Cultural Anthropology and Key Concepts

These flashcards cover key terms and concepts related to Cultural Anthropology and its study.

Cultural Anthropology

The study of human culture.

Culture

Learned, shared behavior and ideas that can change over time.

Enculturation

The gradual acquisition of the characteristics and norms of a culture or group by a person.

Cultural Essentialism

The idea that people can be categorized into preexisting permanent categories based on shared cultures.

Cultural Relativism

The belief that one's own culture and cultural beliefs are not universal and that other cultures cannot be judged by a universal standard.

Social Evolutionism

The idea that cultures could be divided into evolutionary stages and that some cultures were inherently more advanced than others.

Ethnography

A descriptive analysis of a cultural group or context, often based on long-term fieldwork.

Fieldwork

Immersive research where data is collected in the real world, outside of a lab setting.

Participant Observation

The act of doing ethnographic fieldwork involving collecting qualitative research that can be written up in an ethnography.

Thick Description

A method of collecting ethnographic data that focuses on the details of a culture.

Ritual

A repetitive social practice that differs from the routines of daily life.

Values

Basic and fundamental beliefs that guide or motivate attitudes or actions.