ch 1 anthropology in a global age

anthropology

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

ethnocentrism

the belief that one’s own culture or way of life is normal and natural; using one’s own culture to evaluate and judge the practices and ideals of others

ethnographic fieldwork

a primary research strategy in cultural anthropology, typically involving living and interacting with a community of people over an extended period to better understand their lives.

cross-cultural and comparative approach

the approach by which anthropologists compare practices across cultures to explore human similarities, differences, and the potential for human cultural expression

four-field approach

the use of four interrelated disciplines to study humanity: biological anthropology, archaeology, linguistic anthropology, and cultural anthropology

holism

the anthropological commitment to look at the whole picture of human life- culture, biology, history, and language- across space and time

biological anthropology

the study of human from a biological perspective, particularly how they have evolved over time and adapted to their environments

paleoanthropology

the study of the history of human evolution through the fossil record

primatology

the study of living nonhuman primate as well as primate fossils to better understand human evolution and early human behavior

archaeology

the investigation of the human past by means of excavating and analyzing artifacts

prehistoric archaeology

the exploration of the more recent past through an examination of physical remains and artifacts as well as written or oral records

historic archaeology

the exploration of the more recent past through an examination of physical remains and artifacts as well as written or orals

linguistic anthropology

the study of human language in the past and the present

descriptive linguistics

those who describe and analyze languages and their component parts

historic linguists

those who study how language changes over time within a culture and how languages travel across cultures

sociolinguists

those who study language in its social and cultural contexts

cultural anthropology

the study of people’s communities, behaviors, beliefs, and institutions, including how people make meaning as they live, work, and play together

participant observation

a key anthropological research strategy involving both participation in and observation of the daily life of the people being studied

ethnology

the analysis and comparison of ethnographic data across cultures

globalization

the worldwide intensification of interactions and increased movement of money, people, goods, and ideas within and across national border

time-space compression

the rapid innovation of communication and transportation technologies associated with globalization that transforms the way people think about space (distances) and time

flexible accumulation

the flexible strategies that corporations use to accumulate profits in an era of globalization, enabled by innovative communication and transportation technologies

increasing migration

the accelerated movement of people within and between countries

uneven development

the unequal distribution of the benefits of globalization

Anthropocene

the current historical era in which human activity is reshaping the planet in permanent ways

climate change

changes to earth’s climate, including global warming produced primarily by increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases created by the burning of fossil fuels

offshoring

companies in developed countries move their factories to export-processing zones in developing world

outsourcing

when corporations shift aspects of their work to employees in disparate parts of the world

applied anthropology

when anthropologists work outside of academia to address current world problems