Anthropology: Theories and Fieldwork

Unilineal Cultural Evolution

early theory that all cultures evolve through the same sequence of stages from simple to complex > ethnocentric

Historical Particularism

argued that cultures arise from different causes and is not a uniform process > cultural relativity

Structural Functionalism

sees culture as similar to a biological organism, the parts work together to support the whole and maintain equilibrium > participant observation

Participant Observation

immersing oneself into the culture being studied

Cultural Materialism

argues that material conditions including technology and the environment determine social organization

Interpretive Approach

sees culture as a symbolic system where simple actions can have a very deep meaning

Post Modernism

questions the scientific method, focuses on indigenous voice, and emphasizes ethnography and the humanities

Cultural Constructionism vs. Biological Determinism

nature vs. nurture, enculturation vs genetics, most debates are not black and white

Agency vs. Structurism

choosing free will of if society determines an outcome

Ex: Poverty, do people make decisions that lead to poverty (agency) or does society create poverty (structure)

Interpretive Anthropology vs. Cultural Materialism

ex: eating and killing cattle is taboo in India, is it an important part of religious belief (interpretive) or does cattle serve a functional purpose through feces as fertilizer and agriculture (materialism)

Old School Armchair Anthropology

studied cultures from their armchairs

• Read other accounts about cultures and group and summarizes them in reports > very ethnocentric due to bias

Informants

 share information with the researcher

• Have knowledge of the culture being studied

• Can introduce researcher to vital info or people

• Can act as translators

• Can have their own bias and filter information through it

Ethnography

a written work about a single culture

Ethnology

a written work comparing two or more cultures

Formal Interviews

usually a survey, questionnaire, or questions that require a specific response

Informal Interviews

open ended questions that allow informants to talk openly, time intensive

• Must gain rapport and then let the person speak

Kinship and Descent

helps to understand cultural structures and obligations

Traditional Knowledge

 knowledge passed down from generation to generation

• Ex: trades, farming, cooking, sewing

Types of Research Bias

funding, motivation (promotions), university, television (entertainment)

Culture Shock

anxiety that occurs when a person is immersed in an unknown culture

Going Native

when an outsider adopts the host culture