ANT100: SCL Section

How has anthropology been historically used in a colonial context?

Anthropology has been used to study the 'colonial Other,' primarily by white scholars studying conquered peoples, often portraying them as 'primitive' or lacking history.

What does the term 'colonial Other' refer to in anthropology?

It refers to the peoples subjected to colonial domination, often studied by those from the colonizing nations.

What are the classic four fields of anthropology?

1. Physical anthropology (evolutionary) - what they look like; 2. Archaeology - their material culture, especially in the past; 3. Cultural anthropology (and social) - their customs, ideas, and social organizations; 4. Linguistic anthropology - what languages they speak.

What was the significance of the World's Columbian Expedition in 1893?

It marked the discovery of the Americas by Christopher Columbus.

What is meant by 'decolonizing anthropology'?

Decolonizing anthropology involves decentering the colonial gaze, including researchers from former colonies, and studying the global present, including Western cultures.

How does culture help individuals make sense of the world?

Culture helps individuals understand the world in group-specific ways, influenced by learned behaviors rather than genetic programming.

What role does language play in culture?

Language is a principal tool for social construction, communication, and identity formation, helping to distinguish in-groups from the Other.

What does the concept of 'cultural particulars' suggest about cultures?

Cultures are significantly different but also share similarities; they are not infinitely different.

What does the term 'nurture vs. nature' refer to in the context of culture?

It refers to the debate about whether our behaviors and beliefs are primarily shaped by cultural learning (nurture) or by genetic programming (nature).

How does language contribute to identity formation?

Language helps individuals identify with their in-group and differentiate themselves from others, fostering a sense of belonging.

What is the impact of including Western cultures in anthropology?

It acknowledges the complexities of global interactions and the influence of Western cultures on non-Western societies.

What is the significance of the phrase 'the body politic' in political economy?

It refers to the ways in which people organize themselves into groups and the interrelationships among those groups.

How does the lecture suggest we view cultural differences?

While cultures are different, they also exhibit notable similarities that should be recognized.

What does the term 'social transmission' mean in relation to language?

Social transmission refers to the way language and cultural meanings are passed down and shared within a community.

What is the role of anthropology in understanding the postcolony?

Anthropology seeks to include the full global present and the perspectives of those from former colonies in its studies.

What does 'the colonial gaze' refer to?

It refers to the perspective of colonial powers that often objectified and misrepresented the cultures and peoples they studied.

What does the term 'Hikikomori' refer to?

Hikikomori is a Japanese term for a social phenomenon where individuals, often adolescents or young adults, withdraw from social life and seek extreme isolation.

How did the ability to read and write affect the study of different cultures in the 19th century?

It created divisions between groups, often excluding non-Western civilizations from scholarly study.

What critique did some anthropologists offer regarding the colonizing West?

Some anthropologists used their studies to critique the practices and assumptions of the colonizing West.

What term describes people who are chronically online and avoid social interactions?

Chronically online individuals.

What do cultural universals suggest about human cultures?

Human cultures have more in common than not.

What factors reflect global influences on cultures?

Weather, politics, and economics.

What do languages have in common with cultures?

Languages, like cultures, have more in common than not.

What are some common elements found in all languages?

Nouns and verbs, importance of word orders, and no language can reverse word order to create a 'negative' meaning.

What are language universals?

Language universals are essential rules that characterize human languages.

What is the concept of identity formation in relation to community?

Sameness, which involves emotional connections within a community.

What does 'othering' refer to in the context of identity formation?

The concept of difference, where individuals are distinguished from others.

What are the two types of human universals discussed in the notes?

Culture and language as universals; specific cultures and languages as particulars.

What is the difference between 'Big C' and 'small c' in culture?

Big C refers to major cultural elements, while small c refers to everyday cultural practices.

How are universals transmitted according to the notes?

Universals are innate and transmitted via genes.

How are particulars transmitted?

Particulars are socially constructed and transmitted through society, largely via communication.

