Anthropology
Study of the human species and its immediate ancestors
Adaptation
Process by which organisms cope with environmental forces and stresses
Holism
The view that one must study all aspects of a culture in order to understand it
Society
Organized life in groups, a feature that humans share with other animals
Culture
Traditions and customs, transmitted through learning, guide the beliefs and behaviors of people exposed to them
Human Adaptation
Interaction between culture and biology to satisfy individual goals
Cultural anthropology
The study of contemporary people and their cultures. Encompasses all aspects of human behavior and beliefs.
Linguistic anthropology
Devoted to the study of communication, mainly (but not exclusively) among humans
Biological (Physical) Anthropology
The study of humans as biological organisms, including their evolution and contemporary variation
Archaeology
The study of past human cultures through their material remains
Applied anthropology
Application of anthropological data, perspectives, theory, and methods to identify, assess, and solve contemporary social problems
Ethnography
Provides a first-hand, detailed description of a living culture. Based on first-hand research.
Ethnology
The study of one topic in more than one culture. Uses ethnographic material.
Franz Boas
Father of anthropology
Core Values
Key, basic, or central values that integrate a culture and help distinguish it from others
Cultural Relativism
Principle that behavior in one culture should not be judged by the standards of another culture
Ethnocentrism
Tendency to view one's own culture as superior and to apply one's own cultural values in judging the behavior and beliefs of people raised in other cultures; Contributes to social solidarity among people sharing a cultural tradition
Enculturation
the process by which a child learns his or her culture
Characteristics of Culture
Culture is... Symbolic, Learned, Shared, Integrated
Levels of Culture
International culture, National culture, Subcultures
Symbol
Something, verbal or non-verbal, that arbitrarily and by convention stands for something else, with which it has no necessary or natural connection
Agency
actions that individuals take, both alone and in groups, in forming and transforming cultural identities; People use culture actively and creatively
Practice Theory
focus on how individuals influence, create, and transform the world they live in; There is a relationship between culture (system) and the individual
Cultural Universals
features found in every culture
Cultural Generalities
features common to several but not all human groups
cultural particularities
features unique to certain cultural traditions
cultural rights
right of a group to preserve its culture, language, and economic base
diffusion
Borrowing of traits between cultures that has gone on throughout human history; Can be direct or indirect; Forced diffusion
acculturation
Exchange of cultural features that results when groups come into continuous firsthand contact; May occur in either or both groups engaged in contact; Parts of cultures change, but groups remain distinct
independent invention
Process by which humans innovate, creatively finding solutions to problems
globalization
The accelerating interdependence of nations in a world system linked economically and through mass media and modern transportation systems
history of anthropological fieldwork
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participant observation
Living and working with the people you study; Speaking their language
interview
Getting insite from people by talking to them
genealogical method
Procedures by which ethnographers discover and record connections of kinship, descent, and marriage, using diagrams and symbols
key informant(key cultural consultant)
someone who can provide the most complete or useful information about particular aspects of life
life history
Reveal how specific people perceive, react to, and contribute to changes that affect their lives; Illustrate diversity within a given community
collaborative research
Multiple ethnographers conducting complimentary research in a given community, culture, or region; Members of the study population work as partners with the anthropologist
longitudinal research
Long-term study of a community, region, society, culture, or other unit, usually based on repeated visits; Often conducted by research teams
survey research
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emic
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anthropological ethics
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informed consent
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evolution of ethnography
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problem oriented ethnography
Most ethnographers investigate a specific problem (although they remain interested in the whole context of human behavior); Collection of data on range of variables