Cultural Anthropology
Four modes of subsistence
- hunting and gathering(foraging) - agriculture (cultivation) - herding (pastoralism) - horticulture
transgender
a category for people who or people who identify as a different gender than the one that was assigned to them at birth. This may entail a social transition or a physical one, using a number of methods.
rite of passage
a ceremony designed to transition individuals between life stages.
balanced reciprocity
a direct exchange in which something is traded or given with the expectation that something of equal value will be returned within a specific time period
bilocal residence
a pattern of residence in which a married couple lives with or near either the husband's parents or the wife's parents
ritual
a religious or solemn ceremony consisting of a series of actions performed according to a prescribed order.
culture
a set of beliefs, practices, and symbols that are learned and shared. Together, they form an all-encompassing, integrated whole that binds people together and shapes their worldview and lifeways.
matrilineal descent
a system of tracing descent through the mother's side of the family
heteronormativity
a term coined by French philosopher Michel Foucault to refer to the often-unnoticed system of rights and privileges that accompany normative sexual choices and family formation.
exogamy
a term describing expectations that individuals must marry outside a particular group.
endogamy
a term describing expectations that individuals must marry within a particular group.
participant observation
a type of observation in which the anthropologist observes while participating in the same activities in which her informants are engaged.
dialects
a variety of speech. The term is often applied to a subordinate variety of a language. Speakers of two dialects of the same language do not necessarily always understand each other.
horticulture
small-scale crop cultivation characterized by the use of simple technology and the absence of irrigation benefits: intercropping drawbacks: can be very dependent on just one crop
stratification
societies in which there are large differences in the wealth, status, and power of individuals based on unequal access to resources and positions of power.
Eglatarianism
societies in which there is no great difference in status or power between individuals and there are as many valued status positions in the societies as there are persons able to fill them.
holism
taking a broad view of the historical, environmental, and cultural foundations of behavior.
the 5 scapes
technoscape- flow of technology ideoscape- flow of ideas financescape- flow of money across political borders mediascape- flow of media across borders ethnoscape- flow of people across boundaries
kinship
term used to describe culturally recognized ties between members of a family, the social statuses used to define family members, and the expected behaviors associated with these statuses.
Redistribution
the accumulation of goods or labor by a particular person or institution for the purpose of dispersal at a later date.
morphemes
the basic meaningful units in a language.
phonemes
the basic meaningless sounds of a language.
Ethnicity
the degree to which a person identifies with and feels an attachment to a particular ethnic group.
reciprocity
the exchange of resources, goods, and services among people of relatively equal status; meant to create and reinforce social ties
religion
the extension of human society and culture to include the supernatural.
tribes
political units organized around family ties that have fluid or shifting systems of temporary leadership.
race
an attempt to categorize humans based on observed physical differences.
symbolism
anything that serves to refer to something else.
Patrilineal
based on or tracing descent through the male line
Anthropology Subfields
cultural, linguistic, biological, archaeology
bilateral system
descent passes through both females and males of a family
commodities
economic goods or products before they are processed and/or given a brand name, such as a product of agriculture
different political systems
eglatarian, ranked, stratified
Ethnography
he in-depth study of the everyday practices and lives of a people.
semantics
how meaning is conveyed at the word and phrase level.
Eglatarian Society
in which there are few differences between members in wealth, status, and power
structural racism
inter-institutional interactions across time and space that reproduce racial inequality
ranked society
involve greater differentiation between individuals and the kin groups to which they belong. These differences can be, and often are, inherited, but there are no significant restrictions in these societies on access to basic resources. All individuals can meet their basic needs.
negative reciprocity
is an attempt to get something for nothing. It is the most impersonal of the three forms of reciprocity and it commonly exists among people who do not know each other well
how does language shape culture
it shapes culture because it is the basis for some of the things we pay attention to, for example, using directions in language makes us aware of directions, affecting culture
chiefdoms
large political units in which the chief, who usually is determined by heredity, holds a formal position of power.
symbolic ethnicity
limited or occasional displays of ethnic pride and identity that are primarily for public display.
patrilocal residence
married individuals live with or near the husband's father's family.
matrilocal residence
married individuals live with or near the wife's mother's family.
