Reading Content: ANT!00Y

Anthropology

The study of human diversity in the past and present

Encompasses both physical bodies and behavior across all time and space.

Physical (Biological) Anthropology

The study of human bodily diversity, physical adaptation, and evolution*

One of the four traditional fields of anthropology.

Archaeology

The study of past human behavior through material remains**

Analyzes artifacts (portable) and features (immovable).

Holism

Considering every part of a culture in relation to every other part and the whole**

A key component of the anthropological perspective.

Cultural Relativism

Understanding a culture based on its own standards rather than one's own**

A concept championed by Franz Boas to counter ethnocentrism.

Ethnocentrism

The belief that one's own culture is the best or only right point of view*

Judging other societies' burial practices as 'evil' is a classic example.

Glocalization

The unique local manifestation of global processes**

Describes how global trends are adapted to fit local cultural contexts.

Enculturation

The process of learning one's culture**

Culture is acquired through socialization, not genetics.

Symbol

An object or gesture that stands for something else in an arbitrary way**

Culture is a meaning system based on these conventional signs.

Homo habilis

The first stone toolmakers

Associated with Oldowan technology.

Homo erectus

The first hominid to migrate out of Africa

Known for using Acheulian (bifacial) tools and fire.

Participant Observation

Living among and like the people being studied

The primary fieldwork method established by Bronislaw Malinowski.

The "Noble Savage"

Jean Jacques Rousseau's view of non-Westerners as happier and more virtuous

Contrast to Thomas Hobbes' view of life as 'nasty, brutish, and short'.

Functionalism (Malinowski)

The theory that culture meets individual physical and psychological needs

Contrasts with Radcliffe-Brown's focus on social structure.

Maniq Color Naming (Wnuk et al.)

Proved that technology is NOT necessary for a complex color lexicon

This hunter-gatherer group has 6–7 basic color terms.

Kagadu (Trobriand Kinship)

The maternal uncle who holds authority (patria potestas)

In this matrilineal society, the mother's husband (tama) provides affection.

Christian Normativity (Joshi)

The assumption that Christian practices are the standard for what is 'normal'

Leads to 'facially neutral' laws that actually burden religious minorities

Doctrine of Discovery

5th-century papal decrees used to justify seizing non-Christian lands

A historical root of Christian hegemony in the Americas.

Praxis (Acciari)

Using intersectionality as a strategy for political action and alliances**

Example: Brazilian domestic worker unions addressing race, gender, and class.

Billionaire Colonialism (Oxfam)

Extreme wealth derived from inheritance, cronyism, or monopoly power

Oxfam estimates 60% of billionaire wealth is 'taken' rather than earned.

Techno-optimism (González)

The belief that technology and big data can solve complex social problems

Criticized for ignoring complex sociocultural realities on the ground.

God’s-eye view (Pentland)

Predicting human behavior via digital traces like phone usage

A computational approach that bypasses traditional ethnographic fieldwork.

Far-Right Gramscianism (Pasieka)

Radical right-wingers adopting Antonio Gramsci's concept of 'Common Sense'

Uses leftist strategies to build a collective right-wing worldview.

Hikikomori

Extreme social withdrawal into isolation**

Often driven by perfectionistic concerns and fear of failure.

Situationships

A murky 'middle ground' between casual dating and committed partnership*

Increasingly popular with Gen Z as a way to avoid traditional labels.

Garbalogy

The study of contemporary trash to understand human behavior

A specialized method within the subfield of Archaeology.

CFA Franc

A colonial currency system maintaining French monetary control in Africa*

Described as a legacy of French colonial extraction.

Common Sense (Gramscian context)

A heterogeneous version of the world held by a specific group*

Not necessarily logical, but forms a collective worldview.

Organic Intellectuals

Individuals who produce knowledge for a specific social class

They play a key role in shaping the 'common sense' of their group.

Rapid Ethnographic Retrieval (RER)

High-speed data mining of sociocultural info for military purposes

*Part of the 'militarization' of anthropology criticized by González.