Cultural Anthropology Exam 3

Conditions for revitalization movements

-UNLIKELY in the aftermath of a successful independence movement and establishment of political autonomy -foreign domination contributing to a sense of group inferiority -rapid social change caused by exposure to unfamiliar people and practices -a perception of relative deprivation

Common features of ethnic groups

-a high degree of endogamy -ideologically constructed groups -do not generally correspond with class boundaries -comunal rituals that reinforce group solidarity -the adoption of a founding narrative, or origin myth -NOT membership in a distinct economic class

Which of these is NOT characteristic of most bands?

-any sort of conflict -**formal leadership** -disputes over reciprocal exchange obligations -gender and/or sex related disputes

Class Groups

-based on economic standing in a society -do not generally correspond with ethnic boundaries -class divisions and class conflict in stratified societies are often obscured by scapegoating ethnic minorities

Forced Assimilation

-efforts to legally ban ethnic customs or practices -the compulsory absorption of one ethnic group into a dominant group -an attempt to destroy the ethnic identity of a particular group -NOT the organized murder of anyone who doesn't fall in line with the majority ethnic group

Which of the following is NOT a feature of rituals noted in the textbook?

-they are meant to influence spiritual powers -they involve symbolic objects, language and behavior -*they are conducted differently each time they are undertaken* -they are used for a wide variety of purposes cross-culturally

Ethnic identity is an inevitable outgrowth of migration. (F/T?)

False

In the simplest band societies, political leaders achieve their position through violent, or potentially violent, domination of followers and would-be rivals. (true or false?)

False

State societies differ band, tribes, and chiefdoms in relying almost entirely on concensus rather than coercion to maintain orderly political life. (true or false?)

False

Which society has a limited number of formal leadership positions?

Ranked Society

Anthropologists treat ethnicity not as an innate, passively accepted feature of identity but as something that is actively (if unconsciously) created and maintained. (F/T?)

True

Within all state political systems

a bureaucracy carries out the day to day functioning of the government

How does a chiefdom differ from a tribe?

a chiefdom has a hereditary political leader

What is the best description of an egalitarian society?

a society in which status differences within age and gender classes depend solely on demonstrated ability

What term did E. B. Tylor use for "belief in spiritual beings?"

animism

Ethnic boundary markers

are cultural features distinguishing members of a group from others

The major difference between class and caste systems is that caste systems

are entirely based on inherited status, theoretically

A "big-man" is a leader characteristic of which form of political organization?

bands and tribes

Tahitian society in Polynesia is an example of which form of political organization?

chiefdom

Where do court legal systems exist?

chiefdoms and state societies

A society segregated between a specialized group with privileged knowledge of and access to supernatural dieties and a mass of passive believers is characteristic of _________________ forms of religious organization.

ecclesiastical

Unlike caste systems, in class stratified societies

economic mobility is possible, at least in theory

What has a high degree of edogamy?

ethnic groups

The creation of a new ethnic identity is known as

ethnogenesis

What is the difference between stratified and ranked societies?

high status individuals in ranked societies are not generally a great deal wealthier than the general population

Assimilation is a form of ethnic

homogenization

The vision quests of the Native Americans of the Great Plains is an example of which form of religious organization?

individualistic

The idea that religion serves to explain the apparently inexplicable is a fundamental tenet of _______________ approaches to the study of religion.

intellectual (or cognitive)

When a group claims exclusive rights to a given territory it is what the textbook refers to has a ___________________ .

nationality

According to the textbook, in ranked societies one's social position is

normally inherited

The respect, admiration, and approval of others in the group is a social reward that anthropologists call

prestige

How do shamans and priests contrast with one another?

priests are part of a formal bureaucracy of religious specialists; shamans are not

What is the term for the organized performance of behaviors intended to influence spiritual powers?

ritual

A study of religion focussed on the way it fosters cohesion, conformity, and coopertation in a social group would illustrate a __________________ approach to the study of religion.

sociological

Tribes are distinguishable from bands because of the presence of

sodalities that cross-cut local groups

The Inca of ancient Peru are an example of which type of political organization?

state

Economic inequality in stratified societies is

sustained by a combination of coercion and ideology

The belief that kin groups have a mystical relationship with specific animals, plants, or inanimate objects is known as

totemism

Ownership of and access to valued material goods, plus the resources necessary to produce those goods, is termed

wealth