What is the adaptive value of social transmission?

Social transmission allows for flexibility and major changes within a generation without species change.

What are examples of scientific languages and cultures that develop to cope with specific contexts?

Words like 'snow', 'iPhone', and concepts like potlatch and brideswealth/dowry.

What is the Anthropocene?

A period where the environment must adapt to human influence rather than the other way around.

What are some technologies that pose threats to human survival?

Technologies such as drone warfare.

What is the challenge in discussing differences without reinforcing prejudice?

It involves addressing differences based on friction and tension rather than just differences themselves.

What does the term 'social construction' refer to?

The process of shaping material reality into social reality, influenced by historical conditions.

What is an example of a socially constructed concept mentioned in the notes?

Love marriage, where love is the primary reason for marriage.

What does the phrase 'from time immemorial' imply?

It suggests that a concept has existed for a very long time, often used loosely.

Who is associated with the idea of the 'invention of tradition'?

A famous historian who discusses how figures like Columbus were socially constructed.

What is the basic paradox underlying pluralist philosophy and practice?

The tension between recognizing differences while avoiding prejudice.

What is the idea behind falling in love and marriage according to the notes?

You fall in love first and get married on your own terms, while arranged marriages involve parents arranging the marriage, with love developing afterward.

What is adolescence defined as in the notes?

A time in life where one is neither a child nor an adult.

How is the concept of nations described in the notes?

Nations were invented during capitalism, and there are different nationalities; they were not always present.

What is the nature of race according to the notes?

Race is a socially constructed category that emerged after nations, not given by biology.

How is race characterized in the notes?

As an 'invention' with material reality tied to genetic pools, and a category of imagined common descent.

What are some examples of categories related to race mentioned in the notes?

Ethnic groups, nationality, and 'background'.

How are races described in terms of their existence?

Races exist as both scientific and folk categories, with a historical notion that varies across different periods and contexts.

What does the term 'racialization' refer to?

The process through which races are socially constructed.

What does the one-drop rule signify?

If a person has any African ancestry, they are socially classified as black; this rule also applies to other non-white groups.

How does the notes describe the relationship between race and slavery?

Race was used to justify slavery, with the belief that European settlers could enslave those of African descent.

What does naturalization refer to in the context of race?

The mistaken belief that socially constructed categories are natural.

What is signification?

The process of making sense of signs, which can be linguistic or non-linguistic.

Who is Ferdinand de Saussure and what is his contribution to semiotics?

A linguist who introduced the concepts of signifier and signified, emphasizing the connections that form a sign.

What are the components of a sign according to Saussurean theory?

A sign consists of a signifier (the physical form) and a signified (the concept it represents).

What does the notes imply about the classification of humans?

Humans differ by appearance, but their classification is socially constructed rather than natural.

How is the concept of race described in relation to genetic characteristics?

Different races may have varying genetic characteristics, but these are still socially constructed and not consistent enough to justify the notion of distinct human races.

What historical context does the notes provide regarding racism?

Racism was prominent during Shakespearean times and has roots in pseudo-science that categorized people based on skin color.

What is the significance of the term 'folk nation' in relation to race?

It indicates that race is a social construct rather than a scientific classification.

What does the notes say about the construction of racial categories?

Racial categories are not directly given by nature; they are created through social contexts and language.

What does the notes suggest about the genetic organization of populations?

Genetic pools are not primarily organized by skin color or defined racial categories.

What is the role of language in the classification of humans?

Language plays a crucial role in how differences among humans are classified and understood.

How does the notes describe the construction of racial identities?

Racial identities are shaped by social constructions and historical contexts rather than biological determinism.

What does the notes imply about the relationship between race and social context?

The understanding and classification of race are deeply influenced by social contexts and historical narratives.

What is the significance of the phrase 'a people or nation' in the context of race?

It reflects the historical usage of race to describe groups, such as 'the English race' or 'the Nordic race'.

What are the two components needed to have a sign according to Peirce?

