PERSPECTIVES: AN OPEN INTRODUCTION TO CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY

Vocabulary flashcards covering core terms and concepts from Perspectives: An Open Introduction to Cultural Anthropology.

Anthropology

The study of humanity, derived from Greek anthropos (human) and logy (study of); it examines cultures, languages, material remains, and human evolution.

Four-field discipline

In the U.S., anthropology is organized into four subfields: cultural anthropology, archaeology, biological (physical) anthropology, and linguistic anthropology.

Cultural anthropology

The largest U.S. subfield; studies living cultures through immersive fieldwork and asks broad questions about humankind, culture, and diversity.

Archaeology

The study of past human societies through material remains, including tools, pottery, and structures; employs excavation to reconstruct lifeways.

Biological (Physical) anthropology

The study of human origins, evolution, and variation, including primatology, paleoanthropology, and modern human diversity.

Linguistic anthropology

The study of language in its social and cultural context, including language emergence, change, and social identity.

Applied anthropology

An area of specialization applying anthropological theories and methods to solve real-world problems across sectors.

Ethnography

The process and product of cultural fieldwork; involves participant observation, fieldnotes, interviews, and inductive analysis.

Holism

An approach that studies the whole of humanity by examining how biological, cultural, linguistic, and social aspects interact.

Cultural relativism

The principle of interpreting beliefs and practices within their own cultural context rather than by one’s own standards.

Ethnocentrism

The tendency to view one’s own culture as superior and to use it as a baseline to judge others.

Comparison

A method of studying similarities and differences within and between cultures, times, and species to understand humanity.

Fieldwork

Research conducted in real-world settings; in anthropology, it is ethnography, often involving participant observation.

Enculturation

The process of learning and adopting the culture of a group through instruction and imitation.

Belief

The mental aspects of culture, including values, norms, worldview, knowledge.

Practices

Observable behaviors and actions guided by beliefs or performed as part of daily life.

Symbols

Learned signs that stand for something else; carry meanings that may be shared or contested (e.g., stop sign, Confederate flag).

Culture

A set of learned and shared beliefs, practices, and symbols that forms an integrated whole shaping worldview and lifeways; culture is learned and adaptable.

Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis

Linguistic relativity; language influences thought and perception; examples include differing tenses and time concepts across languages.

Hopi language

A language used in Sapir-Whorf discussions; cited for its lack of grammatical tenses according to Whorf, illustrating potential linguistic influence on thought.

Paleoanthropology

The study of fossil humans and human evolution; a subfield of biological anthropology.

Homo naledi

A previously unknown hominin species discovered in Rising Star Cave; many specimens raise questions about behavior and relation to other Homo species.

Jane Goodall

Primatologist who studied chimpanzees, showing tool use, social life, and maternal bonds; challenged assumptions about humans and apes.

Kathleen Kenyon

Archaeologist who studied Jericho and argued it is the oldest continuously inhabited city; known for excavations of Early Bronze Age sites.

The Garbage Project

A historic archaeology project in Tucson that excavated a landfill to compare reported vs. actual waste, informing sustainable disposal practices.

African Burial Ground

A NYC burial site (1630–1795) with about 15,000 skeletons of free and enslaved Africans; now a national monument highlighting slavery in America.

Zhang Qian

Early Chinese diplomat (164–113 BCE) who traveled Central Asia, opened Silk Road routes, and introduced Buddhism to China.

Ibn Battuta

Averaged a 30-year journey across the Islamic world; his travel writings (Al Rihla) are among early examples of ethnographic literature.

Enlightenment

17th–18th century movement valuing science, rationality, and experience; fostered questions and observation that influenced anthropology.

Age of Discovery

Period (1400s–1700s) of European exploration and colonization; ethnocentrism often justified dominance and cultural disruption.

Franz Boas

Founder of American anthropology; promoted cultural relativism and argued environment shapes biology; helped establish the four-field framework.

Bronislaw Malinowski

Anthropologist who developed participant-observation fieldwork and functionalism; studied the Trobriand Islands.

Charles Lyell

Geologist who argued gradual, uniform changes shaped Earth's surface, influencing evolutionary thinking.

Charles Darwin

Naturalist who proposed common ancestry and evolution based on fossil and living species.

Lewis Henry Morgan

Anthropologist who proposed stages of cultural evolution (savage to civilization); later challenged as ethnocentric.

Herbert Spencer

Philosopher who applied evolutionary ideas to societies, suggesting social evolution toward greater complexity.

Ochs and Schieffelin

Linguistic anthropologists who emphasized language's role in socialization and identity construction.

Ethics in fieldwork

Professional code guiding researchers to minimize harm, balance interests, and protect participants.