Anthro 1000 Chapter 2

culture

a system of knowledge, beliefs, patterns of behavior, artifacts, and institutions that are created, learned, and shared by a group of people

enculturation

the process of learning culture

norms

ideas or rules about how people should behave in particular situations or toward certain other people

values

fundamental beliefs about what is important, true, or beautiful, and what makes a good life

symbol

anything that signifies something else

mental maps of reality

cultural classifications of what kinds of people and things exist, and the assignment of meaning to those classifications

unilineral cultural evolution

the theory proposed by nineteenth century anthropologists that all cultures naturally evolve through the same sequence of stages from simple to complex

historical particularism

the idea, attributed to Franz Boas, that cultures develop in specific ways because of their unique histories

structural functionalism

a conceptual framework positing that each element of society serves a particular function to keep the entire system in equilibrium

interpretivist approach

a conceptual framework that sees culture primarily as a symbolic system of deep meaning

thick description

a research strategy that combines detailed description of cultural activity with an analysis of the layers of deep cultural meaning in which those activities are embedded

power

the ability or potential to bring about change through action or influence

stratification

the uneven distribution of resources and privileges among participants in group or culture

hegemony

the ability of a dominant group to create consent and agreement within a population without the use or threat of force

agency

the potential power of individuals and groups to contest cultural norms, values, mental maps of reality, symbols. institutions, and structures of power

cosmopolitanism

a global outlook emerging in response to increasing globalization

Which of the following theoretical perspectives sees culture as a symbolic system of deep meaning?

the interpretivist approach
Interpretivists such as Clifford Geertz have argued that we need to understand the multiple layers of meaning revealed by the simplest of actions, such as differences between winking and twitching of the eye, in order to fully

You arrive at a red, eight-sided sign when driving your car, and know that the sign is suggesting that you stop.

symbol

Some, but not all, cultures participate in daylight savings time.

mental map of reality

There are rules governing when to kiss someone.

norm

Freedom of religion is a cornerstone of American society.

value

The handshake as a form of greeting in the United States is an example of a:

cultural symbol
The handshake itself is simply a behavior. Americans and others attach meaning to the handshake, however, thus making it a cultural symbol.

Bertha likes to eat dinner at 5 p.m. She travels to Italy and decides she doesn't like the country because restaurants tend to open for dinner at 7 p.m. or later. Bertha is practicing:

ethocentrism
Ethnocentrism is a challenge for everyone, including the anthropologist. It challenges us to step outside our own cultural norms and beliefs, to challenge our deeply held beliefs about what is right.

Advances in transportation technology via seafaring allowed Europeans to travel farther and faster, thus seeing more of the diversity of the world's people. This resulted in the creation of the concept of different "races" of humans. This concept of race

mental map of reality
Mental maps allow us to classify reality; then to assign meaning to what has been classified. Early racial classifications still influence our thinking on human differences today.

The belief that cultural patterns are determined by our genetic makeup is best described using which term?

nature
The nature versus nurture debate has been considered for decades within the social sciences. Increasingly, anthropologists find evidence that even early human behavior was influenced more by circumstance and environment than by genetic predispositi

Why might an anthropologist consider the fans of a sports team a culture?

The fans share a set of beliefs and behaviors about their team.
Any group that shares common beliefs and behaviors might be considered a culture. No individual has his or her own culture, however; culture is shared.

Bertram marries someone from outside his cultural group. Which anthropological term best applies to this situation?

exogamy
Exogamy is marriage outside of one's own group.

While material power such as coercion and brute force were tools used by the Nazi regime, the creation of cultural agreement about the supposed dangers of populations such as the Jews, Roma, and others was what ultimately allowed the horrors of the Holoca

hegemony
Hegemony allows one group, the dominant one, to build agreement and ultimately full consent among a population without using actual, direct force.

Franz Boas believed that cultures develop in different ways because of the unique and complex sets of issues and situations that members of the cultural group face over time. This way of understanding cultural differences came to be known as:

historical particularism
Boas would inspire many other anthropologists to see culture in nonlinear ways, and was among the first to recognize the importance of cultural history in determining current belief and behavior.

Culture is something that is shared and learned, traits that are

unique among animal species
Culture changes constantly. Even the most fundamental of societal beliefs are subject to change over time as core beliefs come to be challenged. Humans do exhibit unique capacity for sharing, learning, and changing culture.

Which of the following terms refers to the process of learning culture?

enculturation
All humans begin learning culture from birth as we observe and interact with the world around us.

There is evidence that minority residents of Anytown have reduced access to resources such as strong schools, libraries, and recreational centers than their majority counterparts. This is an example of:

stratification
Stratification means that one group of people in a society or culture experiences reduced access to both resources and privileges in the society or culture.

The appearance of McDonald's in China and the way that it homogenizes Chinese culture, the influx of Mexican refugees in southern California, and the degree to which Mexican culture itself impinges on the cultural landscape of southern California are both

global outlook we call cosmopolitanism
Global culture is developing as a result of global corporations and ideas (including encouragement of consumerism), spurred on by increased levels of migration and increasing cosmopolitanism.

Contemporary debates about privacy in American society post 9/11 are fundamentally debates about which of the following?

cultural values
All cultures promote and cultivate what we call core values. These are fundamental in our understanding of what is important, what comprises a good life.

The belief that culture is held together by a series of important elements such as economy, education, religion, kinship, and politics that all serve to maintain societal equilibrium is known as

structural functionalism
Structural functionalists purposefully ignored the influence of outside factors such as history and environment on societies, focusing instead on how societal "structures" such as economy, religion, etc. worked together. This type

Bernice spends time each day reading online news reports from several different news agencies around the world. As a result, she becomes aware of multiple ideas and perspectives, incorporating these into her own outlook and actions. This is an example of

cosmopolitanism
Cosmopolitanism is an outlook, a way of seeing that includes difference and is global or universal in its approach.

The suggestion that all cultures progress through a similar set of stages is no longer accepted in contemporary anthropology. This theory was known as:

unilineal cultural evolution
Unilineal cultural evolution theorized that all societies progress from savagery, through barbarism, to civilization. This theory is no longer accepted, but represents an early effort to categorize human societies.

The attacks of 9/11 led to serious problems in American-Muslim relations, even among those Muslims who were born and raised in America. In any balanced attempt to examine the motives for the attacks, it is necessary to practice cultural relativism, which

suspend judgment and consider Muslims in their own cultural context
Cultural relativism means that we must suspend judgment in order to completely understand the beliefs and practices of others. Such suspension must be accomplished within that other cultu

Societies are not omnipotent. Individuals within a society do have the ability to challenge existing norms and values, and to effect change in the mental maps of reality and the structures of power. This is known as

agency
Agency is what allows humans to challenge power, thus allowing for the creation of cultural change. Such resistance is not always successful, of course, but is important for anthropologists to understand as we seek to comprehend processes of cultur

Americans tend to drive on the right side of the road. This is an example of:

cultural norm
Norms define aspects of our behavior within our society. They are broadly accepted rules about how we are supposed to behave under most circumstances.

We often consider the idea of power as being the ability to change using direct force. It can also mean, however, that we exert ____ to effect change?

influence
Contemporary anthropology often investigates relationships between culture and power. The "action or influence" mentioned in this definition can come from an individual or from a group and does not always mean direct force.