Anthropology 203 Midterm 2

Who created the first anthropological definition of culture and when?

E.B. Tylor, 1871

What is notable about Tylor's definition?

It was the first comprehensive definition, identifying culture as a tangible phenomenon necessary for social membership.

Who built upon Tylor's definition to emphasize contextual dependence?

Franz Boas.

How did Boas expand Tylor's definition?

He acknowledged culture as learned and transmitted but emphasized its dependence on historical, environmental, and technological contexts.

How did Clifford Geertz further develop the definition?

He introduced the idea of symbols, arguing that meaning and communication shape culture beyond mere functionality.

What do the definitions of Boas, Geertz, and Tylor have in common?

They create predictability and commonality within a group.

What did Durkheim say about shared social mechanisms?

The standards or regulations make life predictable, creating commonality among group members.

How is learned behavior transmitted?

Through transgenerational means (parent-to-child, teacher-to-student) or horizontal means (peer groups, clubs).

What is an important function of culture?

It unifies people while also differentiating them from other groups.

What is the relationship between unity and differentiation?

They are interdependent—unity creates differentiation, and differentiation reinforces unity.

What factors create a unified culture?

Beliefs, language, values, norms, and worldviews.

What institutions teach culture?

Political, social, kinship, economic, and religious systems.

What was the original belief about cultural acquisition?

It was thought to be biologically determined.

What disproves the biological basis of culture?

Children's behavior varies across societies, showing cultural influences shape acceptable actions.

How do social structures shape individual beliefs and actions?

Cultural norms influence what we believe, do, and support.

What can create friction between cultural groups?

Differing definitions of moral values, such as inclusivity.

How is society defined in class?

Any grouping of people with a specific learned or social behavior that sets them apart from others.

Why is this definition of society important?

It allows for the study of smaller, niche social groupings beyond state-defined societies.

How do Mann and Gellner view culture?

Through the lens of nationalism, examining how diverse people form collective identities.

What did Durkheim and Radcliffe-Brown contribute to cultural theory?

The concept of norms—rules governing behavior to achieve desirable results.

How is perception and cognition inherently social?

Social structures influence what information we prioritize and how we interpret it.

What is the Anthropology of Ethics?

A sub-discipline examining personal choice in ethical living, rejecting rigid social obligations.

What philosophy is similar to the Anthropology of Ethics?

Neo-Aristotelianism, which revisits Aristotle's concept of Telos (ideal virtuous self).

What is the class definition of Telos?

The imagined ideal of a successful or good person.

Why is the Anthropology of Ethics important?

It challenges the notion that social structures are obligatory, emphasizing individual choice.

What does the Ethnology of Ethics study?

The meaning and significance of choices as symbolic and communicative acts.

What is an example of rejecting social norms?

The 60-70s punk movement.

What is the importance of Saba Mahmood's ethnography?

In 'Politics of Piety', she explores the significance of choice within the feminist movement in an Islamic State.

What did Abu-Lughod introduce?

The resistance of power or resistance as a diagnostic of power.

What is the diagnostic of power?

Not escaping from existing power systems, but reapplying alternative forms of power.

What is the purpose of the female Mosque movement?

To create a new inclusive power structure without completely overturning patriarchal laws.

What is key about the diagnostic of power?

Identifying movements that create new forms of social capital within existing systems.

What confused colonial explorers about other societies?

The unfamiliar kinship structures of the people they encountered.

What was the early anthropological view on kinship?

It was seen as a biological, divinely appointed reality.

What marks the transition from old to new kinship studies?

A shift from biological to social interpretations of kinship.

What was kinship originally focused on?

A biological reality.

What is an example of biological reality of kinship?

Understanding family relationships based on blood transmission.

Who famously said that there is no such thing as kinship?

Needham (1971) and Schneider (1972).

What do Needham and Schneider mean by stating kinship doesn't exist?

The form of kinship as a universal biological reality does not exist; it is fabricated.

What is 'New Kinship'?

The view that kinship is socially constructed, rather than purely biological.

What are two justifications for how we imagine our families to be constructed?

Social Structures and Biological Structures.

What things combined make up Kinship?

The order of nature versus the order of law.

What is the 'Order of Nature'?

The biological reality of kinship.

What is the 'Order of Law'?

Who the law or state recognizes as kin.

How does Jon Snow represent the 'Order of Nature' vs. the 'Order of Law'?

Believed to be Ned Stark's son biologically, but not legally recognized as such.

What are the three large subsets to how societies are constructed?

Familial (Kinship), Political Organization, and Economic Structures.

How has social reality to nature become more apparent?

The traditional family has changed as we can manipulate biological kinship.

Why has there been a resurgence in the interest of kinship?

Challenges to the biological aspect of kinship.

What are examples that challenge the biological nature of family?

Adoption and Alternative families.

With 'New Kinship', how does incest complicate the study?

Who qualifies as related changes from society to society.

