Anthropology and the Self - Vocabulary Review

Vocabulary flashcards covering key anthropological terms, self-construction theories, components and elements of culture, and specific cultural body modifications.

Anthropos

A Greek word meaning man.

Logus

A Greek word meaning study or science.

Anthropology

A multidisciplinary field of study that explores the origins, development, and diversity of human beings and their societies.

Cultural Anthropology

A subfield of anthropology that examines the beliefs, practices, and social structures of different cultures.

Archaeology

A subfield of anthropology that investigates past human societies through material remains.

Linguistic Anthropology

A subfield of anthropology that studies the role of language in human societies.

Independent Constructs

A representation of the self as separate and distinct, emphasizing internal attributes, skills, and values; characteristic of individualistic cultures such as North America.

Interdependent Construct

A representation of the self typical of collectivist cultures in East Asia that stresses the essential connection between the individual and other people.

Catherine Raeff

A researcher who believed that culture influences how an individual views relationships, personality traits, achievement, and expressing emotions.

Nonmaterial Culture

A basic component of culture that includes the values, beliefs, symbols, and language that define a society.

Material Culture

A basic component of culture that includes all of society's physical objects, such as tools, technology, clothing, eating utensils, and means of transportation.

Symbols

Things that stand for something else and often evoke various reactions and emotions, including nonverbal communication, gestures, movements, or material objects.

Language

The most important set of symbols in a culture, crucial to communication and society.

Norms

Standards and expectations for behavior within a culture.

Formal Norms

Standards of behavior that refer to the important standards of society, also called mores and laws.

Informal Norms

Standards of behavior considered less important in society, also called folkways and customs.

Rituals

Established procedures and ceremonies that often mark transitions in the life course.

Values

An element of culture involving judgments of what is good or bad and desirable or undesirable, which shapes a culture's norms.

Apo Whang-Od Oggay

The Living Legend Mambabatok (Tattoo Artist) of the Butbut Tribe in Buscalan, Kalinga.

Mursi Tribe

A tribe in South Ethiopia, Africa, known for women wearing profound lip and earlobe plates.

Karen Tribe

Also known as Padaung People of Thailand, a group known for women wearing heavy brass rings on the neck.

Bagobo People

A group from coastal Mindanao in the Philippines known for having filed and blackened teeth.