Intro Anthropology Midterm

Embodied Ecological Heritage

understanding and combining folk and indigenous knowledge with biomedical knowledge in context of providing medical care

eg. eating traiditonal corn tortilla> flour tortillas => better health

Social Determinants of Health

economic stability, food access, healthcare access, education access, infrastructure and living spaces, society and community

under capitalism, lower income=> lower healthcare access

Medical Ecology

studies how humans’ physical environments affect our health

health defined as physical, mental, and social wellbeing, not just absence of disease or infirmity

Functionalism + Examples + Critiques

compares society to a human body; societal institutions and culture work together for humans’ wellbeing and produce homeostasis (balance) in society

eg. Taboo: something forbidden in society/ culture

• eg. marking trees as sacred=> protect env.

eg. Kula— using shells as currency

• good for society and economy

Critiques: too deterministic (does not allow for randomity) and abstract. prioritizes relationship between nature and people, does not talk about power imbalances and conflict

Evolutionism

idea that all societies go through 3 fixed stages marked by technological and social development: savagery (hunting and gathering), barbarism (basic cultural traditions), and civilization

followed by Social Darwinists, used to justify imperialism and colonization

• basis of scientific racism

Anthropology of Ecology

study of relationship between population dynamics, societal organizations, and culture w/ environment. has comparative research and analyses of specific populations from sychronic and diachronic perspectives

eg. Andean agriculture— uses terrace farming for irrigation system

Unilinear vs Multilinear Perspectives of Anthropology/ Culture

Unilinear: only one way for society to progress

Multilinear: multiple ways for society to progress

• eg. Andean irrigation culture evolved differently from other Egyptian irrigation technology— is one better than the other?

Emic vs Etic Perspectives

Emic POV: insider POV; from people inside culture

• removes bias from outsider

Etic POV: outsider POV; from researcher outside culture

• removes bias from insider

Interview Definition+ Techniques

Interview: where one persome meets and talks with another to gather info

3 Interview Techniques:

1. Formal Interview: short answers, very straightforward questions

2. Semi-structured Interview: has longer answers, semi-formal/ has only somewhat strucutured questions

   1. uses “describe, define, etc.” instead of “what”

3. Unstructured Interview: not coming with questions prepared, just one and then go with flow

   1. we don’t use it in class bc so little strucutre

Participant Observation

researcher immerses self and engages in culture practices and traditions while observing

Observation

the act of carefully watching, noticing, or recording facts and events to gather information or gain an understanding

Ethnography + 5 characteristics + Example

ethnography: descriptive and qualitative study of a specific human culture

5 characteristics

1. Long-term fieldwork: 6mths- few years in field

   1. needed to meet lots of people from culture

   2. see how culture changes over time

2. participant observation

3. Emic POV

4. In-depth Interview: detailed questions, INFORMAL conversations

   1. can ask lots of question to understand

   2. get lots of info this way

5. thick description/ storytelling

   1. adds researcher’s POV into it

   2. subjective and informal

   3. increases facts, commentary, and interpretations

   4. goal: get complex layers of meaning that make up a culture

Research methods in Anthropology

ethnography, long-term field work, interview, and emic POV

Cultural Relativism

cultures are unique, can’t be compared by each other’s standards

Culture is not singular, encompasses many things

A person’s belief’s values, and practices should be understood in the context of their culture, not based on someone else’s culture

Eg. Holding eye contact with someone in one culture may be rude, but in another culture it is expected and wanted

Culture

way of life (belief, behaviors, values and symbols) accepted, generally without thinking

Branches of Anthropology

1. Biological Anthropology: study of human evolution and human biosocial variation, WHY WE’RE DIFFERENT

   1. eg. how past diseases can help us cure current diseases

   2. eg. people living in higher altitudes have bigger and better lungs + higher red blood cell counts (lack of oxygen)

   3. eg. dark skin protects from UV rays

2. Archaeology: study of human past using material remains (artifacts)

3. Linguistic Anthropology: study of role of language in social lives of individuals and communities (dialects)

   1. eg. long time ago “selfie” didn’t exist

   2. eg. “hey guys—> twin”

4. Applied Anthropology: aims to solve real world problems (critiques) using anthropological methods and skills

   1. eg. studying cultural differences between healthcare providers and patients→ how can we bridge communication gap?

5. Cultural Anthropology: social and cultural issues, uses theories and methods to study culture

   1. encompasses studies of identity, globalization, neoliberalism, social movements, and cultural ecology

   2. not everyone sees it as branch (CONTESTED); growing study

Definition of Anthropology (and example)

Anthropology: study of human beings and their products

• uses diversity (various forms of social existence across world) + holism (system encompasses past, present, and future)

Example of Anthropology: cultural ecology (study of interactions between humans and natural environment)