Set 1: Terms and Concepts in Social and Cultural Anthropology

Comparative

A perspective or research method that looks for similarities and differences within and between cultures and societies.

Culture

A way of life that is learned and shared by a group of people.

• Culture refers to organised systems of symbols, ideas, explanations, beliefs and material production that humans create and manipulate in the course of their daily lives.

• Culture includes the customs by which humans organise their physical world and maintain their social structure.

Empathy

To show compassion to others, by viewing the world from another person’s perspective.

Empirical

Factual data acquired through fieldwork.

Ethics

Concerns for what is right or wrong.

• Ethics guide individual and group behaviour.

• Anthropologists must adhere to ethical guidelines in their fieldwork and professional behaviour.

Ethnography

Detailed, descriptive accounts of a group, place or activity, written by anthropologists after they have conducted fieldwork.

Fieldwork

The practice of conducting anthropological research.

• Fieldwork typically entails travelling to a new place - a fieldsite - and immersing yourself within a community for a long period of time.

Gender

Culturally constructed distinctions between male and female.

Genealogy

A family tree.

• Genealogies are widely used in anthropology to study family histories and relationships.

Holism

An anthropological perspective that considers every part of a culture and a society to be interconnected.

Hypothesis

An informed prediction made by a scientist during a research project.

Informed Consent

Obtaining full permission from an individual to participate in a research project.

Intersectionality

Ways in which different aspects of a person or group’s identities come together to shape their life experiences.

• E.i., their race, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, nationality, class

Monograph

A book-length ethnography on a single topic.

Objectivity

Without bias or prejudice.

Participant Observation

A research method used by anthropologists, in which an anthropologist immerses themselves in the life of the social group they are studying for an extended period of time and takes part in everyday activities.

Quantitative Data

Data that can be expressed in numerical form.

Qualitative Data

Data that cannot be expressed in numerical form.

• E.i., textual, visual, oral or aural data

Reflexivity

A process through which anthropologists acknowledge and reflect on the ways their own identity, beliefs, values and experiences may influence their research and thinking.

Society

A group of people who live together in an organised way, usually in a particular place, and who share a common culture.

• Society refers to the way in which humans organise themselves in groups and networks.

• Society is created and sustained by social relationships among persons and groups.

• The term “society” can also be used to refer to a human group that exhibits some internal coherence and distinguishes itself from other such groups.

Cultural Norms

Culturally expected and acceptable behaviours for people in different settings or contexts (which vary from culture to culture).

Cultural Value

What people consider to be important and worthwhile (within their culture and society).