ANTH101 — Intro to Cultural Anthropology (Exam 1)

Cultural anthropology

the study of the similarities and differences among living societies and cultural groups

Archaeology

study of the material past, using excavation

Biological anthropology

study of human evolution

Linguistic anthropology

study of human language (and social meanings)

Applied anthropology

a subfield of anthropology that uses anthropological theories, methods, and findings to solve practical problems

Holism

how all aspects of human life influence one another

Cultural relativism

the idea that we should seek to understand another person’s beliefs and behaviors from the perspective of their own culture and not our own

Ethnocentrism

the tendency to view one’s own culture as most important and correct, and as the “stick” by which to measure all other cultures

Culture

a set of beliefs, practices, and symbols that are learned and shared

Enculturation

the process of learning the characteristics and expectations of a culture or group

Symbol

something that stands for something else, often without a natural connection

Multivocal

the practice of showing more than one voice/side of a story within a culture

Armchair anthropology

an approach where an anthropologist studying a specific culture does not have direct contact with its members

Cultural evolutionism/Unilineal cultural evolution

a discredited theory popular in 19th century anthropology suggesting that societies evolved through stages from simple to advanced

Functionalism

an approach to anthropology that emphasized the way that parts of a society work together to support the functioning of the whole

Historical particularism

the theory that every culture develops in a unique way due to its history, including the interaction of people with the natural environment

Interpretive anthropology

an anthropological approach to treat culture as a body of “texts” rather than attempting to test a hypothesis based on deductive or inductive reasoning

Emic

a description of the studied culture from the perspective of a member of the culture or insider

Etic

a description of the studied culture from the perspective of an observer or outsider

Thick description

a term coined by anthropologist Clifford Geertz to describe a detailed description of the studied group that not only explains the behavior or cultural event in question but also the context in which it occurs and anthropological interpretations of it

Interviews

a conversation in which the interviewee answers questions regarding their culture

Ethnography

the in-depth study of the everyday practices and lives of a people

Participant-observation

a type of observation in which the anthropologist observes while participating in the same activities in which their informants are engaged

Qualitative

anthropological research designed to gain an in-depth, contextualized understanding of human behavior

Quantitative

anthropological research that uses statistical, mathematical, and/or numerical data to study human behavior

Rapport

a sense of trust and a comfortable working relationship in which the informant and ethnographer are at ease with each other and agreeable to working together

Informed consent

the informant’s agreement to take part in the study

Internal Review Board (IRB)

boards that review research plans to ensure that proposed studies will not harm human subjects

Polyvocality

more than one person’s voice is presented in a text while still writing in the researcher’s voice

Reflexivity

the practice of examining one’s own biases in order to study a culture more honestly and ethically

Universal grammar

a theory developed by linguist Noam Chomsky suggesting that a basic template for all human languages is embedded in our genes

Critical Age Range Hypothesis

research suggesting that a child will gradually lose the ability to acquire language naturally and without effort if they are not exposed to other people speaking a language until past the age of puberty; this applies to the acquisition of a second language as well

Gesture-call system

a system of non-verbal communication using varying combinations of sound, body language, scent, facial expression, and touch, typical of great apes and other primates, as well as humans

Discreteness

a feature of human speech that they can be isolated from others

Arbitrariness

the relationship between a symbol and its referent (meaning), in which there is no obvious connection between them

Productivity/Creativity

the ability to produce and understand messages that have never been expressed before or to express new ideas

Displacement

the ability to communicate about things that are outside of the here and now made possible by the features of discreteness and duality of patterning

Phoneme

the minimal unit of sound that can make a difference in meaning if substituted for another sound in a word that is otherwise identical

Morpheme

a minimal unit of meaning in a language; a morpheme cannot be broken down into any smaller units that still relate to the original meaning

Bound morpheme

a part of a word that carries meaning that cannot stand alone but must be attached to another morpheme

Syntax

the structure of phrases and sentences

Semantics

the study of the meanings of words and other morphemes as well as how the meanings of phrases and sentences derive from them

Language

an idealized form of speech, usually referred to as the standard variety

Grammar

the system of rules that governs how a natural language is structured and used

Linguistic Relativity (Whorf Hypothesis)

the idea that the structures and words of a language influence how its speakers think, how they behave, and ultimately the culture itself

Registers

a style of speech that varies depending on who is speaking to whom and in what context

Code-switching

using two or more language varieties in a particular interaction

Dialects

a variety of speech

Language death

the total extinction of a language

Language revitalization

the resurrection of a language

Kinship

blood ties, common ancestry, and social relationships that form families within human groups

Status

any culturally-designated position a person occupies in a particular setting

Role

the set of behaviors expected of an individual who occupies a particular status

Descent

the social rule defining how individuals trace their lineage, heritage, and social status through one or both parental lines

Patrilineal descent

a kinship group created through the paternal line (fathers and their children)

Matrilineal descent

a kinship group created through the maternal line (mothers and their children)

Bilateral descent

descent is recognized through both the father and the mother’s sides of the family

Clan

a group of people who have a general notion of common descent that is not attached to a specific biological ancestor

Family

the smallest group of individuals who see themselves as connected to one another

Marriage

a cultural, social, and legal process that brings two or more individuals together to create a new family unit

Exogamy

a term describing expectations that individuals must marry outside a particular group

Endogamy

a term describing expectations that individuals must marry within a particular group

Arranged marriage

a marriage in which family members, elders, or other community figures help choose or strongly guide the choice of a spouse

Monogamy

marriage to one spouse only

Polygamy

marriage to multiple spouses

Polygyny

marriages in which there is one husband and multiple wives

Polyandry

marriages in which there is one wife and multiple husbands

Bridewealth

payments made to the bride’s family by the groom’s family before marriage

Dowry

payments made to the groom’s family by the bride’s family before marriage

Relatedness

a particular manner of connectedness