acc Cultural Anthropology Test #1

Anthropology

The study of humankind in all times and places

Holistic Perspective

A fundamental principle of anthropology: that the various parts of human culture and biology must be viewed in the broadest possible context in order to understand their interconnections and interdependence.

Ethnocentrism

the belief that the ways of one's own culture are the only proper ones

Culture-bound

looking at the world and reality based on the assumptions and values of one's own culture

applied anthropology

the use of anthropological knowledge and methods to solve practical problems, often for a specific client

physical anthropology

the systematic study of humans as biological organisms also known as biological anthropology.

paleoanthropology

the study of the origins and predecessors of the present human species; the study of human evolution.

bio-cultural

focusing on the interaction of biology and culture

forensic anthropology

applied subfield of physical anthropology that specializes in the identification of human skeletal remains for legal purposes.

cultural anthropology

also known as social or sociocultural anthropology. The study of customary patterns in human behavior, thought, and feelings. It focuses on humans as culture producing and culture-reproducing creatures.

culture

a society's shared and socially transmitted ideas, values, and perceptions, which are used to make sense of experience and generate behavior and are reflected in that behavior

ethnography

a detailed description of a particular culture primarily based on fieldwork

fieldwork

the term anthropologists use for on-location research

ethnology

the study and analysis of different cultures from a comparative or historical point of view, utilizing ethnographic accounts and developing anthropological theories that help explain why certain important differences or similarities occur among groups

linguistic anthropology

the study of human languages - looking at their structure, history, and relation to social and cultural contents

discourse

an extended communication on particular subject

archaeology

the study of human cultures through the recovery of material remains and environmental data

bio-archaeology

the archaeological study of human remains, emphasizing the preservation of cultural and social processes in the skeleton

empirical

based on observations of the world rather than on intuition or faith

hypothesis

a tentative explanation of the relationships between certain phenomena

theory

in science an explanation of natural phenomena supported by a reliable body of data

doctrine

an assertion of opinion or belief formally handed down by an authority as true and indisputable

informed consent

formal recorded agreement to participate in research; federally mandated for all research in the US and Europe

globalization

worldwide interconnectedness, evidenced in global movements of natural resources, trade goods, human labor, finance capital, information, and infectious diseases

enculturation

the process by which a society's culture is passes on from one generation to the next and individuals become members of their society

society

an organized group or groups of interdependent people who generally share a common territory, language, and culture and who act together for collective survival and well being

gender

the culture elaborations and meanings assigned to the biological differentiation between the sexes

subculture

a distinctive set of ideas, values, and behavior patterns by which a group within a larger society operates while still sharing common standards with that larger society

ethnic group

people who collectively and publicly identify themselves as a distinct group based on cultural features such as common origin and traditional beliefs

ethnicity

this term, rooted in the Greek word "ethnikos" (nation) and related to ethos (custom) is the expression for the set of cultural ideas held by an ethnic group

pluralistic society

a society in which two or more ethnic groups or nationalities are politically organized into one territorial state but maintain their cultural differences

symbol

a sign, sound, emblem, or other thing that is arbitrarily linked to something else and represents it in a meaningful way

infrastructure

the economic foundation of a society, including its subsistence practices and the tools and other material equipment used to make a living

super structure

a society's shared sense of identity and worldview. The collective body of ideas, beliefs, and values by which members of a society make sense of the world - its shape, challenges, and opportunities - and understand their place in it. This includes religion and national identity

urgent anthropology

ethnographic research that documents endangered cultures, also known as salvage ethnography

advocacy anthropology

research that is community based and politically involved

ethnographic fieldwork

extended on-location research to gather detailed and in-depth information on a society's customary ideas, values and practices through participation in its collective social life

key consultant

a member of the society being studied who provides information that helps researchers understand the meaning of what they observe; early anthropologists referred to such individuals as informants

quantitative data

statistical or measurable information; such as demographic composition, the types and quantities of crops grown, or the ratio of spouse born and raised within or outside the community.

qualitative data

non-statistical info. such as personal life stories and customary beliefs and practices

informal interview

an unstructured open ended conversation in everyday life

formal interview

a structured question/answer session carefully notated as it occurs and based on prepared questions

eliciting device

an activity or object used to draw out individuals and encourage them to recall and share info

digital ethnography

the use of digital technologies (audio & visual) for the collection, analysis and representation of ethnographic data

ethnohistory

a study of cultures of the recent past through oral histories, accounts of explorers, missionaries, and traders, and analysis of records such as land titles, birth and death records, and other archival materials

human relations area files HRAF

A vast collection of cross-indexed ethnographic and archaeological data catalogued by cultural characteristics and geographic locations; archived in about 300 libraries

idealist perspective

a theoretical approach stressing the primacy of super structure in cultural research and analysis

materialist perspective

a theoretical approach stressing the primacy of infrastructure (material conditions) in cultural research and analysis

species

a population or group of populations having common attributes and the ability to interbreed and produce live, fertile off spring. Different species are reproductively isolated from one another

humanoid

the broad-shouldered tailless group of primates that include all living and extinct apes and humans

lower paleolithic

the first part of the Old Stone Age spanning from about 200,000 or 250,000 to 2.6 mil years ago

homo habilis

"handyman" the first fossil members of the genus homo appearing 2.5 to 2.6 mya, with larger brains and smaller faces than australopithecines

