Key Concepts
What is Ethnocentrism
People's tendency to criticize other cultures based on the ideas of one’s own culture
American Father of Anthropology, pioneer in field-based anthropology, emphasized cultural relativism
What is the main idea surrounding the Potlach ceremony
- the chief will accumulate precious goods and either destroy or give them away
- the chief gains/builds status and then gives away all they have which is seen as irrational by many other cultures
- formal economics does not understand this concept and glosses over people's culture and history
Desert Zone
Most likely contains a Nomad/pastoralism/foraging lifestyle, social division is broken down by gender and age
What is the Cultural subfield
How culture is learned, used, and changes; how culture persists and change; similarity and difference across culture; study dynamics of particular cultures to better understand humanity across time & space
What is cultural relativism
Understanding cultural practices within the context of that culture
Who is Edward Tylor
Worked on cultural evolution, considered the founder of cultural anthropology and the idea of new evolutionism (upward trajectory of social systems changing)
What was the main idea of the People Like Us comparison between All You Need Is Cash and Tammy's Story
- concepts of social mobility and social status
- wealth inequalities being seen as fair or unfair
- movement between classes being possible for some and not others
Artic Zone
Adaptation for cold climate, "selfish die young in a hostile climate", heavy reliance on community, emphasis on foraging, rarely raise livestock, tend to hunt/fish
What is the Archaeology subfield
study of the past through material remains; reconstruct human behavior using material remains; provide explanation and analysis of historical and prehistorical societies
What is Mobility
The opportunities that exist for people to move from one class to another, both up and down
Who is Claude Levi-Strauss
Focused on Structuralism and developed its theories, with a focus on deep knowledge
What were some of the ideas surrounding the Amish Case Study
- different ways people can live that are not centered around self-interest and industrialism
- the Amish community is choosing to live a simple life in a world that is constantly evolving around them
Savanna/Plains
Heavy on Pastoralism, Nomadism; people move in tandem with animals and seasonal changes
What is the Physical/Biological subfield
Focus on the biocultural evolution of human species, its ancestors, and relatives; study of how people bioculturally adapt to different environments and challenges; explain variation among humans and their ancestors; study non-human primates and their relationship to humans
What are the six forms of family organization/lineage
Patrilocal, Matrilocal, Neolocal, Bilateral, Patrilineal, and Matrilineal
Who is Lewis Morgan
Focused on kinship systems and social evolution and wrote one of the first ethnographies
What are some of the main ideas surrounding the movement of Reggae music
- development of Rasta culture through the globalization of Reggae music
- leads back to the EMIC and ETIC; how people within a culture view their culture compared to how those outside of the culture view the culture
- expansion of Reggae to Japan
Tropic Zone
Humans are fighting with the fast growing biological environment, focus on horticulture, they are not relying on animals
What is the Linguistic subfield
Study of languages past & present; study of how people use language in verbal and nonverbal ways; study of how languages vary in a society and across time; study how languages evolve, spread, or become extinct
What are the major types of subsistence strategies and what do they mean
Horticulture: developed a knack for dealing with the environment, do not rely on animals or machines, and only clear small plots of land to use for 1-2 years
Pastoralism: relies on domesticated animals and often associated with poor soil where animals are worth more alive than dead. Broken into Transhumance and Nomadism
Agriculture: tend one plot of land for a long period of time, permanent habitat, allows for a larger population
Industrialism: allows humans to develop a new way to make a living, machines do more work than animals, and inequality between classes exist
Who is Bronislaw Malinowski
Focus on field-study and cultural relativity, had interest in function of institution like kinship. Was stuck on an island and was a functionalist for a stable society
What are some of the main ideas surrounding the Nacirema
- satire piece showing the pitfalls of ethnocentrism
- the way people naturalize their own culture and make other cultures unnatural
- shows dangers of "armchair" anthropology and how one cannot understand cultural framework without being involved
Mountain Zone
Agriculture is difficult here, pastoral communities with herd animals, adaptation to isolation
What is the Applied subfield
Application of anthropological training and knowledge within specific occupational settings and institutional contexts.