NCSU ANT 252 Test 1 Greene

anthropology

the study of the full scope of human diversity, past and present, and the application of that knowledge to help people of different backgrounds better understand one another

6 Major Kinship Systems

Eskimo, Hawaiian, Iroquois, Crow, Sudanese, Omaha; defined by Lewis Henry Morgan in 1871

Ethnocentrism

the belief that ones own culture or way of life is normal and natural

Cultural Relativism

using an inside perspective to evaluate and judge a culture

Ethnographic fieldwork

A primary research strategy in cultural anthropology involving living with a community of people over an extended period to better understand their lives.

Four-field approach

the use of four interrelated disciplines to study humanity: physical anthropology, archaeology, linguistic anthropology, and cultural anthropology

Holism

the anthropological commitment to consider the full scope of human life, including culture, biology, history, and language, across space and time

Physical Anthropology

The study of humans from a biological perspective, particularly focused on human evolution.

Archaeology

the investigation of the human past by means of excavating and analyzing artifacts

Cultural anthropolgy

study of communities, behaviors, beliefs, and institutions, including how people make meaning as they live, work, and play together

Participant observation

A key anthropological research strategy involving both participation in and observation of the daily life of the people being studied.

Ethnology

the analysis and comparison of ethnographic data across cultures (descriptive data of customs and cultures)

Globalization

the worldwide intensification of interactions and increased movement of money, people, goods, and ideas within and across national borders

Time-space compression

the compression of the amount of time it takes for communication to reach a given area using new technologies (ex:, cell phones allow messages to be sent across the nation more quickly than sending letters)

Linguistic anthropology

The study of human language in the past and present

ethnography

a detailed study of the life, activities, and customs of a group of people by researchers who may live with that group over a period of years

Edward Tylor

the founder of cultural anthropology.

Franz Boas

father of American anthropology, cultural relativism (challenged idea that West is superior), developed participant observation that lacked cross-cultural approaches, developed HISTORICAL PARTICULARISM, debunked idea of racial distinctions being biological

Bronislaw Malinowski

British anthropologist (born in Poland) who introduced the technique of the participant observer (1884-1942), father of sociology/social anthropology

Margaret Mead

studied adolescent sexuality in Samoa. Lack of prude social structures made teens less anxious about sexuality compared to western teens. Had a emphasis on going to a place and gaining experience.

culture

a system of knowledge, beliefs, patterns of behavior, artifacts, and institutions that are created, learned, and shared by a group of people

enculturation

the process of learning culture

symbol

anything that signifies something else

mental maps of reality

Cultural classifications of what kinds of people and things exist, and the assignment of meaning to those classifications.

(American) historical particularism

the idea, attributed to Franz Boas, that cultures develop in specific ways because of their unique histories and that each society is a collective representation of its historical past

(British) Structural Functionalism

the leading concept before Boas, the theory that sees society as an overarching structure with each element serving a particular function to keep the entire system in equilibrium

Thick description

a research strategy that combines detailed description of cultural activity with deeper analysis of the layers of cultural meaning that those activities signify

Power

the ability/potential to bring about change through action or influence

Hegemony

the ability of a dominant group to create consent and agreement with a population without the use or threat of force

agency

the potential power of individuals and groups to contest cultural norms, values, symbols, mental maps of reality, institutions, and structures of power and to act on their own accord

habitus

Bourdieu's term to describe the self-perceptions/beliefs that we develop as part of our social identity that shape our conceptions of the world and where we fit in it.

acculturation

the modification of the social patterns, traits, or structures of one group/society when making contact with other groups and the blending that results from it

diffusion

the spreading of culture, culture traits, or a cultural pattern from a central point.

Independent invention

The process by which humans innovate and create to adapt to find solutions to cultural change

Qualitative vs Quantitative data

qualitative: derives data from observation, interviews or verbal interactions and focuses on meaning and interpretation of participants. quantitative is based on collected objective data that can be subjected to statistical analysis

rapport

the relationships of trust and familiarity developed with members of the community being studied

key informant

a community member who advises the anthropologist on community issues, provides feedback, and warns against cultural miscues. also called "cultural consultant"

interview

a research strategy of gathering data through formal or informal conversation with informants

life history

a form of interview that traces the biography of a person over time, examining changes and illuminating the interlocking network of relationships in the community

Survey

an information-gathering tool for quantitative data analysis

Kinship analysis

A traditional strategy of examining genealogies to uncover the relationships built upon structures such as marriage and family ties

social network analysis

a method for examining relationships in a community, often conducted by identifying who people turn to in times of need

field notes

the anthropologists written observations and reflections on places, practices, events and interviews

mapping

the analysis of the physical and/or geographic space where fieldwork is being conducted

built environment

the intentionally designed features of human settlement, including buildings, transportation and public service infrastructure, and public spaces

polyvocality

The practice of using many different voices in ethnographic writing and research question development, allowing the reader to hear more directly from the people in the study.

