ANTH 1000 Final

What is colonialism?

The practice of acquiring and maintaining control over another country or territory, exploiting it economically, and often settling it with people from the colonizing nation.

What is settler colonialism?

A form of colonialism where the colonizers come to stay and establish permanent residence, often displacing Indigenous populations.

What are covenant settler states?

Countries like the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand where settlers form a nation-state based on legal or religious covenants, often ignoring Indigenous sovereignty.

What is Manifest Destiny?

The 19th-century belief that the U.S. was destined to expand across North America, often used to justify displacement of Indigenous peoples.

What was the Age of Discovery?

A period from the 15th to 17th centuries when European powers explored and colonized much of the world.

What are some causes of decolonization?

Global wars, anti-colonial movements, economic shifts, and growing international support for self-determination.

What is postcolonialism?

A field of study and political perspective that analyzes the lasting impacts of colonialism and the ongoing struggles of formerly colonized peoples.

What roles do the World Bank and IMF play in postcolonial contexts?

These institutions have been criticized for imposing economic policies on developing nations that mirror colonial power dynamics.

Who are Indigenous peoples?

Original inhabitants of a territory with distinct cultural, historical, and political identities prior to colonization.

What does it mean to view Indigenous peoples as “frozen in time”?

It refers to the stereotype that Indigenous cultures are unchanging and stuck in the past, ignoring their modern realities and adaptations.

How is Indigenous authenticity often challenged?

Through stereotypes about race and culture that question the legitimacy of Indigenous identity if it doesn’t conform to outsider expectations.

What is the "bloodthirsty savage" vs. "noble savage" stereotype?

A colonial binary that either demonizes Indigenous peoples as violent or romanticizes them as innocent and primitive—both dehumanizing.

What was the purpose of the residential school system?

To forcibly assimilate Indigenous children into Euro-American culture by erasing their language, identity, and traditions.

What does the video How the US Stole Thousands of Native American Children explore?

The historical removal of Indigenous children from their families into boarding schools and foster care as a form of cultural erasure.

What is the focus of Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz’s Culture of Conquest?

The historical roots of U.S. settler colonialism and its ongoing impact on Indigenous peoples.

What does 'sex' refer to in anthropology?

Biological differences such as genitalia, gonads, and chromosomes.

How is 'gender' defined?

Socially and culturally constructed roles, behaviors, and identities associated with being male, female, or nonbinary.

What is sexual dimorphism?

The differences in physical characteristics between males and females of a species.

How does sexual dimorphism in humans compare to non-human primates?

It tends to be less pronounced in humans than in many non-human primates.

What is gender identity?

A person's internal sense of their own gender, which may or may not align with the sex assigned at birth.

What is gender expression?

The external display of one’s gender through behavior, clothing, haircut, voice, etc.

What is the difference between transgender and cisgender?

Transgender refers to individuals whose gender identity differs from their sex assigned at birth; cisgender means they align.

What is meant by the cultural construction of gender?

The idea that gender roles and norms are created and maintained by society, not biologically determined.

What is an example of culturally constructed masculinity?

Machismo in Mexico, emphasizing aggressive male pride and dominance.

What is gender performance?

The way individuals express gender through actions, behaviors, and roles that society associates with masculinity or femininity.

Who is Castor Semenya and why is she relevant to discussions of intersex?

A South African athlete whose case raised global awareness about intersex conditions and gender regulations in sports.

What are Hijras and Two Spirit people examples of?

Non-binary or third-gender identities recognized in different cultural contexts (India and Indigenous North American cultures, respectively).

What is gender stratification?

The unequal distribution of power, resources, and status between genders.

What are gender stereotypes?

Oversimplified and generalized beliefs about gender roles and characteristics.

What is gender ideology?

A set of beliefs that legitimizes and perpetuates gender roles and hierarchies.

What is gender violence?

Harmful acts directed at individuals based on their gender identity.

What is structural gender violence?

