cultural anthropology exam 1 study guide

Bronislaw Malinowski

lived with native islanders - observed that peoples culture wasn't savage - participant observation (1942)

participant-observation

the technique of learning a peoples culture through social participation

cultural diversity

satisfies the specific biological and psychological needs of its people

Cultural Relativism

the view that while cultures differ, they are not better or worse than one another

Biological Anthropology

aka physical anthropology; the systematic study of humans as biological organisms

Linguistic Anthropology

the study of human languages by looking at their structure, history, and relation to social and cultural context

Archaeology

the study of cultures through the recovery and analysis of material remains and environmental data

Prehistoric archaeologists

recover and analyze these materials to reconstruct the lifeways of past societies that lacked writing

Cultural Anthropology

the study of patterns of human behavior, thought, and emotions

Applied Anthropology

the use of anthropological knowledge to solve issues with human health

Medical anthropology

the use of anthropological knowledge to solve issues with human health

Fieldwork

the term anthropologists use for on-location research

Ethnography

the in-depth study of the everyday practices and lives of a people

Holistic perspective/ holism

a fundamental principal of anthropology. Humans must be viewed in the broadest possible context. Holistic -> fields -> genres

Forced assimilation

process in which a minority group[ or culture is forced by a dominant group to resemble the dominant groups values and behaviors

Carlisle Indian Industrial School

Organized in Pennsylvania to assimilate Indians into the white culture; changed their clothes, hair, language, taught them academics as well as a skill

Stories

teaching moral lessons to children -> indoctrination into society

Legend

stories about a memorable event or figure handed down by tradition. is told as true without actual historical evidence (king arthur)

Tale

fiction for entertainment but may also draw a moral to teach a practical lesson

Epic

a long dramatic narrative recounting celebrates deeds of a historic or legendary hero often sung or recited in a poetic language

THE other

used to describe people whos customs, beliefs, or behaviors are 'different' from ones own (negative stereotypes)

Armchair anthropology

early + undiscredited method of anthropological research that did not involve direct contact with the people studied

Colonialism

dominant society politically claims and controls a foreign territory primarily for settling and exploitative purposes

Unilinear evolution

An idea that there is a set sequence of stages that all groups will pass through at some point, although the pace of progress through these stages will vary greatly

Multilinear evolution

No such thing as point a to b evolution, cultures evolve exactly how they should, and no culture is better or worse than another culture

Kinship

blood ties, common ancestry, and social relationships that form families within human groups

Margaret Mead

one of the most well known female American cultural anthropologists famous for writing coming of age in Samoa

Infrastructure

Economic foundation of a society, including its sustenance practices and the tools and other materials equipment used to make a living

Social Structure

the rule governed with all their rights and obligations that hold members of a society together

Superstructure

a societies shared sense of identity and worldview. the collective body of ideas, beliefs, and values by which members of a society makes se3nse of the world.

Subculture

a distinctive set of ideas, values, and behavior patterns by which a group within a larger society operates, while still sharing common standards with that larger society

Noble Savage

an inaccurate way of portraying indigenous groups or minority cultures as child-like or portraying them as not easy to conquer to boost the conquerors ego

Undocumented

the preferred term for immigrants who live in a country without formal authorization from the state

Diaspora

the scattering of a group of people who have left their original homeland and now live in various locations

Qualitative

anthropological research designed to gain an in depth contextualized understanding of human behavior

Quantitative

relating to, measuring, or measured by the quantity of something rather than its quality.

Hunter Gatherer

People who hunt animals and gather wild plants, seeds, fruits, and nuts to survive *

food foraging

(hunting and gathering) instead of manipulating environment, you rely on the wildlife around you (plant/animal resources)

Hudson Meng Bison Kill Bone Bed

example of cooperative hunting, multiple groups hunted in the same area

Pastoralism

is a subsistence system in which people raise herds of domesticated livestock. produced more product than just meat (butter/milk)

Built environment:

part of the physical landscape that represents material culture; the landscape created by humans

Neolithic revolution

The switch from nomadic lifestyles to a settled agricultural lifestyle.

Agriculture

farming

Carrying capacity

a measurement of the number of calories that can be extracted from a particular unit of land in order to support a human population

Foodways

the cultural norms and attitudes surrounding food and eating - assigning taboos to certain types of foods (insects)

staple crops:

foods that form the backbone of the subsistence system by providing the majority of the calories a society consumes.

Subsistence system

set of practices used by members of a society to acquire food

World Systems

a complex web through which goods circulate around the globe