ANTH 203 Keyterms MT1

Holistic

A type of Anthropological perspective that considers the larger picture of culture, rather than viewing it as a collection of parts.

Participant Observation

A research method where the researcher becomes actively involved in the community being studied, interacting with its members for an extended period.

Structural Functionalism

Associated with Radcliffe-Brown, this perspective focuses on the rules and structures that govern social bodies, emphasizing that social structures are as real as individuals.

Interpretive Anthropology

A study of culture as a system of meaning, defined by Geertz's concept that humans are suspended in webs of significance that they create.

Unstructured Data Collection

A collection method that does not use predetermined questions, involving open conversations in various settings such as community events.

Objective Data

Data that is factual and unbiased, examples include kinship structures or census data.

Census taking

The process of collecting demographic data about a culture.

Life Histories

A qualitative research method focusing on individual and collective experiences.

Data Mining

Analyzing website statistics to understand user engagement and demographics.

Naturalistically

An anthropological perspective that examines people and culture in the context of their environment.

Globally

An anthropological perspective that analyzes how global forces impact culture.

Bio-culturally

An anthropological perspective that explores the interplay between biology and culture.

Thick Descriptions

A research method that differentiates between identical actions to build deeper contextual understanding and symbolism.

Durkheim

Theorized that society is a complex system of interrelated parts that maintain stability through shared values and symbols.

Ethnocentrism

The belief that one society or group is superior to another, often reflected in cultural biases.

Emic bias

Subjective insights from within the studied group, leading to insider perspectives.

Etic Bias

Objective insights from outside the studied group, providing outsider perspectives.

Cultural Relativism

The practice of understanding cultures in their own terms, without judgment.

Comparative Approach

An anthropological perspective that examines behaviors across different societies to identify differences and similarities.

Degenerationism

The belief that humans have degenerated from a more civilized state after falling from grace.

Diffusionism

The theory that cultural ideas and practices are borrowed from one culture to another.

Historical Particularism

The concept that cultures change and adapt based on their specific historical and environmental contexts.

Functionalism

A perspective in anthropology that examines the function of social institutions within a society.

Structuralism

The approach that focuses on the structures of social institutions to understand societal meaning.

Cultural Materialism

The theory that material conditions significantly influence human thoughts and behaviors.

Symbolic Anthropology

The view that culture operates as a symbolic system, assigning meaning to social actions.

Structured Data Collection

A collection method that uses uniform questions for all participants, like surveys and interviews.

Subjective Data

Data based on personal perspectives and feelings, making it challenging to quantify.

Ethnographic Mapping

A method of locating the living spaces and resources of studied communities to understand cultural interactions.

Document Analysis

A qualitative research technique that interprets various documents to extract and understand their meaning.

Autoethnography

A research method where individuals explore their life experiences to uncover broader cultural insights.

Anthropological Perspective

The unique viewpoint that anthropologists employ to comprehend people and cultures.

Reflexively

An anthropological perspective that emphasizes awareness of one's own social and cultural influences.