Guest, Kenneth J., Cultural Anthropology, Ch 1

Anthropology

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

Ethnocentrism

belief that one's own culture is normal or natural, using one's own culture to evaluate or judge the practices and ideals of others

Ethnographic Fieldwork

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

four-field approach

The use of four interrelated disciplines to study humanity: physical anthropology, archaeology, linguistic anthropology, and cultural anthropology.

Holism

The anthropological commitment to consider the full scope of human life, including culture, biology, history, and language, across space and time.

Physical Anthropology

the study of humans from a biological perspective, particularly focused on human evolution and adaptation

Paleoanthropology

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

Primatology

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

Archaeology

Investigation of human past by means of excavating and analyzing artifacts

Prehistoric Archaeology

the reconstruction of human behavior in the distant past (before written records) through the examination of artifacts

Historic Archaeology

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

Linguistic Anthropology

The study of human language in the past and present.

Descriptive Linguists

those who 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

Sociologists

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 borders

Time-Space Compression

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

Flexible Accumulation

the increasingly 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

Change in earth's climate, including global warming produced primarily by increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases created by the burning of fossil fuels

Franz Boas

Worked to challenge racialized views of immigrants from lower-income and working class backgrounds. Led to the establishment of anthropology as an academic discipline in the US

Audrey Richards

Studied the Bemba people; focused on health and nutrition among women and children.

Ketut Wiradyana

Paleoanthopologist who excavates and analyzes human skeletons in order to better understand human evolution.

Kenneth Guest

Fieldwork in China described Chinese villagers who built strong ties between New York and China, using transportation and communication technologies to benefit their families and villages.