ANT252 – Cultural Anthropology Final Exam Review Guide

A collection of key questions and answers derived from the ANT252 Cultural Anthropology coursework to aid in exam preparation.

What are the main subfields of anthropology?

Physical anthropology, archaeology, linguistic anthropology, and sociocultural anthropology.

What is cultural relativism?

The practice of understanding a group's beliefs and practices within their cultural context without making judgments.

Who is considered the Father of American Anthropology?

Franz Boas.

What is ethnography?

An account written by an anthropologist describing a group of people and their cultural practices.

What does the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis propose?

Different languages create different ways of thinking.

What are reciprocal and redistributive economic strategies?

Reciprocity is the obligation to return in kind what another has done for us, while redistribution is the collection and dispersal of goods in a community.

Define structural violence.

A form of violence where social structures or institutions harm individuals by preventing them from meeting their basic needs.

What is hegemony?

The ability of a dominant group to create consent within a population without the use or threat of force.

What is the difference between individual and institutional racism?

Individual racism refers to personal prejudiced beliefs and actions, while institutional racism refers to patterns of structural inequality reinforced by policies and systems.

What does intersectionality refer to?

An analytical framework for assessing how various factors such as race, gender, and class intersect to shape individual life chances.

How does globalization impact the state?

Globalization challenges state sovereignty by increasing the flow of people, goods, and ideas across borders, making state control more difficult.

What is the Anthropocene?

A distinct era in which human activity is reshaping the planet in permanent ways.

What is medical anthropology?

The study of health and illness from a biocultural perspective, examining how cultural practices shape health outcomes.

What is ethnomedicine?

Local systems of health and healing that are rooted in culturally specific norms and values.

How is power connected to art according to anthropologists?

Art can serve as a site of dynamic engagement with social norms and structures of power, revealing patterns of stratification.

What is a rite of passage?

A category of ritual that enacts a change of status from one life stage to another.

What is the significance of the concept of 'imagined community'?

It refers to the sense of connection and shared traditions among members of an ethnic group or nation, whose members may never all meet.

Describe the relationship between art and media in contemporary society.

Art and media intersect as social media provides tools for disseminating art and engaging diverse populations.

What do we mean by the term 'cultural diversity'?

The variety of cultural or ethnic groups within a society.

What are some examples of significant ethnographies mentioned in the notes?

'Supermen of Malegaon' and 'First Contact.'

What does medical pluralism refer to?

The intersection of multiple cultural approaches to healing.

How does migration affect labor in today's global economy?

Poverty pushes people to migrate for better opportunities, while barriers such as legal restrictions and language gaps inhibit their mobility.