Anthropology Review

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University of Waterloo *

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408A

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Anthropology

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Jan 9, 2024

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Anthropology Review Introduction to Anthro 1.) Define anthropology  Anthropology – Anthropology is the study of human beings as a species and as members of different cultures 2.) What are the two main fields of anthropology? What are the branches of each field?  Cultural anthropology – Ethnology | Linguistic Anthropology | Archaeology  Physical anthropology – Paleoanthropology | Primatology | Human Variation (1) What is Culture? 1.) Culture, material culture, non-material culture, surface culture, deep culture  Culture – Shared and learned behaviors, beliefs, attitudes, values, ideals, and material objects passed on from one generation to the next within a particular society.  Material culture – physical objects we humans create and give meaning to (tools, clothing, technology, etc.)  Non-material culture – The thoughts and behaviors we learn and share with others. This includes values, ideals, beliefs, language, etc.  Surface culture - Surface culture are the things that we can see, hear, and touch, like music, food, language, art.  Deep culture - Deep culture is a term defined as a system of values, beliefs, norms, and practices held in common by a group of people that serve to integrate them into a cohesive social entity. 2.) Using clear examples, explain the five basic characteristics of culture. 1. Culture is learned – language, religion 2. Culture is shared – music, dance 3. Culture is based on symbols – cross, flags 4. Culture is integrated - religion, tradition 5. Culture is dynamic - clothes, food (2) Cultural Anthropology 1.) Define cultural anthropology, cultural relativism, cultural evolutionism  Cultural Anthropology – The study of similarities and differences between past and/or present cultures  Cultural Relativism – Not generalizing when comparing two cultures because each culture has its own values and beliefs that must be understood and respected.

 Cultural Evolutionism – Believing all cultures evolve from “savage” to “civilized” (evolution). It is very biased, and believes their own culture is better than others 2.) Who is Franz Boas, and why is he significant to our study of anthropology? Franz Boas, also known as "The Father of American Anthropology," is an anthropologist. He is notable for developing the theory of cultural relativism. 3.) Should anthropologists apply the theory of cultural relativism or cultural evolutionism to their study of other cultures? Anthropologists should use cultural relativism in their studies of other cultures because it provides them with a wealth of unbiased perspectives that will be useful when exploring other cultures. 4.) Why would cultural anthropologists be interested in learning more about beliefs and practices surrounding death and dying in Tana Toraja, Indonesia ? Cultural anthropologists would be interested in learning more about the beliefs and practices surrounding death in Tana Toraja, Indonesia, because of how unique their culture is and how it will open anthropologists' minds to new things. (3) Cultural Anthropology: Ethnology 1.) Define: ethnology, participant observation Ethnology is the study and comparison of two or more human cultures. These people seek to understand how and why societies in the past and present differ in their thoughts and behaviors, to understand humanity. 2.) Who is Margaret Mead and why is her work significant to our study of anthropology? Margaret Mead was a cultural anthropologist who became one of anthropology's most influential and controversial figures. She is important because she was one of the first individuals to establish the importance of distinct cultures and their impact on individual behaviours and temperaments. 3.) Why is participant observation a crucial research method for cultural anthropologists? To gain a better understanding of a culture, ethnologists will frequently immerse themselves in it for months or even years, taking meticulous notes in order to write a detailed account of the culture. 4.) Why would cultural anthropologists be interested in learning more about the village of Umoja in Kenya? The reason why cultural anthropologists would be of interest is because it’s a MATRIARCHAL society, meaning that only women hold power and authority in society which is rare to see.

(4) Rites of Passage 1.) Define: cultural ritual, rite of passage  A cultural ritual is an action with intentional symbolic meaning undertaken for a specific cultural purpose.  A rite of passage is a cultural ritual that marks a time when a person is moving from one period in their life to another. 2.) Are rites of passage experienced in the same way in cultures around the world? Provide specific examples to support your position. No, rites of passage are not experienced in the same way in other cultures because they distinguish different cultural backgrounds from one another, which distinguishes individuals. Some of them are very similar to one another. A Quinceanera, for example, is similar to a Dipo in that they both represent the transition into womanhood, preparing them for the real world. (5) Cultural Anthropology: Marriage 1.) Define cultural institution, cultural universal, marriage, arranged marriage, polygamy  Cultural Institution – A cultural institution is a social structure that is important to a culture’s identity.  Cultural Universal – Cultural universal is the meaning of something that is found in some form in all cultures around the world.  Marriage - Marriage can be defined as a culturally recognized union between people that establishes rights and obligations between them as spouses.  Arranged Marriage - An arranged marriage is a marriage in which the marital partners are chosen by parents, community elders, matchmakers, or religious leaders to guide young people through the process of finding the right person to marry.  Polygamy – Polygamy is a form of marriage involving three or more spouses, such as a husband with several wives. 2.) Explain three key functions of marriages in society.  Biological – To have children and carry on the population.  Sexual – Sexual relations between spouses are approved of within marriage.  Cultural – To transmit cultural beliefs from one generation to the next. 3.) Outline one strength and one drawback of entering an arranged marriage.  Strength: A strength of an arranged marriage is that it is set to be a success.  Drawback: A drawback of an arranged marriage is that the couple may lack trust in each other. 4.) Outline three arguments in support of and three arguments against legalizing polygamy.

