Foundations in Cultural & Linguistic Anthropology

Vocabulary flashcards based on the lecture 'Foundations in Cultural & Linguistic Anthropology' covering definitions of key terms like language, culture, ethnocentrism, and cultural relativism, as well as relevant anthropologists and examples.

Language

A series of arbitrary symbols used to communicate and transmit culture.

Linguistic Anthropology

The field that examines language in its sociocultural context.

Culture (Nelson and Braff 2020)

A set of beliefs, practices, and symbols that are learned and shared, forming an all-encompassing, integrated whole that binds people together and shapes their worldview and lifeways.

Enculturation

The process by which culture is learned, indicating it is not innate.

Cultural Anthropology

The study of modern human cultures worldwide, exploring differences, similarities, relationships, and forms of oppression.

Ethnocentrism

The belief that one's own culture is superior or the standard by which other cultures should be judged, which is rejected by anthropologists.

Franz Boas

A prominent anthropologist (1858-1942) who rejected ethnocentrism.

Cultural Relativism

The principle that practices must be understood within their own particular cultural, historical, and political context, requiring suspension of judgment and appreciation of cultural variation.

Female Genital Cutting (FGC)

A practice discussed as an example where a relativist approach was used to understand its importance to communities (e.g., related to androgyny, limiting premarital sex, defying colonialism).

Bettina Shell-Duncan

An anthropologist who took a relativist approach to understanding Female Genital Cutting (FGC) and now works to reduce it.