Anthro 9/8 lecture

Vocabulary flashcards covering human sociality, early ethnographers, and core concepts in anthropology based on the lecture notes.

Cosmopolitan distribution

Being all over the place; a characteristic not associated with primates, but seen in species like blue whales and house mice.

Bipedalism

Organism moves using only its hind legs

Intersubjectivity

The capacity and eagerness to share in the emotional states and experiences of other individuals.

Prosocial Impulses

Tendencies to voluntarily do things that benefit others, which are present at birth and deepen as humans grow.

Ultra-sociality

A uniquely human quality framed by Blaffer Hrdy as an eagerness to collaborate, even with non-kin and strangers, going beyond the basic sociality shared by all primates.

Culture

The taken for granted notions, rules, moralities, and behaviors within a group.

Makes humans special

3 important features of humanity that differentiate us from animals

1. Language

2. Abstract thought and representation

3. Technological innovation

Zhang Qian

A 2nd Century BCE diplomat on behalf of the Han dynasty who traveled extensively through Asia, contributed to the development of the Silk Road, and produced extensive travel reports on inhabitants and customs.

Herodotus

A Greek traveler (484-425 BCE) who recorded history, wrote about 'gold digging ants', and described the cultural and religious backgrounds of peoples under the Persian Empire.

Ibn Battuta

A Berber scholar and traveler (1304-1369 CE) who extensively traveled North Africa, the Middle East, and Central and Eastern Asia, detailing the history and customs of different peoples in his memoir.

Ethnography

A type of writing about people based on prolonged and intense fieldwork in a particular cultural setting, involving writing down details, making comparisons, and doing analysis.

Colonialism

One power dominating the territory and people of another power for an extended time.

Ethnocentrism

The assumption that one's way of doing things is correct, while dismissing other people's practices or views as wrong or ignorant.

Othering

Defining someone else as different from or subordinate to one's own group, and making use of negative stereotypes.

Cultural Relativism

The moral and intellectual principle that one should withhold judgement about seemingly strange or exotic beliefs and practices, working to understand cultures on their own terms.

Diversity

The sheer variety of ways of being human around the world.