Anthro 1

Anthropology 111: One World, Many Peoples: Introduction to Cultural Anthropology

Instructor Information

• Instructor: Denise Huynh

• Date: January 8, 2026

• Topic 1: What is Cultural Anthropology? Culture?

• Readings: Chapters 1 (pp 11-25) and Chapter 2

Focus and Relevance of Cultural Anthropology

• Subfield: Cultural Anthropology

• Focus of this Course:

  • Study of people’s communities, behaviors, beliefs, and institutions.

  • Examination of how people derive meaning from their interactions while living, working, and playing together.

  • Exploration of cultural diversity in all living human societies, including students' own cultures.

Areas of Specialization in Cultural Anthropology

• Examples of areas of specialization include:

  • Psychological Anthropology

  • Arctic Worlds

  • Urban Anthropology

  • Medical Anthropology

  • Indigenous Motherhood, Family, and HIV/AIDS

  • Development Anthropology

  • Environmental Anthropology

Guiding Principles in Cultural Anthropology

1. Holism

   • A perspective that aims to study a culture by examining all interconnected parts of a societal system.

   • Research focuses on the ‘Big Picture’ to understand how different parts relate to one another.

2. Comparative Approach

   • Involves using cross-cultural comparisons to analyze issues faced by various cultures globally.

   • Cross-Cultural and Comparative Approach: Anthropologists compare cultural practices to explore human similarities and differences, and potential for diverse cultural expressions.

   • Example: The impact of globalization, environmental changes, human rights, and inequality on different cultures.

   • Important Clarification: This approach is not exclusively about studying the exotic, primitive, or savage.

3. Ethnocentrism

   • Definition: The practice of interpreting cultural features of other societies from the perspective of one's own culture.

   • It is a common byproduct of socialization within any culture.

   • Major obstacle to understanding and appreciating other cultures.

   • Being aware of ethnocentrism helps in temporarily setting aside personal value judgments when studying other cultures.

4. Cultural Relativism

   • Concept: Cultural traits should be understood through the cultural context in which they exist.

   • Rejects the notion of absolute standards in cultural features.

   • Does not require an endorsement or approval of other cultures.

5. Emic vs. Etic Perspectives

   • Emic: The insider perspective, attempting to describe a culture from the viewpoint of its members.

     • Example: In Hindu culture, cows are considered sacred and thus not consumed as food.

   • Etic: The outsider perspective, describing a culture based on an external observation by anthropologists.

     • Example: In the same context, cows may be viewed as more valuable for their role in agriculture (e.g., calves, milk, labor, dung).

DNA of Cultural Anthropology: The Danger of a Single Story

• Video by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie discusses the perils associated with a singular narrative.

  • Main Point: One cannot rely solely on a single story, both in individual experiences and cultural narratives.

  • Quote: "The single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue but that they are incomplete—they make one story become the only story."

Importance of Cultural Anthropology

• Global Scope: Anthropology has a worldwide perspective and relevance.

• Globalization:

  • Updates and transforms both individual lives and overall research dynamics.

• Anthropological Practices:

  • Focus on local people and their communities.

  • Examination of power structures within societies.

• Connection Among All Humans: Anthropologists posit that studying various cultures enhances understanding, particularly within the context of globalization.

• Understanding others leads to better self-understanding.

Unique Approach in Cultural Anthropology

• Primary Research Strategy: Ethnographic fieldwork which involves:

  • Living with and interacting with a community over a protracted period to gather deeper insights into their lives and cultures.

  • May include participant observation, allowing anthropologists to experience and observe daily activities.

  • Ethnography: The comprehensive description of a contemporary culture derived from direct fieldwork.

  • Ethnology: The comparative analysis of ethnographic data across different cultures.

What Is Culture?

• Popular Understanding:

  • Culture often relates to specific traditions of ethnic groups or elite art forms.

• Anthropological Definition: Culture encompasses the entirety of people's ways of life.

  • Definition: Culture includes everything that individuals have, think, and do as society members.

  • Relative to a specific community or society.

• Components of Culture:

  • Material objects (what people have)

  • Values, attitudes, beliefs, and ideas (what people think)

  • Patterned behavioral practices (what people do)

Values, Attitudes, Beliefs, and Ideas

• Values:

  • Define what individuals find important and strive to acquire or maintain.

  • Values are subject to change based on aging, life circumstances, and societal evolution.

  • Influence cognitive and behavioral aspects, including attitudes and beliefs.

Norms

• Norms:

  • Define concepts of appropriate and inappropriate behavior within a culture.

  • Individuals typically conform to cultural norms due to societal expectations.

  • Challenging norms may lead to various forms of punishment.

  • Collective challenges to norms have the potential to result in cultural change.

Characteristics of Culture

• Culture influences biological processes.

• Culture is symbolic in nature.

• Culture is learned and not instinctual.

• Culture operates at an unconscious level.

• Cultures are typically integrated; they function as cohesive systems.

• Culture is shared among members of a society.

• Culture is relative, varying significantly across different societies.