cultural anthropology cedarville university test 1

Anthropology

the study of the full scope of human diversity, past and present, and the application of that knowledge to help people of different backgrounds better understand one another.

What are the four fields of anthropology

Cultural anthropology, archaeology, linguistic anthropology, biological anthropology.

What are the two main classes of anthropology and what are the two sub genres out of the four fields of anthropology

main: Cultural anthropology and physical anthropology

sub: archaeology and linguistic anthropology

archaeology

studies human cultures through the finding and studying of artifacts. or branch of anthropology that studies human cultures through the recovery and analysis of material remains and environmental data.

culture

the learned and shared attitudes, values, and ways of behaving of the members of a society

Culture is something that you absorb ?

unconsciously

Society

a self-perpetuating group who share a geographical territory and a culture

norms

have to do with behavior and what is acceptable behavior and what would be abnormal behavior

values

how to determine what is good from bad and what is good, better, or best

beliefs

the foundation. what a people believe to be true and real

norms themselves are not ?

created equal

culture is ?

abstract

traits

anything that is visible or measurable it parallels norms but it also includes their clothing, automobiles, food, etc...

institutions

what keeps everything together in a culture. Holds the traits, values, and worldview together. they are the families, churches, learning centers.

values

what is best and good (priorities)

Worldview

the foundation of the beliefs

As an anthropologist what are you trying to do when you go to a new culture is ?

crack the core of the culture or understand the worldview. Once I unlock that everything else will make sense.

Cultural contrasts

two different ways of looking at a culture

Western vs. Eastern

western: active and absolute

Eastern: passive and harmony

ethnocentric

the belief that one's own culture is better than or the best and superior to all others

pros and cons of ethnocentrism

pros:more allegiance and patriotism. provides for more social integration or assimilation

cons: tends to make us insular less tolerant, narrow mindedness, resistant to change

cultural relativism

the notion that the standards and the practices of other societies are to be evaluated are to be evaluated from their standards and values and not ours

what is the foundation stone of the field of cultural anthropology

cultural relativism

what concept comes out of cultural relativism

all cultures are equal and all are of equal worth (multiculturalism)

multiculturalism

all cultures are equal and are of equal worth

how do we see where the best cultures are

look at the migrant movements where are people going and where are people fleeing

cultures that adhere more closely to Biblical law are going to be

more prosperous for its citizens, treat its citizens with more respect, and probably be a better place to live

Since America has been influenced by the Judeo-Christian ethic ?

in certain areas America is more favorable place than other countries

Ethical relativism

the notion that no beliefs or action are right or wrong are right or wrong in and of themselves

Mainstream anthropologists are ?

Naturalistic relativists

Among moral naturalists and moral relativists cultural relativism includes

ethical relativism

there are some benefits to cultural relativism but we as Christians cannot believe in

ethical relativism

two view regarding the authority of the Bible and culture they are both either

relative or absolute

in a multicultural society there will always be a _____ group

dominant

the dominant group in a multicultural society will most likely be

the native one but not always

in a multicultural society what are the tree different types of cultures that will be there

dominant, sub, and counter cultures

dominant culture

in a multicultural society the culture that is the dominant one or the strongest or the majority

sub-culture

culture groups within a set of cultures that are not the largest culture but live in peace with the largest cultures. The largest cultures ignore them example the amish

Counter culture

a culture within a multicultural society whose purpose is to change the way the dominant culture group treats them

are evangelicals supposed to be dominant, sub, or counter cultural

counter cultural

culture lag

we live in a fast paced technological world and we develop the ability to do something before we work out whether or not it should be done or to who it should be done.

the study of anthropology is awash in

evolution

what book did Edward B tyler write

Primitive culture

Edward tyler thought up what three stage process for cultural evolution

Savagery

Barbarism

Civilization

Who were the two big anthropologists of the 19th century

Edward Tyler

Lewis Henry Morgan

Descriptive kinship system

one father and mother related to other offspring of those parents and then children grow up and marry on wife or husband. Using a single term for a single person

Classificatory kinship system

Iroquois had many fathers and many mothers and many sons and daughters in the tribe not based solely on kin. Same with other Indian groups and other places in the world where this exists. Using a single term to classify a bunch of people.

