Antrho Unit 1 Hollenbach

Etymology of Anthropology

Anthropos = humankind; Logos = study

Holistic

Concerning the whole rather than the parts; study of humans across space and time

Comparative

Perceptible by comparison; compares human culture, language, and biology across past and present

Archaeological Anthropology

Reconstructs, describes, and interprets human behavior and cultural patterns through material remains

Biological Anthropology

Study of humans as biological organisms, including evolution and contemporary variation

Linguistic Anthropology

Study of human language in the past and present and how it shapes identity

Sociocultural Anthropology

Study of social lives of living communities, including power, institutions, beliefs, and social identities

Familiarization

Making the strange familiar

Defamiliarization

Making the familiar strange; challenges the standard

Five key qualities of primates

Dexterity; visual acuity; large brains; infant dependency; sociality

Old World Monkeys vs New World Monkeys

OWM lack prehensile tails and live in Asia/Africa; NWM are tree dwellers with tails used as a fifth limb and live in North/South America

Strepsirrhines vs Haplorhines

Strepsirrhines: wet noses, smaller body/brain ratio, arboreal, nocturnal. Haplorhines: dry noses, larger body/brain ratio, typically diurnal

Nocturnal

Active at night

Diurnal

Active during the day

Convergent Evolution

Unrelated organisms independently evolve similarities when adapting to similar environments

Brachiation

Movement using the arms to swing from branch to branch

Knuckle walking

Quadrupedal walking with fingers partially flexed so body weight presses through the knuckles

Bipedalism

Ability to walk upright on two legs

Homologies

Similarities between organisms based on descent from a common ancestor

Analogous Traits

Similarities based on common function, with no assumed common evolutionary descent

Chimpanzees vs Bonobos

Chimpanzees: patriarchal, hierarchical, territorial, alpha male society. Bonobos: matriarchal, use non-reproductive sex to avoid conflict, generally helpful to outsiders, women hold the power

7 basic elements of culture

Social organization; customs and traditions; religion; language; arts and literature; government; economic systems

Qualities that make humans unique

Creativity, adaptability, flexibility, diversity, social collaboration, cognition, organized society

Ultra-sociality

Ability of humans to cooperate in large groups of genetically unrelated individuals; enables multifaceted plans, goals, and teamwork

Culture

Beliefs, customs, and traditions of a specific group; produces language, abstract thought/representation, and innovation

Ethnography

Detailed description of a particular culture primarily based on fieldwork

Ethnocentrism

Assuming one's way of doing things is correct while dismissing others' practices or views as wrong or ignorant

19th Century Anthropology

Focused on non-Western people/places; anthropologists were often upper-class, educated white men; used ideas of 'uncivilized people'

Extraction

Action of taking something, whether artifacts or people

Contemporary Anthropology

Rejects many typologies; includes more non-Western voices; more sensitivity to language/labels; resists othering and focuses on similarities

7 elements of culture

Learned; dynamic; integrated with daily experiences; shared; uses symbols; shapes everybody's lives; ethnocentric

Enculturation

Social process by which culture is learned and transmitted across generations

Symbol

Thing that represents or stands for something else; varies by context, requires interpretation, and is arbitrary/ambiguous

Cultural Universal

Value, norm, or cultural trait found in every group; example: infant dependency

Cultural Particularity

Distinctive or unique cultural trait, pattern, or integration

Cultural Generality

Cultural pattern or trait that exists in some but not all societies

Culture Shock

Disorientation when encountering a fundamentally different culture and losing taken-for-granted assumptions about life

Anthropological fieldwork

Firsthand/direct immersion and observation of the people or culture a researcher is trying to understand

Participant observation

Research strategy involving both participation in and observation of the daily life of people being studied

Semi-structured interviews

Conversational, dynamic interviews with set questions but no standardized format; often open-ended

Emic perspective

Focus on local explanations and meanings

Etic perspective

Focus on anthropologists' explanations, categories, and analysis

Thick description

Detailed description of cultural activity combined with analysis of layers of deep cultural meaning

Ethics

Principles of right and wrong that guide an individual in making decisions

Informed consent

Participants are told enough to enable them to choose whether they wish to participate

