Anthropology exam 1

What is culture shock?

feelings of alienation and helplessness that result from rapid immersion in a new and different culture

How did Knauft end up doing research among the Gebusi?

went to Gebusi part of rainforest to study political decision making

What kinds of methods did Knauft use in studying the Gebusi?

went with tape recorder and type writer, to become a participant observer & do fieldwork

What is culture?

something that is distinct from nature (nature versus nurture) shared knowledge a symbolic system (Geertz "webs of significance") a tool/ mediating object a system of practices habitual actions

Franz Boas

"Father of American Anthropology" -Criticized evolutionism: intellectually flawed morally defective poor data-gathering techniques each culture as a product of its own unique history -Argued vehemently against ethnocentrism

What are the ethics that anthropologists follow?

-Anthropological researchers must be open about the purpose(s), potential impacts, and source(s) of support for research projects - thou shalt not lie -Researchers must utilize the results of their work and disseminate the results through appropriate and timely activities - though shalt publish -Anthropological researchers have primary ethical obligations to the people, species, and materials they study and to the people with whom they work - above all, do no harm

History of fieldwork in anthropology (Overview)

-Armchair anthropologists -Boas -Malinowski -Post-1960s trends: Feminist anthropology Postmodernism "Native" anthropology Collaborative anthropology

Malinowski's Intro to Argonauts

-The organization of the tribe, the anatomy of its culture -Imponderabilia of everyday life (diary/fieldnotes) -Corpus inscriptionum (transcriptions of events, rituals, etc - word-for-word)

What is kogwayay?

A key symbol of Gebusi society Togetherness, talk, cheering (p.18) - value of social unity BUT, has a negative side as well: controlled by men - songfests about women's sexuality, things women in Gebusi society would be beaten if did

Applied Anthropology "Fifth" Field

Analyzes social, political and economic problems and develops solutions, Often involves collaboration with community members, Can involve any subfield of anthropology (or several) EX:Cultural anthropologists have been instrumental in improving the welfare of tribal and indigenous peoples

AAA film anthropology jobs

Areas of applied: sociocultural, archaeology, medical (farmers), business and corporate, visual, environmental, linguistics, museums, forensics Sociocultural: violence against women (Rupaleem Bhuyam) ways to expand social policy, worked to develop to support refugee women that are victims of domestic violence. Mary Roaf focuses on helping children and youth in economically inadvantaged cultures. Ferrel Secakuku is a farmer for his tribe in Arizona. Marc Clausen helps at-risk children Vietnamese and Cambodian youth.

Fieldwork

Begin with entrance into a new society -many experience culture shock Develop network of informants (respondents, consultants, friends) - people from and/or with whom anthropologists gather data -Record observations in fieldnotes

What is ethnocentrism?

Belief that one's culture is better, more natural than all other cultures -Most human beings are at least somewhat ethnocentric

Bronislaw Malinowski

Did fieldwork in Trobriand Islands (Torres Straits) - BBC Tales from the Jungle Revolutionized fieldwork while in Trobriand Islands -Spent years studying culture -Learned native language -Learned cultural patterns of thought

"Armchair" anthropology

Early anthropology ("armchair anthropologists"): Lewis Henry Morgan, Edward Tylor -other travelers -evolutionary theories -Societies classified on basis of technology, social institutions

What kinds of careers can a degree in anthropology lead to?

Editor, Educational Planner, Forensic Specialist, Government Analyst, High School Teacher, Medical Researcher, Museum Curator, Park Ranger, Peace Corps Staffer, Social Worker

cultural relativism

Goal of anthropology, viewpoint that behavior in one culture should not be judged by the standards of another culture -Boas' famous method (approach each culture on its own terms)

Participant Observation

Hallmark of sociocultural anthropology participating in a given society but also observing social behavior and cultural beliefs combines subjective and objective views, etic and emic perspectives Malinowski's study in Trobriand Islands became the model

How do businesses use anthropology?

Help businesses gain a better understanding of their activities and customers

What is deep play and how is cockfighting in Bali an example (know what factors make a match "deeper")?

High stakes in terms of money, but moreso of status Reflects social organization and alliance (bet on kinsman's rooster, own villager's rooster) -status equals/personal enemies, high status individuals

emic

Insider's view How people in a given community view their society and culture Describes the organization and meaning a culture's practices have for its members

Linguistic Anthropology

Interdisciplinary, Cultural beliefs about language, Culturally-patterned ways of using language, Language use in context, Speakers as social actors

What kinds of research methods do cultural anthropologists use?

Interviews (structured, open-ended), Surveys, Census, Kinship charts, Mapping, Video and audio recording (also internet, YouTube...), Photography, measurement and statistical data (incl. social network, GIS), silent observation, *PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION

What is the ethnography of speaking?