Oldowan Tool Tradition

the first stone tool industry, beginning between 2.5 and 2.6 mya at the start of the lower paleolithic

homo erectus

"upright man" A species within the genus homo first appearing just after 2 mya in Africa and ultimately spreading throughout the Old World

Neanderthals

a distinct group within the genus homo inhabiting Europe and SW Asia from approximately 30,000 to 125,000 years ago

Mousterian Tool Tradition

the tool industry found among Neanderthals in Europe and SW Asia and their human contemporaries in Northern Africa, during the Middle Paleolithic

Recent African Origins Hypothesis

the hypothesis that all modern people are derived from one single population of archaic homo sapiens from Africa who migrated out of Africa after 100,000 years ago, replacing all other archaic forms due to their superior cultural capabilities, also called the Eve or out of Africa hypothesis

australopithecus

the genius including several species of early bipeds from southern, eastern and central Africa living between about 1.1 and 4.4 million years ago, one of whom was directly ancestral to humans

bipedalism

"two-footed" walking upright on both hind legs - a characteristic of humans and their ancestors

primate

the subgroup of mammals that includes lemurs, lories, tarsiers, monkeys, apes and humans

natural selection

the principle or mechanism by which individuals having biological characteristics best suited to a particular environment survive and reproduce with greater frequency than individuals without those characteristics

adaptation

a series of beneficial adjustments of organisms to their environment

upper paleolithic

the last part (10,000 - 40,000 years ago) of the Old Stone Age, featuring tool industries characterized by long slim blades and an explosion of creative symbolic forms

genes

the basic physical units of heredity that specify the biological traits and characteristics of each organism

evolution

changes in the genetic makeup of a population over generations

language

a system of communication using sounds or gestures that are put together in meaningful ways according to a set of rules

signal

an instinctive sound or gesture that has a natural or self-evident meaning

linguistics

the modern scientific study of all aspects of language

phonetics

the systematic identification and description of distinctive speech sounds in a language

phonology

the study of language and sounds

phonemes

the smallest units of sound that make a difference in meaning in a language

morphemes

the smallest units of sound that carry a meaning in language. They are distinct from phonemes, which can alter meaning but have no meaning by themselves

syntax

the patterns or rules by which words are arranged into phrases and sentences

grammar

the entire formal structure of a language, including morphology and syntax

core vocabulary

the most basic and long-lasting words in any language- pronouns, lower numerals and names for body parts and natural objects

linguistic nationalism

the attempt by ethnic minorities and even countries to proclaim independence by purging their language of foreign terms

sociolinguistics

the study of the relationship between language and society through examining how social categories (such as age, gender, ethnicity, religion, occupation, and class) influence the use and significance of distinctive styles of speech.

gender speech

distinct male and female speech patterns, which vary across social and cultural settings

dialects

varying forms of a language that reflect particular regions, occupations, or social classes and that are similar enough to be mutually intelligible

code switching

changing from one mode of speech to another as the situation demands, whether from one language to another or from one dialect of a language to another

ethnolinguistics

a branch of linguistics that studies the relationships between language and culture and how they mutually influence and inform each other

gestures

facial expressions and body postures and motions that convey intended as well as subconscious messages

kinesics

a system of notating and analyzing postures, facial expressions, and body motions that convey messages

proxemics

the cross-cultural study of people's perceptions and use of space

paralanguage

voice effects that accompany language and convey meaning. these include vocalizations such as giggling, groaning or sighing, as well as voice qualities such as pitch and tempo

tonal language

a language in which the sound pitch of a spoken word is an essential part of its pronunciations and meaning.

displacement

referring to things and events removed in time and space

writing system

a set of visible or tactile signs used to represent units of language in a systematic way

alphabet

a series of symbols representing the sound of a language arranged in a traditional order

self-awareness

the ability to identify oneself as an individual, to reflect oneself, and to evaluate oneself

naming ceremony

a special event or ritual to mark the naming of a child

personality

the distinctive way a person thinks, feels and behaves

dependence training

child rearing practices that foster compliance in the performance of assigned tasks and dependence on the domestic group, rather than reliance on oneself.

independence training

child rearing practices that foster independence, self-reliance, and personal achievement

core values

those values especially promoted by a particular culture

intersexual

a person born with reproductive organs, genitalia, and/or sex chromosomes that are not exclusively male or female

transgender

a person who crosses over or occupies an alternative position in the binary male-female gender construction

culture-bound syndrome

a mental disorder specific to a particular cultural group

ecosystem

a system or a functioning whole, composed of both the natural environment and all the organisms living within it.

cultural evolution

cultural change over time not to be confused with progress