Who is the father of fieldwork

Frans Boaz

Fieldwork

You get out into the field and experience the life of the culture firsthand

who is known as the father of linguistics

Frans Boaz

According to Boaz how could they make anthropology scientific and usher it into universities

through fieldwork

functionalist:

attempting to analyze and determine how does the culture work how does it function right now. Not interested in their history how does it function right now.

Participant observation

you get into their culture and you participate you practice their rituals and their patterns

Alfred Reginald (A.R. Radcliffe-Brown)

1. identified himself as a structional-functionalist: he argues that culture is to vague to abstract and so the way to understand a culture is to look at their structures (families, schools, churches). He is not interested in historical precedent.

2. look at institutions and the network of social relations how they network with one another and bring people together.

structuralist-functionalist

culture is to vague so the only way to understand it is to look at their structures. Look at institutions and the network of social relations how they network with one another and bring people together.

Ethnography

A detailed description of a particular culture primarily based on fieldwork.

What are the two approaches to cultural studies

ethnographic and or cross cultural

enthographic fieldwork

living with a community of people over an extended period of time to walk in their shoes.

cross-cultural and comparative approach

considers the life experiences of people in every part of the world, comparing and contrasting cultural beliefs and practices to understand human similarities and differences on a global scale.

holism

anthropology’s commitment to look at the whole picture of human life across space and time.

ethnology

comparing ethnographic data across cultures.

dynamic of globalization: time space compression

the rapid innovation of communciation and transportation technologies has transformed the way we think about space and time.

dynamic of globalization: flexible accumulation

advances in transportation and communication have enabled companies to move their production facilitates around the world in search of cheaper labor lower taxes.

dynamic of globalization: increasing migration

the accelerated movement of people both within and between countries.

dynamic of globalization: uneven development

unequal benefits to the world’s people.

enculturation

when we learn of culture through our lives from the people and organizations that surround us.

norm

ideas or rules about how people should behave in particular situations

values

fundamental beliefs about what is important, what makes a good life, what is true and right

symbols

something that stands for something else.

mental maps of reality

what humans construct about what kinds of people and things exist. these classify reality (like the five kingdoms of classification) and assign meaning to what has been classified.

cultural relativism

a cross-cultural effect that counteracts ethnocentrism. the idea that ethical and social standards should be understood within the context of the culture they originate from.

cultural appropriation

the unwanted taking of an important cultural practice or body of knowledge from one group by another more dominant group.

unilineal cultural evolution

all cultures would naturally evolve through the same sequences of stage. plots the world’s cultures from simple to complex.

structural functionalism

a sociological theory that views society as a complex system where all parts work together to maintain stability

interpretivist approach

exploring culture as a symbolic system in which simple, straightforward actions can convey deep meanings.

material power

exerting through coercion or brute force

hegemony

aspect of power, the ability to create consent and agreement within a population.

epigenetics

looks at how the environment one is from directly affects the expression of genes during their life

globalization transforms culture through

migration, increasing cosmopolitanism

salvage ethnography

fieldwork strategy developed by franz boas to collect cultural, material, linguistic, and biological information about native american populations.

reflexivity

a critical self-examination of the role of the anthropologist plays and an awareness that one’s identity affects fieldwork.

key informants

those who will be most useful in gaining information.

zeros

elements of a story or picture not seen

mutual transformation

of both the observer and the observed

emic perspective

understanding the local community on their own terms

etic perspective

viewing the local community from the anthropologist’s perspective as an outsider

polyvocality

use of many voices in ethnographic writing

informed consent

those we study must agree to participate

historical linguistics

study of the development of language over time including its changes and variations.

language continuum

idea that variation in languages appears gradually over distance so that groups of people who live near another speak in a way that is intelligible.

speech community

group of people who come to share certain norms of language use through living and communicating togther.

descriptive linguistics

study of the sounds, symbols, and gestures of a language

phonemes

smallest units of sound that can make a difference in meaning

morphemes

the smallest unit of sounds that carry meaning on their own

morphology

the study of patterns and rules of how sounds combine to make morphemes

synthax

the specific patterns and rules for how morphemes combine and contruct phrases.

paralanguage

set of noises and tones of voice that convey significant information about the speaker.

linguistic relativity

notion that all languages will develop the distinctive categories necessary for those who speak them to deal with the realities around the

sapir-whorf hypothesis

the idea that different languages create different ways of thinking

lexicon

all the words for names, ideas, and events that make up a language’s dictionary