Anthro theories

Biopsychological Functionalism + who

Founded by the famous anthropologist Malinowski, biopsychological functionalism is based on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and argues that society functions to fulfill the biological and psychological needs of the individual. through the medium of culture. When society doesn’t fulfill those needs people form their own community.

Structural Functionalism

Everything functions towards the maintenance of society’s equilibrium. even individuals function to fulfill the needs of society - even if these needs are not necessarily in their best interests. Also believes that there is no agency, we are born as blank slates formed by society.

Gender Performativism + who

(by Butler)That gender is very different to sex, sex being the biological sex organs of a person whereas gender is what society has constructed around each sex. Meaning that there isn’t a right  way to do gender as it doesn’t actually exist. It is a performance. (can also be shaped to fit race)

Cultural materialism + who

Inspired by marxism, it argues that infrastructure determines structure and superstructure.

Also, This theory argues that our material environment influences or dictates our culture.

structuralism + who

DOUGLAS

That every culture around the world has the same pillars of values for example incest. It creates a need to classify everything so anything that doesn’t conform to the rules is either deified or looked down on, they are betwixt and between two norms. For example Jesus who is between alive and dead, he is deified. Then there are zombies who are also betwixt and between however they are seen as monsters

The structuralist Douglas explored what happens when certain things do not fit into the binary opposites of human thought.

femenism

Feminism comes in three waves in  Anthropology:

• First Wave: Aimed to get Anthropology to include women more.

• Second Wave:  Separated sex from gender and sought to understand why women were universally oppressed. + sherry ortner women=nature men =culture

• Third Wave: Emphasised intersectionality.

• Queer theory: Critiqued heteronormativity, viewing gender as a cultural construct.

The triangle of violence + who

Galtung’s:

• Direct (violence you can witness) 

• Structural (social stratification processes that limit basic human needs)

• Cultural (beliefs that perpetuate harmful stereotypes) 

Galtung argues that cultural violence justifies structural violence, and combination of these two lead to direct violence.

Symbolic violence (concept to add to other theories) + who

Bourdieu’s When marginalized group internalizes cultural violence about their own demographic

concept of the other (to use in tandem of biopsychological functionalism)

when individuals or groups seperate themselves from other groups to prove their superiority

E.g. Said’s concept of the Other in conjunction with biopsychological functionalism can be used to understand how the white hip-hoppers try to attain a sense of belonging within the field of black hip-hop.

Embodiment (concept)

The process by which people incorporate biologically the social and material world in which they live