DSST Anthropology

cultural determinism

how culture shapes an individual's personality

cultural resource management (CRM)

a group that archaeologists work in across countries and businesses around the world to examine cultural remains in a variety of contexts

cross-cousins

in the Iroquois system, the relationship between the individual and the children of the father's sister and mother's brother (from a parent's opposite-sex sibling)

clan

a group composed of many lineages who believe they are descended from a common ancestor many generations before

bilocal (or ambilocal)

pattern in which, after marriage, the couple chooses which spouse's family to live with or near

autocracies

political systems of government in which a single person holds all power

archaeology

the study of prehistoric and historic human cultures based on their material remains

cultural ecology

an anthropological theory that focuses specifically on how the physical environment is the main reason for culture change

cultural evolution

an anthropological theory that reasons every cultural group in the world should evolve through three stages: savagery, barbarism, and civilization

allele

a specific variation of a gene

band

a political association made up of small groups of people with no formal leadership

animism

the belief that everything is made of spirits or supernatural energies

anthropology

the study of humankind from the earliest hominids to current cultures and societies; the discipline covers the whole of human existence, as seen through its four major subdisciplines: physical, cultural, linguistic, and archaeology

colonialism

foreign powers establishing colonies and outposts in other countries, usually for the exploitation of people and resources

anthropology and gender theory

women's roles and how gender is construed is important to understanding culture

absolute dating (calendar dating)

a method that tells the age of something in actual years

cultural ecology and neo-evolutionary thought theory

culture adapts to the physical environment

cultural anthropology

a subdiscipline of anthropology that focuses on researching and comparing patterns of human cultural diversity

closed class stratified system

a stratified system where there is no possibility of moving between the different levels of a social hierarchy

avunculocal

pattern in which, after marriage, spouses live with or near the husband's mother's brother (his uncle)

caste system

a closed class stratified system in which a person's position is fixed for life and cannot be changed

ancestor spirits

spirits who are relatives or kin to the group

biological anthropology

the subfield that focuses on the biological history and diversity of humanity

applied anthropology

the use of the perspectives, skills, and tools of physical, archaeological, linguistic, and cultural anthropology to solve real-world problems.

bilateral descent

descent traced through both the paternal (father's) and maternal (mother's) line

arranged marriage

a marriage in which the bride and groom are selected by individuals other than the couple themselves, such as the parents

chiefdom

a hierarchical political association ruled by a chief who collects and redistributes goods among the people; the leader controls the economic activities of the group (which are usually highly productive horticulturalists or pastoralists)

cultural relativism

argues that each culture must be understood by its own norms and values and not be immediately judged by the standards of other cultures

ascribed status

in a closed class society, status based on conditions outside an individual's control; e.g., sex, race, social position

achieved status

in an open class society, status based on an individual's own accomplishments

exogamy

culturally based rules requiring people to marry outside their own group

extended family

refers to multiple generations of family members: grandparents, married offspring, and grandchildren

gender

commonly refers to the cultural norms, values, expectations, and categories of what is "masculine" and "feminine"

globalization

the increasing interconnectedness of people around the world

endogamy

culturally based rules requiring people to marry within their own group

ethnology

the practice of comparing and contrasting the cultural patterns of one group with other ethnographic examples

emic

the point of view of someone who is part of the cultural patterns of the group

descent

how a culture defines how individuals are related to their parents

genes

the units of heredity and are specific sections of DNA

gene pool

all of the possible genetic variations within a species

egalitarian societies

all people have about the same access to goods and services, wealth, status, and power

formalist

a position that assumes people make rational decisions and will consider the costs, benefits, time, and energy to behave in a way beneficial to themselves

globalization theory

culture must be understood within the context of the global network connecting capital, resources, goods, and services

enculturation

the process of learning to be part of a cultural group through observation of the world and surounding people

culture and personality theory

culture shapes and is shaped by the personalities of each individual

ecological materialism theory

environment and people influence culture and vice versa

ethnography

a written account of an anthropologist's fieldwork and research

genotype

the genes and alleles each individual possesses

cultural survival

the right to preserve, remember, and celebrate one's culture

functionalism theory

cultural institutions function to fulfill basic human biological needs and support the workings of society

ethnographer

a cultural anthropologist who spends an extended period of time with a group of people observing, interviewing, and participating in the activities of their everyday lives

fossil

the preserved remains of an organism (plant, animal, human) found in the earth's crust (or glaciers, marshes, etc.)

