Whats culture?

Question 1

Humans:

Answer 1

share behavioural and biological characteristics (exhibit tremendous variation).

Question 2

Anthropology:

Answer 2

Search for what it means to be human, and a documentation of human life and possibility.

Question 3

2 approaches:

Answer 3

Holistic, and Comparative

Question 4

Holistic:

Answer 4

taking all aspects of human life into consideration

Question 5

Comparative:

Answer 5

using comparison to learn what humans have in (common, different, and what changes).

Question 6

Main branches of Anthro

Answer 6

• Socio-cultural
• Linguistic
• Archeological
• Physical/Biological

Question 7

Culture:

Answer 7

A set of beliefs/practices/symbols that are learned/shared and form an encompassing community that binds people together.

Question 8

Culture is . . .

Answer 8

Things we take for granted such as . . .
- rules
- moralities
- Behaviours that feel natural

Question 9

Nacirema

Answer 9

• American spelt backwards
• Shows an ethnocentric bias towards other cultures (not our own).

Question 10

Human:

Answer 10

Share behavioural and biological characteristics. But, exhibit tremendous variation.

Question 11

Anthro:

Answer 11

search for what it means to be human, through documentation of human life and possibility.

Question 12

2 approaches:

Answer 12

Holistic, and Comparative.

Question 13

Holistic:

Answer 13

Taking all aspects of life into consideration.

Question 14

Comparative:

Answer 14

Using comparison to learn what humans have in common, different, and what changes.

Question 15

4 main branches of anthro

Answer 15

• Socio-Cultural
• Linguistic
• Archeological
• Physical/Biological

Question 16

Culture:

Answer 16

A set of beliefs/practices/symbols which are shared within a community, and bind people together.

Question 17

Culture is . . .

Answer 17

Things we take for granted in every day life . . .
- rules
- moralities
- behaviours that we feel are natural

Question 18

Nacirema

Answer 18

• American spelt backwards
• Shows an ethnocentric bias in which we view other cultures.

Question 19

How do people judge the beliefs and behaviours of others?

Answer 19

Ethnocentrism, and Cultural Relativism

Question 20

Ethnocentrism:

Answer 20

Tendency to judge (beliefs)/behaviours of other cultures from the perspective of your own culture.

Question 21

Cultural relativism:

Answer 21

Attempt to understand the beliefs and behaviours of other cultures in terms (of cultural contexts found).

Question 22

T or F: is the anthro perspective of cultural relativism hard to maintain?

Answer 22

True

Question 23

T or F: does cultural relativism force people to question what is normal?

Answer 23

True

Question 24

When studying other cultures it is important to . . .

Answer 24

Develop empathy

Question 25

16th to mid-20th century:

Answer 25

Travellers/explores returned from faraway places with supposed stories if “strange people”
- “The other”

Question 26

Time of cultural-“Imperialism/colonialism”

Answer 26

16th-20th century

Question 27

“Age of Enlightenment”

Answer 27

18th century (1700’s)
- the desire to explain reality in terms of “Natural law” rather than religion.
- Anthro tried to offer a scientific explanation of human diversity.

Question 28

Armchair:

Answer 28

Made comparisons between/generalizations about the lifeways (various groups) and put them in the hierarchy.
- Involves (Collection/study/analysis) of writings (MISSIONARIES, EXPLORERS)

Question 29

Armchair was focused on . . .

Answer 29

• Culture rather than rather
• Comparisons/Hierarchy
  -Culture/unlinear (evolution)

Question 30

Main ideas: unlinear evolution

Answer 30

• All societies have experienced different stages of evolution
• Different societies represent different stages of evolution
• These stages are labelled as “savagery, barbarianism, and civilization”

Question 31

Coined the term “survival of the fittest”

Answer 31

Herbert Spencer

Question 32

Came up with “Theories and Laws of evolution”

Answer 32

Herbert Spencer

Question 33

Argued that just as organisms evolve, so do humans

Answer 33

Herbert Spencer

Question 34

Suggested living and observing the daily interactions of other cultures (Long term field work) is necessary for Ethnography

Answer 34

Broinslaw Malinowski

Question 35

Polish ethnographer

Answer 35

Broinslaw Malinowski

Question 36

Emphasized importance of Long term field work particaptant observation

Answer 36

Broinslaw Malinowski

Question 37

Boas proposed that . . .

Answer 37

Cultures can be researched through extensive in-person research
- Cultural ideas/practices are perfectly adapted (natural environment). Therefore it is not innate or biological but an adaptation.

Question 38

Boas proposed that cultural relativism . . .

Answer 38

All populations have developed cultures, and they are different for every culture due to (Historical, social, and geographic locations).

Question 39

T or F: Boas was criticized for his work in Indigenous communities, and was accused of “Salvage anthropology”.

Answer 39

True

Question 40

Ethnography:

Answer 40

Extensive in-person research done within a specific country and/or culture within a period of time.
- mainly done through participant observation (Malinowski)
- Originally used to collect data in order to control populations.
- Work funded/facilitated by colonial and imperialism governments.