Key Concepts in Gender, Space, and Environmental Anthropology

Gender

Culturally constructed social meanings and expectations.

Sex

Biological differences assigned at birth by doctors.

Gender as performance

Conformity to gender expectations leads to rewards or punishments.

Male-female/nature-culture binary

Men associated with culture; women with nature.

Intersectionality

Complex relationships of class, race, and gender.

Globalization

Interdependent international connections across borders.

Tensions between global vs local

Interactions of non-Western LGBT identities amid globalization.

Contributions of queer anthropology

Understanding sexualities as cultural constructions.

Social constructionists

Reject universal definitions; gender is interactional.

Malleability of sexualities/genders

Sexualities and genders can transform through interactions.

Relational construction of self

Selfhood constituted by social relationships.

Differences in portrayal of reproductive systems

Women's systems negatively portrayed compared to men's.

Personifying sperm and eggs

Could lead to legal restrictions on women.

Industrialism's effects on time tracking

Workers had little control over work cycles.

Cattle clock

Nuer in Sudan measure time by pastoral tasks.

Task-orientation

Time seen as succession of related tasks.

Shift to timed labour

Time becomes money with hired hands.

Time as currency

Time must be spent, not just passed.

Timepieces and synchronization

Clocks emerged with industrial labor demands.

Time measurement and labor exploitation

Concerns about time used to exploit labor.

Industrial capitalism

Large-scale industrial production dominates economy.

Schools and time thrift

Poor children employed with minimal schooling.

Time-discipline

Moral obligation to maximize productivity.

Puritan view of work

Work reflects faith and potential salvation.

Space

Defined by measurable physical locations.

Place

Cultural meanings attached to specific locales.

Agency and embodiment

Freedom of movement and internalization of space.

Mobility and displacement

Migration and identity construction through place-making.

Hegemony

Dominant shared system of ideas and values.

Surveillance

Monitoring through human and technological means.

Public vs private space

Control over sexuality and morality in spaces.

Disciplining of domestic workers

Strict rules imposed on Filipina domestic workers.

Cosmology

Cultural worldview and internal map of existence.

Matter out of place

Spatiality used to reinforce social arrangements.

Liminal space

In-between space, like a porch.

Politics of mapmaking

Maps reflect ideological perspectives, not just geography.

Segregation/apartheid

Institutionalized separation based on race or ethnicity.

Gendering of space and violence

Protests against violence in gendered spaces.

Gated communities

Perceived safety through controlled residential areas.

Insiders

Individuals within a specific social group.

Outsiders

Individuals outside a specific social group.

Cyberspace

Non-material space influencing social fields.

Medical Anthropology

Study of health influenced by culture and society.

Health and Wellbeing

Broadly defined factors affecting physical and mental states.

Disease

Medically diagnosed health conditions.

Illness

Personal and social experience of health issues.

Medical Pluralism

Belief in multiple medical systems alongside biomedicine.

Cartesian Dualism

Separation of mind from body and spirit from matter.

Individual Body

Sense of self as a separate embodied entity.

Social Body

Body as a symbol for society and culture.

Body Politic

Regulation and control of bodies by power structures.

Embodiment

Felt experiences of being in the world.

Body Image

Collective representations of the body and environment.

Body Alienation

Disconnection from one's own body.

Biopower

Governmental control over sexuality, gender, and reproduction.

Structural Violence

Health disparities caused by poverty and inequality.

Foodways

Cultural practices surrounding food production and consumption.

Hunter-Gathering

Nomadic lifestyle relying on wild food sources.

Horticulture

Small-scale farming often combined with gathering.

Intensive Agriculture

Monocropping leading to sedentary populations.

Pastoralism

Livestock production dependent on plant societies.

Industrial Agriculture

Intensive production with negative environmental impacts.

Swidden

Slash and burn technique for soil nutrient enhancement.

Commensality

Cultural practice of eating together as a unit.

Food Classification

Cultural norms determining edible and inedible substances.

Ideological Eating

Food choices reflect underlying cultural values.

Man the Hunter Myth

Class and gender implications of meat consumption.

Fast Food Nation

Impact of fast food on society and environment.

GMO Issues

Dependence on patented seeds, not addressing hunger.

Nature-Culture Dichotomy

Gendered associations of nature as passive, culture as active.

Anthropocene

Epoch where humans dominate Earth's processes.

Homo Economicus

Assumption of profit-driven human behavior.

Ethical Relationality

Seeing nature as interconnected with human existence.

Sentience of Non-Humans

Recognition of nature as feeling entities.

Anthropocentrism

Humans viewed as central to ethical considerations.

Fish as Non-Human Persons

Recognition of fish as sentient beings.

Incommensurability

Cultural differences that resist comparison.

Principled Pragmatism

Navigating complex socio-political pressures with integrity.

Green Belt Movement

Grassroots initiative for environmental conservation in Kenya.

Environmental Anthropology

Study of human-environment interactions shaping culture.

Tragedy of the Commons

Overuse of shared resources due to selfishness.

Extraction-for-Profit

Unsustainable resource use prioritizing profit over sustainability.

Water of Immortality

Sacred water in Navosavakadua's political mobilization.

Fiji Water Marketing

Portrayal of Fiji water as pure and untouched.

Environmental Racism

Disproportionate pollution exposure in marginalized communities.

Infrastructure

Framework enabling movement of people and resources.

Flint Water Crisis

Contaminated water crisis affecting Flint's residents.

Publics

Collective action formed through shared media consumption.

Knowledge Production

Creation and dissemination of knowledge within societies.

Knowledge Economy

Economic system focused on intellectual capital.

Neoliberalism

Market-driven governance emphasizing privatization and individualism.

Language and Power

Power dynamics expressed through language use.

Ngũgĩ's Critique

Normalization of European languages undermines African identity.

Role of Writers

Writers challenge societal contradictions through imagination.

Intelligence as a Concept

Intelligence used to justify social inequalities.

Threshold Technology

Blurring lines between human and machine interactions.

Biases in Programming

Algorithms reflect societal biases and inequalities.

Personhood and Legal Rights

Legal recognition extends beyond humans to entities.

UniverCities

Universities' impact on local economies and communities.