Nature, Goals and Perspectives in Anthropology, Sociology & Political Science

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, figures, theories, and concepts from the lecture on anthropology, sociology, and political science.

Anthropology

The systematic study of humankind, merging biological and social science approaches.

Sociology

The scientific study of society, social interaction, and the products of those interactions.

Political Science

The systematic study of the state, government, and political processes.

Historical Particularism

Franz Boas’s view that each society has a unique culture that cannot be judged by universal standards.

Franz Boas

Father of modern American anthropology; championed cultural relativism and historical particularism.

Physical (Biological) Anthropology

Branch analyzing human biology, evolution, and fossil remains.

Paleoanthropology

Subdiscipline that reconstructs human evolution from fossil hominids.

Genetics (Anthropology)

Studies gene structures and inheritance patterns in human populations.

Primatology

Research on non-human primates to illuminate human evolution and behavior.

Osteology

Examination of skeletal remains to understand past populations.

Paleopathology

Investigation of disease and injury traces in ancient bones.

Forensic Anthropology

Identification and analysis of human remains for legal contexts.

Cultural (Social) Anthropology

Comparative study of cultures, beliefs, and practices, often in pre-literate societies.

Ethnography

Field-based qualitative method that records and describes a people’s way of life.

Bronislaw Malinowski

Anthropologist who emphasized participant observation and natives’ point of view.

Kula Ring

Malinowski-described ceremonial exchange network among Trobriand Islanders.

Goals of Anthropology

Identify human commonalities, preserve cultural diversity, create theories on humanity, and foster objective self-reflection.

Anthropometry

Measurement of human bodies and skulls, historically used to classify races.

Ethnographic Showcase

World’s fair or exhibit presenting colonized peoples as living displays for imperial audiences.

Doctrine of Discovery

Legal-religious principle justifying European seizure of non-Christian lands.

White Man’s Burden

Imperialist ideology portraying colonization as a moral duty to civilize others.

Imperialism

System of extending a nation’s power through territorial acquisition and economic dominance.

Colonialism

Practice of establishing control over foreign territories and subjugating indigenous peoples.

Epistemic Violence

Destruction or invalidation of knowledge systems and their bearers, leading to epistemicide.

Sociological Imagination

C. Wright Mills’s concept linking individual experiences to broader social forces.

Auguste Comte

Founder of sociology; promoted positivism and called sociology the “queen of the sciences.”

Positivism

Philosophical stance that authentic knowledge is based on empirical, scientific observation.

Harriet Martineau

Early sociologist who analyzed race, gender, and social problems; advocate of women’s rights.

Emile Durkheim

Pioneer who studied social facts, solidarity, and patterns of suicide.

Social Solidarity

The social glue—shared values and ties—that binds members of society together.

Egoistic Suicide

Durkheim’s type arising from too little social integration.

Altruistic Suicide

Suicide due to excessive integration, sacrificing self for the group.

Anomic Suicide

Suicide from insufficient social regulation during normless periods.

Fatalistic Suicide

Suicide caused by excessive regulation under oppressive conditions.

Max Weber

Sociologist who stressed understanding social action through subjective meaning (Verstehen).

Symbolic Interactionism

Micro-level perspective analyzing how people create meaning through symbols and interaction.

Verstehen

Weber’s interpretive method for grasping actors’ subjective meanings.

Karl Marx

Theorist linking social change to class struggle; co-author of The Communist Manifesto.

Conflict Theory

Macro perspective viewing society as arenas of competition over scarce resources.

Herbert Spencer

Social Darwinist who applied evolutionary theory to social change.

Social Darwinism

Belief that social progress results from survival of the fittest in human societies.

Macro Sociology

Analysis of large-scale social structures and institutions.

Micro Sociology

Study of face-to-face interaction and small groups.

Functionalism

View that social parts work together to maintain stability and adaptation.

Gemeinschaft

Tönnies’s term for close-knit community based on kinship and tradition.

Gesellschaft

Tönnies’s term for impersonal association in modern, urban society.

Modernization

Shift toward industrial, diverse, future-oriented societies with expanded personal choice.

Urbanization

Growth in the proportion of people living in cities, leading to megacities.

Commercialization

Transition from subsistence to cash-based economic activities.

Alienation

Feeling of isolation or powerlessness amid large-scale social change.

Public Sociology

Application of sociological research to address and solve social problems.

Global Social Issues

Transnational problems such as climate change, migration, war, poverty, and trafficking.

Comparative Politics

Subfield analyzing domestic politics of different nations.

International Relations

Study of political interactions among states and global actors.

Political Theory

Examination of normative and empirical ideas about politics and governance.

Public Administration

Study of bureaucratic organization and methods for improving governance.

Constitutional Law

Analysis of how constitutions create, limit, and apply governmental power.

Public Policy

Field designing and evaluating governmental plans to address economic and social needs.

Anarchism

Ideology rejecting the state as legalized oppression; favors stateless societies.

Socialism

Ideology viewing the state as an instrument of class rule but useful for reducing inequality.

Liberalism

Ideology that sees the state as a neutral arbiter protecting individual freedoms.

Conservatism

Ideology preferring gradual change and valuing tradition to maintain a strong state.

Fascism

Totalitarian ideology exalting the state as the supreme embodiment of the national will.

Monarchism

Belief in rule by a divine-right king or hereditary monarch.

Capitalism

Economic system based on private ownership and market exchange.

Symbolic Power

Ability to shape perceptions, categories, and norms through cultural meanings.

Institutional Power

Authority derived from formal structures, rules, and organizations.

ReConnect/ReCollect

Project pursuing reparative curation and scholarship on Philippine collections at the University of Michigan.

World’s Fair Expositions

Large international exhibitions showcasing technology, culture, and often colonial subjects.

James H. Blount

Anti-imperialist who labeled Dean Worcester the “P.T. Barnum” of non-Christian tribe displays.