reflexivity

self reflection on the experience of doing fieldwork, continuous reflection on process

informed consent

a key strategy for protecting those being studied by ensuring that they are fully informed of the goals of the project and have clearly indicated their consent to participate

analysis

A detailed examination of the elements or structure of something.

write-up

review

language

a system of communication organized by rules that uses symbols such as words, sounds, and gestures to convey information

descriptive linguistics

The study of the sounds, symbols, and gestures of a language and their combination into forms that communicate meaning

grammar

the combined set of observations about the rules governing the formation of morphemes and syntax that guide language use

lexicon

a set of vocabulary belonging to a specific language

kinesics

the study of the relationship between body movements and communication

paralanguage

an extensive set of noises (such as cries) and tones of voice that convey significant information about the speaker

focal vocabulary

set of words that are important to certain groups (how eskimos have so many different words for snow)

historical linguistics

the branch of linguistics that attempts to classify and construct a family tree of languages and to reconstruct extinct languages

Noam Chomsky

suggested that the human brain is hardwired with a basic framework for organizing language that creates a universal grammar (similar structure in all languages). In his view all humans share similar language ability and ways of thinking, this makes it easy for us to translate from one language to another

Sapir-Whorf hypothesis

the idea that different languages create different ways of thinking and perceiving the world

sociolinguistics

The study of the ways culture shapes language and language shapes culture, particularly the intersection of language and systems of power such as race, gender, class and age.

prestige language

A particular way of speaking, or language variation, that is associated with wealth, success, education, and power.

code switching

switching back and forth between one linguistic variant and another depending on the cultural context

symbolic domination

acceptance of the authority and correctness of a prestigious dialect, even by people who do not use it

language loss

The extinction of languages that have very few speakers

language revitalization

Attempts by linguists and activists to preserve or revive languages with few native speakers that appear to be on the verge of extinction.

Egalitarian societies (bands & tribes)

a group based on the sharing of resources to ensure success with a relative absence of hierarchy of violence

Reciprocity (generalized, balanced, negative)

the exchange of resources, goods, and services among people of relatively equal status; meant to create and reinforce social ties

ranked societies (chiefdoms)

a group in which wealth is not stratified but prestige and status are

Redistribution

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

Potlatch

elaborate redistribution ceremony practiced amount the Kwakiutl of the Pacific Northwest

Cultural capital

the knowledge, habits, and tastes learned from parents and family that individuals can use to gain access to scarce and valuable resources in society

intersectionality

an analytic framework for assessing how factors such as race, gender, and class interact to shape individual life chances and societal patterns of stratification

economy

A cultural adaptation to the environment that enables a group of humans to use the available resources to satisfy their needs and to thrive.

food foragers

humans who subsist by hunting, fishing, and gathering plants to eat

pastoralism

a strategy for food production involving the domestication of animals, Est. 11,000/10,000 years ago

horticulture

the cultivation of plants for subsistence through non-intensive use of land and labor

agriculture

an intensive farming strategy for food production involving permanently cultivated land, Est. 5,000 years ago

redistribution

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

Band

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

Tribe

originally viewed as a culturally distinct, multiband population that imagined itself as one people descended from a common ancestor; currently used to describe an indigenous group with its own set of loyalties and leaders living to some extent outside the control of a centralized authoritative state.

village head

Leadership position ; has limited authority; leads by example and persuasion

Chiefdom

an autonomous political unit composed of a number of villages or communities under the permanent control of a paramount chief

state

An autonomous regional structure of political, economic, and military rule with a central government authorized to make laws and use force to maintain order and defend its territory.

kinship

The system of meaning and power that cultures create to determine who is related to whom and to define their mutual expectations, rights, and responsibilities.

nuclear family

Mother, father and children living as a unit

extended family

Closely related people of several generations such as brother sisters parents uncles aunts grandparent and great grandparents

descent group

A kinship group in which primary relationships are traced through consanguine ("blood") relatives.

lineage

a type of descent group that traces genealogical connection through generations by linking persons to a founding ancestor

Clan

a type of descent group based on a claim to a founding ancestor but lacking genealogical documentation

matrilineal descent

a system of tracing descent through the mother's side of the family

patrilineal descent

a system of tracing descent through the father's side of the family

lineal relative

direct descendant/ancestor

collateral relative

relative with some common ancestor, but isn't in your nuclear family

bifurcate merging

Splits the mother's side and the father's side (Iroquois kinship system)

generational relative

Same name for parents and their siblings

bifurcate collateral (Iroquois)

has separate kin terms for each of the six types of the parental generation, distinguishes relatives based on the sex of the parent they're related to

affinal relationships

a kinship relationship establishment through marriage and/or alliance, not through biology or common descent

arranged marriage

marriage orchestrated by the families of the involved parties

companionate marriage

marriage built on love, intimacy, and personal choice rather than social obligation