Anthro 101 Exam 1

anthropos

humankind

logos

study

holism

considers all aspects

familiarization

making the strange familiar

defamiliarization

making the familiar strange

4 Subfields of Anthropology

1. Archeological

2. Biological

3. Linguistic

4. Sociocultural

Archaeological Anthropology

study through material culture

Biological Anthropology

study human biology and its variations

Linguistic Anthropology

study languages in a social context

Sociocultural Anthropology

study of cultural differences and comparison/looks at what allows ppl to be together

Zhang Qian

travel records- diplomat for Han dynasty, traveled along silk road

Herodotus

describes cultural backgrounds in places such as Persian empire

Ibn Battuta

Berber scholar that kept travel logs of visits to North Africa, Middle East, and Asia

Ethnography

type of writing based on fieldwork in a cultural setting (mix of description and analysis that uses anthropological theory and local meanings)

Colonialism

political, social, economic, and cultural domination of a territory

Ethnocentric

viewing one's own culture as superior and using it to judge other cultures

Cultural relativism

behavior should be evaluated by in the context of the culture in which it occurs

ultrasociality

the eagerness to collaborate even with non-kin and strangers. allows for culture (ex. shrek rave shrek rave shrek rave)

6 Characteristics of Culture

1. culture is learned

2. culture is shared

3. culture is symbolic

4. culture is changeable

5. culture is all encompassing

6. culture is integrated

enculturation

the process of learning culture

symbol

something verbal or nonverbal that stands for something else

3 ways culture can change

1. independent invention

2. acculturation

3. diffusion

   1. direct diffusion

   2. forced diffusion

   3. indirect diffusion

independent invention

independent development of a cultural feature within a group

acculturation

exchange of cultural features between groups where each group remains distinct (unlike enculturation)

diffusion

borrowing traits between cultures

direct diffusion

two groups directly trade or fight

forced diffusion

one group subjugates another and forces its traits on that group

indirect diffusion

traits are exchanged between two groups via a third group, without the two groups being in contact

Cultural universals

something that exists in every culture

Cultural generalities

something that can be generally applied to most cultures

Cultural particulars

specific details

Culture shock

anxiety that results from losing all your familiar cues

Participant observation

building rapport by joining into activities and still taking notes

rapport

friendly working relations

Interviews

semi structured conversation intended to gather data

Digital ethnography

research on digital platforms like social media

emic

focusing on local explanation and meanings (church is a holy place gather on sun)

etic

anthropological technical explanations for what is happening (worship + rituals)

Thick Description

looking for meaning/context while giving as much detail as possible

1. Rich detail

2. Cultural Context (emic perspective)

3. Analysis (etic perspective)

Informed consent

giving information on research goals and gaining consent

Adaptive

favored by natural selection

Phenotypical adaptation

adaptive biological changes during an individuals lifetime

Punctuated equilibrium

long periods stability with occasional evolutionary leaps

Evolution

transformation of species, new species arise from old ones through long and gradual process

4 Mechanisms of genetic evolution

1. natural selection

   1. direction selection

   2. sexual selection

   3. stabilizing selections

      1. Balanced polymorphism

2. Gene flow

3. Mutation

4. Random genetic drift

natural selection

operates on phenotype (Romanov those those that showed hemophilia)

directional selection

traits are most favored by natural selection (longer beak means more food). (reduces variety in population)

sexual selection

traits most favorable for attracting mates passed on (reduces variety in population)

stabilizing selection

maintains variety in population by favoring balanced polymorphism

Gene flow

exchange of genetic material through interbreeding

Mutation

a change in the DNA molecules from which genes and chromosomes are made

Random genetic drift

genetic charges due to chance

phenotype

outward noticeable genetic characteristics (ex. eye color)

genotype

genetic makeup of an organism

Species

population who can produce their own offspring

Charles Darwin

natural selection through studying birds, barnacles

Alfred Russel Wallace

published paper with Darwin on natural selection is means that evolution occurs

Gregor mendel

how variety is achieved → genetics dominant and recessive alleles

Kottak discussion on “races” not being biologically distinct

Humans have NEVER been geographically isolated long enough from one another to form such a discrete group

