ANTH 1003 Week 3 (Auburn - Monica Cox)
social sanction
a reaction or measure intended to enforce norms and punish their violation
wolrdview
collective interpretation of natural and supernatural world based on assumptions people have about their environment
Material culture
physical products of human society
norms
society's rules for right and wrong behavior
cultural appropriation
the unilateral decision of one social group to take control over the symbols, practices, or objects of another
Non material components of culture
value beliefs --worldview norms --folkways --mores
According to the lecture, which school of anthropological thought stresses the interrelationship among the natural conditions in the environment and society? a) Neoevolutionism b) Structuralism c) Functionalism d) Interpretive Anthropology
a) neoevolutionism
Culture concepts: Culture is...
Culture is learned Culture is shared Culture is transformative
Situational learning
trial and error learning
Franz Boas
--Historical Particularism ------argued each society is a unique product of its historical circumstances --Cultural relativism (coined the phrase) --participant observation method of anthropological research CRITICISMS: doesn't allow for cross-cultural approach and universals
The most enduring and ritualized aspects of culture are referred to as a) folkways b) norms c) traditions d) symbols
c) traditions
beliefs
cultural conventions for defining what is true and false
Cultural Materialism
-Marvin Harris -Research strategy that focuses on technology, environment, and economic factors as key determinants in sociocultural evolution -- infrastructure (base) -- structure (framework) -- superstructure (roof) the ultimate explanation for cultural phenomena lies in the fulfillment of basic needs CRITICISM: focuses too much on environmental factors
tradition
practices and customs that have become most ritualized and enduring
value
standards by which members of society define what is desirable and undesirable symbolic expression of intrinsically desirable principles or qualities
People rarely hold conflicting values True False
FALSE
The main idea behind the holistic perspective is to study culture a) by its individual parts b) through systematic connections of different parts c) through third-party reports d) all of the above
b) through systematic connections of different parts
culture is static true or false
false. Culture is NOT static
Ethnocentrism
Belief in the superiority of one's nation or ethnic group.
The American anthropologist responsible for the concept of historical particularism was named...
Franz Boas
society
a group of organisms living together in an ordered community; in the case of humans, a group with shared culture
Which of the following is NOT a concept key to the human culture as discussed in the lecture? a) culture is shared b) culture is isolated c) culture is shared d) culture is transformative
b) culture is isolated
extragenetically
something you're taught, NOT born with
7 Elements of culture
1. Culture is learned 2. Culture uses symbols 3. Cultures are dynamic, always adapting and changing 4. Culture is integrated with daily experience 5. Culture shapes everybody's lives 6. Culture is shared 7. Cultural understanding involves overcoming ethnocentrism
Materialism vs. Symbolism
Not necessarily exclusive One approach is not necessarily superior
enculturation
the process by which an individual learns the traditional content of a culture and assimilates its practices and values process of learning the social rules and cultural logic of a society ex- I am enculturated to read left and right
Interpretive theory of culture
a theory that culture is embodied and transmitted through symbols Geertz's concept of culture
customs
long-established norms that have a codified and law-like aspect
folkways
norms guiding ordinary usages and conventions of everyday life ex: shaking hands with someone you meet
holistic perspective
A fundamental principle of anthropology: The various parts of human culture and biology must be viewed in the broadest possible context in order to understand their interconnections and interdependence. perspective that aims to identify and understand the whole - that is, the systematic connections between individual cultural beliefs and practices - rather than the individual parts
Artifiact
Any item, made by humans, that represents a material aspect of culture any object consciously manufactured by humans (material component of culture)
Structuralism
Claude Levi-Strauss people make sense of the world through binary oppositions (republican/democrat, men/women, etc)
Post-modernism / Post-structuralism
James Clifford George Marcus Critical of modern scientific and philosophical approaches
Neoevolutionism
Leslie White and Julian Steward the degree of societal development is measured by the amount of energy harnessed by these societies concerned with long-term, directional, evolutionary social change and with the regular patterns of development that may be seen in unrelated, widely separated cultures neoevolutionism relies on measurable information for analyzing the process of cultural evolution. EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE
According to the lecture, reading your textbook is an example of...
