Anthro Theoretical perspectives

agency centered

The capacity of humans to determine and dictace their lives.

STRUCTURE LIMITS AGENCY, but agency-centered perspectives often argue that people utilise their personal choice to overcome their structures. People utilized their agency to further their interests

agency centered - points for discussion

Agency is the capacity of human beings to act in meaningful ways that affect their own lives and those of others. Agency maybe constrained by class, gender, religion and social and cultural factors. this term implies that individuals have the capacity to create, change and influence events. Anthropological research that emphasises agency focuses on humans acting to promote their interests and the interests of the groups to which they belong (although what constitutes "interest" may be debatable.

structure centered

Social life is dteremined by sturctures, which are beyond human control. These structues included instituions, beliefs systems, taboos and so on

structure centered - points for discussion

Structure-centered perspectives view social action as determined by social and material context, such as physical environment, access to resources, community organisation, social institutions and the state.

conflict centered

Society tends to disharmony because people have different interests (therefore, theory is in close conjunction with agency-centered perspectives​). Interests vary in society and people utilize their agency to achieve such interests.

conflict centered - points for discussion

Anthropolgists who take conflict-centered perspectives focus on social relations as being based on competing interest of groups and individuals.

cohesion centered

Think of Durkheim and the organic analogy: society is like a unified whole, with each person working to fulfill their specific role in society. These specific roles complement each other and allow for society to coexist and function.

cohesion centered - points for discussion

Some anthropologists see cohesion and consensus as central to the proper functioning of society and culture. Many anthropologists were influenced by Emile Durkheim who claimed that society could only function properly if its members experienced “solidarity”, that is, a moral duty to work for the maintenance of society.

diachronic

Studies of society in relation to its changes over time. Concentrates on internal and external factors, and how they enact change in a society over time.

Contrasts with synchronic ​perspectives and cohesion-centered ​perspectives, both of which focus on society at a single point in time.

diachronic - points for discussion

A diachronic perspective in anthropology seeks to understand society and culture as the product of development through time, shaped by many different forces, both internal and external. A diachronic perspective is generally historical, as illustrated by recent efforts to use historical methods and findings in anthropology.

sychronic

Does not seek to label societies as unchanging; rather, attempts to take a ‘picture’ of society and explain it at the given time. Still, does not account much for the change encountered in society, and it cannot show a society in flux or in process. Contrasts with diachronic​ and particularist perspectives.

synchronic - points for discussion

"Sychrony" refers to the occurence of events at the same time, seeking to uncover the relationships between aspects of society and culture in the present or at a specific point in time.

particularist

Best to think of it as a counter to it’s binary opposite (universalism​): societies cannot be explained by grand narratives, but rather, must be considered within the context of a specific history and specific

circumstances. Makes it very hard to compare societies, because no two societies have the same history.

particularist - points for discussion

Anthropologists taking a particularistic perspective stress that aspects of society and culture must be understood in terms of their specific social and historical context

universalist

Seek to uncover commonalities between all cultures in the world: all places AND all times. One may argue that the generalizations founded by universalist schools are petty and insignificant (for example, all people eat and sleep and die).

universalist - points for discussion

Unveralistic anthropolgical perspectives seek to discover underlying laws and pinciples common to all societies and cultures

materialist

Human experience is best related through tangible objects: Has the potential to be reductionist and short sighted. Contrast to idealist​ perspectives

mateialist - points for discussion

Materialist perspectives in anthropology and other social sciences explain aspects of human existence in terms of their most tangible features (for example, technology, adaptation to the environment, and the production and management of resources).

idealist

​Activities, categories, and concepts of the human mind are the factors that form our culture and daily experience. Contrasts to materialist perspectives.

idealist - points for discussion

Idealist perspectives focus primarily on the activities and categories of the human mind (for example, beliefs, symbols and rationality), and seek explanations for the human condition in terms of them.