Asking Questions About Cultural Anthropology: Chapter 2

Enculturation

the process of learning the social rules and cultural logic of a society

Symbols

an object, idea, image, figure, or character that represents something else

Interpretive Theory of Culture

a theory that culture is embodied and transmitted through symbols

Cross- Cultural Perspective

analyzing a human social phenomenon by comparing that phenomenon in different cultures

Cultural Construction

the meanings, concepts, and practices that people build out of their shared and collective experiences

Cultural Determinism

the idea that all human actions are the product of culture, which denies the influence of other factors like physical environment and human biology on human behavior

Values

the relative worth of an object or service that makes it desirable

Norms

typical patterns of actual behavior as well as the rules about how things should be done

Social Sanction

a reaction or measure intended to enforce norms and punish their violations

Customs

long-established norms that have a codified and lowlife aspect

Traditions

practices and customs that have become most ritualized and enduring

Social Institutions

organized sets of social relationships that link individuals to each other in a structured way in a particular society

Functionalism

a perspective that assumes that cultural practices and beliefs serve purposes for society

Holistic Perspective

a perspective that aims to identify and understand the whole- that is, the systemic connections between individuals cultural beliefs and practices- rather than the individual parts

Cultural Appropriation

the unilateral decision of one social group to take control over the symbols, practices, or objects of another

Cultural Anthropology (class definition)

description and explanation of the similarities and differences in thought and behavior among groups of humans.... an interpretation and appreciation of other cultures

Culture (class definition)

learned, shared, negotiated understandings among a group of people about how to behave and what everything means

Artifact (class definition)

a object humans have made, altered, or invested with a cultural purpose

Culture Categories

Society, subculture, ethnic group

Society

a group of people organized into social relationships to perform certain tasks such as feeding and defending themselves and raising children
Ex. territory, generations, partially self-governing

Subculture

particular mix of shared understandings held by groups with a larger society
Ex. language, dress, religion, food

Ethnic Group

a group within a society that maintains a subculture based on religion, language, COMMON ORIGIN, ANCESTRAL TRADITIONS

Race

fabricated cultural and behavioral differences and characteristics

What information did anthropologist get from the GREAT CHAIN OF BEING?

-first step into the ideology of human differences
-mode of classification: Colonization

Uniformitarianism

things change slowly and gradually.

Evolution

survival by reproducing or becoming extinct==> natural selection

Social Evolution

evolutionism or unilineal evolution.

Lewis Henry Morgan (1818-1881)

Focus on Social Institutions: Savagery -> Barbarism -> Civilization

Herbert Spencer (1820-1903)

Focus on social evolution.
social darwinism ->survival of the fittest-> civilized