Cultural Anthropology Exam 1

Branches of Anthropology

1- Biological anthropology 2- Cultural/ social anthropology 3-Archaeology 4- Linguistics

Cultural Anthropology

the study of human beings in groups within societies or cultures

what time period does cultural anthropology deal with

cultures from the present time and sometimes compares and contrasts them

contemporary cultures

cultures of the present time

what does cultural anthropology study

how people live within these cultures, how the cultures are organized, and how they interact differently

Physical anthropologists

try to explain human evolution/ how our species has physically changed over time (biological changes in the human species)

what does cultural anthropology look at

• life amongst groups and how they are culturally constructed

• how societies try to maintain sex and gender, social class, music, food, traditions

cultural diversity

differences in different cultures and groups

archaelogical anthropologists

conduct physical research to try and find out about past cultures using remnants from the past

What was found in 1922? What kind of discovery was it

King Tut's tomb, archaeological

What was found in the tomb? What does it show?

artifacts of gold and silver, belongings; shows that they thought they could bring things with them and gave insights to burial/ death practices

What happened in 1977 and 2006? What did it show?

museum of Kidal, Egypt lent part of their collection and some ended up in Chicago; statues of females showed how they dressed

What was discovered in China during the 1970s? Why is it significant?

terracotta army, found by a farmer, over 8k statues that were there to protect chinese emperor in after life; shows way of life during that time

father of anthropology in the us

franz boas

what did margaret mead do?

researched in the South Pacific with Samoan people and discovered several landmarks on how culture shapes how we act and are; typical of cultural anthropologists because they study in distant places of the world

what are the minor branches that branch off of cultural anthropology on the tree handout?

medical anthropology, economic anthropology, psychologic anthropology, urban anthropology, education anthropology

linguistic anthropology: types? what does it look at?

studies the importance of writing in social life; verbal and non-verbal like with sign language and body gestures; looks at a number of languages around the world and the structures of languages/ how they evolve/ how they merge

why is language an important social element?

without it you can't carry out social interactions; it's the backbone of society

urban anthropology: what does it study? examples?

studies city life or groups within urban context from the current time period and the lifestyle of those groups; hells angels, homeless, alcoholics, prostitution, street gangs

how does the comparative focus of anthropology benefit us?

cultural diversity and ethnocentrism

how does comparative focus relate to cultural diversity?

it makes us more aware of cultural diversity that exists around the world; we gain an appreciation for the differences in the way of life in different societies

how does comparative focus relate to ethnocentrism?

helps us learn what ethnocentrism is and helps us keep it at bay/ limit it within our culture

what is ethnocentrism

how we feel towards other cultures/ the belief that the way of life in your society is the best or most rational= makes people arrogant

culture

the way of life of a group- what the group does, thinks, how they express things, patterns of behavior, what they have

how is culture taken for granted?

we are only aware of it once we are taken out of it; we are like a fish in a bowl and we only realize how we live once taken out

how is the world culture sometimes misused?

race; sometimes added into what culture is; culture doesn't have to do with what people look like

race

suggests physical and biological makeup of a group; does not have to do with culture

material culture: examples?

artifacts used within different cultures; all the physical objects you can see and attach meaning to; clothing, schools, books, factories

non-material culture: examples?

the values and ideals that prevail for particular groups; how they think within cultures; the meanings of behaviors that a culture assigns to things; language, music, religion

three features of cultures?

it is learned, it is shared, it changes

how is culture learned?

it is not biological, we are born into a culture so it is learned; we can acquire any culture, we can absorb the culture to any society

enculturation

upbringing; people are brought up in certain ways, where people are born= the culture you learn; traits are incorporated into who you are; how people develop an appreciation for certain things

enculturation agencies/ what makes us who we are

family, peer group, school, church, mass media

gender roles and society

we learn gender roles within society; society defines gender and the roles assigned to them/ how they are expected to behave; people are encultured to know what the gender role expectations are

gender revolution?

