IB Anthro Key Concepts + Inquiry-Specific Concepts

Belief and Knowledge

Set of convictions, values, and viewpoints regarded as “the truth” and shared by members of a social group; underpinned and supported by known cultural experience

Change

Refers to the alteration of modification of cultural or social elements in society → may be de to internal dynamics within a society, or the result of contact with another culture, or a consequence of globalization

Culture

Organized systems of symbols, ideas, explanations, beliefs and material production that humans create and manipulate in the course of their daily lives; includes customs by which humans organize their physical world and maintain their social structure

Identity

Either the individual’s private and personal view of “the self” or to how an individual is viewed from the perspective of social groups; may take the form of religious, ethnic, or national groups, for example

Materiality

Objects, resources and belongings have cultural meaning; often embedded in social relations and practices; some anthropologists seek to understand the human experience through the study of objects (especially the body)

Power

An essential feature of social relations; can be considered as a person’s or group’s capacity to influence, manipulate, or control others and resources → involves inequality in a social group or concepts of social structure

Social Relations

Any relationship between two or more individuals in a network of relationships; involves an element of individual agency as well as group expectations, forms the basis of social organization and structure

Society

The way in which humans organize themselves in groups/networks → is created/sustained by social relationships and institutions

Symbolism

Study of significance that people attach to objects, actions, and processes → one way culture is constructed

Classification

Assigning common knowledge to describe a large number of people or things as belonging to a recognizable system

Commodification

The transformation of goods and services, as well as concepts that normally may not be considered goods, into something of value

Hegemony

The cultural or political dominance of one social group over others; cultural processes through which the ruling classes maintain their power

Morality

Adherence to the rules or norms of a social group

Socialization

The process through which a person learns to become an accepted member of society via agents such as family, peers, media

Enculturation

The gradual acquisition of the characteristics and norms of a culture or group; the transmission of culture from one generation to the next

Acculturation

Cultural change related to contact with another culture (exposure)

Development

Refers to more economically developed societies providing assistance and resources to less economically developed societies

Environments

Physical setting in which people live

Exchange

Transfer of things between social actors

Globalization

Increasing global interconnections in culture, economy, and social life; the transmission of ideas, meaning and values around the world to extend/intensify social relations

Ideology

The system of social and moral ideas of a group of people; a commitment to central values

Modernization

The adoption of characteristics of more developed societies by less developed societies, generally including the abandonment of some traditional practices

Neo-colonialism

Relations between former colonial powers and former colonies, which perpetuate to some degree the domination and exploitation that existed under colonialism

Sustainability

Development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs

Capitalism

An economic and political system in which a society’s trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state

Colonialism

The practice or policy of acquiring control over another country/land

Commodity

An item to be sold

Consumption

The meaningful use that people make of the objects that are associated with them; the use can be material; objects can be things, ideas, relationships, etc (goods + services)

Labor

The efforts of individuals as workers in a capitalist context is considered a factor of production, along with land and capital, and is ascribed a value; the process of division of labor into specified tasks may be driven by gender

Production

The action of making or manufacturing from components or raw materials

Structure

Organized patterns of social relationships and institutions that shape how a society functions

Migration

Movement of people from one locality to another