Meeker ANT100 Test 1 Concepts

Culture

a shared system of knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors that shape our understanding of the world; it changes

Culture shock

the feeling of confusion, unfamiliarity, or unease that people experience when moving to a new cultural environment or encountering a culture different from their own

Ethnography

a method of observing human interactions in social settings

Fieldwork

An in-depth exploration of a single culture, long term exposure to it

Emic approach

the researcher investigates from the insider’s point of view, the insider perspective

Etic approach

the researcher investigates and observes from a distance, the outsider perspective

Objectivity

based on facts and measurable data rather than opinions

Subjectivity

based on opinions, beliefs, or feelings rather than facts

Participant observation

observation where the researcher becomes a member of the group they are studying; must be practiced for building awareness and memory

Direct observation

observation where the researcher observes a group without becoming a part of said group

Semi-structured interviews

interviews that use a list of pre-determined questions as a guide, deep questions

Informal interviews

interviews that are more conversational, focused on gathering information

Quantitative data

data that is numerical and statistical (surveys, direct observation, pile sorts)

Qualitative data

data that is interpretation or experience based (open-ended interviews, observations, participation)

Cultural relativism

understanding other cultures in terms of their own categories, which are assumed to be valid and worthy of respect

Ethnocentrism

tendency to evaluate and judge other people’s behavior and beliefs based on the values of one’s own culture

The Ethics of Fieldwork

do no harm, be open and honest, obtain consent, be ethical, make results accessible, protect your records, maintain respectful and professional relationships

Full sensorium

a state of complete awareness and responsiveness to stimuli

Cross-cultural sensory differences

different cultures have different number of senses and different senses in general; these are called ___?

Soundscapes

a central part of “being there” in sensory anthropology

The central concerns of linguistic anthropology

Language:

• varies across history but also across cultures

• is central to the experience of being human

• is used by people who have specific cultural roles and interest at stake

Direct indexes

part of indexicality that is openly recognized by the speakers (white speakers believe that using mock Spanish marks knowledge of Spanish)

Indirect indexes

part of indexicality that is unacknowledged by speakers (mock Spanish references implicity racialized representations of Latinex people)

Multifunctionality

the idea that language does many things at once

Language standardization

a part of language ideology that states that standard languages are chosen by those in power; unmarked or “invisibly normal”

language loss

forces that drive ___

• colonization

• modernization

• racial hierarchies that marginalize indigenous groups and their lanuages

• intermarriage between language groups

Analysis in visual anthropology

how to get ethnographic info off of film, the study of images in particular societies

Production in visual anthropology

how to get anthropological ideas onto film, the expression of anthropological ideas through visual media

Reception study

asks the question “what can we learn about a society’s priorities, values, perceptions, etc through studying how a society produces and consumes visual productions?”

Social life of media

asks the question “how does media move or circulate within and across boundaries of community, nation, etc?”

Intended message

how a meaning/message is conveyed by the producer

Unintended message

how a meaning/message might be perceived by audiences