Cultural Anthropology Exam #4

adjudication

To hear and settle (a case) by judicial procedure. To study and settle (a dispute or conflict)

band

a relatively small and loosely organized kin-ordered group that inhabits a specific territory and that may split periodically into smaller extended family groups that are politically independent.

chiefdom

A system of government in which the leader relies on generosity, ritual status, or charisma rather than force to win obedience from the people.

cultural control

control through beliefs and values deeply internalized in the minds of individuals

genocide

(n.) the deliberate killing of a large group of people, especially those of a particular ethnic group or nation

law

A body of enforceable rules governing relationships among individuals and between individuals and their society.

legitimacy

A characterization of elections by political scientists meaning that they are almost universally accepted as a fair and free method of selecting political leaders.

mediation

A method of settling disputes outside of court by using the services of a neutral third party, who acts as a communicating agent between the parties and assists them in negotiating a settlement.

nation

a people who share a collective identity based on a common culture, language, territorial base, and history

negotiation

A form of communication between opposing sides in a conflict in which offers and counteroffers are made and a solution occurs only when both parties agree

political organization

the power, as the capacity to do something, is accumulated, arranged, executed and structurally embedded in society; the means through which a society creates and maintains social order and reduces social disorder.

power

the ability of individuals or groups to impose their will upon others and make them do things even against their own wants and wishes.

sanction

authoritiative permission or approval; a penalty intended to enforce compliance

social control

Attempts by society to regulate people's thoughts and behavior

state

A body of people living in a defined territory who have a government with the power to make and enforce law without the consent of any higher authority

tribe

A range of kin-ordered groups that are politically integrated by some unifying factor and whose members share a common ancestry, identity, culture, language, and territory.

animatism

A belief that nature is enlivened or energized by an impersonal spiritual power or supernatural potency.

animism

Belief that objects, such as plants and stones, or natural events, like thunderstorms and earthquakes, have a discrete spirit and conscious life.

cargo cult

Postcolonial, acculturative religious movements, common in Melanesia, that attempt to explain European domination and wealth and to achieve similar success magically by mimicking European behavior

contagious magic

magic based on the principle that things or persons once in contact can influence each other after the contact is broken

divination

Foretelling the future by means of magic

imitative magic

magic based on the principle that like produces like; sometimes called sympathetic magic

rite of incorporation

- Reincorporation of the individual into society in his or her new role.

pantheon

A group of deities recognized by a society, such as the Olympian pantheon of the ancient Greeks

polytheism

Belief in many gods

priest or priestess

a full-time religious specialist formally recognized for his or her role in guiding the religious practices of others and for contacting and influencing supernatural powers

religion

A system of beliefs shared by a group with objects for devotion, rituals for worship and a code of ethics

revitalization movement

Movements for radical cultural reform in response to widespread social disruption and collective feelings of great stress and despair

rite of intensification

a ritual that takes place during a crisis in the life of the group and serves to bind individuals together

rite of passage

A ritual marking the symbolic transition from one social position to another

rite of separation

Removed from former status

shaman

a person who at will enters an altered state of consciousness to contact and utilize an ordinarily hidden reality in order to acquire knowledge, power, and to help others.

spirituality

concerned with the sacred, as distinguished from material matters. In contrast to religion, spirituality is often individual rather than collective and doesn't require a distinctive format or traditional organization.

taboo

A restriction on behavior imposed by social custom.

rite of transition

Change in status

witchcraft

the use of psychic powers to harm others by supernatural means

worldview

A person's view of the world, consisting of the set of beliefs on which he bases his life.

art

the creative use of the human imagination to aesthetically interpret, express, and engage life, modifying experienced reality in the process.

epic

a long dramatic narrative recounting the celebrated deeds of a historic or legendary hero -- often sung or recited in poetic language.

ethnomusicology

comparative study of music as an aspect of culture and society

folklore

The traditional beliefs, myths, tales, and practices of a people, transmitted orally.

iconic images

culturally specific people, animals, and monsters seen in the deepest stage of trance

legend

a short story about a memorable event or figure handed down by tradition and told as true but without historical evidence

motif

a story situation in a tale

myth

a sacred narrative that explains the fundamentals of human existence-- where we and everything in our world came from, why we are here and where we are going.

tale

a creative narrative that is recognized as fiction for entertainment but may also draw a moral or teach a practical lesson.

tonality

In music, scale systems and their modifications

primary innovation

the creation, invention, or chance discovery of a completely new idea, method, or device

secondary innovation

the deliberate application or modification of an existing idea, method, or device

diffusion

the spread of certain ideas, customs, or practices from one culture to another

cultural loss

the abandonment of an existing practice or trait

acculturation

A form of cultural change in which a minority culture becomes more like the dominant culture.

ethnocide

Destruction of cultures of certain ethnic groups

tradition

A cohesive collection of customs within a cultural group.

syncretism

A blending of beliefs and practices from different religions into one faith.

rebellion

organized armed resistance to an established government or authority in power; also known as insurgency.

revolution

radical change in a society or culture. In the political arena it involves the forced overthrow of an existing government and establishment of a completely new one.

modernization

the process of political and socioeconomic change whereby developing societies acquire some of the cultural characteristics of Western industrial societies.

external migration

migration across an international border

hard power

The reliance on economic and military strength to solve international problems.

internal migration

Permanent movement within a particular country.

multiculturalism

Blending of several different cultures

replacement reproduction

the point at which birthrates and death rates are in equilibrium; people producing only enough offspring to replace themselves when they die.

soft power

The reliance on diplomacy and negotiation to solve international problems.

structural power

Power that organizes and orchestrates the systemic interaction within and among societies, directing economic and political forces on the one hand and ideological forces that shape public ideas, values, and beliefs on the other

structural violence

Physical and/or psychological harm (including repression, environmental destruction, poverty, hunger, illness, and premature death) caused by impersonal, exploitative, and unjust social, political, and economic systems.