Antho102 - Dr. Simmons Exam 1 Midterm

Absolute Cultural Relativism

Whatever goes on within a particular culture cannot be questioned or changed by outsiders as that would be ethnocentric

Critical cultural relativism

Anyone can pose questions about what goes on in various cultures, including their own culture, in terms of how particular practices and beliefs may harm certain members

Ascribed social status

a person’s standing in society based on qualities that the person has gained through birth

Achieved social status

a person’s standing in society based on qualities that the person has gained through action

Primary group

a social group in which members meet on a face-to-face basis

Secondary group

a group of people who identify with one another on some basis but may never meet with one another personally

Social group

a cluster of people beyond the domestic unit who are usually related on grounds other than kinship

Social stratification

a set of hierarchical relationships among different groups as though they
were arranged in layers, or “strata”

Anthropology

the study of humanity, including prehistoric origins and contemporary human diversity

Applied anthropology

Debatably the fifth subfield of anthropology. The use of anthropological knowledge to prevent or solve problems or to shape and achieve policy goals

Archaeology

One of the four subfields of anthropology. The study of past human cultures through their material remains

Biological anthropology

One of the four subfields of anthropology. The study of humans as biological organisms, including evolution and contemporary variation

Linguistic anthropology

One of the four subfields of anthropology. The study of human communication, including its origins, history, and contemporary variation and change

Civil Society

a collection of interest groups that function outside the government to organize
economic and other social aspects of life (e.g., activist groups)

Cultural anthropology

One of the four subfields of anthropology. The study of living peoples
and their cultures, including variation and change

Cultural relativism

the perspective that each culture must be understood in terms of the
values and ideas of that culture and not judged by the standards of another culture

Culture

People’s learned and shared behaviours and belief

Ethnocentrism

judging another culture by the standards of one’s own culture rather than by the standards of that particular culture

Functionalism

the theory that a culture is similar to a biological organism, in which parts
work to support the operation and maintenance of the whole

Intersectionality

Term coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw, which she describes as “a lens through
which you can see where power comes and collides, where it interlocks and intersects.”

Participant observation

a research method where the researcher immerses themself in a
particular social setting or group, observing the behaviors, interactions, and practices of the participants

Archival research

Research in using primary sources held in archives, libraries, Special Collections, or other repositories

Ethnography

a descriptive recording and/or analysis of a culture

Ethnicity

a way of categorizing people and a sense of group membership and identity on the
basis of history, territory, heritage, language, culture, and/or religion

Indigenous people

people who have a long-standing connection with their home territories
that predates colonial or outside societies

Kinship

Relation to someone as set by cultural rules, based on descent, sharing, and marriage

Kinship system

the predominant form of kin relationships in a culture and the kinds of
behavior involved

Matrifocality

a household pattern in which a female (or females) is the central figure around
whom other members cluster

Matrilineal descent

a kinship system that highlights the importance of women by tracing
descent through the female line, favoring marital residence with or near the bride’s family, and
providing for property to be inherited through the female line

Bilineal descent

the tracing of descent through both parents

Patrilineal descent

a descent system that highlights the importance of men in tracing descent, determining marital residence with or near the groom’s family, and providing for inheritance of property through the male line

Nuclear household

a domestic unit containing one adult couple (married or partners) with or
without children

Caste system

a form of unchanging social stratification in India linked with Hinduism and based on a person’s birth into a particular group

Class

a way of categorizing people on the basis of their economic position in society, usually
measured in terms of income or wealth

Social stratification

a set of hierarchical relationships among different groups as though they
were arranged in layers, or “strata.”

Symbol

an object, word, or action with culturally defined meaning that stands for something
else; most symbols are arbitrary

Globalization

increased and intensified international ties related to the movement of goods,
information, and people

Localization

the transformation of global culture by local cultures into something new