Cultural Anthropology

anthropology

the study of the human species and its immediate ancestors

holistic

encompassing past, present, and future; biology, society, language, and culture

culture

traditions and customs transmitted through learning

food production

an economy based on plant cultivation and / or animal domestication

general anthropology

anthropology as a whole: cultural, archaeological, biological, and linguistic anthropology

biocultural

combining biological and cultural approaches to a given problem

ethnography

fieldwork in a particular cultural setting

cultural anthropology

the comparative, cross-cultural study of human society and culture

ethnology

the study of sociocultural differences and similarities

archaeological anthropology

the study of human behavior through material remains

biological anthropology

the study of human biological variation in time and space

physical anthropology

same as biological anthropology

science

field of study that seeks reliable explanations, with reference to the material and physical world

linguistic anthropology

the study of language and linguistic diversity in time, space, and society

sociolinguistics

the study of language in society

applied anthropology

using anthropology to solve contemporary problems

cultural resource management

deciding what needs saving when entire archaeological sites cannot be saved

theory

a set of ideas formulated to explain something

association

an observed relationship between two or more variables

hypothesis

a suggested but as yet unverified explanation

enculturation

the process by which culture is learned and transmitted across the generations

symbol

something, verbal or nonverbal, that stands for something else

core values

key, basic, or central values that integrate a culture

hominid

member of hominid family; any fossil or living human, chimp or gorilla

hominins

hominids excluding the african apes; all the human species that ever have existed

universal

something that exists in every culture

generality

culture pattern or trait that exists in some but not all societies

particularity

distinctive or unique culture trait, pattern, or integration

national culture

cultural features shared by citizens of the same nation

international culture

cultural traditions that extend beyond national boundaries

subcultures

different cultural traditions associated with subgroups in the same nation

ethnocentrism

judging other cultures using one's own cultural standards

cultural rights

rights vested in religious and ethnic minorities and indigenous societies

cultural relativism

idea that behavior should be evaluated not by outside standards but in the context of the culture in which it occurs

IPR

intellectual property rights; an indigenous group's collective knowledge and its applications

acculturation

an exchange of cultural features between groups in firsthand contact

diffusion

borrowing of cultural traits between societies

independent invention

the independent development of a cultural feature in different societies

globalization

the accelerating interdependence of nations in the world system today

human rights

rights based on justice and morality beyond and superior to particular countries, cultures, and religions

interview schedule

form (guide) used to structure a formal, but personal, interview

questionnaire

form used by sociologists to obtain comparable information from respondents

genealogical method

using diagrams and symbols to record kin connections

key cultural consultant

expert on a particular aspect of local life

life history

of a key consultant; a personal portrait of someone's life in culture

emic

research strategy focusing on local explanations and meanings

cultural consultants

people who teach an ethnographer about their culture

etic

research strategy emphasizing the ethnographer's explanations and categories

longitudinal research

long-term study, usually based on repeated visits

survey research

the study of society through sampling, statistical analysis, and impersonal data collection

sample

a smaller study group chosen to represent a larger population

random sample

a sample in which all population members have an equal chance of inclusion

variables

attributes that differ from one person or case to the next

complex societies

large, populous societies (e.g, nations) with stratification and a government

informed consent

agreement to take part in research- after having been informed about its nature, procedures, and possible impacts

unilinear evolutionism

idea (19th century) of a single line or path of cultural development

historical particularism

idea (Boas) that histories are not comparable; diverse paths can lead to the same cultural result

functionalism

approach focusing on the role (function) of sociocultural practices in social systems

synchronic

(studying societies) at one time

diachronic

(studying societies) across time

configurationalism

view of culture as integrated and patterned

cultural materialism

Idea (Harris) that cultural infrastructure determines structure & superstructure

superorganic

(Kroeber) The special domain of culture, beyond the organic and inorganic realms

symbolic anthropology

the study of symbols in their social and cultural context

interpretive anthropology

(Geertz) the study of culture as a system of meaning

agency

the actions of individuals, alone and in groups, that create and transform culture

political economy

the web of interrelated economic and power relations in society

Which of the following most characterizes anthropology among disciplines that study humans?
a: it studies foreign places
b: it includes biology
c: it uses personal interviews of the study of population
d: it is holistic and comparative
e: it studies only

