week 3 glossary of key terms

anthropology

The study of human nature, human society, and the human past

biological anthropology

a subfield of anthropology that studies human evolution and biological variation

archaeology

a subfield of anthropology that examines past peoples and cultures through material remains

linguistic anthropology

a subfield of anthropology that explores language and its relation to culture

cultural anthropology

a subfield of anthropology that investigates contemporary cultures and societies

applied anthropology

the use of anthropological fieldwork and practice to address contemporary social problems

holistic anthropology

fitting together all that is known about human beings, considering social, religious, economic, and political aspects to produce a comprehensive understanding

comparative analysis

considering similarities and differences in a wide range of human societies before generalizing about what it means to be human

fieldwork

anthropological research involving going to the location of study to gather data through various ethnographic methods

participant observation

the anthropological method of collecting data by living with another people, learning their language, and understanding their culture… actively participating and observing

culture

a set of beliefs, practices, and symbols that are learned and shared

agency

the ability to act and to have a voice

hybridization

the mixing of cultures

indigenization

the process by which local cultures adapt and transform global cultural products

culture shock

the realization that other people do things differently and ones own culture is not “natural”

cultural relativism

the idea that each culture is unique and distinctive, and that no one culture is superior to any other… simply, regarding a culture on its own terms

biological determinism (scientific racism/social darwinism)

attempting to explain differences between human populations in terms of biological difference

structural violence

forces conspiring to promote suffering, differently weighted in different settings