Race, Kinship, and Religion in Culture

These flashcards cover key vocabulary related to concepts of race, kinship, and religion, providing definitions to facilitate understanding and retention of lecture material.

Phenotype

Physical appearance of an organism, reflecting simpler and more recent genetic history.

Genotype

Genetic make-up of an organism, reflecting more complex and distant genetic history.

Candomble

A religion created by Brazilian slaves, representing a blend of African cultural traditions.

Capoeira

A form of training disguised as dance that allows practitioners to hide martial arts skills.

Whitening/Branquiamento

The practice of encouraging European immigration to Brazil to dilute the black population after slavery.

Kintype

A straightforward term for kinship relationships.

Kinterm

A culturally interpreted term for kinship relationships.

Nuclear families

Familial structures consisting of one or two generations, typically parents and their children.

Bilateral descent

A system where ancestry is traced through both maternal and paternal lines.

Endogamy

The practice of marrying within a specific social, cultural, or ethnic group.

Animism

The belief that objects, places, and creatures possess spirits or souls.

Mana

Sacred powers attributed to specific individuals or objects within cultural beliefs.

Ritual

A formal, repetitive behavior that is often associated with magical practices.

Rites of Passage

Ceremonies that mark significant transitions in a person's life, typically involving three stages: separation, liminality, and aggregation.

Gender

Cultural roles, behaviors, and expectations associated with being male or female.

Patriarchies

Social systems where men hold primary power and dominate roles of leadership.

Matriarchies

Social systems where women hold primary power and leadership roles.