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Support of Polygamy: 1. Bigger selection of partners 2. Financial Stability 3. More role models Against Polygamy: 1. May lead to jealousy 2. May be more expensive 3. Tensions would be common (6) Beauty and Culture 1.) Is the concept of beauty the same in cultures around the world? Provide specific examples to support your position. Beauty can be defined as a combination of qualities, such as shape, coloration, or form, that pleases the aesthetic senses, especially sight. The concept of beauty is related to the prevailing culture which is perpetrated by print or visual media. Women would like to enhance their breasts and undergo cosmetic surgery because there is an obsession to it. Women would like to attract men for survival (to have a share in men’s resources for them and their children) Meanwhile, people in different parts of the world have different concept of beauty. People will tend to look at their own people in their culture as beautiful because people in different cultures tend to have different notions of beauty. In some African countries, a big body and big butt would be considered beautiful for women. In western countries, there is a tendency for women to starve to comply to the notion of what's beautiful (thin or slim). So judging others by one's set of concepts is wrong. (7) Cultural Anthropology: Archaeology 1.) Define: archaeology, excavate, artifacts, features, context Archaeology - Archaeology is the study of past cultures through the excavation of sites and analysis of fossils and artifacts Context - Context is the place where an artifact is found. Excavate - Excavation is the exposure, processing and recording of archaeological remains Artifact - An artifact is any object created or modified by a human culture, individual, or group is considered an artifact. Frequently, the artifact—or object—is recovered long after it has served its purpose. 2.) Who is Otzi and why was he a significant discovery for archaeologists? Otzi was a man who lived in Europe 5,300 years ago during the Copper Age. In September 1991, the body of Otzi was discovered frozen and mummified. This was significant because he is

knowledgeable about the ancient stone age. He was carrying a number of tools, including a copper axe, a bag, and unfinished arrows. This revealed the tools used by early humans to help them in their daily lives. (8) Physical Anthropology: Paleoanthropology 1.) Define: physical anthropology, fossils, paleoanthropology, natural selection, human evolution, bipedalism, stone tools, persistence hunting  Physical Anthropology – Physical Anthropology examines human beings as a biological species and tries to identify the similarities and differences between humans, and between humans and other species.  Fossils – Fossils are the remains of past life preserved in rock, soil, or amber.  Paleoanthropology – Paleoanthropology is the scientific study of human evolution.  Natural Selection – The theory of natural selection is to explain how animals and plants evolved.  Human Evolution – Human evolution is the lengthy process of change from which modern humans originated from ape-like ancestors.  Bipedalism – Bipedalism refers to moving on two legs.  Stone Tools – Stone tools are man-made tools created from stone.  Persistence Hunting – Persistence hunting is a hunting technique in which hunters use a combination of running and tracking to pursue prey to the point of exhaustion. 2.) Who is Charles Darwin, and why is his work significant to our study of early humans? Charles Darwin was a naturalist, scientist, and author who pioneered natural selection theory. His work was significant to our understanding of early humans because a discovery provided key evidence to support Darwin's theory that humanity originated in Africa. 3.) How was Lucy both similar to and different from modern human ancestors? Consider: physical features, brain size, bipedalism, control fire, stone tools, language, culture. Differences:  Pyramid or funnel shaped rib cage  Tall pelvis  Short legs, long arms  1/3 of modern human’s brain size  Control Fire: No  Creating Stone Tools: No  Use of Language: No  Human Culture: No Similarities:  Bipedal

 Spine connection beneath the skull to keep head steady  Robust and broad basin-shaped pelvis to support upper body and keep it up right  Angled thigh bones that place the weight directly over strong knee joints  Compact and arched feet that support the full body weight with each step 4.) What does studying the fossil remains of early humans teach us about human evolution? Studying the fossil remains of early humans teaches us on the changes of physical appearance, and how the fossils show that the human family tree has many more branches and deeper roots than we knew about. (9) Physical Anthropology: Primatology 1.) Define Primatology  Primatology – Primatology is the study of the anatomy and behaviours of living primates. They observe primates both in their natural habitats and in laboratory settings. 2.) Who is Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Birute Galdikas, and why are they significant to our study of primatology? Louis Leakey inspired all of these people to study primates. They had to live in damp, solitary, difficult conditions for months in order to study and learn about these primates. They used journals to identify behaviour in the primates, getting to know these animals individually and giving them names.  Jane Goodall – went to Tanzania to observe chimpanzees  Dian Fossey – went to Rwanda to observe gorillas  Birute Galdikas – went to Borneo to observe orangutans 3.) Outline three ways that humans are similar to and three ways that humans are different from primates. Use examples from the move Chimpanzee and Prezi to support your position. Similarities:  Live in communities, ex.) humans live with humans, chimps live with chimps  Ability to make tools, ex.) humans make all types of material tools, chimps make stone tools  Omnivorous, ex.) humans and chimps eat meat and plants Differences:  Complex language, ex.) humans speak to others with words, chimps speak to others with sounds/noises  Larger skull and brain capacity, ex.) humans have larger skulls, chimps have smaller skulls

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 Technological achievements, ex.) humans created technology, chimps had no technology (10) Physical Anthropology: Human Variation 1.) Define: human variation, socially constructed  Human Variation – Human variation involves studying the genetic similarities and differences between humans,  Socially Constructed – Socially constructed is the meaning that something (ex. Race) has been created and defined by our society over time 2.) Why do anthropologists believe that race is a socially constructed concept? Anthropologists believe that race is a socially constructed concept because we created it, and used it in all kinds of ways, including negative and harmful ways. 3.) Explain three reasons why humans should not be classified according to their race. 1. Race has no genetic basis. Not one characteristic, trait, or gene distinguishes all the members of one so-called race from all the members of another so-called race. 2. Skin colour really is only skin deep. Most traits are inherited independently from one another. The colour of someone’s skin doesn’t necessarily tell you anything else about him or her. 3. Race doesn’t determine a person’s qualities. The race of a person only tells you a person’s background, it doesn’t tell you anything about what's inside of a person.

Anthropology Review

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