The belief in the existence of spiritual beings (the basis of all religious thought).
What is animism?
100
While he was not trained as an anthropologist, this scholar’s study of modern Thai Buddhism could certainly be characterized as “anthropological” because it draws upon extensive ethnographic fieldwork.
Who is Justin Thomas McDaniel?
100
Within a __________ medical system, illness is thought to be caused by a loss of equilibrium within the body, or between the body and its environment.
What is naturalistic?
100
“This one rents for a lot of money—it’s from Wat Rakhang so it’s very powerful. The last person who wore it was saved from a terrible car crash!”
Who is a Thai Buddhist amulet trader?
100
An ethnographic technique in which the researcher is immersed in the day-to-day activities of the religion being studied.
What is participant-observation?
200
A tendency to evaluate others’ beliefs and behaviors according to our own cultural traditions.
What is ethnocentrism?
200
Contemporary scholars still find value in this “armchair” anthropologist’s observation that all religions are based on a belief in supernatural beings.
Who is E. B. Tyler?
200
In Hmong culture, the symptoms of this illness are associated with soul loss—a sign that the person may have the ability to heal others.
What is epilepsy?
200
“We’re making this food for our deceased relatives. We love when they come back to visit us—but only for a day!”
Who is a Mexican Catholic preparing a feast for Dia de los Muertos?
200
Unlike gods, these spiritual beings are a lot like us—they are humans’ supernatural reflection.
Who are ghosts, souls, or ancestors?
300
The idea that any given culture must be evaluated in terms of its own belief system.
What is cultural relativism?
300
Based on his pioneering fieldwork among the Trobriand Islanders, this British anthropologist concluded that people use magic when the stakes are high and the outcome is uncertain.
Who is Bronislaw Malinowski?
300
According to Brazilian Spiritists, psychic surgeries are actually performed by these.
What are the spirits of deceased humans?
300
“I don’t care if this ‘tradition’ is actually a recent re-invention; I appreciate the opportunity to express my creativity and femininity within my coven.”
Who is a practitioner of modern Euro-American witchcraft?
300
A trance state in which harmful or healing spirits enter a person’s body.
What is possession?
400
The process of borrowing and adapting beliefs and practices from two or more cultures, resulting in culture change.
What is syncretism?
400
This ethnographer’s work in Sudan showed that, contrary to the assumptions of colonial officials in the region, Zande witchcraft exhibited an inner logic and represented rational thought when understood from an emic perspective.
Who is E. E. Evans-Pritchard?
400
A society that maintains a close relationship with the dead will likely have elaborate funeral ceremonies to ensure the deceased is comfortable in this place.
What is the afterlife?
400
“Protecting our forests is an act of compassion.”
Who is a Buddhist ecology monk performing a tree ordination in Thailand?
400
A toolkit of shifting beliefs, texts, stories, objects, and images that practitioners draw upon to explain religious behavior.
What is a religious repertoire?
500
A religious system in which specialists derive their healing powers directly from supernatural sources.
What is shamanism?
500
A prolific writer and researcher, this anthropologist coined the term “revitalization movement” to describe a society’s deliberate, organized effort to construct a more satisfying culture. (Hint: he is also known for his five-fold categorization of ritual types).
Who is Anthony Wallace?
500
The study of indigenous beliefs and practices relating to disease.
What is ethnomedicine?
500
“Don’t bury me yet—I’m not a perfect spirit! Watch over my remains until my corpse has fully decomposed. I’d hate to become a zombie!”
Who is the soul of a recently deceased Berawan person in Borneo?
500
In many preliterate societies, this serves as a socially acceptable way of managing tension, explaining the otherwise unexplainable, leveling disparities in wealth and status, and resolving social conflict.