environmental anthropology quiz 1

anthropology

The study of human diversity (culture, language, biological forms, etc.)

social construction of nature

Our idea of nature is a product of our culture→ this thinking comes from interactions of humans with nature that aren’t sustainable, idea of nature constructed by people to reflect the idea of no people in nature i.e. removal of native peoples from their land

social reproduction

refers to the process in which societies reproduce and maintain their understanding of nature ex. women are the homemakers who bear children, why do domestic work as women if dont want to? Have to for survival

nature-culture dualism

how society thinks of nature as this separate place or entity that isn’t entwined in our lives, it is something to be explored and its wild, savage

ecosystems

a place where organisms and non-living things live and interact with each other and the environment

equilibrium and non-equilibrium ecosystem dynamics

equilibrum dynamics like birth and death rates are balanced to keep the ecosystem stable and non-equilibrium dynamics like disturbance or human impact can cause instability in the dynamic ecosystem and emphasize importance of feedback mechanisms in maintaining ecosystem equilibrium

unilinear cultural evolution

19th-century theory suggesting that all human societies evolve along a single path from simple to complex forms of social organization, suggesting all societies go from hunting gathering to industrialization

functionalism

everything in the culture has a purpose, to fulfil indv. Psychological needs (why ppl have rituals before they go fishing like praying)

cultural ecology

study of the processes by which a society adapts to its environment, depends on their environment, technology, and culture core (labor, land rights/management, marriage/kinship) ex how do they get their food and what limits to their tools affects that

multilinear evolution

cultures are gonna evolve diff because of their diff environments, overall cultures are an adaptation due to the environment 

ecosystem approach/ ecological anthropology

method that examines the interactions between living organisms and their environment, includes human societies and their cultural practices

carrying capacity

limit on how much resources can support the organisms of a certain environment

ethnobiology

interdisciplinary study of how human cultures interact with and use their native plants and animals

historical ecology

understanding environments in historical context, understanding how human activity have changed the environment over time

primitive accumulation

massive shifts in nature and taking the land for agricultural use, new knowledge abt resources, ppl, and land. shift to captatilist mode of production:taking the land for agricultural use and peasants move from agri. to industrial

capitalism

economic system characterized by private ownership of the means of production, where goods and services are produced for profit in a competitive market.

commons

shared resources that are collectively managed by a community

bourgeoisie

middle class business people, merchants, wealthy

proletariat

working class

anthropocene

referring to a time when humanity has substantially impacted the planet

capitalocene

concept that emphasizes the role of capitalism in the global environment crisis, determines origin of climate crisis to the rise of fossil fuels and the capitalist’s system that drives for capital accumulation

dystopia

imagined state/society that has great injustice, typically totalitarian or post-apocalyptic

environmental justice

movement advocating for fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people in environmental decision-making, particularly for marginalized communities disproportionately affected by environmental hazards

ex. toxic soil dumped in warren county and they laid in the road to prevent more dumped

environmental racism

uneven distribution of environmental goods and harms on the basis of race

Patterns of de facto racial segregation make this possible (bc ppl live in clusters that are more racially homogenous its easier)

Race and class are both factors, but race has typically outweighed class in the United States

pollution

introduction of contaminates into the environment

redlining

discriminatory practice where mortgage lenders and insurance providers deny services to certain neighborhoods based on the racial or ethnic characteristics of the areas residents

race

groups sharing physical characteristics such as skin color or facial features, often linked to shared ancestry or historical experiences

structural violence

how structure systems in society lead to violence/harm. Like how companies that dump chemicals and kill ppl that way and its not treated as severely as if i manslaughter someone on the street

slow violence

a harmful process that doesn’t show effects right away ex. Gradually poisoning over time

neoliberalism

political and economic ideology that emphasizes free-market capitalism, minimal government intervention, and privatization of public services,