Anthropology

anthropolgy

physical and cultural

study of human past and present

study of the origin, behaviour and the physicalph, social, and cultural development of humans

study how different/similar people can be

physical anthropology

forensic, human variation, paleoanthropology and primatology

• study where humans came from, how we have physically evolved, what makes humans unique

paleoanthropology

studying bone and stone remains of ancient human ancestors

primatology

study the anatomy and behaviour of primates (eg. apes) (jane goodall)

what makes us different/similar

human variation

study of genetic difference between people and populations

cultural anthropology

Ethnology, ethnography, linguistic, archaeology, applied

study how culture (past and present) shapes human idea and learned behaviors

culture

a way of living learned over time and shared by groups of people
learned behaviors, beliefs, attitudes, values and ideals

ethnology

(cultural anthropology)

study and compares past and present cultures

ethnography

(cultural anthropology)

in depth description of one culture

linguistic anthropology

study of human languages → how does language influence culture and social life

archaeology

cultural anthropology of the past

excavate remains of past cultures to reconstruct and understand → clothes, tools, shelters

universal ancestor

all life originated from a universal ancestor

humans and african apes share a common ancestor

Carl Linnaeus

created system to classify organisms by common traits

Charles Darwin

studied life on the galapagos islands

→ created the theory of natural selection

natural selection

organisms with traits that helped them survive the environment gave them higher survival rates

then they have a higher chance to pass on those traits to the next generation

→ adaptation of species

bipedalism

ability to walk on two feet

benefits

• carry food and materials

• walk long distances effectively

• hands are free to use tools

cranial capacity

space in skull for brain

→ human evolved to have bigger cranial capacity → more complex thought + larger brain

proof that we share common ancestors with apes

humans inherit traits from parents → 98% of human and chimp dna is shared → common ancestor

fossil evidence (paleoanthropology) → discovery of hominids (human like ancestors)

apes → humans

transformations → thinner arms, longer legs, bigger brain

turkana boy

persistence running → fire → social skills → speech

ape genius

apes can imitate, think ahead, have complex thoughts, solve problems

they have culture, they pick apes who they trust to help, they can have a sense of justice, work together at times, understand language

they have a hard time controlling impulse and “mind reading” and connecting ideas (numbers)

jane goodall discoveries

she studied chimps (primatology) in Tanzania

• chimps can use tools

• they have feelings and communities (eg. grief)

• humans aren’t so different from chimps

• chimps can have personality (eg. playfulness)

• they can be very violent just like humans

how language makes use different from others

we can share improvements unlike apes

next generation can learn from the mistakes in the past so there is progress in society (instead of having to rediscover things over and over again)

language

symbolic communication system that is learned

importance for continuity and identity in culture

language characteristics

• can change

• words are assigned

• communicate info from different times

communicate verbally → speech, writing

or non verbally → body language (differently interpreted by each culture), tone, image, proximity

most used languages

English, Mandarin, Hindi, Spanish, French

endangered language

• best way for a language to be kept alive is for children to speak it

• language carries culture, poems, knowledge that can’t be properly translated into other languages

• killer languages → get many resources so more people have to learn it

• language is linked to traditions, intontatin, talking style etc → without it, part of the culture is missing

• language needs: dictionary, grammatical description, oral history recorded stories and texts that are translated so people can learn

rites of passage

ceremonies that mark a person changing from one phase of life, role or social status to another

occur in similar patterns across culture and time → correspond to important evens in life cycle (birth, puberty, death etc)

ritual

special activity that marks events

are tradition, often religious in nature

3 stages of rites of passage

segregation → individual is separated from the rest of society (by appearance or location)

transition → person learns new role, rituals take place

reintegration → readmitted into society with new role

why have rites of passage

• help comminutes remain stable and unified

• help ppl anticipate consequences (eg. funeral)

• continuation of culture

technology and culture

tech and influence culture
eg. front porch → ac and internet, less social with neighbors

canadian culture

multicultural → freedom to share and preserve their culture

shaped by France and England

research dilemmas

become involved to get integrated into community

“victims of child abuse laws” → research had to fake being sympathetic towards them

guy gets baptized in order to be in community and learn abt the culture

moral dilemmas in cultural anthropology

depends on the situation

• interfere to prevent harm

• dont interfere because doing it might harm someone

hard for to study → eg. sterk studying prostitution culture → uncomfortable situations, law grey area, harassment → remain empathic and neutral even if its hard

7 elements of culture

1. social organization

2. language

3. customs and traditions

4. arts and literature

5. religion

6. forms of government

7. economic systems

social organization

the way members are organized into smaller groups

social classes (depending on what is valued in the culture)

eg. interest groups, familis, religious groups

customs and traditions

laws, norms, rules of right and wrong

holidays, music styles

behavioural expectations

religon

meaning of life

• monotheism (one god)

• polytheism (many gods)

• atheism (no god)

forms of governmetn

• monarchies → kings/queens

• democracy → people have power

• republic → people choose leaders to represent

• dictatorship → one ruler gets all the power

economic systems

how ppl use resources

• traditional → produce what u need to survive (hunting etc)

• market → buy/sell stuff

• command → government controls

• mixed → individual decides but government controls

sub cultures

group of ppl within a culture that differentiates itself from the main culture

eg. goths, hippies