Anthro Exam 3

Religion

A shared system of beliefs and practices regarding the interaction of natural and supernatural phenomena.

Émile Durkheim

Defined religion as consisting of beliefs, practices, and a social organization that unite people into a single community.

Clifford Geertz

Defined religion as a potent cultural symbol that motivates and unites groups with shared beliefs.

Religion in State Societies (State Religion)

Formal institutions with full-time administrators/leaders, a set doctrine of beliefs and regulations, and a policy of seeking growth through conversion.

Witchcraft

A belief system involving the use of intangible means to cause a change in circumstances for another person.

Shamanism (Animism)

A worldview in which spiritual agency is assigned to all things, including natural elements.

Shaman

A part-time religious specialist who addresses specific individual needs by making direct contact with supernatural forces.

Shamanic Journeying

Soul travel used to connect natural and supernatural realms in nonlinear time.

Myths

Well-known stories containing universal messages about a specific culture and shared human experiences.

Mythemes

Story components that form the structure of a myth.

Rituals

Performative acts used to carry out beliefs, characterized by a formal order of actions and occurring in set-apart, sacred places.

Religious Syncretism

The integration of beliefs and practices from more than one religious system.

Popol Vuh

A sacred book containing the culture and history of the Maya, written in the 16th century to preserve myths under colonial rule.

Hero Twins

Figures in Maya mythology who avenge their father's death during a ritual ballgame (pok-ta-pok) against the gods of the underworld.

Sex

The biological differences in the human body, including anatomical features, chromosomes (XX, XY), and hormones.

Sexual Dimorphism

Physical differences between biological males and females.

Primary Sexual Dimorphism

Genetically programmed differences that develop during prenatal phases.

Secondary Sexual Dimorphism

Physical differences that typically appear after puberty (e.g., differences in pelvic structure).

Gender

Social identities and roles that assign behaviors, relationships, responsibilities, and rights differently to people; it is learned throughout a lifetime.

Gender Ideology

The coordinated set of ideas about gender categories, relations, behaviors, and norms embedded in a society.

Patriarchy

A widespread gender ideology that positions men as heads of private and public life.

Matriarchy

A gender ideology or social system centered around women and matrilineal descent.

Cultural Determinism

The theory (associated with Margaret Mead) that masculine and feminine characteristics reflect cultural conditioning rather than fundamental biological sex differences.

Intersectionality

A perspective that examines how gender, race, class, age, and other identities intersect to shape experiences.

Two-Spirit

A Native American term for individuals who occupy a distinct, alternative gender status and identity, often serving as spiritual leaders.

Third Gender

A gender identity that exists beyond the binary opposition of man/woman or male/female.

Sexuality

Sociocultural identities associated with erotic thoughts and practices.

Medical Anthropology

The anthropological study of health, healing, and medicine.

Health

A state of well-being.

Disease

A biological abnormality, such as a viral infection.

Illness

A patient's sociocultural experience of disrupted health.

Sickness

A social perception of ill health and the expectations that accompany it (e.g., staying home to rest).

Malady

A broad term encompassing health, disease, illness, and sickness.

Epidemiology

The quantitative study of the incidence and prevalence rates of disease in a population.

Endemic

The constant presence of a disease in a specific location.

Epidemic

An outbreak of disease that spreads over a greater area.

Pandemic

A widespread (often global) outbreak of disease.

Structural Violence

A lens for understanding how social conditions and structures (like poverty or systemic racism) sustain inequalities and cause certain groups to suffer disproportionately.

Critical Race Theory (CRT)

A lens used to examine institutional inequalities embedded in the policies and practices of organizations regarding power, oppression, and race.

Comorbidities

Two health conditions that often occur together (e.g., TB and HIV).

Ethnomedicine

Cultural knowledge regarding the identification and management of health and treatments.

Biomedicine

A medical system relying on biology and biochemistry to treat disease with scientifically tested cures.

Medical Pluralism

A state where competing ethnomedical traditions coexist and form distinct health subcultures.

Medical Ecology

A multidisciplinary approach studying the effects of the environment on health outcomes.

Indigenous

People who are the original human populations of a land.

Indigenous Anthropology

A field calling for more Indigenous scholars and closer relationships with research subjects to address current problems.

'Noble Savage'

A mythic personification of natural goodness created through the romantic glorification of Indigenous life.

Decolonizing Anthropology

An approach that critiques the treatment of Indigenous people as research subjects and seeks to return ownership of knowledge and culture to those communities.

NAGPRA (1990)

The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, which stipulates the return of Native American human remains and sacred objects to tribes.

Emic Perspective

An approach where an anthropologist studies a culture from the "insider" perspective.

Etic Perspective

An approach where an anthropologist studies a culture from the "outsider" perspective.