Cultural Anthropology The Human Challenge Ch 1

Anthropology

Study of humans, past and present

Applied Anthropology

application of the method and theory of anthropology to the analysis and solution of practical problems

Archaeology

study of human activity in the past, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts (also known as eco-facts) and cultural landscapes

Bioarchaeology

scientific study of human remains from archaeological sites, a discipline known in other countries as osteoarchaeology or palaeo-osteology. In England and other European countries, the term 'bioarchaeology' is borrowed to cover all biological remains from sites.

Biocultural

relationships between human biology and culture (physical anthropology)

Cultural Anthropology

study of cultural variation among humans and is in contrast to social anthropology which perceives cultural variation as a subset of the anthropological constant.

Cultural Resource Management

vocation and practice of managing cultural resources, such as the arts and heritage. It incorporates Cultural Heritage Management which is concerned with traditional and historic culture. It also delves into the material culture of archaeology. Cultural resources management encompasses current culture, including progressive and innovative culture, such as urban culture, rather than simply preserving and presenting traditional forms of culture.

Culture

universal human capacity to classify and encode human experiences symbolically, and to communicate symbolically encoded experiences socially

Culture-bound

restricted in character or outlook by belonging or referring to a particular culture.

Discourse

written or spoken communication or debate

Doctrine

a belief or set of beliefs held and taught by a church, political party, or other group

Empirical

based on, concerned with, or verifiable by observation or experience rather than theory or pure logic

Ethnocentrism

judging another culture solely by the values and standards of one's own culture

Ethnography

the scientific description of the customs of individual peoples and cultures

Ethnology

the study of the characteristics of various peoples and the differences and relationships between them

Fieldwork

collection of information outside of a laboratory, library or workplace setting

Forensic Anthropology

application of the science of anthropology and its several subfields, including Biological Anthropology(Physical) and Cultural Anthropology (Ethnology, Archeology, Linguistics), in a legal setting

Globalization

process of interaction and integration among the people, companies, and governments of different nations, a process driven by international trade and investment and aided by information technology

Holistic Perspective

concerned with all human beings across times and places, and with all dimensions of humanity (evolutionary, biophysical, sociopolitical, economic, cultural, psychological, etc.)

Hypothesis

a proposed explanation for a phenomenom

Informed consent

process for getting permission before conducting a healthcare intervention on a person

Linguistic anthropology

interdisciplinary study of how language influences social life. It is a branch of anthropology that originated from the endeavor to document endangered languages

Medical anthropology

study of how health and illness are shaped, experienced, and understood in light of global, historical, and political forces

Molecular anthropology

molecular analysis is used to determine evolutionary links between ancient and modern human populations, as well as between contemporary species. Generally, comparisons are made between sequence, either DNA or protein sequence, however early studies used comparative serology.

Paleoanthropology

combines the disciplines of paleontology and physical anthropology, is the study of ancient humans as found in fossil hominid evidence such as petrifacted bones and footprints

Participant observation

type of data collection method typically done in the qualitative research paradigm. It is a widely used methodology in many disciplines, particularly cultural anthropology and (European) ethnology

Physical anthropology

scientific discipline concerned with the biological and behavioral aspects of human beings, their related non-human primates and their extinct hominin ancestors

Primatology

scientific study of primates. It is a diverse discipline and researchers can be found in academic departments of anatomy, anthropology, biology, medicine, psychology, veterinary sciences and zoology, as well as in animal sanctuaries, biomedical research facilities, museums and zoos

Theory

contemplative and rational type of abstract or generalizing thinking, or the results of such thinking.