vocabulary Flashcards
agency
the ability of humans to make choices and exercise free will even within a dominating structure
anthropology
the study of humanity, including a prehistoric origins and contemporary human diversity
applied anthropology
the use of anthropological knowledge to prevent or solve problems or to shape and achieve policy goals.
archaeology
the study of past human cultures through their material remains
biological anthropology
the study of humans as biological organisms, including evolutions and contemporary variations
biological determinism
a theory that explains human behavior and ideas as shaped mainly for biological features such as genes and hormones
class
a way of categorizing people on the basis of their economic position in society, usually measured in terms of income or wealth
cultural anthropology
the study of living people and their cultures, including variations and change
cultural constructionism
a theory that explains human behavior and ideas as shaped mainly by learning
cultural materialism
a theory that takes material features of life, such as environment, natural resources, and mode of livelihood, as the bases for explaining social organization and ideology
cultural relativism
the perspective that each culture must be understood in terms of the values and ideas of that culture and not judged by the standard of another culture
culture
people’s learned and shared behaviors and beliefs
ethnicity
a shared sense of identity among members of a group based on heritage, language, or culture
ethnocentrism
judging another culture by the standards of one’s own culture rather than by the standards of that particular culture
functionalism
the theory that a culture is similar to a biological organism, in which parts work to support the operation and maintenance of the whole
gender
culturally constructed and learned behaviors and ideas attributed to males, females, or blended genders
globalization
increased and intensified intentional ties related to the spread of Western, especially U.S, capitalism and affects all world cultures
holism
the perspective in anthropology that cultures are complex systems that can not be fully understood without paying attention to their different components, including economics, social organization, and ideology
indigenous people
groups of people who have a long standing connection with their home territories that predates colonial or outside societies
interpretive anthropology
the view that cultures are best understood by studying what people think about, their ideas, and the meaning s that are important to them
linguistic anthropology
the study of human communication, including its origins, history, and contemporary variation and change
localization
the transformation of global culture by local cultures into something new
microculture
a distinct pattern of learned and shared behavior and thinking found within a larger culture
“race”
a classification of people into groups on the basis of supposedly homogeneous and biological traits such as skin color or hair characteristics
structurism
a theoretical position concerning human behavior and ideas that says large forces such as the economy, social and political organizations, and the media shape what people do and think
symbol
an object, word, or action with culturally defined meaning that stands for something else, most symbols are arbitrary.
collaborative research
an approach to learning about culture and involves anthropologist working with member of the study population s partners and participation rather than as “subjects’”
cultural shock
persistent feelings of uneasiness, loneliness , and anxiety that often occur when a person has shifted from one culture to another
emic
insiders’ perceptions and categories, and their explanations for why they do what they do
ethnography
a detailed description of a living culture, based on personal observations and study
etic
an analytical framework used by outside analysts in studying culture
fieldwork
research in the field, which is any place where people and culture are found
indigenous knowledge
local understanding of the environment, climate, plants, animals, and making a living
informed consent
an aspect of fieldwork ethics requiring that researcher inform the research participants of the intent, scope, and possible effects of the proposed study and seek their consent to bi in the study.
interview
a research technique that involves gathering verbal data through question or guided conversation between least two people
multisited research
fieldwork conducted in more than one location in order to understand the culture and dispersed members of the culture or relationships among different levels of culture
participant observation
basic fieldwork method in cultural anthropology that involves living in a culture for a long time while gathering data
qualitative data
non-numeric data
quantitative data
numeric data
questionnaire
a formal research instrument containing a preset series of questions that the anthropologist asks in face-to-face settings, by mail, or by e-mail
rapport
a trusting relationship between the researcher and the study population
agriculture
a mode of livelihood that involves growing crops with the use of plowing, irrigations, and fertilizer
consumerism
a mode of consumption in which people’s demands are many and infinite and the means of satisfying them are insufficient and become depleted in effort to satisfy these demands
extensive strategy
a from of livelihood involving temporary use of large areas of land and a high degree of spatial mobility
foraging
obtaining food available in nature through gathering hunting, or scavenging
generalized reciprocity
exchange involving the least concuss sense of interesting material gain or thought of what might be received in return
horticulture
a mode of livelihood based on growing domesticated crops in gardens, using simple hand tools
industrial agriculture
a form of agriculture that is capital intensive, subsiding machinery and purchased inputs for human and animal labor
industrialism/informatics
a mode of livelihood in which goods are produced through mass employment in business and commercial operations and through the creation and movement of information through electronic media
