Untitled Flashcards Set

Cultural Anthropology

The study of cultural variation among humans, focusing on the cultural aspects of societies.

Archeological Anthropology

The study of human history and prehistory through excavation and analysis of artifacts, structures, and other physical remains.

Linguistic Anthropology

The study of how language influences social life, communication, and culture.

Biological Anthropology

The study of the biological and physiological aspects of humans and their ancestors.

Holistic Approach

An examination of culture that considers the interconnected parts that make up a society.

Culture

Sets of learned behaviors and ideas that human beings acquire as members of a society, along with material artifacts and structures.

Armchair Approach

An early anthropological method that relied on explorers' accounts without direct fieldwork.

Verandah Approach

An anthropological method where researchers observe a culture from a distance without fully engaging.

Participant Observation

A research method where the anthropologist immerses themselves in the culture they are studying.

Etic

An outsider's perspective in research, using scientific methods to analyze behavior based on pre-determined categories.

Emic

An insider's perspective in research, focusing on the informants' views and experiences.

Multi-sited Research

Fieldwork conducted on a topic in multiple locations, often used to study migrant populations.

Social Darwinism

A misapplication of Darwin's theory that suggests some races are more evolved than others.

Cultural Universals

Basic human needs and problems that all cultures address, as proposed by Malinowski.

Functionalism

The theoretical perspective that sees culture as a system of parts that work together to support society.

Cultural Relativism

The practice of interpreting a culture's beliefs, practices, and behaviors within its own context.

Absolute Cultural Relativism

The belief that no culture's practices should be questioned by outsiders.

Ethnocentrism

The belief that one's own culture is superior to others.

Communicative Competence

The ability to effectively communicate and interact according to cultural norms.

Language Ideology

Beliefs and values about language that reflect social hierarchies and power dynamics.

Verbal Language Development

Developed approximately 50,000 to 100,000 years ago.

Writing Development

Developed in the 4th millennium BCE, linked to record-keeping and advanced societies.

Productivity (Linguistics)

The ability to create an infinite range of understandable messages.

Displacement (Linguistics)

The capacity to refer to events occurring in past or future.

Nonverbal/Embodied Language

Includes body language, silence, eye contact, clothing, posture, and hairstyles.

Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis

The controversial theory that language shapes thought, suggesting separate relationships between language and culture.

Biological Determinism vs Cultural Constructionism

A debate regarding how much biology influences human behavior and how much is socially constructed.

Interpretive Anthropology vs Cultural Materialism

A debate focusing on interpreting cultural meanings versus understanding material conditions affecting culture.

Worldview

A comprehensive perspective on reality shaped by shared beliefs about existence and morality.

Myths

Oral stories explaining how aspects of the world came to be, differing from formalized doctrines.

Rituals

Structured actions performed in specific contexts, including life cycle rituals and sacrifices.

Religious Pluralism

One or more religions coexist either as complimentary to each other or as competing systems

Religious Conversion

The process of adopting a new religious belief system.

Religious Syncretism

The blending or merging of two or more religious beliefs (often by force).

Modernism

The belief in an objective truth in understanding cultures, prominent in early anthropology.

Post-modernism

The viewpoint that there is no singular objective truth in cultural studies.

NAFTA

North American Free Trade Agreement aimed at eliminating trade barriers between Mexico, the US, and Canada.

Rural Farmers Impact (NAFTA)

Many were displaced due to decreased demand and rising prices for traditional foods, leading to hunger.

Milpa-based Cuisine

Traditional cuisine focused on ground corn and fresh vegetables, consisting of distinct preparation steps.

Food Systems

Complex webs of food production, distribution, and preparation that shape what we eat, where it comes from, and how much it costs

Structural Violence

Social arrangements that disadvantage populations leading to suffering and death.

Imperialist Nostalgia

When people have nostalgia for a system that they themselves destroyed