Week 3

Question 1

Evolutionisim

Answer 1

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.

Question 2

Teleology

Answer 2

A process having a definite and ultimate purpose or goal

Question 3

Who is Edward Tylor?

Answer 3

• Suggested all cultures evolved from simple to more complex forms
• Three stages: Savagery, barbarism, civilization
• recognized importance of difussion

Question 4

Lewis Henry Morgan

Answer 4

• Developed system of classifying cultures based on evolutionary scheme
• Basically revised Tylors scheme, but with greater specificity

Question 5

What were some of the problems with Evolutionist model?

Answer 5

• Ethnocentric
• Limited ethnographic data
• too simplistic

Question 6

What is diffusion?

Answer 6

Spread of cultural traits from one society to another

Question 7

What is diffusionism?

Answer 7

School of thought that major cultural features invented in one or several parts of the world and spread to other cultures

Question 8

What is the difference between diffusion and Diffusionism?

Answer 8

Diffusion is a Process which is real

and

Diffusionism was a school of thought.

Question 9

Deductive reasoning

Answer 9

logical process of deducing the cirmcumstances of particular cases from the conditions specified by general theories

Question 10

Inductive reasoning

Answer 10

The logical process of inducing the general conditions of a shole set of cases from the particular circumstances of one or a few

Question 11

American historicim

Answer 11

a school of anthrpological thought that insisted upon collection of ethnographic data, through direct fieldwork, prior to making cross cultural generalization

Question 12

What did Franz Boas contribute to Anthropology ?

Answer 12

• 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

Question 13

Funcionalism

Answer 13

Idea that the cultures provide various means for satisfying both societaland individual needs

Question 14

Basic of Malinowskis functionalism ?

Answer 14

• all cultural items ultimately serve some function
• all aspects of culture are interrelated
• all humans need to fulfill three kinds of needs

1. Basic needs
2. instrumental needs
3. Integrative needs

Question 15

Structural functionalism

Answer 15

• Various aspects of a society should be studied in terms of their function
• Functions were to contribute to maintenance of society vs. individual

Question 16

Social Structure

Answer 16

• 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

Question 17

Psychological Anthropology

Answer 17

The area of cultural anthropology that is interested in the relationship between culture and the individual

Question 18

Neoevolution

Answer 18

20th century school of cultural anthropology that attempted to refine earlier evolutionary theories of Tylor and Morgon

Question 19

Basic Law of evolution

Answer 19

• 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

Question 20

Three types of cultural evolutionary thought

Answer 20

• Unilineal evolution
• universal evolution
• Multilinear evolution

Question 21

French Structuralism

Answer 21

A theoretical orientation that holds that cultures are the product of the unconscious processes of the human mind

Question 22

Ethnoscience

Answer 22

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

Question 23

Feminist Anthroplogy

Answer 23

A theoretical approach that seeks to describe and explain cultural life from the perspective of women

Question 24

Cultural Materialism

Answer 24

A contemporary orientation in anthroplogy that holds that cultural systems are most infulenced by such material things as natural resources and technolgy

Question 25

Postmodernism

Answer 25

A school of anthroplogy that advocates the switch from cultural generalizations and laws to description, interpretation, and a search for meaning

Question 26

INTERPRETIVE ANTHROPLOGY

Answer 26

A contemporary theoretical orientation that holds that the critical aspects of cultural systems are such subjective factors as values, ideas, and worldviews