Anthro multiple choice test all ch
Franz Boas
"Father of American Anthropology," known for his work with the Inuit on Baffin Island; critic of evolutionary anthropology; promoted fieldwork
HRAF (Human Relations Area Files)
An ethnographic database that includes descriptions of more than 300 cultures and is used for cross-cultural research
Which of the following statements best illustrates the significance of culture for most anthropologists?
Anthropologists agree on the basic characteristics of culture, but they vary on the significance they attach to each of the characteristics and how they study culture
polytheism
Belief in many gods
montheism
Belief in one God
Which of the following anthropologists was classified primarily as a culture and personality theorist?
Margaret Mead
Polyandry
One female, several males.
organic analogy
The comparison of cultures to living organisms
Linguistic Anthropology
The study of human language and its relation to culture
ritual
a ceremonial act or repeated stylized gesture used for specific occasions
gender
a cultural construction that makes biological and physical differences into socially meaningful categories
nuclear families
a family made up of parents and their children
society
a group of people who depend on one another for survival or well-being as well as the relationships among such people, including their status and roles
patriarchy
a male-dominated society in which all important public and private power is held by men
levirate
a man marries the widow of a deceased brother
consultant, informant, interlocutor, respondent, partner
a person from whom anthropologists gather data
rite of passage
a ritual that moves an individual from one social status to another
Polygamy
a rule allowing more than one spouse
Endogamy
a rule saying that a person must marry within a particular group such as lifestyle, race, royalty, etc
Anthropological theory
a set of propositions about which aspects of culture are critical, how they should be studied, and what the goal of studying them should be
Current ethnographies tend to be focused on
a thorough understanding of all aspects of culture
composite family
an aggregate of nuclear families linked by a common spouse
Postmodernism
anthropological field that focuses on issues of power and voice; believe that all knowledge is influenced by the observers culture and social position.
biological anthropology
anthropology that focuses on the study of people from a biological perspective, primarily on aspects of human kind that are genetically inherited
consaguinity
blood ties between people
unstructured interview
consists of researchers talking to one another and asking probing questions to find out more about the informant while the informant can talk as they please.
The hallmark of American anthropological fieldwork is:
cultural relativism
The primary means through which humans adapt to their environment is:
culture
The culture with the greatest wealth and power in a society that consists of numerous subcultures is referred to as the
dominant culture
The study of the relationship between environment and society is called
ecological functionalism
The process of learning to be a member of a specific cultural group is called
enculturation
Which of the following is not considered a major means of diffusion
enculturation
collaborative ethnology
ethnography that gives priority to cultural consultants on the topic, methodology, and written results of fieldwork; work between the consultant and researcher
culture shock
feelings of alienation and helplessness that result from rapid immersion in a new and different culture
ethnoscience
field on anthropology that focuses on recording and examining the ways in which members in a culture use language to classify and organize their cognitive world
functionalism
focuses on finding general laws that identify different elements of society, showing how they relate to each other, and demonstrating their role in keeping social order
cultural ecology
focuses on the adaptive dimensions of culture
ecological functionalism
focuses on the relationship between environment and society
cognitive anthropology
focuses on the relationship between the mind and society
symbolic anthropology
focuses on understanding cultures by discovering and analyzing the symbols that are most important to their members
interpretive anthropology
focuses on using humanistic methods, such as those found in the analysis of literature, to analyze culture and discover the meaning of culture to its participants
agriculture
food production in which fields are in eternal cultivation using plows, animals, and techniques of soil and water control
swidden
form of cultivation in which a field is cleared by fallen trees and burning to brush
dowry
goods presented by the brides kin to the family of the groom or the couple.
bride wealth
goods presented by the groom's kin to the bride's kin to legitimize a marriage
Polygyny
having more than one wife at a time
culture and personality theorists
hold that cultures could best be understood by examining the patterns of child rearing and considering their effect on social institutions and adult lives
foraging
hunting and gather; fishing, hunting and collecting vegetable foods
semistructured interview
interview where questionnaires are used to dictate the conversation
All of the following statements about the lengthy period of human immaturity are correct except
it allows mature individuals in a society to function as teachers and no longer be in a role as learners
All of the following are common challenges that native anthropologists face except:
it involves an emotional aspect, as anthropologists may experience so much of their personal life within the stud
How would you best characterize a subculture?
it is a group within a dominant society that does not share the society's norms and values
cross-cousin marriage
marriage between an individual and the child of his or her mother's brother or father's sister; if you married your cousin
parallel-cousin marriage
marriage between the children of a parent's same-sex siblings
cultural relativism
not judging cultures but analyzing them through references from their own histories and values rather than according to another culture
emic
observation of societies from the inside out
etic
observation of societies from the outside in
Pastoralism
obtaining food through the reliance on the care of domesticated herd animals
manhood puzzle
phenomenon of males to publicly prove their masculinity though manly actions
Child-rearing practices in all cultures are designed to
produce adults who know the cultural content.
Horticulture
production of plants using simple technology
marriage
refers to the customs, rules, and obligations that establish a relationship between two sexually cohabiting adults and their families
structured interview
researchers ask different informants to respond to a set of questions as similar as possible; usually has specific instructions
informal interview
researchers engage in, overhear, remember, and write down conversations from their daily experience
Monogymy
rule that permits a person to be married to only one spouse at a time
plasticity
the ability for humans to change their behavior in response to a wide range of environmental and social demands
ethnology
the attempt to find general principles or laws that govern cultural phenomena
sex
the biological differences that distinguish males from females
gender role
the cultural expectations of men and women in a particular society, including the division of labor
participant observation
the fieldwork technique that involves gathering cultural data by observing people's behavior and participating in their lives
Postmodernism is an approach that focuses specifically on
the negotiation of norms and values within a society
subsistence strategies
the pattern of behavior used by a society to obtain food in a particular environment
Enculturation
the process of learning culture
Industrialism
the process of the mechanization of production
incest taboo
the rule that prohibits sexual relations among designated relatives
(ch3)Malinowski's and Boas's practices of anthropology were alike in many ways. All of the following are things that they shared except
the study of history as essential to a deeper understand of societies
applied anthropology
the use of anthropological knowledge to the solution of human problems
gender stratification
ways in which gender activities and attributes are deferentially valued and related to access to resources, prestige and power
key informant
well informed and eager to talk with the anthropologist regarding material the anthropologist is studying.
Sororate
when a man's wife dies, her sister is given to him as a wife
sororate
when a man's wife dies, her sister is given to him as a wife
efficiency
yield per person per hour of labor invested
productivity
yield per person per unit of land