D

What is the most critical element of cultural traditions?
a: their stability due to the unchanging characteristics of human biology
b: their tendency to radically change every fifteen years
c: their ability to survive the challenges of modern life
d: thei

D

Over time, how has human reliance on cultural means of adaptation changed?
a: humans have become less dependent on them
b: humans have become entirely reliant on biological means
c: humans have become more dependent on them
d: humans are just beginning to

C

The fact that anthropology focuses on both culture and biology:
a: is unique to European anthropology
b: is the reason it traditionally has studied nonindustrial societies
c: is a product of the participant observation approach
d: allows it to address how

D

In this chapter, what is the point of describing the ways in which humans cope with low oxygen pressure in high altitudes?
a: to illustrate human capacities of cultural and biological adaptation, variation, and change
b: to expose the fact that "it is all

A

Four-field anthropology:
a: was largely shaped by early American anthropologists' interests in Native Americans
b: is unique to Old World anthropology
c: stopped being useful when the world became dominated by nation-states
d: was replaced in the 1930s by

A

the study of nonhuman primates is of special interest to which subdiscipline of anthropology?
a: cultural anthropology
b: archaeological anthropology
c: linguistic anthropology
d: developmental anthropology
e: biological anthropology

E

Which of the following statements about applied anthropology is false?
a: it encompasses any use of the knowledge and/or techniques of the four subfields to identify, assess, and solve practical social problems
b: it has been formally acknowledged by the

C

Which of the following terms is defined as a suggested but yet unidentified explanation for observed things and events?
a: hypothesis
b: theory
c: association
d: model
e: law

A

The scientific method:
a: is limited to ethnology since it is the aspect of anthropology that studies sociocultural differences and similarities
b: is a powerful tool for understanding ourselves since it guarantees complete objectivity in research
c: is t

D

Anthropology is unique among the social sciences in its emphasis on both ____ and ____ perspectives

holistic; cross-cultural

A _____ approach refers to the inclusion and combination of both biological and cultural perspectives and approaches to comment on or solve a particular issue or problem

biocultural

_____ provides an account of fieldwork in a particular community, society, or culture

ethnography

______ encompasses any use of the knowledge and/ or techniques of the four subfields of anthropology to identify, assess, and solve practical problems. More and more anthropologists increasingly work in this dimension of the discipline.

applied anthropology

The ____ characterizes any anthropological endeavor that formulates research questions and gathers or uses systematic data to test hypotheses.

scientific method

Which of the following is not one of the ways in which individuals acquire the culture?
a: genetic transmission
b: unconscious acquisition
c: observation
d: direct instruction
e: conscious acquisition

A

The "psychic unity" of humans, a doctrine that most anthropologists accept, states that
a: psychology is the exclusive domain of the academic discipline of psychology
b: all humans share the same spiritual ethos
c: although individuals differ in their emo

C

Which of the following statements about cultural traits, patterns, and inventions is false?
a: they mostly are determined genetically
b: they can be disadvantageous in the long run
c: they can be disadvantageous in the short run
d: they can be maladaptive

A

this chapter's description of the similarities and differences between humans and apes, our closest relatives,...
a: explains why all hominids have evolved the same capacities for culture
b: emphasizes the need to expand the definition of cultural rights

E

Certain biological, psychological, social, and cultural features are universal, found in every culture. All of the following are examples of universal features except...
a: a long period of infant dependency
b: seasonal (rather than year-round) sexuality

B

which of the following statements about culture is not true?
a: all human groups have culture
b: culture is the major reason for human adaptability
c: human groups differ in their capacities for culture
d: the capacity for culture is shared by all humans

C

in explaining how anthropologists have theorized the relationship between "system" and "person," this chapter notes that culture is contested. This means that...
a: different groups in a society struggle with one another over whose ideas, values, goods, a

