Anthropology Final exam notes

Functions of Marriage

Establishes rights and obligations related to sex, reproduction, and child-rearing.

Exogamy

Marrying outside a specific group.

Incest Taboo

Prohibits sexual relations between certain relatives.

Cross Cousins

Children of siblings of the opposite sex (mother’s brother’s children or father’s sister’s children).

Parallel Cousins

Children of siblings of the same sex (mother’s sister’s children or father’s brother’s children).

Endogamy

Marrying within a specific group.

Arranged Marriage

Marriage arranged by families.

Bridewealth (Brideprice)

Payment from the groom’s family to the bride’s family.

Dowry

Property or money brought by the bride to her husband or his family.

Bride Service

Labor provided by the groom to the bride’s family.

Forms of Marriage

Monogamy, polygamy (polygyny and polyandry).

Sororate

When a widower marries his deceased wife’s sister.

Levirate

When a widow marries her deceased husband’s brother.

Residence Patterns

Patrilocal, matrilocal, neolocal.

Avunculate

The relationship between a mother’s brother and her children.

Nuclear Family

A couple and their dependent children.

Extended Family

Multiple generations living together.

Consanguineal Relatives

Relatives by blood.

Affinal Relatives

Relatives by marriage.

Descent Group

A group of people who share a common ancestry.

Unilineal Descent

Descent traced through one parent only (matrilineal or patrilineal).

Matrilineal Descent

Descent traced through the female line.

Patrilineal Descent

Descent traced through the male line.

Lineages

A descent group that can demonstrate their common descent from an apical ancestor.

Clans

A descent group that claims common descent from an apical ancestor but cannot demonstrate it.

Phratries

A unilineal descent group composed of supposedly related clans.

Non-Unilineal Descent (Cognatic)

Descent traced through both male and female lines.

Double Descent

Tracing descent through both matrilineal and patrilineal lines for different purposes.

Ambilineal Descent

Descent where individuals can choose to affiliate with either their mother’s or father’s descent group.

Bilateral Descent

Descent traced equally through both parents.

Sexual Dimorphism

Physical differences between males and females of a species.

Biological Determinism

The belief that biological factors determine human behavior.

Cultural Determinism

The belief that cultural factors determine human behavior.

Alternative Genders

Genders that exist outside the male/female binary.

Gender Roles

Culturally defined tasks and behaviors assigned to different genders.

Gender Stereotypes

Oversimplified and often negative ideas about the characteristics of men and women.

Gender Stratification

Unequal distribution of resources, power, and prestige between genders.

Patriarchy

Male dominance in society.

Matriarchy

Female dominance in society (debated if it exists).

Gender Ideology

Cultural ideas about gender roles, identities, and stratification.

Honor Killings

Homicides committed against individuals, usually women, for allegedly dishonoring their family.

Dowry Deaths

Deaths of young women in India related to disputes over dowry.

Purdah

The practice of concealing women from the eyes of non-family men.

Female Infanticide

The killing of female infants.

Gender and Language

Differences in how men and women use language.

Sexual Asymmetry

The universal tendency for women to be in a subordinate position in society.

Genderlects

Linguistic differences between men and women.

Dimensions of Social Inequality

Wealth, power, prestige.

Ascribed Statuses

Social positions assigned at birth (e.g., race, caste).

Achieved Statuses

Social positions attained through effort (e.g., education, occupation).

Class

A system of stratification based on economic factors.

Caste

A rigid system of social stratification based on hereditary status.

Ethnicity and Race

Categories of social identity based on shared culture or physical characteristics.

Essentialist Perspectives

Views that attribute ethnic identity as inherent.

Constructionist Perspectives

Views that attribute ethnic identity as socially constructed.

Pluralism

A form of inter-group relations where multiple groups coexist.

Assimilation

The process of integrating into a larger culture.

Acculturation

Cultural change resulting from contact with another culture.

Segregation

The separation of groups within a society.

Genocide

The deliberate killing of a large group of people, especially those of a particular ethnic group.

Population Transfer

The forced relocation of a population.

Types of Political Organization

Band, tribe, chiefdom, state.

Pan-Tribal Mechanisms

Institutions that cut across tribal divisions.

Segmentary Lineage System

A political system based on descent groups.

Age Grades

Categories of people based on age.

Age Set

A group of people born during a specific time period who move through age grades together.

Theories of State Formation

Voluntaristic theory, hydraulic theory, coercive theory.

Nation and State

Concepts related to political identity and organization.

Social Control

Mechanisms to regulate behavior.

Formal and Informal Means of Social Control

Laws vs. customs.

Social Norms

Expected standards of behavior.

Law

Formal rules enforced by political authority.

Warfare

Organized conflict between groups.

Origin and Functions of Religion

Explanations for the existence and role of religion.

Animism and Totemism

Belief in spirits and symbolic association with animals or plants.

Magic and Religion

Ways to influence supernatural forces.

Rituals

Formal, repetitive behaviors.

Rites of Passage

Rituals marking transitions in life stages.

Pilgrimage

A journey to a sacred place.

Types of Religious Organization

Individualistic cults, shamanism, communal cults, ecclesiastical cults, polytheism, monotheism.

Revitalization Movements

Efforts to create a new culture.

Prophet

An individual who receives divine revelation.

Revelation

The communication of divine knowledge.

Syncretism

The blending of religious traditions.

Cargo Cults

Religious movements in Melanesia based on the expectation of receiving western goods.

Christian Fundamentalism

A conservative religious movement within Christianity.

Islamic Fundamentalism

A conservative religious movement within Islam.

Religious Nationalism

The fusion of religious and national identities.

What is Art?

Creative expression.

Characteristics of Art

Skill, aesthetics, meaning.

Aesthetics

The study of beauty.

Fine Arts and Folk Arts

Elite vs. popular art forms.

Forms of Art

Visual, musical, verbal.

Ethnomusicology

The study of music in culture.

Verbal Arts

Oral traditions, storytelling.

Social Functions of Art

Communication, social cohesion, social control.

Art as a Form of Social Control

Reinforcing norms through creative expression.

Inventions and Innovations

New creations and ideas.

Diffusion

The spread of cultural traits.

Theories of Cultural Change

Modernization theory, world system theory.