Anthropology Terms

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Rowan University *

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ANTH-022

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Anthropology

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Oct 30, 2023

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Anthropology Anthropology: study of human beings; or study of culture 4 fields of Anthropology: cultural, archaeological, biological, and linguistic cultural anthropology: using ethnography and ethnology to study human societies and cultures archaeological anthropology: reconstructs, describes and interprets past human behavior and cultural patterns through material remains biological anthropology: Pale anthropology: human evolution via fossil record: genetics, growth and development; primatology linguistic anthropology: language in social and cultural context across space and time Culture: Learned traditions and customs, that govern beliefs and behaviors; not biological always acquired ALSO the complex whole that includes all habits, customs, beliefs, knowledge, art, morals, etc. learned by humans as members of a society Ethnicity: Biology, culture, behavior, basic values, language, and customs shared within a group. Members recognize other members of the group. Not strictly limited to color of skin. Example a person can be WHITE without being CAUCASIAN Binary oppositions: contrasting pairs, such as male/female, young/old, sun/moon, by which people organize their social and conceptual worlds. This idea is associated with the French anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss. Gender cultural meanings, values, and social roles assigned with respect to sex differences NOT BIOLOGICAL Socialization the process of transmitting appropriate cultural values and social behavior from one generation to the next

Society: groups living and sharing culture Class, caste a category of people who have approximately the same access to power and resources Worldview: the culturally shaped way one sees and interprets the world. Not biological assumptions about nature moral options and life options. People never venture beyond their perception of the "Real world" Applied anthropology: to identify, assess and solve contemporary social problems. Examples: Medical Anthropology, Cultural Resource Management (CRM), Forensic Anthropology, and Non-government Organizations (NGO's) Cross: cultural- Phenomena or mode of comparison not limited to a particular culture or group Cultural relativism: principle assuming that human customs and life ways are meaningful and coherent in their native social context Emic: "Insider" Etic: "Outsider" Ethnocentrism: the belief that all aspects of European culture represent the best forms of culture Ethnography: requires fieldwork to collect data, descriptive, group/community Ethnology: draws upon data collected by a series of researchers, synthetic, comparative, cross-culture Holistic: human biology, culture, and language Science:

a framework for systematically acquiring information about the physical world and testing that information through controlled observations History: the discipline that records and interprets past events involving human beings Participant observation: the preferred anthropological method it involves living as a member of the society under study and sharing in day-to-day activities usually for an extended period of time. Affine: individuals related through marriage Consanguine: individuals related through biological ties Endogamy: a marriage practice according to which people are expected to take mates from within the group Exogamy: a marriage practice according to which people are expected to take mates from outside the group Evolution: the process of development or growth in a group; technically the change in allele frequency in a population from one generation to the next Functionalism: associated with Bronislaw Malinowski, an anthropological approach the emphasizes the synchronic and holistic approaches Infanticide: the practice of killing infants, female infanticide is the practice of killing female infants usually for purposes of population control or as a result of economic factors Lineage: a kin group whose members trace descent matrilineally or patrinilinealy from a common ancestor through known links Monogamy: a system of marriage involving one man and one wife Social Darwinism:

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Application of the theory of natural selection to social organization, involving a misinterpretation of Darwin's biological theory of evolution Diachronic: uses the past to analyze the present Synchronic: emphasizes the present Tribe: composed of a number of bands Chiefdom a type of political organization that is regional, kin-based and hierarchical State a type of political organization that is regionalized, bureaucratic, and hierarchical General evolution: Associated with Leslie White, a theory of social evolution that argues that cultures evolve through a series of universal stages as a result of increasing use of technology to capture energy Specific evolution: Associated with Julian Steward, a theory of social evolution that holds the changes in each culture must be studied as adaptations to a specific environment rather than with reference to universal stages Reciprocity: mutual dependence Slash and burn agriculture a cultivation technique in which an area of forest is cut down and then burned allowing the ashes to serve as fertilizer for crop production. Because the soil is only fertile for a few seasons the technique requires that the land be allowed to lie fallow after a few seasons Pastoralism: People who are dependent mainly on domesticated animals, such as cattle, for subsistence Capitalism: Economic system characterized by the following: private property ownership exists; individuals and companies are allowed to compete for their own economic gain; and free market forces determine the prices of

goods and services. Such a system is based on the premise of separating the state and business activities. Capitalists believe that markets are efficient and should thus function without interference, and the role of the state is to regulate and protect. Marxism: Associated with Karl Marx and Fredrich Engels, a school of thought that argues that the social organization and ideology of a particular society are determined by its economic base. Market System: a form of exchange which is concluded in a single transaction at a public place either through barter or transfer of cash Industrialization: having a economic system heavily dependent on manufacturing Complex society: a society characterized by a great deal of task specialization and differences in access to power and resources Cultural ecology: Associated with Julian Steward, an approach to anthropological analysis that focuses on the relationship of a culture to its environment Egalitarian: Characteristic of a society in which social roles are allocated by gender or age but are otherwise undifferentiated Hierarchy, status: A form of social organization in which some roles are associated with more power, higher status, and greater access to resources than others Kinship, marriage: A publicly recognized social contract that establishes a social contract, sexual rights, social identity of offspring, and an alliance between kin groups. Nuclear family: An economically interdependent unit consisting of a parent or parents and their dependent offspring Polygamy: A system of marriage where a person of either sex can have more than one mate

Polygyny: A system of marriage where a man can have more than one wife Exchange, redistribution trade Materialism: all aspects of culture are means to exploit materials Political economy: economics of power; the way power is structured Neolocal: creating a new home with a new family example a new husband and wife move to a new house in a new location separate from either of their original families

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