Types of family
matrilineal, patrilineal, and bilateral kinship systems.
habitus
mental and cognitive structures through which individuals perceive the world based largely on their standing in a social class
concept of linguistic relativity
the idea that the structures and words of a language influence how its speakers think, how they behave, and ultimately the culture itself (also known as the Whorf Hypothesis).
linguistic relativity
the idea that the structures and words of a language influence how its speakers think, how they behave, and ultimately the culture itself (also known as the Whorf Hypothesis).
cultural relativism
the idea that we should seek to understand another person's beliefs and behaviors from the perspective of their own culture and not our own.
states
the most complex form of political organization characterized by a central government that has a monopoly over legitimate uses of physical force, a sizeable bureaucracy, a system of formal laws, and a standing military force.
fieldwork
the most important method by which cultural anthropologists gather data to answer their research questions. While interacting on a daily basis with a group of people, cultural anthropologists document their observations and perceptions and adjust the focus of their research as needed.
collective effervescence
the passion or energy that arises when groups of people share the same thoughts and emotions.
one-drop rule
the practice of excluding a person with any non-white ancestry from the white racial category.
reification
the process by which an inaccurate concept or idea is accepted as "truth."
syntax
the rules by which a language combines morphemes into larger units.
gender
the set of culturally and historically invented beliefs and expectations about gender that one learns and performs. Gender is an "identity" one can choose in some societies, but there is pressure in all societies to conform to expected gender roles and identities.
subsistence
the set of skills, practices, and technologies used by members of a society to acquire and distribute food.
family
the smallest group of individuals who see themselves as connected to one another.
bands
the smallest unit of political organization, consisting of only a few families and no formal leadership positions.
ethnocentrism
the tendency to view one's own culture as most important and correct and as the stick by which to measure all other cultures.
hunting and gathering (foraging)
the use of simple tools to hunt animals and gather vegetation for food benefits: high levels of social equality drawback: gender inequality, conflict with farming populations
How do cultural anthropologists do their research?
they do field work.
hijras
this "third gender" category in India includes men who have undergone an emasculation rite involving voluntary castration
agriculture
ultivation of domesticated plants and animals using technologies such as irrigation, draft animals, mechanization, and inputs such as fertilizers and pesticides that allow for intensive and continuous use of land resources benefits: large productivity drawbacks: uneven distribution, casing hunger and poverty
code switching
using two or more language varieties in a particular interaction.
What is wealth and how is it culturally defined?
what you have that is valuable to that culture, may be money or property, or animals
stratified society
which is defined as one in which elites who are a numerical minority control the strategic resources that sustain life
Who was Franz Boas?
widely regarded as the founder of American anthropology, developed cultural relativism, the view that while cultures differ, they are not better or worse than one another.
religious authority
A governing system to ensure conformity for the followers of a belief.
pastoralism
A type of agricultural activity based on nomadic animal husbandry or the raising of livestock to provide food, clothing, and shelter. benefits: personal property, drawbacks: rely on other societies as well
gifts
A voluntary present of money or some other valuable asset.
Advantages of Globalization
Lower cost, decreased overhead, higher profits, increased opportunities, greater business innovations, and better products.
What is anthropology?
The study of humans,
Disadvantages of Globalization
Transportation Costs Security Costs Unskilled Labor Import Restrictions Criticisms Productivity support neoliberalism- unregulated markets
generalized reciprocity
When we gift without reckoning the exact value of the gift or expecting a specific thing in return we are practicing, This form of reciprocity occurs within the closest social relationships where exchange happens so frequently that monitoring the value of each item or service given and received would be impossible, and to do so would lead to tension and quite possibly the eventual dissolution of the relationship.
ethical issues in anthropology
Who might be harmed by conducting or publishing this research? What are the costs and benefits of identifying individuals involved in this study? How should one resolve competing interests of the funding agency and the community?
syncretism
a blending of beliefs and practices from different religions into one faith
market exchange
an economic system in which goods and services are bought and sold at a money price determined primarily by the forces of supply and demand
cosmology
an explanation for the origin or history of the world.
