Week 3 Flashcards
Evolutionisim
19th century school of cultureal anthropology, represented by Tylor and Morgan, that attempted to explain variations in world cultures by the single deductive theory that they all pass through a series of evolutionary stages.
Teleology
A process having a definite and ultimate purpose or goal
Who is Edward Tylor?
- Suggested all cultures evolved from simple to more complex forms
- Three stages: Savagery, barbarism, civilization
- recognized importance of difussion
Lewis Henry Morgan
- Developed system of classifying cultures based on evolutionary scheme
- Basically revised Tylors scheme, but with greater specificity
What were some of the problems with Evolutionist model?
- Ethnocentric
- Limited ethnographic data
- too simplistic
What is diffusion?
Spread of cultural traits from one society to another
What is diffusionism?
School of thought that major cultural features invented in one or several parts of the world and spread to other cultures
What is the difference between diffusion and Diffusionism?
Diffusion is a Process which is real
and
Diffusionism was a school of thought.
Deductive reasoning
logical process of deducing the cirmcumstances of particular cases from the conditions specified by general theories
Inductive reasoning
The logical process of inducing the general conditions of a shole set of cases from the particular circumstances of one or a few
American historicim
a school of anthrpological thought that insisted upon collection of ethnographic data, through direct fieldwork, prior to making cross cultural generalization
What did Franz Boas contribute to Anthropology ?
- Brought into anthropolgy methodological rigor
- contributed to field of linguistical anthrpology
- provided academic backing for statements against racism and gentic detterminism
- trained many of the most important American anthropologist
- actively recruited women into anthropology
Funcionalism
Idea that the cultures provide various means for satisfying both societaland individual needs
Basic of Malinowskis functionalism ?
- all cultural items ultimately serve some function
- all aspects of culture are interrelated
- all humans need to fulfill three kinds of needs
- Basic needs
- instrumental needs
- Integrative needs
Structural functionalism
- Various aspects of a society should be studied in terms of their function
- Functions were to contribute to maintenance of society vs. individual
Social Structure
- The underlying principles of organization among persons and groups in society or the set of actual roles and relationships that could be used
- the network of social relations found among a group of people
Psychological Anthropology
The area of cultural anthropology that is interested in the relationship between culture and the individual
Neoevolution
20th century school of cultural anthropology that attempted to refine earlier evolutionary theories of Tylor and Morgon
Basic Law of evolution
- Basically, cultures evolve as the amount of energy harnessed increases or as the efficiency of the means of putting energy to work is increased
- Cultural evolution is casused by advancing leveles of technology and a cultures increasing capacity to caputre energy
Three types of cultural evolutionary thought
- Unilineal evolution
- universal evolution
- Multilinear evolution
French Structuralism
A theoretical orientation that holds that cultures are the product of the unconscious processes of the human mind
Ethnoscience
A theoretical school of thought in anthroplogy popular in the 1950s and 60s that tries to understand a culture from the point of view of the people being studied
Feminist Anthroplogy
A theoretical approach that seeks to describe and explain cultural life from the perspective of women
Cultural Materialism
A contemporary orientation in anthroplogy that holds that cultural systems are most infulenced by such material things as natural resources and technolgy
Postmodernism
A school of anthroplogy that advocates the switch from cultural generalizations and laws to description, interpretation, and a search for meaning
INTERPRETIVE ANTHROPLOGY
A contemporary theoretical orientation that holds that the critical aspects of cultural systems are such subjective factors as values, ideas, and worldviews
