Ch.1 Anthropology

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