cultural anthropology key terms exam 2

cultural construction of gender

the way humans learn to perform and recognize behaviors as masculine or feminine within their cultural context

gender performance

the way gender is expressed through action

gender stratification

unequal distribution of power in which gender shapes the accessibility to a group’s resources, opportunities, rights, and privileges

gender ideology

a set of cultural ideas (usually stereotypical) about the character of different genders that promotes and justifies gender stratification

feudalism

“you give me service, I give you protection” system from the Middle Ages

People worked the land for someone more powerful, and in exchange they got safety and a place to live.

profane

anything considered unholy

liminality

Being in-between stages—like not who you used to be, but not fully who you’re becoming yet (often during rituals or life changes).

shamans

Spiritual leaders believed to communicate with spirits and help heal or guide people.

authorizing process

complex historical and social developments through which symbols are given power and meaning

sympathetic magic

the belief that objects or actions can influence others through mystical connection or similarity

contagious magic

the belief that objects once in contact with a person retain an inseparable, magical connection to them, think contracting something

social silence (tett)

people lacking a command of language, inability to speak out or gain power to be accepted

egalitarianism (lecture)

a type of society where everyone is pretty equal in power, status, and access to resources.

civil society organization

A group (like a nonprofit or activist group) that works to help people or push for change, outside of the government.

militarization

When a society becomes more focused on the military, war, or defense, even in everyday life.

social movement

A group of people working together to create social or political change (like civil rights movements).

framing process

How a social movement presents or explains an issue so people understand it and want to support it.

state

A complex society with a government, laws, and strong centralized power (like modern countries).

chiefdom

A society comprised of a number of villages or communities under control of a central leader (chief) who has more power and status than others.

tribe

a larger usually indigenous group with shared culture and some leadership outside of the realm of control of a centralized authoritative state

band

small kinship based group of foragers who hunt and gather for a living over a certain territory

cultural imperialism

the transfer of money, cultural resources, or both from the dominated country to the dominating country

Hawaiian sovereignty

refers to the political, legal, and cultural movement to restore the self-governance of Native Hawaiians and the independence of the Hawaiian Kingdom, which was recognized globally before its illegal overthrow in 1893. It asserts that Hawaiians never formally relinquished their national sovereignty

economy

how a society makes, uses, and shares money, goods, and resources

food foragers

people who get food by hunting animals and gathering plants instead of farming

pastoralism

food production strategy characterized by living by raising and moving with animals

horticulture

Small-scale farming using simple tools, like growing crops in gardens.

industrial agriculture

Large-scale farming using machines, chemicals, and technology to produce lots of food quickly.

reciprocity

the exchange of resources, goods, and services among people to create social ties

redistribution

form of exchange, accumulated wealth is collected from the group members and reallocated in a different pattern

colonialism

When one country takes control of another place and uses its land, resources and people for its own benefit

modernization theories

post world war II economic ideas that poorer countries could and would become “developed” by following the same path rich countries did following the end of colonialism

development

post world war II strategy to spur global economic growth, alleviate poverty, and raise living standards through strategic investment in national economies of former colonies

underdevelopment

term used to suggest that poor countries are poor because of their relationship to unbalanced global economic systems, basically “you are who you hang with”

dependency theory

critique of modernization theory arguing that despite the end of colonialism, the underlying economic relations of the modern world economic system had not changed

neocolonialism

When powerful countries control weaker ones indirectly (through economics or politics instead of direct rule)

core countries

Wealthy, powerful countries that control resources and industries

periphery countries

Poorer, exploited countries that provide raw materials and cheap labor

semiperiphery countries

In-between countries that have some industry but aren’t fully wealthy.

Fordism

A system of mass production where workers do repetitive tasks on assembly lines to make goods quickly and cheaply, conveyor belt factory type deal

neoliberalism

The idea that the economy works best with less government control and more free markets.

commodity chains

The step-by-step process of making a product—from raw materials to the final item you buy, the hands the item passes through from producer to consumer

stratification

uneven distribution of resources and privileges among members of a group or culture

class

A group of people with similar economic status (how much money/resources they have).

bourgeois

The wealthy class who own businesses and resources.

proletariat

marxist term for class of laborers who own only their labor, the working class who sell their labor to survive.

means of production

The tools, land, and factories used to make goods.

capital

Money or resources used to invest and make more money.

life chances

an individuals opportunities to improve their quality of life and realize life goals

social mobility

the movement of ones class position upward or downward in stratified societies

social reproduction

phenomenon by which social and class relations of prestige or lack of prestige are passed from one generation to the next

habitus

Bordieu’s term to describe the self-perceptions, sensibilities, and tastes developed in response to external influences over a lifetime that shape one’s conceptions of the world and where one fits in it

cultural capital

the knowledge, habits, and tastes learned from parents and families that people use to gain access to scarce and valuable resources in society

pushes and pulls

forces that spur migration from the country of origin and draw immigrants to a new country

bridges and barriers

forces that enable or inhibit migration