Systemic ways in which social structures harm or disadvantage individuals based on gender.

How does gender violence affect queer people?

Queer individuals often face disproportionate levels of violence due to both gender identity and sexual orientation.

What is the main argument of Emily Martin’s 1991 article, 'The Egg and the Sperm'?

Scientific descriptions of reproduction are influenced by gender stereotypes, portraying sperm as active and eggs as passive.

How does the George Floyd murder reveal racism as a structural and ideological system?

It illustrates how racism is embedded in institutions like policing and law enforcement, not just isolated acts by individuals.

What is race?

A socially constructed category based on perceived physical differences, often used to justify unequal treatment.

What is racism?

A system of advantage and oppression based on race that operates at individual, institutional, and structural levels.

What is intersectionality?

A framework that analyzes how various systems of power (race, gender, class, etc.) interact to shape individual experiences.

Why can’t we just “add up” systems of power in intersectionality?

Because these systems compound and transform experiences in unique ways, rather than just stacking independently.

What are three reasons humans cannot be divided into biological races?

1) Gene flow, 2) Clines (gradual variation), 3) Concordance (phenotype vs. genotype don’t match clearly across groups).

Why do scholars refer to 'racisms' in the plural?

To emphasize that racism operates in multiple, context-specific forms across different times and places.

How is race constructed differently in Haiti and the Dominican Republic?

Through colonial legacies and national ideologies that shape racial identity and hierarchy in different ways on the same island.

What is white supremacy?

An ideology that promotes and maintains the dominance of white people over other racial groups.

What is whiteness?

A socially constructed racial category associated with privilege and power, often treated as the norm.

How did some immigrant groups achieve "white" status in the U.S.?

Through assimilation and aligning with dominant cultural norms over time (e.g., Irish, Italians, Jews).

What was Jim Crow?

A legal system enforcing racial segregation and disenfranchisement in the U.S., especially in the South.

What is hypodescent?

The assignment of a mixed-race individual to the racial group with lower status (e.g., the “one-drop rule”).

How does hypodescent relate to blood quantum?

It operates in the opposite way: while hypodescent enforces inclusion in marginalized groups, blood quantum excludes people from Indigenous identity and rights.

What is nativism?

The policy or belief that favors native-born inhabitants over immigrants, often tied to racial or ethnic prejudice.

What is racialization?

The process of ascribing racial meaning to groups, behaviors, or identities.

What is white privilege?

Unearned advantages enjoyed by white people due to systemic racism.

How does Peggy McIntosh’s “Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” illustrate white privilege?

By listing daily advantages white people experience that are often invisible to them but denied to people of color.

What is individual racism?

Personal beliefs or actions rooted in racial prejudice.

What are microaggressions?

Subtle, often unintentional, insults or dismissals directed at marginalized groups.

What is “weathering” (Geronimus 2010)?

The cumulative effect of chronic stress from racism on the health of people of color, especially Black individuals.

What is institutional racism?

Racial discrimination embedded in the policies and practices of institutions (e.g., education, healthcare, policing).

What is racial ideology?

A set of beliefs used to justify and maintain racial hierarchies and inequality.

What is “colorblindness” or color-blind racism?

The claim of not seeing race, which ignores systemic racism and maintains the status quo by denying racial inequality.

What is the significance of Ava DuVernay’s film 13th?

It explores how the U.S. prison system perpetuates racial inequality and connects mass incarceration to slavery.

What is an ethnicity or ethnic group?

A social group that shares a common and distinctive culture, religion, language, or ancestry.

What is an origin myth?

A story told by a group of people to explain their beginnings and cultural identity.

What are examples of origin myths?

The founding of Rome by Romulus and Remus, or national founding myths like the American Revolution.

What is an ethnic boundary marker?

A cultural practice or belief that distinguishes members of one ethnic group from others (e.g., language, dress, food).

What is situational negotiation of identity?

The process by which individuals modify their ethnic identity depending on the social context.

