Serena Nanda, Richard L. Warms - Culture counts_ a concise introduction to cultural anthropology (2017, Cengage Learning) - libgen.li.pdf

Anthropology

The scien-

tific and humanistic study of

human beings encompassing

the evolutionary history of

humanity, physical variation

among humans, the study of

past societies, and the com-

parative study of current-day

human societies and cultures.

Society

A group of people

who depend on one another

for survival or well-being

as well as the relationships

among such people, includ-

ing their statuses and roles.

Culture

The learned behav-

iors and symbols that allow

people to live in groups; the

primary means by which

humans adapt to their en-

vironment; the ways of life

characteristic of a particular

human society

Ethnocentrism (ethnocen-

tric)

Judging other cultures

from the perspective of one's

own culture. The notion that

one's own culture is more

beautiful, rational, and nearer

to perfection than any other

Cultural relativism

The

idea that cultures should

be analyzed with reference

to their own histories and

values rather than accord-

ing to the values of another

culture.

Holism (holistic)

In an-

thropology, an approach

that considers the study of

culture, history, language,

and biology essential to a

complete understanding of

human society.

Biological (or physical)

anthropology

The sub-

discipline of anthropology

that focuses on the study

of people from a biological

perspective, primarily on as-

pects of humankind that are

genetically inherited.

Linguistic anthropology

The study of language and its

relation to culture

Archaeology

The subdisci-

pline of anthropology that

focuses on the study of past

cultures based primarily on

their material remains.

Cultural anthropology

The

study of human thought, be-

havior, and lifeways that are

learned rather than geneti-

cally transmitted and that are

typical of groups of people

Ethnography

The major

research tool of cultural

anthropology, including both

fieldwork among people in

a society and the written re-

sults of such fieldwork.

Emic

Examination of societ-

ies using concepts, catego-

ries, and distinctions that are

meaningful to members of

those societies

Etic

Examination of soci-

eties using concepts, cat-

egories, and rules derived

from science; an outsider's

perspective

Ethnology

The attempt to

find general principles or

laws that govern cultural

phenomena through the

comparison of cultures

Applied anthropology

The

application of anthropologi-

cal knowledge to the solu-

tion of human problems.

Symbol

Something that

stands for something else.

Central to language and

culture.

Anthropological theory

A set of propositions about

which aspects of culture are

critical, how they should be

studied, and what the goal of

studying them should be.

Enculturation

The process

of learning to be a member

of a particular group.

Culture and personality

A theoretical position in

anthropology that held that

cultures could best be un-

derstood by examining the

patterns of child rearing and

considering their effect on

social institutions and adult

lives.

Ethnoscience

A theoretical

position in anthropology

that focuses on recording

and examining the ways in

which members of a culture

use language to classify and

organize their cognitive

world

Cognitive anthropology

A theoretical position in an-

thropology that focuses on

the relationship between the

mind and society

Symbolic anthropology

A theoretical position in

anthropology that focuses

on understanding cultures

by discovering and analyzing

the symbols that are most

important to their members

Interpretive anthropology

A theoretical position in an-

thropology that focuses on

using humanistic methods,

such as those found in the

analysis of literature, to ana-

lyze cultures and discover

the meanings of culture to

its participants

Organic analogy

The com-

parison of cultures to living

organisms.

Functionalism

A theoreti-

cal position in anthropology

that focuses on finding

general laws that identify

different elements of society,

showing how they relate to

each other, and demonstrat-

ing their role in maintaining

social order

Ecological functionalism

A theoretical position in

anthropology that focuses

on the relationship between

environment and society.

Norms

Shared ideas about

the way things ought to be

done; rules of behavior that

reflect and enforce culture

Values

Shared ideas about

what is true, right, and

beautiful

Subculture

A group within

a society that shares norms

and values significantly

different from those of the

dominant culture

Dominant culture

The

culture with the greatest

wealth and power in a so-

ciety that consists of many

subcultures.

Historical particularism

A theoretical position in an-

thropology associated with

American anthropologists of

the early 20th century that

focuses on providing objec-

tive descriptions of cultures

within their historical and

environmental contexts

Postmodernism

A theoreti-

cal position in anthropology

that focuses on issues of

power and voice. Postmod-

ernists hold that anthropo-

logical accounts are partial

truths reflecting the back-

grounds, training, and social

positions of their authors.

Adaptation

A change in

the biological structure or

lifeways of an individual

or population by which it

becomes better fitted to

survive and reproduce in its

environment.

Plasticity (in anthropology)

The ability of humans to

change their behavior in

response to a wide range of

environmental and social

demands.

Cultural ecology

A theoret-

ical position in anthropology

that focuses on the adaptive

dimensions of culture.

innovation

An object or

way of thinking that is based

upon but is qualitatively dif-

ferent from existing forms

Diffusion

The spread of

cultural elements from one

society to another.