cultural anthropolgy unit 2

Culture

Shared learned system of beliefs, values, behaviours, symbols, and practices.

E.B. Tylor

Early evolutionist anthropologist; first major definition of culture.

Psychic Unity

Idea that all humans think similarly and follow same developmental path.

Armchair Anthropologist

Anthropologist who studies cultures indirectly through reports/artifacts.

Shared Culture

Culture exists collectively within groups.

Learned Culture

Culture acquired through socialization and enculturation.

Patterned Culture

Culture follows recognizable structures and routines.

Adaptive Culture

Culture helps humans survive environments.

Symbolic Culture

Humans attach shared meaning to symbols.

Bronislaw Malinowski

Founder of functionalism and participant observation.

Participant Observation

Living within a community while studying it.

Functionalism

Theory that cultural institutions serve social functions.

Radcliffe-Brown

Functionalist anthropologist focused on social systems.

Organic Analogy

Society functions like a body with connected parts.

Franz Boas

Father of North American Anthropology.

Cultural Relativism

Understanding cultures by their own standards.

Historical Particularism

Each culture shaped by unique historical experiences.

Four-Field Approach

Cultural, biological, linguistic anthropology + archaeology.

Clifford Geertz

Interpretive anthropologist focused on meaning.

Interpretive Anthropology

Study of cultural meaning and symbols.

Webs of Significance

Shared systems of meaning humans create.

Human Agency

Ability to make choices and act independently.

Material Culture

Physical objects created and used by humans.

Technology

Skills and knowledge used to create material culture.

Cultural Practices

Everyday actions carrying cultural meaning.

Cultural Frames

Shared ways of interpreting situations.

Cultural Roles

Expected social positions in society.

Values

Cultural ideas about what is important or desirable.

Beliefs

Ideas about what is true or false.

Ideology

System of beliefs supporting group interests.

Antonio Gramsci

Marxist thinker associated with cultural hegemony.

Cultural Hegemony

Dominant values become seen as 'normal.'

Counterhegemony

Resistance to dominant cultural systems.

Norms

Rules for acceptable behaviour.

Folkways

Informal everyday norms.

Mores

Strong moral norms.

George Murdock

Anthropologist who studied cultural universals.

Cultural Universals

Traits found in all societies.

Enculturation

Process of learning culture.

Psychological Anthropology

Study of culture and personality/emotions.

Ruth Benedict

Founder of Culture and Personality School.

Culture and Personality School

Theory linking culture and personality development.

Piano Analogy

Emotions compared to piano keys.

Archaeology

Study of human societies through material remains.

GIS

Geographic Information Systems used in archaeology.

Prehistoric Archaeology

Studies societies without written records.

Historic Archaeology

Studies societies with written records.

Classical Archaeology

Study of ancient Greece, Rome, Egypt.

Underwater Archaeology

Archaeology of submerged sites.

Ethnoarchaeology

Uses modern cultures to interpret ancient remains.

Linguistic Anthropology

Study of language and culture.

Structural Linguistics

Study of language structure and grammar.

Language and Thought

Relationship between language and perception.

Russian Blue Example

Russian language has more distinctions for blue shades.

Sociolinguistics

Study of language in social groups.

Historical Linguistics

Study of language change over time.