How does wealth during marriage compare to monetary exchange?

It reflects social implications and status.

What does the professor consider 'New Kinship' really is?

Kinship as a cultural expression similar to belief and language.

What is the importance of the ethnography about Equatorial Africa published by J. Guyer in 2009?

It supports viewing kinship as a form of exchange influenced by rules of resources.

What is a form of monetary exchange during marriage?

A dowry or bride price.

What is key to understanding kinship as exchange?

It's a regulatory system for access to resources.

What is an example of wealth exchange in modern Canadian society?

Marrying above one's station and its associated social implications.

What are examples of sodalities?

Clubs, Sports Teams, and Unions.

What binds sodalities together if not blood?

Legal aspects and shared interests.

What else creates groupings without blood aspect?

Age, Gender, Caste, and Class.

How should we view Nationalism?

As a forum for state organization.

What are key points for Gellner's perspective on Nationalism?

Culture is precondition for effective communication and is learned behavior.

What are key points for Anderson's perspective on Nationalism?

Nationalism creates collective imagination and is achieved through Print Capitalism.

What are the similarities between Gellner and Anderson's views on Nationalism?

Both view nationalism as a communication tool and learned behavior.

What is the difference between Gellner's and Anderson's views on Nationalism?

Gellner emphasizes standardized education; Anderson focuses on collective imagination.

How do anthropologists look at economic organization?

Through the Anthropology of exchange.

What does exchange mean in social anthropology?

The transfer of goods, services, or other valuable items between entities.

What do anthropologists study in economic systems?

The social aspect of exchange influenced by cultural structures.

What book introduced sentimental vs. venal value?

'The Gift' by Marcel Mauss.

What determines an object's total value?

Both its venal (market) and sentimental (emotional) value.

What are the different types of exchange systems discussed in class?

1. Reciprocity 2. Redistribution 3. Barter System 4. Market System.

What is Adam Smith's concept of labor?

Money as commodification of labor, representing worth.

What is earmarking in economics?

Categorizing money for specific uses, affecting its significance.

What significance does money have beyond market value?

Personal significance through earmarking and legal frameworks.

What exchange system was the Kula Ring?

Sentimental on the surface, with underlying venal value.

What characterizes the system on the China-Russia border?

Surface-level venal, with sentimental value behind the scenes.

What was the function of potlatch ceremonies?

To consolidate power through social obligations from gift giving.

What is the key takeaway about exchange systems?

All exchange systems have negative aspects and allow for advantages over others.

What was the anthropological definition of Culture by E.B. Tylor?

Culture includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and habits acquired by society.

What is the definition of Culture for the class?

Culture is learned and shared behavior that unifies and differentiates social groups.

What is the definition of culture by Boas?

A set of customs transmitted influenced by environment and historical context.

What is the definition of culture by Geertz?

A system of inherited conceptions expressed in symbolic forms.

What are the titles of two books by Ernest Gellner related to Nationalism?

'Thought and Change' and 'Nations and Nationalism'.

What is the 1964 Gellner quote about Nationalism?

There is nothing natural or universal about possessing a nationality.

What is the 1994 Breuilly quote about Nationalism?

Nationalism is best understood in the context of the modern nation state.

What is a significant quote about culture by Mann (1986)?

Culture provides a sense of collective normative identity for similar conditions.

What is the 1964 Gellner quote about culture?

In larger societies, communication and symbols become crucial due to ephemeral relationships.

What is the 2009 Weber quote about culture?

The social organization of ultimate knowledge is necessary to social life.

What is Lambek's 2010 quote about perception?

People are evaluated on what they consider right or good.

What is Laidlaw's 2002 quote about perception?

Conduct is ethical and free when shaped by attempts to be a certain kind of person.

What is Schneider's 1972 quote about kinship?

Kinship like totemism is a nonsubject; it doesn't exist in known cultures.

What is Needham's 1971 quote about kinship?

There is no such thing as kinship, and therefore no kinship theory.

What is the ethnography published by Saba Mahmood in 2004?

Politics of Piety: The Islamic Revival and the Feminist Subject.

What is Levi-Strauss's 1970 quote about Kinship?

Exchange is the fundamental basis of all modalities of marriage.

What is the 2022 Sutton quote about marriage?

Each society has rules that govern marriage based on defined kinship ties.

What is the 2016 Anderson quote about political organization?

Americans trust in the anonymous collective activities of their fellow citizens.

What is the 1964 Gellner quote about political organization?

Shared culture is not a precondition of effective communication in small communities.

What is Gellner’s quote about systematized education?

In larger societies, ephemeral relationships make communication symbols crucial.

What is Smith's quote about the value of commodity?

The value of any commodity is equal to the quantity of labor it commands.

What is Douglas' 1982 quote on studying money?

A market model of money is too narrow.

What is Zelizer's 2017 quote on money?

Money is influenced by social and cultural structures beyond the market.