A

In anthropology, methodical cultural relativism
a: is not a moral position, but a methodological one
b: is both a moral and a methodological stance toward other cultures
c: is synonymous with moral relativism
d: is another version of ethnocentrism
e: is a

A

There were at least 7 different regions where plant cultivation developed. Therefore, agriculture is an example of which of the following mechanisms of cultural change?
a: acculturation
b: enculturation
c: independent invention
d: colonization
e: diffusio

C

What is the term for the processes that are making nations and people increasingly interlinked and mutually dependent?
a: acculturation
b: independent invention
c: diffusion
d: globalization
e: enculturation

D

Although humans continue to adapt ____, reliance on _____ means of adaptation has increased human evolution

biologically; cultural

Cultural traits, patterns, and inventions also can be ______, threatening the group's continued existence (survival and reproduction)

maldaptive

According to Leslie White, culture, and therefore humanity, came into existence when humans began to use ______

symbols

The term ________ refers to any fossil or living human, chimp, or gorilla, while the term ____ refers only to any fossil or living human

hominid; hominin

unlike human rights, _______ are vested not in individuals but in groups, including indigenous peoples and religious and ethnic minorities

cultural rights

Which of the following statements about ethnography is not true?
a: it may involve participant observation and survey research
b: Bronisla Malinowski was one of its earliest influential practitioners
c: it was traditionally practiced in non-Western and sm

D

In the field, ethnographers strive to establish rapport,
a: and if that fails, the next option is to pay people so they will talk about their culture
b: which is a timeline that states when every member of the community will be interviewed
c: which is a r

E

Which influential anthropologist referred to everyday cultural patterns as "the imponderabilia of native life and typical behavior?"
a: Franz Boas
b: Marvin Harris
c: Clifford Geertz
d: Bronislaw Malinowski
e: Margret Mead

D

Which of the following techniques was developed specifically because of the importance of kinship and marriage relationships in nonindustrial societies?
a: the life history
b: participant observation
c: the interview schedule
d: network analysis
e: the ge

E

which of the following is a significant change in the history of ethnography?
a: larger number of ethnographies are being done about people in Western, industrialized nations
b:ethnographers now use only quantitative techniques
c: Ethnographers have begun

A

All of the following are true about ethnography except this statement:
a: it traditionally studies entire communities
b: it usually focuses on a small number of variables within a sample population
c: it is based on firsthand fieldwork
d: it is more perso

B

Which of the following is one of the advantages an interview schedule has over a questionnaire based survey?
a: interview schedules rely on very short responses, and therefore are more useful when you have less time
b: questionnaires are completely unstru

C

Reflecting todays world in which people, images, and information move as never before, ethnography is...
a: becoming increasingly difficult for anthropologists concerned with salvaging isolated and untouched cultures around the world
b: becoming less usef

E

All of the following are true about anthropology's four field approach except this statement:
a: Boas is the father of four field American anthropology
b: it initially formed around interests in Native Americans- their cultures, histories, languages, and

D

in anthropology, the crisis in representation refers to...
a: the study of symbols in their social and cultural context
b: questions about the role of the ethnographer and the nature of ethnographic authority
c: Durkheim's critique of symbolic anthropolog

B

A _____ is an expert who teaches an ethnographer about a particular aspect of local life

key cultural consultant

As one of the ethnographer's characteristic field research methods, the ____ method is a technique that focuses on kin connections

genealogical

A _____ approach studies societies as they exist at one point in time, while a ______ approach studies societies across time

synchronic; diachronic

At the beginning of the 20th century, the influential French sociologist ____ proposed a new social science that would be based on the study of _____, analytically distinct from the individuals from whose behavior those facts were inferred

Emile Durkheim; social facts

______, a theoretical approach that aims to discover relations, themes, and connections among aspects of culture, has been faulted for being overly formal and for ignoring social process. Contemporary anthropologists now emphasize how day to day action, p

Structuralism; agency