What’s an example of situational negotiation of identity?

Immigrant groups forming new ethnic communities in the diaspora to maintain culture while adapting to new environments.

What are identity entrepreneurs?

Leaders or groups who promote certain ethnic identities for political or economic gain.

What are some historical examples of identity entrepreneurs?

Political elites in colonial Rwanda promoting Hutu and Tutsi identities to maintain control.

What is the difference between genocide and ethnic cleansing?

Genocide is the intentional destruction of a people; ethnic cleansing involves forced removal to create an ethnically homogeneous region.

What happened in Rwanda, and how was it connected to Belgium’s colonial rule?

Belgian colonizers solidified ethnic divisions between Hutu and Tutsi, contributing to the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

What is the "melting pot" model?

An assimilation model where various cultures blend into one unified national identity.

What is multiculturalism?

A perspective that values and maintains multiple cultural identities within a society.

What is the difference between a state, nation, and nation-state?

A state is a political entity, a nation is a group with shared identity, and a nation-state combines both.

What is citizenship?

Legal membership in a political state, often with rights and responsibilities.

What is nationality?

The status of belonging to a particular nation by origin, birth, or naturalization.

What is nationalism?

A belief in the interests and culture of one’s nation, often linked to political independence or superiority.

What is an imagined community?

A concept by Benedict Anderson describing a nation as a socially constructed community, imagined by the people who perceive themselves as part of that group.

What techniques are used to create an imagined community?

National holidays, education systems, national media, and shared historical narratives.

What is a diaspora?

The dispersion of a population from its original homeland.

Why has Iraq struggled to construct a stable democratic government?

Ongoing ethnic and sectarian divisions, colonial legacies, and foreign interventions have undermined unity and stability.

What actions are being taken against the Uighurs in China?

Mass surveillance, forced labor, re-education camps, and cultural suppression.

How does this differ from many Western media accounts?

Some Western media underreport or avoid confronting the full extent of China’s human rights abuses due to political or economic interests.

What is the main point of Robert Jones' article on Christian nationalism?

That Christian nationalism in the U.S. has deep historical roots and continues to influence modern politics.

What is the Flint, Michigan water crisis an example of?

Environmental injustice rooted in poverty, race, and class-based neglect.

What is class?

A system of power based on wealth, income, and status that influences one’s access to resources.

What is social stratification?

The ranking of people into hierarchical layers based on factors like wealth, power, and prestige.

What are egalitarian societies?

Societies where resources are shared relatively equally and social hierarchy is minimal.

What is reciprocity in egalitarian societies?

The practice of mutual exchange, helping maintain equality and social cohesion.

What are ranked societies?

Societies with unequal access to prestige and status, often managed through redistribution systems like potlatch.

What is potlatch?

A redistribution ceremony practiced among Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest involving gift-giving and status exchange.

What did Karl Marx argue about class?

That class is determined by one's relationship to the means of production—bourgeoisie (owners) vs. proletariat (workers).

What is capital in Marxist theory?

Wealth or resources used to produce more wealth, including money, land, and factories.

What is class consciousness?

Awareness of one’s class position and the shared interests with others in the same class.

Why is it difficult to achieve class consciousness?

Because of ideological systems (e.g., media, education) that obscure class divisions and promote individualism.

What is the ideological superstructure?

Institutions like religion, media, and education that justify and maintain class inequality.

How did Max Weber define class?

As shaped by access to wealth, power, and prestige—not just control of production.

What are life chances according to Weber?

The opportunities individuals have to improve their quality of life, shaped by social class.

What is Bourdieu’s concept of habitus?

Deeply ingrained habits and perceptions shaped by one’s social background.

What are Bourdieu’s three forms of capital?

Cultural capital (education, tastes), economic capital (money/assets), and social capital (networks/connections).

What is social mobility?

The ability to move up or down the social class ladder.

What is social reproduction?

The process by which social class status is passed from one generation to the next.