cultural anthropology exam 2

race

any one of the groups that humans are often divided into based on physical traits regarded as common among people of shared ancestry

racism

individuals’ thoughts and actions and institutional patterns and policies that create or reproduce unequal access to power, privilege, resources, and opportunities based on imagined differences

racial discrimination

• The unjust or prejudicial treatment of individuals or groups based on their race.

• Involves actions, policies, or practices that deny rights, opportunities, or resources to people solely because of their racial background.

racisms

the multiple ways race has been socially constructed and institutionalized across different cultures, historical periods, and social contexts.

racialization

the process by which a group of people, previously not considered as a racial group, are assigned racial meanings and identities, often leading to discrimination and inequality. 

microaggression

a statement, action, or incident regarded as an instance of indirect, subtle, or unintentional discrimination against members of a marginalized group such as a racial or ethnic minority.

habitus

the way a person of a particular background perceives and reacts to the world.

cultural capital

the non-financial assets that individuals possess, such as knowledge, skills, education, and tastes, which can be used to gain social advantages

social reproduction

the processes and mechanisms by which a society maintains and transforms its social order, structures, and relations across time, ensuring its continuity and the reproduction of its members.

identity entrepreneur

genotype

an organism’s genetic makeup

phenotype

the observable characteristics from the gene

cline

a gradation in one or more characteristics within a species

nativism

policy of protecting the interests of native-born or established inhabitants against those of immigrants

hypodescent

the automatic assignment of a child to the socially subordinate racial or ethnic group of a parent, regardless of the other parent's racial or ethnic background. 

white supremacy

1. the belief that white people constitute a superior race and should therefore dominate society, typically to the exclusion or detriment of other racial and ethnic groups.

white privilege

inherent advantages possessed by a white person on the basis of their race in a society characterized by racial inequality and injustice.

Ethnicity

he quality or fact of belonging to a population group or subgroup made up of people who share a common cultural background or descent.

ethnic cleansing

the mass expulsion or killing of members of an unwanted ethnic or religious group in a society.

genocide

the deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular nation or ethnic group with the aim of destroying that nation or group.

• ethnic boundary marker

observable characteristics or signals that signify group membership and are used to define and maintain ethnic boundaries, such as language, religion, culture, and customs. 

disapora

the dispersion or spread of a people from their original homeland.

affinal relationship

kinship ties established through marriage rather than blood or descent

polygamy

having more than one wife or husband

polygyny

when a man has more than one wife

polyandry

marriage of a woman to two or more men at the same time

monogamy

being married to one person

endogamy

custom of marrying within the limits of the local community

exogamy

marrying outside the community

clan

group of close knit and interrelated families

miscegenation

sexual relationships or reproduction between people of different ethnic groups, especially when one of them is white.

ranked society

a social structure where individuals and groups are differentiated by rank or prestige

 stratified society

individuals are categorized and ranked into a hierarchy based on factors like wealth, power, or social status, creating distinct social groups with varying levels of privilege and access to resources

Patrilineal

relating to or based on relationship to the father or descent through the male line.

matrilineal

of or based on kinship with the mother or the female line.

The wild goose chase

the task of linking phenotype to genotype.

social darwinism

• White europeans were “more evolved” than other races

The white man’s burden

Europeans had a moral duty “civilize” other non-european people

contemporary worldwide racism and the notion of race itself are historically rooted in which practice

colonialism

descent groups based on a claim to a founding ancestor but lacking documentation

clans

identity entrepreneur

a leader who promotes a worldview through the lens of ethnicity and uses war, propoganda, and power to mobilize people against those whom the leader percieves as dangerous.

multiculturalism

new immigrants enculturate into the new society but retain their ethnic culture.

situational negotiation of identity

how a person self-identifies based on the context

egalitarian society

based on the sharing of resources to ensure group success and has relatively low hierarchy and violence

what is the root of extreme stratification today

intensive agriculture and rising populations created new opportunities to concentrate wealth.

potlatch

elaborate feast that establishes status and prestige for the chief

social stratification leads to

unequal access to resources

the culture of poverty theory…

blames the victims for something caused by large economic processes

diaspora

group of people who live outside their ancestral homeland yet maintain emotional and material ties to home

reciprocity

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

bourgeoisie

class that owns the means of production

proletariat

class of laborers who own only their labor

life chances

an individual’s opportunities to improve their quality of life and realize goals. determined by not only access to financial resources but also social ones like education, health care, food, clothing, etc. members of the same social class have the same life chances.

social mobility

changing class position

the educational system helps reproduce existing social relations

social reproduction