CULTURAL Anthropology Unit

Culture

• Roman thinker Cicero first coined this term

• System of ideas, values, behaviours, attitudes shared by a society

Cultural Anthropology

Study and research of past and present human cultures to understand elements that made culture function

Informant

Reliable and knowledgeable person who provides information

Unstructured Interviews

• Informal

• Open-ended

• Flexible

• No constraints for questions and answers

Semi-Structured Interviews

• Combines prepared topics/themes with flexibility

• Researchers can adapt to flow of conversation

Structured Interviews

• Fixed set of standardized questions

• Efficient data collection

• Limiting depth and spontaneity

Ethnology

Scholarly study of origins and cultures of different humans

• Qualitative research combining insider and outsider perspectives

• Immersing yourself in the culture

Ethnography

Recording and analysis of culture and society based on participant observation

• Involves a written account

Ethnocentrism

Attitude that one’s own cultural/ethnic group is superior

Participant Observation

Researcher immerses themselves in a community to observe/participate

Kinship

Relationship between 2+ people based on common ancestry, marriage, or adoption

Family of Procreation

Family you choose to create, biologically or through adoption

Family of Orientation

Family you were born into involuntarily, biologically or through adoption

Ethics in Participant Observation

• Establishment of clear ethical boundaries/guidelines

• Informed consent and voluntary participation are essential

• No harm or negative consequences for participants

• Researchers should reflect on the impact of their presence, and their bias

• Balance between subjective understanding (insider perspective) and objective analysis (factual observation) is key

Subjective Ethical Factors

Conclusions shaped by a person’s cultural and personal perspective, feelings, and beliefs

Objective Ethical Factors

Conclusions based on facts and data, uninfluenced by an individual

Reflexivity Ethical Factors

Practice of reflecting on your own world view, biases, and impact on culture you are studying

Ritual

Aspects of our daily lives that we perform regularly

Cultural Relativism

View that all beliefs, customs, and ethics are relative to an individual within their own social context

• Right and wrong is culture specific

• No universal standard of morality exists

Feminist Anthropology (~1970s)

• Culture determines gender roles

• Effect of certain ideas (gender/race/class/etc.) on marginalized groups