AAA statement on race

Humans are very genetically uniform, Racial hierarchy is a lie, A racial worldview gives benefits to some groups and discriminates against others

Variation to skin color

more beneficial based on climate to have different levels of melanin

Warmer climate → more melanin to protect against sun

Cold climate → less melanin to get more vitamin D cuz have less sunlight

Ethnicity

identification with and feeling part of an ethnic group and exclusion from other groups due to this affiliation

Ethnic group

one among several culturally distinct groups in a society or region

Nation

a society that shares a language, religion, territory, ancestry, and kinship (similar to ethnicity)

Nation state

an autonomous political entity

Nationality

ethnic groups that have, once had, or want their own country

Sources of solidarity that form ethnic identity

• Shared language

• Shared beliefs or customs (rome, tenochtitlan eagle holding snake)

Genocide

the deliberate elimination of a group through mass murder

Ethnocide

the deliberate suppression or destruction of an ethnic culture by a dominant group

Race

an ethnic group assumed to have a biological basis

Race vs Ethnicity

Kottak: race is heavily defined as as social meaning which gives it power

Audrey Smeldy’s argument about race

race is not a biological reality but social reality

Social identity

identification with an ethnic group is an example of a social identity

intersectionality

how social identities interact with one another

Dissent

social identity based on ancestry

Hypodescent

children of mixed unions assigned to same group as minority parent

Achieved status

social status based on choices or accomplishments

Ascribed status

social status based on limited choice (age, gender assigned at birth)

Assimilation

the absorption of minorities within a dominant culture (melting pot)

Multiculturalism

the view as cultural diversity as valuable and worth maintaining (salad)

US colonial History/Alexander’s discussion of the making of race

Race defined at time of english settlement- CLOSER TO ETHNICITY

English viewed indigenous peoples as “savage” → said it JUSTIFIED genocide and taking their land

Jamestown (established 1607)

Tobacco very valuable and sought after product → needed labor to grow

Point Comfort 1619

first ship of enslaved Africans are brought

Angela and Angela Site

archaeologically important cuz even tho she wasn't put into records, we can learn about her life and the lives of other slaves through their possessions and objects in the site

Excavation

digging through layers at a site

Stratigraphy

layers of deposits

Indentured servitude

work for a time limit then freedom

Slavery

“hereditary”, no escape

Bacon’s Rebellion and Effects

Bacon wanted land, rich wouldnt give him land

Bacon + poor white ppl + enslaved black ppl + indigenous ppl form a powerful coalition and burn down Jamestown

Effects:

Rich ppl get scared at the power of the coalition forming along class lines

To stop coalitions from forming, two arbitrary races are formed

Privileges given to “white people”

Legally strip rights of Africans

“Different races” justify oppressive behaviors

Seneca Village NYC

Black people had their land taken from them to build Central Park

Artifacts of discrimination in Detroit

Birwood Wall at 8 Mile

• HOA told white homeowners they were too close to black neighborhoods to have a high rating (high property values)

• After wall HOA approved higher rating

I-375

destroyed Black Bottom (black neighborhood) and Paradise Valley (entertainment district)

Race: the power of an illusion

Immigration in 19th century

Majority from southern and eastern europe

Discriminated against

Those perceived as white got access to citizenship

Ozawa Supreme court to be considered white to get his citizenship

Denied cuz of “scientific basis” not Caucasian

Thind Supreme court to be considered white → argued Indians were Caucasian

Denied cuz “anyone could see he isn't white”

Federal Housing Administration (FHA)

Made it easier to get loans to buy homes for white people

Encourage housing developers to only sell to whites

GI Bill

GI’s that fought in WWII get low mortgage and interest rates to white ppl

Redlining

withholding financial services and benefits to “socially unstable” predominantly black communities

Blockbusting

housing developers used the fear of home values decreasing as black people moved in to neighborhoods, to get white people to sell their houses below market value

Titus Kaphar

TED Talk- art amend history? Focusing on portrayal of black people in art and how they are in the background and less characterized and detailed than almost all people.

Racism

discrimination against an ethnic group assumed to have a biological basis

Prejudice

devaluing a group cuz of assumed attributes

Discrimination

policies and practices that harm a group and its members