pushing the boundaries of defined gender

what is gender not? what is it?

biological; a product of enculturation as society defines the appropriate behaviors for males and females and encloses these ideals of biological sex

how is culture shared? examples?

people within a culture all share that same culture, they all engage in certain behaviors and act a certain way towards one another; speaking the same language, basic ways of doing things, core ways of thinking

"blending in"

learning the ways of living in that culture

small variations in shared culture? what does it result in?

socio-economic classes, religious affiliation, gender; different enculturation process

what allows us to differentiate between cultures?

all people within society merge into one culture and everyone is strikingly alike within a society because all people are encultured into the same society

how does culture change? examples?

in big or small ways, small ways we may not notice and big ways that we do notice, it changes all the time; LGBTQ, same-sex marriage recognition, end of Jim Crow

what did the comedic strip handout show?

traditional pattern of gender roles, gender role incorporation through mass media, women were incompetent and boys are go-getters

how was the comedic strip political?

it deals with power

domestic sphere? how were women pushed into it? what did it do?

women, home life; system set up over centuries that said girls are this and boys are that, which allowed men to gain and retain control in social aspects

public sphere? how were men involved in it?

men, public life; occupations with wealth and power which made women dependent on men

material examples of culture change?

what we see that changes: 70s short basketball shorts, bell bottom jeans

non-material examples of culture change?

what we don't see that changes: pre-marital sex, living together before marriage, slang changing over time

how does culture change take place?

innovation and diffusion

how does culture change mostly take place?

diffusion

innovation? examples?

changes that come about within society itself; basketball in Lawrence, rock and roll from Elvis

diffusion? examples?

takes place in a society but is triggered by influences from abroad, culture that comes from the outside, usually from immigration; germans brought beer, Italy brought pizza, ice cream

biology doesn't...

shape us in terms of how we think, feel, behave

can biological drives be surpressed?

yes; sexual drive, fasting, pain infliction

subculture: what do they do?

subset of a larger culture/ group within larger group that stands out; abide by rules of larger culture

overall culture

entire group that was born and raised into a certain area, national culture, people are actively participating in and share it with everyone

what do subcultures do?

don't break the laws, dress differently, diffrent linguistic patterns, different customs, eat different foods

different types of subcultures

ethnic, religous, occupational, athletic

ethnic subculture

not racial; have their own way of life that they share together and have shared together for a long time; their customs, ways of life, own beliefs, common language, common religion, common history: set them apart

religious subculture

observe holidays that the general public doesn't, worships different type or branch of religion

occupational subculture

different patterns of living that come with occupations like truck drivers and long work hours and living quarters

what did the video documentary show about rodeo subculture?

same values as mainstream media but different set of values and linguistic differences; they use specific rituals and equipment and clothing

countercultures

groups of people who aren't just different than the mainstream culture, they have a lifestyle that stands in opposition of traditions in the larger society; not always negative

examples of counterculture groups

KKK, hells angels, neo-nazis, urban gangs, satanists, hippie countercultures

what seperates subcultures from countercultures?

-subcultures live in accordance with larger society, they are law-abiding and have unique characteristics that set them apart
-counterculture members live in opposition to society and oppose those values

hippie counterculture: what did they do? what did they push for?

didn't raise trouble, had long hair, lived in a way that was against establishment, challenged social conditions, opened up about sexuality and drugs; pushed for social changes, against racism, sexism, social injustice

types of counterculture

historical variation and cross cultural variation

historical variation: examples?

cocaine inside coca-cola, pre-marital sex, tattoos and piercings; perception of them has changed over time

cross cultural variation: examples?

variations across societies, what one culture say is/isn't okay; polygamist families, OK hand gesture

how do we become ethnocentric

not born this way, enculturated to be; we are pushed to develop deep commitment to our way of life; love of own country

examples of ethnocentrism

certain animals killed may be okay is some countries but not okay in others: jews don't eat pork, hindus don't eat beef; standing closer or farther away from people