Collaborative partnership

Making sure what has been observed/disclosed is accurately represented

Species

Group of similar organisms that can breed and produce fertile offspring

Population

Group of individuals of the same species living in the same area

Great Chain of Being

All forms of life exist in a ranked and hierarchical order

Phenotype

Organism's physical appearance or visible traits

Genotype

Organism's genetic makeup or allele combinations

Genes

DNA segments that serve as key functional units in hereditary transmission

Alleles

Alternative versions of a gene

Mutation

Change in a gene or chromosome; creates variation but is not always favorable

Natural Selection

Individuals with certain inherited traits tend to survive and reproduce at higher rates because of those traits

Genetic Drift

Change in allele frequency caused by chance events rather than natural selection

Gene flow

Movement of genetic material within and between populations

Charles Darwin

English natural scientist who formulated a theory of evolution by natural selection (1809–1882)

Alfred Russel Wallace

British naturalist who developed a hypothesis of natural selection similar to Darwin's

Evolution

Change in a kind of organism over time; modern organisms descended from ancient organisms

Balanced polymorphism

Mutated allele that may persist in a population without being eliminated by natural selection

Race

Grouping of people distinguished by physical characteristics; typically has a declaration of hierarchy and is externally imposed

Ethnicity

Social division based on national origin, religion, language, and often race

Race is not

Biological; ahistorical; or a cultural universal

Ascribed social identity

Identity that other people or society imposes

Agency-based social identity

Social identity based on an individual's own choices or agency

Intersectionality

Interconnected social categories such as race, class, and gender creating overlapping/interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage

Multiculturalism

Perspective recognizing U.S. cultural diversity and promoting equal standing for all cultural traditions

Racialization

Formation of a new racial identity by drawing ideological boundaries of difference around a formerly unnoticed group

Indentured Servitude

Worker bound by voluntary agreement to work for a specified period, often in return for free passage overseas

Enslavement

State of being owned and controlled by another person

Sarah Blaffer Hrdy's Airplane Example

Ability to identify with others is not just culturally learned but innate; humans often seek to understand, cooperate, and empathize with others (Humans vs Chimps in an airplane)

Vampires Example

Different vampire-like creatures across cultures show culture is an umbrella term embedded in human life and can enable/constrain meaning

Senora De Cao Example

Burial adornments such as nose rings, headdresses, and weapons can reveal symbols, power, and gender dynamics

Romanov Family and Natural Selection Example

High occurrence of X-linked recessive hemophilia in males; shorter lifespan without adequate treatment illustrates natural selection

ABBA Statement on Race

Humans share 99.9% of DNA; phenotypic variation is continuous and largely environmental; humans are one species; no biological basis for race

Adaptation and Skin Color/Hair Example

UV exposure influences skin color; more melanin protects against UV; less UV favors vitamin D synthesis; tightly curled hair aids heat dispersion

Mothers of Gynecology Example

Monument addresses African American women subjected to experimentation based on stereotypes; shows stereotypes can physically affect health

De jure Laws Example

Segregation based on law; examples include the Chinese Exclusion Act and Jim Crow

De facto

Segregation by unwritten customs or traditions; examples include the Birwood wall at 8 Mile and blockbusting

Blockbusting

Real estate agents convince white owners to sell cheaply due to the fear that people of color will move into the neighborhood and then re-inflate the prices.

Redlining

Banks draw map boundaries and refuse loans to purchase or improve property within them

Racial definitions in the 17th and 18th century

Race was closer to ethnicity and used to justify subjugation/violence; labels such as 'uncivil' and 'savage' supported occupation and later genocide

Point Comfort and the Angela Site

Marks the beginning of slavery in the Americas; Angela was one of 20 enslaved people brought over; archaeology provides insight into enslaved life

Bacon's Rebellion and the impact on race

Rebellion against wealthy colonial authority; policies gave privileges to those designated white, stripped rights from Africans, and created racial ideology

Slave Codes of the 1660s

Made enslaved status inherited and permanent; outlawed intermarriage; contributed to racialization

Juane Quick-to-See Smith's Painting Example

Defamiliarizes perceptions and culturally ingrained ideas; uncovers arbitrary constructions