Anthropology and Ethical Reflexivity

A collection of key vocabulary terms and their definitions related to anthropology and ethical reflexivity.

Imagining Community

The process of understanding the individual within their societal context, how cultures provide guidance, and the norms that govern behavior.

Cultural Change

The concept that all cultures are dynamic and not static, subject to both internal and external influences.

Colonialism

The political, social, economic, and cultural domination of a territory and its people by a foreign power for an extended time.

White Man's Burden

A paternalistic and racist doctrine asserting that native peoples in colonial empires were incapable of governing themselves.

Mission Civilisatrice

The French concept of a civilizing mission to spread French culture and religion throughout the colonies.

Imperial Ruination

The enduring impacts of colonial rule that shape current economic, social, and religious patterns.

Ethical Review Boards

Committees that oversee research ethics and ensure the protection of subjects involved in research.

Decolonizing Methodologies

Research approaches that aim to address and rectify the power imbalances between researchers and communities.

Acculturation

The exchange of cultural features that occurs when groups come into continuous first-hand contact.

Ethnogenesis

The gradual emergence of a new, distinct ethnic identity in response to changing social circumstances.

Diffusion

The process by which cultural elements are borrowed from another society and incorporated into the culture of a recipient group.

Ideal Culture vs Real Culture

The distinction between societal norms and goals versus the actual behaviors exhibited by individuals.