Look at "meaning in use" - not just structural analysis of language, vocabulary and grammar how community categorizes behavior and communication, including what a community defines as speaking Also the other "paralinguistic" features of expression, such as tone, prosody, etc Example: Spradley and Mann's article on asking for a drink

Who are the Nacirema?

Miner describes the Nacirema, a little-known tribe living in North America -actually corresponds to modern-day Americans of the mid-1950s

What is Nacirema culture like?

Miner presents the Nacirema as a group living in the territory between the Canadian Cree, the Yaqui and Tarahumare of Mexico, and the Carib and Arawak of the Antilles. The paper describes the typical Western ideal for oral cleanliness, as well as providing an outside view on hospital-care and on psychiatry.

How does Geertz say that cockfighting relates to Balinese culture and society (e.g., what does the rooster symbolize? Who takes part in cockfighting?)

Not about the animals, but the men, a competition Symbolism of cock - maleness, extension of self, but also animality Blood sacrifice

Etic

Outsider or analyst's view How the anthropologist views a given community's social organization and cultural beliefs and practices Tries to determine the causes of particular cultural patterns that may be beyond the awareness of the culture being studied May involve comparison with researcher's society and culture or other known societies and cultures

What is a speech act?

Speech to accomplish a purpose Can be a word, a phrase, a sentence, a book, etc -Brady's bar speech acts: hustling, slamming, giving shit, muttering, teasing

Forensic Anthropology

Study and identification of skeletized or badly decomposed human remains. -FACES lab at LSU (Forensic Anthropology and Computer Enhancement Services)

physical (or biological) anthropology

Study humans from a biological perspective. studies: Paleoanthropology (Biological processes of human adaptation), Human variation (Physiological differences among modern humans), Primatology (Study of apes for clues about the human species), Forensics

archaeology

Study of past cultures through their material remains studies: Fossils, Tools, Built structures, Waste, -Historical archeology: may use written records

What does the article on the Nacirema teach us?

The effect of satire is social criticism. In other words, a satire criticizes the way people do things. Satire is trying to make society better by pointing out where it is wrong in a funny way.

sociocultural anthropology

The study of human society and culture -Fieldwork (living among a group of people to study them) -Participant observation (participating in a given society but also observing social behavior and cultural beliefs - combines subjective and objective views, etic and emic perspectives

What is cultural relativity?

Understanding values and customs in terms of the culture of which they are a part Looking for the cultural logic in which certain practices making sense

Paul Farmer

Well-known Applied Anthropologist -Conducted research for dissertation on AIDS in Haiti -Created an organization called Partners in Health

What is symbolic anthropology (and how does it approach culture)?

a theoretical perspective that focuses on understanding culture by discovering and analyzing a culture's symbols: Key symbols reflect deep concerns of a culture -Example: Victor Turner's study of the Ndembu of East Africa (mudyi tree)

What is Second Life?

an online virtual world studied by Boellstorff & turned it into participant observation his research as the avatar "Tom Bukowski"

4 fields of anthropology

archaeology, physical (or biological) anthropology, sociocultural anthropology, linguistic anthropology

What is the Culture and Personality school of thought in anthropology (and how does it approach culture)?

culture as the principal force in shaping the personality of a society -Assumed that each society had a distinct culture and personality (homogenous, usually national, culture)

a culture vs a society

culture-the set of learned behaviors and ideas that human beings acquire as members of a given society or community society-any more or less complex group of people, aka a community. **Today we tend to refer to the group as a society and use culture to refer to beliefs and practices (i.e., the Gebusi are a society, not a culture)

How did Spradley and Mann study drinking and talk at Brady's bar and what did they learn?

first observed people then sent in underage guys to order a drink. they learned that speaking and tone has a lot to do with getting out of being carded and successfully getting a drink underage

What is a speech event?

from Spradley and Mann (78): "activities that are directly governed by rules for speaking" Patterned ways of using language Have cultural rules (need more than a dictionary and grammar) Examples: asking for a drink, giving a lecture, church sermon, chew someone out, gossip, chat (in person and on internet)

Professor Managan's research

how Guadeloupeans use French and Creole and think about these 2 languages (especially in terms of their identity) -Participant observation in associations, made friends and gwo ka drumming class and hiking group -audio & video interviews

How did Boellstorrf conduct research in Second Life?

made a person and interviewed players and observed online life

Characteristics of Culture

made up of learned behaviors involve the use of language, classification systems and symbols patterned, integrated and shared by members of a group adaptive and subject to change

Who are the Gebusi?

people on New Guinea -Westerner contact 1st happened in 1960 -studied by Knauft

What is anthropology?

the study of humankind, from its beginnings millions of years ago to the present day -from the Greek anthropos ("human") and logia ("study")

What is ethnoscience (and how does it approach culture)?

theoretical perspective that focuses on recording and examining ways that members of a society use language to classify and organize their cognitive world, for example: Study of color classification systems, Ethnobotany (study of plant classification systems)