ethnoscience and cognitive anthropology

culture reveals how people categorize the world, which, in turn, reveals how the human mind functions

democracies

political systems of government in which all members of a state system make decisions about state affairs

forensic anthropology

the analysis of skeletal remains

ethnocentrism

the belief that one's own norms and values are the only correct standard for living and should be used to judge others

ethnicity

refers to being part of a select social group with a common cultural tradition and/or national origin

divorce

the end of a marriage

lineal kinship (formerly Eskimo system)

kinship structure that focuses on the nuclear family; relatives share common labels, such as aunt, uncle, and cousin

etic

the point of view of someone who is outside of the cultural patterns of the group

morphology

the study of examining how words are created from sounds

open class stratified system

a stratified system in which there is a possibility of moving between the different levels of a social hierarchy

bifurcate merging kinship (formerly Iroquois system)

a system where an individual's father and father's brother share a single term (for example, father) and a mother and mother's sister share a single term (for example, mother)

generational kinship (formerly Hawaiian system)

a system where all of the relatives of the same generation and sex share the same label

natal family

the group into which an individual is born

kinship terminology

refers to specific ways relatives are labeled

mendel's principles of inheritance

traits are inherited by offspring based on 3 principles: the principle of segregation, the principle of dominance, and the principle of independent assortment

oligarchies

political systems of government where power and decision making lie in the hands of a powerful few

incest taboos

societal rules prohibiting sexual relationships between family members

states

political associations run by governments that manage the society's territory, redistribute goods, manage services, maintain infrastructure, and keep law and order

neolocal

after marriage, spouses live separately from their parents in their own households

market exchange

economic system in which the buying and selling of goods and services are dependent upon the demand, supply, and price of those goods

kindred

an individual's maternal and paternal blood relatives

kinship systems

the ways in which a cultural group classify how people are related to one another

kinship

refers to a network of relatives related by blood or marriage

marriage

a cultural institution that defines the parameters of a union between two or more people, establishes rules for the responsibility of children, and clarifies the relationship between the kin of the married people

monogamy

culturally based rule stating a person can have only one spouse at a time

holistic perspective

one of the unifying principles that explains, in part, the four-field approach in anthropology

paleolithic era (old stone age)

the era that consisted of the Lower Paleolithic (2.8 million to 1.5 million years ago), Middle Paleolithic (250,000 to 30, 000 years ago), and Upper Paleolithic (40,000 to 10,000 years ago) periods; humans survived by foraging and lived in small groups that moved from place to place due to environmental changes

lineage

unilineal kinship group descended from a common ancestor

neolithic era (new stone age)

the era that consisted of the Early Neolithic (12,000 to 10,000 years ago) and Late Neolithic (10,000 to 5,000 years ago) periods; agriculture emerged in many cultures around the world as humans transitioned from foraging

monotheism

the belief in a single divine being

matrilocal

after marriage, spouses live with or near the wife's family

paleoanthropologist

a scientist who studies fossil records to learn about the ancestors and relatives of Homo sapiens

nuclear family or conjugal family

refers to the married partners and the children they are responsible for

historic archaeology

the study of analyzing both the cultural artifacts and written evidence to understand a group of people

linguistic anthropology

a subdiscipline of anthropology that focuses on the study of human language: a system that allows humans to communicate

grammar

the rules of how a language is written and/or spoken

moiety

each half of a society that is divided into two major descent groups

historical particularism theory

culture must be understood through the history that produced them

phonology

the study of the sounds of language

sacred narrative (or myth)

sacred stories that explain the relationship between the supernatural and reality

priestesses and priests

individuals within a group who conduct rituals, interact with the supernatural, and lead the community

polyandry

the marriage of one woman to several men

relative dating methods

a dating method (such as stratigraphy) that can determine only if a fossil is older or younger than another fossil

patrilocal

after marriage, spouses live with or near the husband's family

rank societies

societies in which everyone has the same access to goods and services, wealth, status, and power although chiefs (or other people) may have a higher status in the group

physical anthropology

the anthropology subdiscipline that focuses on the biological history and diversity of humanity

phenotype

the physical expression of the genotype

political associations

levels of how power is distributed in society; often categorized as bands (groups with no formal leadership), tribes (groups related by kinship or family ties), chiefdoms (ruled by a chief who collects and redistributes goods among the people), or states (run by governments that manage services and keep law and order)