Symbolic learning
According to "Our Babies Ourselves," in the US, individualism is valued highly, so generally parents do not hold their babies as much as other cultures. True False
TRUE
Culture can be transmitted virtually through the Internet in addition to face-to-face interaction. True False
TRUE
According to "Our Babies Ourselves," the goal of child-rearing in any society is to make the child...
a culturally appropriate adult
Shaking hands when you meet someone is an example of a a) Folkway b) More c) Taboo d) Material Culture
a) Folkway
According to "Our Babies Ourselves", which of the following is NOT one of the "3 R's" of child rearing in Dutch society? a) Respect b) Rest c) Regularity d) Cleanliness
a) Respect
symbolic learning
the ability to use and understand symbols (distinct only to humans)
Cross-cultural perspective
analyzing human social phenomenon by comparing that phenomenon in different cultures anthropologists stress this is necessary to appreciate how "artificial" our beliefs and actions are
According to "Our Babies Ourselves", which of the following is NOT typical of child-rearing practices in the United States. a) Bottle-feeding over breast-feeding b) Bed-sharing with child c) Longer periods of crying to teach a child self-reliance d) Adult supervision of small children
b) bed-sharing with child
The defining feature of historical particularism is a) all societies pass through stages from primitive to complex b) individual societies develop particular cultural traits and undergo a unique process of change c) cultural differences are the result of different evolutionary stages d) the material world shapes people's customs and beliefs
b) individual societies develop particular cultural traits and undergo a unique process of change
How, in general, does Marvin Harris (a materialist) explain the biblical dietary laws? a) they were means of establishing the identity of the ancient Hebrews b) they were all related to the Hebrews worldview and what was "normal" in their world c) they resulted from some practical, usually economic considerations d) they functioned to impose order in one part of the ancient Hebrews' world
c) they resulted from some practical, usually economic considerations
Social Evolution
concept tof cultural evolution that societies pass through the same series of stages from savagery to civilization (outdated and ethnocentric) Edward Tylor
Ethnocentrism a) presents a major problem for anthropologists b) means you think your culture is superior to others c) is a common feature of culture d) all of the above
d) all of the above
Edward Tylor
first hired anthropologist founding figure of cultural anthropology offered "culture" to understand differences and similarities among groups of people 1871: "Primitive Culture" Social Evolution: concept of cultural evolution that societies pass through the same series of stages from savagery to civilization [outdated and very ethnocentric] culture differences are result of different evolutionary stages 3 stages of cultural evolution: savagery, barbarism, civilization CRITICISMS: view of ethnocentric - assumes that some people are less intelligent
Ideal vs. Reality
often tomes people perform differently than the ideal
social learning
one organism observes another and will respond to a stimulus and adds that response to its own collection of behaviors
social institutions
organizations that large groups of humans (societies, cultures) create to help solve social problems the organized sets of social relationships that link individuals to each other in a structured way in a particular society these institutions include: --patterns of kinship and marriage --economic activities --religious institutions --political forms
Historical Particularism
rejected any general theory of culture change but believed that each society could be understood only in reference to its particular history Franz Boas --argued each society is a unique product of its historical circumstances --Cultural relativism (coined the phrase) --participant observation method of anthropological research CRITICISMS: doesn't allow for cross-cultural approach and universals
culture
shared way of life that includes material products, values, beliefs, and norms that are transmitted within a particular society from generation to generation refers to the perspectives and actions that a group of people consider natural and self-evident the taken for granted notions, rules, moralities, and behaviors within a social group
Functionalism
societies consist of institutions that serve vital purposes for people Two types: structural and psychological functionalism Structural Functionalism: our behaviors serve to prop up institutions in society Psychological Functionalism: help support individual ----Malinowski CRITICISMS: views society as STATIC, does not account for culture change
symbol
something that stands for something else, without necessary link between the symbol and its meaning something- an object, idea, image, figure, or character - that represents something else can also be a symbol of the body (ex: Japanese bow) Clifford Geertz - "Interpretive Theory of Culture" --- believes our worldview is a collection of symbols ---ex: always color oceans blue
mores
stronger norms than folkways structures the difference between right and wrong ex: Fidelity in marriage or ... It is not considered acceptable or mainstream to abuse drugs, particularly those such as heroine and cocaine
cultural determinism
the idea that all humans actions are the product of culture, which denies the influence of other factors like physical environment and human biology or behavior
cultural construction
the meanings, concepts, and practices that people build out of their shared and collective experiences
cultural relativism
the moral and intellectual principle that one should withhold judgement about seemingly strange or exotic beliefs and practices
Symbolic/Interpretive Anthropology
the study of culture through the interpretation of the meaning of the symbols, values, and beliefs of a society symbolic rather than material aspects Mary Douglas ex: Americans don't eat dogs because they view them as companions (side note: cultural materialistic argument would argue that dogs were valuable tools like hunting and that is why)