains.

Question 15

artifacts found with human burials

Answer 15

great differences can indicate differing levels of stratification (everyone different or the same - shows classism) or cultural complexity.

Question 16

Neandertal burials.

Answer 16

• Put simple artifacts with the dead. All of the artifacts were the same so they likely didn’t have higher rankings
• Egalitarian

Question 17

Lascaux Cave

Answer 17

• Mural with horses above a 15 year girl’s grave. She was buried in a robe made of seashells (300 miles away shows extensive trading) VS other graves that were all the same
• This shows that she was very special. a sacrifice, died, a symbol

Question 18

Etowah Indian Mounds.

Answer 18

• Commoner graves were all the same
• Rulers, royalty, chiefs, and families get nice rich mounds
• Priests get buried with religious icons
• Warriors get buried with weapons
• Chiefdoms

Question 19

Aztec burials.

Answer 19

• Professions determined burials
• Commoners get boring graves
• Sacrifice servants for rulers to join in afterlife

Question 20

Linguistic Anthropology

Answer 20

the study of human language, uses comparative and historical methods

Question 21

Core Words

Answer 21

words that change really slowly so they seem similar
* kinship
* House
* Verbs changing slower than adjectives and nouns

Question 22

Glottochronology

Answer 22

looking at when languages diverged from a common ancestral languages
* Comparing similarities (romance languages originated from latin)
* French being different from spanish & portuguese showing how long ago they diverged

Question 23

Cultural Anthropology

Answer 23

the comparative and holistic study of human culture, is both
historical and contemporary

Question 24

Comparative Cultural Anthropology

Answer 24

take or two units of analysis and compare and contrast them

EX: Religious, marriage, values, technology, wealth, education, gender relations
EX: Premarital chastity is emphasized in cultures that practiced dowry or bride price (economic practices). Other cultures don’t care about chastity at all.

Question 25

Holistic Cultural Anthropology

Answer 25

eclectic, all perspectives must be examined to explain human phenomena.

Question 26

Beri Beri in Thailand

Answer 26

Example of Holistic Cultural Anthropology The locals in Thailand had Beri Beri diseases caused by thymond deficiency. The US org eventually found out it was caused by a fermented fish oil poured over rice which made an enzyme called thymondase. (Had to examine culture to see)

Question 27

Participant Observation

Answer 27

anthropologists live with the people they study and participate in their culture. Total immersion into the culture.

Question 28

Chagnon and Yanamamo

Answer 28

chagnon studied a tribe called yanamamo. The Yanamamo were pretty isolated from all peoples so they were highly susceptible to eastern diseases. The idea was to go to the Yanamamo to vaccinate people. Chagnon ended up staying to learn about the different groups in the tribe and how they lived. He went back a bit later to spend a year later to find out all the names given were false and were insults. Turns out it was rude to talk about any dead ancestors so people were actually cursing him out. He learned the language by interacting with the people and asking about names.

Question 29

Ethnography

Answer 29

observing people in their own environment to understand their experiences, perspectives and everyday practices

Question 30

Ethnohistory

Answer 30

tries to tell what life was life for everyday folks

Question 31

Emic Perspective

Answer 31

the way a particular people view their own behavior> insider’s perspective. * How people view their own behavior * Best perspective

Question 32

Elephantiasis in India

Answer 32

Example of emic perspective Elephantiasis - a condition caused by a polaritis which is passed on by worms to mosquitoes. Causes deadly swelling in the lower body. Spread through blood Indians thought that the disease was caused by divine punishment due to infidelity (not just marriage & could’ve been in a past life). Believed that if you interact with affected people than you are participating in this sin, this often leads to shunning of the individual (they’re ostracized). * Unknowingly quarantining