Concise Notes on Cultural Anthropology Schools of Thought

Learning Goals

  • Understand the 5 Schools of Thought in Cultural Anthropology.
  • Learn about research methods used by cultural anthropologists.

Schools of Thought

  • Research strategies utilized by cultural anthropologists to comprehend human culture and behavior.
  • Each school approaches cultural studies differently, possessing a distinct theory for analyzing cultural phenomena.

Cultural Relativism

  • Definition: The perspective that one should understand and evaluate cultures based on their own norms and values.
  • Emphasizes the need to avoid ethnocentrism (viewing one's own culture as superior).
  • Notable theorist: Franz Boas - criticized Comparative Culture studies and stressed the importance of internal cultural rules.
  • Encourages understanding emotional responses across different cultures.
  • Challenges cultural evolutionism, positing that all cultures are valid in their contexts.

Functional Theory

  • Proposes that every element of culture fulfills a function toward maintaining societal stability.
  • Interdependence among cultural elements crucial for survival.
  • Highlighted in the ceremonial exchanges observed by Bronislaw Malinowski in the Kula Ring, illustrating cultural exchanges that benefit society as a whole.

Postmodernism

  • Rejects the idea of an objective truth about culture, asserting that knowledge is socially constructed.
  • Emphasizes standpoint theory, where perceptions are greatly influenced by personal experiences.
  • Calls for reflexivity in research, acknowledging that anthropologists are part of their cultural contexts.

Cultural Materialism

  • Initiated by Marvin Harris, focusing on how material conditions influence cultural ideologies.
  • Advocates that societal structures must benefit the community to persist.
  • Breaks culture into three parts: Infrastructure (environmental use), Structure (social operations), and Superstructure (cultural practices).

Feminist Anthropology

  • Aims to correct male bias in traditional anthropology, ensuring women's perspectives are included.

  • Seeks gender equality and highlights how cultural conditions impact women's roles and contributions in societies.

  • Highlights variations in gender roles based on economic contributions in foraging and hunting communities.

  • Encourages examination of how cultural definitions of gender roles are socially constructed and not biologically predetermined.