anth exam 1
serial monogamy
A form of marriage in which a person may have several spouses in his or her lifetime, but only one spouse at a time.
Habitus
Bourdieu's term to describe the self-perceptions and beliefs that develop as part of one's social identity and shape one's conceptions of the world and where one fits in it
Bronislaw Malinowski
British anthropologist (born in Poland) who introduced the technique of the participant observer (1884-1942) fieldwork and functionalism
Culture is necessary for human existence in three specific ways
Culture provides knowledge and skills to adapt to and thrive in surroundings Culture is the basis for human social life Culture affects our view of reality
fictive kin
Family-like relationships that are not based on blood or marriage but on close friendship ties.
Subfields of Anthropology
Linguistics, Acheaology, Cultural, Biological
ghost marriage
Marriage practice among the Nuer of Sudan in which a widow marries her dead husband's brother and in which the children ensuing from the second marriage are said to be the children of the first, dead husband.
Enculturation
The social process by which culture is learned and transmitted across generations
Matrilocal
a family system in which the husband is expected to live near the wife's parents
Patrilocal
a family system in which the wife is expected to live near the husband's parents
Polygyny
a form of marriage in which men have more than one wife
Polyandry
a form of marriage in which women have more than one husband
ambilineal
a generation affiliates with either their mothers or fathers descent group but not simultaneously with both
lineage
a group of kin whose members trace how they are related, and have specifically known relationships (often this is by blood or marriage)
necrogamy
a marriage in which one of the participating members is deceased
clan
a named descent group who share ancestors
avunculocal residence
a pattern of residence in which a married couple settles with or near the husband's mother's brother
participant observation
a research method in which investigators systematically observe people while joining them in their routine activities
patrilineal descent
a system of tracing descent through the father's side of the family
matrilineal descent
a system of tracing descent through the mother's side of the family
Ethnocentrism
belief in the superiority of one's own ethnic group
cultures
composed of shared cultural knowledge that includes beliefs, behaviors, and perspectives that are shared and learned by members of a group
cross-cousins and parallel cousins
cross=kids of opposite sex siblings (father's sisters kids or mother's brother's kids). parallel=kids of same sex siblings.
E.B. Taylor's definition of culture
culture is a complex whole which includes knowledge, beliefs, arts, morals, laws, customs, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by a human as a member of society
Emic vs. Etic
emic - how local people think, native viewpoint etic - scientist oriented approach where the ethnographer brings to bear an objective and comprehensive viewpoint to studying
Franz Boas
father of modern American anthropology; argued for cultural relativism and historical particularism
Cultural anthropologists study
human beliefs, behaviors, and perspectives
Exogamy
marriage outside the tribe, caste, or social group
totemic clans
members are symbolically identified with certain supernatural powers associated with plants, animals, and natural foods. These clans will often be named after their totemic association
cultural relativism
not judging a culture but trying to understand it on its own terms
affinal kin
people related through marriage
Dowry
property or money brought by a bride to her husband on their marriage
consanguinal kin
related by blood
Kinship
social systems that help to organize people by creating family groups based on descent and marriage
holistic/holism anthropology
strives to study all aspects of the human experience
Bridewealth
the groom and often his family remit a payment in some form to the brides family in order to officialize a marriage
Brideservice involves __________.
the groom working for the bride's family
Endogamy
the practice of marrying within one's own group
cultural integration
the process of combining cultures together into one
descent
the socially established affiliation between members of the group based on their perceived relatedness
bilateral descent
the tracing of kinship through both parents' ancestral lines
unilateral descent
the tracing of kinship through one parent only
Neolocal
Refers to the pattern in which newly married couples set up their own households