Anthro Final Exam Study Guide: Gender Studies and Language

A collection of flashcards covering the key concepts from the anthropology final exam study guide, focusing on gender studies, language, kinship, and medical anthropology.

What is the focus of Gender Studies in anthropology?

The study of how gender identities and expressions are shaped by and affect one’s life chances.

What is the difference between sex and gender?

Sex refers to the physical differences between male and female, while gender encompasses the cultural expectations of thought and behavior assigned to different sexes.

What did Anne Fausto-Sterling propose concerning sex?

A diverse continuum called intersex, acknowledging more than two sexes.

What is gender performance?

The way gender identity is expressed through action, involving conscious and unconscious choices about how to perform gender.

How do many Native North American traditions view gender?

They accept gender diversity, recognizing individuals such as Two Spirits who embody both male and female characteristics.

What are gender stereotypes?

Widely held preconceived notions about the attributes, differences, and proper roles for men and women in a culture.

What is structural violence in health?

A form of violence wherein social structures or institutions harm people by preventing them from meeting their basic needs.

What is language according to anthropology?

Language is our primary form of communication, a structured system of communication using symbols organized by certain rules.

What is the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis?

The idea that the languages we speak influence how we perceive the world.

What does kinship refer to in anthropological terms?

A system of meaning and power that cultures create to determine who is related to whom and their mutual expectations.

What is affinal relationship in kinship?

A kinship relationship established through marriage and/or alliance, not through biology.

What is critical medical anthropology?

It analyzes the impact of inequality and stratification on health outcomes and examines how systems of power create unequal access to health care.

In what ways can poverty be understood according to anthropologists?

As a structural problem resulting from systemic barriers rather than individual or family failings.

What does the term 'hegemonic power' refer to in political anthropology?

The ability of a dominant group to create consent and agreement within a population without the use or threat of force.