Details Title: Anthro 2000 Midterm Description: Midterm Vocabulary Total Flash Cards: 58 Created: 10/12/2009 14:54:44		New Users: To study from this flashcard set, or to create your own your own study flash cards, REGISTER HERE. Existing Users: CLICK HERE. Additional Anthropology Flashcards
Cards in this set: Term anthropology Definition the study of the human species and its immediate ancestors Term holism Definition the study of whole human culture Term cross-cultural prespective Definition ask broad questions about human behavior, answer them through a comparative approach Term culture Definition traditions and customs transmitted through learning that form and guide the behavior of people exposed to them. Term enculturation Definition learning a culture just by growing up in it. Term enthnography Definition written account of a particular culture based on anthropological fieldwork Term ethnology Definition comparative study of cultures Term ethnocentrism Definition the idea that one culture is superior to another Term cultural reletavism Definition need to understand a culture on it's own terms Term human rights Definition idea that there is a realm of justice that transcends cultures, religions, and countries Term subculture Definition a smaller group within a larger cultural context who's members share behaviors, values, attitudes and artifacts Term applied anthropology Definition The application of anthropological data, perspectives, theory, and methods to identify assess and solve contemporary social problems Term medical anthropology Definition includes both biological and social anthropology - how diseases affect different populations and socially constructed diseases Term disease Definition a Scientifically identified health threat caused by a pathogen Term illness Definition condition of poor health felt by someone Term forensic anthropology Definition work with law enforcment - use skeletal remains to determine age race sex and cause of death - violent crimes, natural disaster, and human rights abuses Term ethnography Definition written account of a particular culture, based on anthropological fieldwork Term ethnology Definition comparative study of cultures Term culture shock Definition the resultant feelings of homesickness, disorientation, helplessness, foolishness, and frustration that occur when we try to live in an unfamiliar culture Term participant observation Definition Spend an extended period of time immersed in the culture you are studying Term emic Definition insider’s perspective Term etic Definition outsiders point of view Term rapport Definition a harmonious relationship with the people you study Term informants Definition the people who provide you with information about their culture Term key informant Definition a knowledgeable member of a culture with whom the anthropologist has good rapport and who shares much valuable information Term theory Definition a statement that suggests a relationship among phenomena. Attempt to answer big questions model of reality that helps us explain and predict. An interpretive framework for analyzing anthropological data Term unilinieal evolution Definition Human societies progressed through a series of stages and in a particular direction Savagery, Barbarism, Civilization Ranked based on their technology Term historical particularism Definition Every cultural group has it’s own unique history It can only be understood in terms of that history Rejects idea that widespread generalizations about cultures and their development can be made Term functionalism Definition Originated in Great Britain Focus on role of cultural traits in contemporary societies Term needs functionalism Definition Customs develop to fulfill human biological needs Term structural functionalism Definition Culture works because all of its many parts work together kinship system Economics political system religion, etc. most aspects of culture are functional serve some useful purpose Term neo-evolutionism Definition Renewed interest in culture change & evolution Term cultural ecology Definition study of the processes by which a society adapts to its environment Considers the relationships b/w cultures and environmental variables Term cultural materialism Definition 3 levels of culture Infrastructure: Technology, economics & demography Structure: Social relations, kinship & descent, distribution Superstructure: Religion, ideology, play Term structuralism Definition Human minds all share certain universal characteristics People think similarly regardless of cultural background Ex. need to classify Term language Definition a system of communication based on arbitrary, learned associations between words and the things for which they stand. o Symbolic o Developed slowly over hundreds of thousands of years o A major human adaption Term call systems Definition Vocal systems o Limited number of sounds o Produced in response to particular environmental stimuli ♣ Ex food or danger o Not language ♣ Cant combine sounds to transmit complex ideas Term productivity Definition using the rules of one’s language to produce new expressions that are comprehensible to other native speakers of that language Term displacment Definition ability to discuss things abstractly Term proxemics Definition the way people use and perceive space Term universal grammer Definition human brain has a limited set of rules for organizing language • all language has a common structural basis • ability to learn foreign language • development of Creole languages Term women Definition stick more closely to standard American-english, know more color terms Term men Definition use more forceful language, sports metaphors Term girls Definition language is intimate and indirect, play in smaller groups or pairs Term boys Definition more structured groups Term men Definition “report” • recite information, establish place in social hierarchy Term women Definition “rapport” • use spoken and body language to establish social connections Term lexicon Definition The vocabulary of a language ♣ Reflects important cultural concepts Term focal vocabulary Definition specialized for a culture Term nuer Definition Pastoralists in East Africa • Cattle are main source of food and wealth Term cultural race Definition a cultural construct based on presumed biological ties– really no biological basis. Term biological race Definition physically distinguishable populations within a species -arbitrary Term folk taxonomy Definition system of classification based on relationships among cultural categories for important items and ideas A local way of categorizing Term rule of hypodescent Definition Children of a “racially mixed” couple are assigned to the minority group Term ethnic group Definition Members share certain beliefs, values, habits, customs & norms Result of common background Based on language, religion, historical experience, geographic isolation or race. Term prejudice Definition Devaluing a group due to its assumed values, behavior, capabilities or attributes Term stereotypes Definition Fixed ideas about what member of a group are like Term discrimination Definition Policies & practices that harm a group & its members May be de facto or de jure