Anthropology
the study of the full scope of human diversity and the application of that knowledge to help people of different backgrounds better understand one another
four-field approach
the use of 4 interrelated disciplines to study humanity: physical anthropology,archeology,linguistic anthropology, & cultural anthrop
physical anthropology
the study of humans from a biological perspective, particularly focused on human evolution
primatology
the study of living nonhuman primates as well as primate fossils to better understand human evolution and early human behavior
paleoanthropology
the study of the history of human evolution through the fossil record
archeology
the investigation of the human past by means of excavating and analyzing artifacts
prehistoric archeology
the reconstruction of human behavior in the distant past (b4 written records) through the examination of artifacts
historic archeology
the exploration of the more recent past through an examination of physical remains and artifacts as well as written or oral records
linguistic anthropology
the study of human language in the past and present
descriptive linguistics
those who analyze languages and their component parts
historic linguists
those who study how language changes over time w/in a culture & how languages travel across cultures
sociolinguists
those who study language in its social & cultural contexts
cultural anthropology
the study of people's communities, behaviors, beliefs, & institutions, including how people make meaning as they live, work, & play together
participant observation
a key anthropological research strategy involving both participation in & observation of the daily life of the people being studied
intensive fieldwork has the power to educate the anthropologist by
1. making what may at first seem very unfamiliar into something that ultimately seems quite familiar
2. taking what has seemed very familiar and making it seem very strange
ethnology
the analysis & comparison of ethnographic data across cultures
globalization
the worldwide intensification of interactions & increased movement of money, people, goods, & ideas w/in & across national borders.
time-space compression
the rapid innovation of communication & transportation technologies associated w/ globalization that transforms the way people think about space and time
flexible accumulation
the increasingly flexible strategies that corporations use to accumulate profits in an era of globalization, enabled by innovative communication & transportation technologies
offshoring
the process of companies moving factories to export-processing zones in the developing world
outsourcing
corporations shift part of their work to employees in other parts of the world
increasing migration
the accelerated movement of people w/in & b/w countries
uneven development
the unequal distribution of the benefits of globalization
rapid change
the dramatic transformations of economics, politics, & culture characteristic of contemporary globalization
Holly Barker
Focuses her work on the Marshall Islands
impact of 12 years of atmospheric nuclear testing conducted by the US
Audrey Richards
Studied the Bemba people; focused on health and nutrition among women and children
ethnocentrism
the belief that one's own culture or way of life is normal and natural; using one's own culture to evaluate and judge the practices and ideals of others
holism
the anthropological commitment to consider the full scope of human life; including culture, biology, history, & language, across space and time
climate change
changes to Earth's climate, including global warming produced primarily by increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases created by human activity such as burning fossil fuels and deforestation