Culture
What are the 4 subfields of anthropology and what do each of them do?
pg. 10-13
How does language shape reality?
See Thomson reading about the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis or page 81 in the textbook.
What is armchair anthropology, and what are the problems associated with this kind of study?
pg 50
What are the four types of food systems recognized by anthropology and what do each of them do?
Answer in 3-4 sentences.
Pg. 98 in text.
What is a band and what are three of its key characteristics?
pg. 151-152
Give 3 examples of how people may accept, resist or negotiate the cultural systems they are a part of.
Think back to the Characteristics of Culture activity where you watched the three video clips. How did these rural villagers accept, reject, or negotiate cultural systems they were being taught or exposed to?
You can also refer to my lecture when I talked about the 6 characteristics of culture.
What are three linguistic processes that can lead to language change
See pages 87-91 in the textbook.
Also found in lecture.
What are emic and etic perspectives? What are the strengths of each? Give examples.
See lecture and pg 48 in text.
You can also refer to the Zora-Neale Hurston reading assignment.
Why might a population choose pastoralism?
You can refer to my lectures, the text (103-104), or the Marx - Materialist Method reading.
What are the differences between egalitarian, ranked, and stratified societies?
pg. 150; 161; 166
What is structural functionalism, and what are the strengths and weaknesses of this school of thought?
-cultures/societies should be thought of as organic wholes
-Each aspect of society (kinship, religious, political, and economic structures) fits together and has a unique function within the larger structure.
-Like a living organism, a society works to maintain an internal balance, or equilibrium, that keeps the system working
-Helps us see the boundedness of social structures/institutions
-However, seems to take agency away from people
-Is it deduced by anything observable or is it assumed by pure analogy alone?
-Assumes that our behaviors are biologically structured.
-ignores change, outside influence, history, etc.
Define code-switching and give an example of a time when you have code-switched.
Refer back to your assignment.
pg. 81 in text.
Discuss some of the ethical considerations of representing other cultures.
pg 63-65
What are the pros and cons of general-purpose money? What does it reveal about the moral economies of the societies that use it?
pg. 133
How do states form? What is one precondition of state-level societies?
See page. 170
Define cultural relativism and ethnocentricism
-cultural relativism – the idea that cultures should be considered on their own terms. We ought to reserve our judgments about other people and not assume that our own ways are better than others'
-ethnocentrism - the tendency to view one’s own culture as most important and correct and as the stick by which to measure all other cultures.
Define Kinesics, proxemics, and paralanguage and give examples of each.
pg 73-75
What are some ways to give fairer representations of other cultures?
pg. 65-66
What is domestic production and what are three of its characteristics?
pg 120-121
How do states control populations in lieu of the threat of violence?
pg. 168-169
See my lecture about States and Biopower, see the Allison reading about Japanese Mothers and Bento, and Preschool in Three Cultures.
How is culture defined and what are it's 6 key characteristics?
Characteristics of Culture
Culture is a set of beliefs, practices, and symbols that are learned and shared. Together, they form an all-encompassing, integrated whole that binds groups of people together and shapes their worldview and lifeways. Additionally:
2. Culture changes in response to both internal and external factors.
3. Humans are not bound by culture; they have the capacity to conform to it or not, and sometimes change it.
4. Culture is symbolic; individuals create and share the meanings of symbols within their group or society.
5. The degree to which humans rely on culture distinguishes us from other animals and shaped our evolution.
6. Human culture and biology are interrelated: Our biology, growth, and development are impacted by culture.
What do anthropologists mean when they say that language systems are symbolic and arbitrary?
Pg 71 in the textbook
See the lecture.
What was Zora Neale-Hurston looking for when she went to Eatonville Florida? What did she find? What does this tell us?
Refer back to your Emic and Etic assignment and the Hurston reading.
Do you agree with Marshall Sahlins when he says that forager societies are the "original affluent society"? Why or why not? Use specific evidence to support your answer.
Refer to the "Pinnacle of Social Evolution" discussion and to my lectures.
Name an institution where ideology is reinforced and give an example of both positive and negative reinforcements.
Refer to Preschool in Three Cultures.
Pages 169-173 in text.