The signifier and the signified.

What are the three qualities of a sign according to Charles Sanders Peirce?

Symbol, Icon, Index.

What characterizes a symbol in Peirce's theory?

Symbols are arbitrary and have no inherent connection to what they represent.

How do symbols relate to their referents?

They are connected only via the system of signification, such as language.

What is the opposite of an arbitrary sign?

A motivated sign.

What defines an icon in Peirce's theory?

An icon represents a physical characteristic and shares some physical form with the referent.

What is an index according to Peirce?

An index does not share any of its form with the referent.

Give an example of a word that is a symbol.

Most words like 'cat', 'happy', 'scrambled', and 'sweet' are symbols.

What is denotation in the context of signs?

Denotation refers to what a sign literally means.

What is connotation in the context of signs?

Connotation refers to what a sign implies beyond its literal meaning.

What does the quote 'What is essential is invisible to the eye' suggest about reality?

It suggests that some essential aspects of reality are ineffable and transcendental.

How does language relate to our understanding of the world?

We cannot think about the world without language.

What is meant by 'reality as a social construct'?

Reality is formed by people in society and is filtered through signs and language.

How does ordinary language define reality?

In ordinary language, reality is what is real.

How does social science jargon define reality?

In social science jargon, reality is how we understand the real.

What does 'species-specific construction of reality' refer to?

It refers to how different species perceive the real world differently based on their biological characteristics.

What example illustrates species-specific construction of reality?

Different animals see the same scene in different ways due to their unique visual systems.

What is the 'Whorf hypothesis'?

The hypothesis that different languages construct different realities.

What is the significance of signs in constructing reality?

Signs attempt to create an ordered reality that we can think and talk about.

What is the relationship between reality and the real?

Reality is what is verifiable and makes sense to us, while the real exists independently of semiosis.

What does the concept of culture/language-specific construction of reality imply about color perception?

Different languages divide the continuous color spectrum into units, affecting how speakers perceive and categorize colors.

How do languages influence the perception of colors like green and blue?

Some languages, such as old Chinese, Vietnamese, and Japanese, do not distinguish between green and blue, indicating that color perception is culturally constructed.

What is the Whorf Hypothesis?

The Whorf Hypothesis, proposed by Benjamin Lee Whorf, suggests that each language influences its speakers' thought processes and constructs different realities.

What is linguistic relativity?

Linguistic relativity is the idea that the structure of a language affects its speakers' worldview and cognition.

How is the self socially constructed according to the notes?

The concept of the self ('I' and ego) is constructed through societal influences, particularly through language and signs.

What are the three stages of self-development according to Jacques Lacan?

The three stages are the Real, Imaginary (mirror stage), and Symbolic stages.

What characterizes the Real stage in Lacan's theory?

In the Real stage, the ego is not yet formed, and experiences are undifferentiated without any sign system.

What happens during the Imaginary (mirror) stage?

The ego begins to form as the baby recognizes itself in the mirror and differentiates from parents, supported by societal guidance.

What is the significance of the Symbolic stage in Lacan's theory?

In the Symbolic stage, language emerges, allowing the differentiation of the world into categories and the formation of the ego as 'I'.

What is the role of language in the Symbolic stage?

Language is learned socially and is symbolic, marking the beginning of the child's understanding of self in relation to others.

How is the sense of 'I' developed according to the notes?

The sense of 'I' is developed through interactions with others and the recognition of oneself as a signifier in relation to other signifiers.

What does Erving Goffman's concept of 'face' refer to?

'Face' refers to how individuals present themselves to others and maintain their social image.

What are 'facework' and its significance?

'Facework' involves actions taken to maintain one's social image, including measures to 'save face'.

How does inner conversation contribute to self-perception?

Inner conversation involves a dialogue between 'I' and 'you', where societal influences shape one's self-concept.

What role does the superego play in the conversation of the self?

The superego represents the voice of society within oneself, influencing self-perception and moral judgments.