ANTHROPOLOGY 100 THV
FOUR FIELDS OF ANTHROPOLOGY à SOCIAL DARWINISM- the theory that
human groups and races are subject
ANTHROPOLOGICAL APPROACHES TO to the same laws of natural selection
UNDERSTANDING HUMAN DIVERSITY: as Charles Darwin perceived in plants
and animals in nature.
à HOLISM- the anthropological à CULTURAL EVOLUTIONISM- the idea
commitment to look at the whole that human cultural change––that is,
picture of human life- culture, changes in socially transmitted
biology, history, and language- across beliefs, knowledge, customs, skills,
space and time. attitudes, languages, and so on––can
à COMPARITIVISM- the search for be described as a Darwinian
similarities and differences between evolutionary process that is similar in
and among human beings in all their key respects (but not identical) to
biological and cultural complexities. biological/genetic evolution.
à CULTURAL EVOLUTIONISM- Cultural à SCIENTIFIC RACISM- the pseudo-
evolution is an evolutionary theory of scientific belief that empirical
social change. It follows from the evidence exists to support or justify
definition of culture as "information racism, racial inferiority, or racial
capable of affecting individuals' superiority. Historically, scientific
behavior that they acquire from racism received credence
other members of their species throughout the scientific community,
through teaching, imitation and but it is no longer considered
other forms of social transmission". scientific.
à RACIALIZATION- the complex set of à BOASIAN ANTHROPOLOGY- It was
historical and sociopolitical based on an understanding of human
processes of attributing superior or cultures as malleable and
inferior status based on the perpetuated through social learning
presumption of biological difference. and understood behavioral
à ETHNOCENTRISM- the term applied differences between peoples as
to the cultural or ethnic bias— largely separate from and unaffected
whether conscious or unconscious— by innate predispositions stemming
in which an individual views the from human biology—in this way it
world from the perspective of his or rejected the view that cultural
her own group, establishing the in- differences were essentially
group as archetypal and rating all biologically based.
other groups with reference to this à CULTURAL RELATIVISM- the idea that
ideal. we should seek to understand
another person’s beliefs and
, ANTHROPOLOGY 100 THV
behaviors from the perspective of culture by understanding how the
their culture rather than our own. people within that culture are
à EMIC VS ETIC- The terms 'emic' and interpreting themselves and their
'etic' were borrowed from the study own experiences.
of linguistics. Specifically, 'etic' refers à PRACTICE THEORY- a perspective
to research that studies cross- used in collaboration with other
cultural differences, whereas 'emic' anthropological theories, such as
refers to research that fully studies functionalism or symbolic
one culture with no (or only a anthropology. The main idea of
secondary) cross-cultural focus. Practice Theory is analyzing the
relationship between established
CONCEPT OF CULTURE structures of culture and how the
people act within that structure.
à ESSENTIALIST- the view that certain Practice Theory focuses on the idea
categories (e.g., women, racial that people are not only influenced
groups, dinosaurs, original Picasso by their social structure but influence
artwork) have an underlying reality their social structure as well. This
or true nature that one cannot idea of a circular relationship
observe directly. 29. Gelman, S. A. between people and society is a
(2005, May 1). founding aspect of practice theory.
à FUNCTIONALIST- the theory that à STRUCTURE VS AGENCY- structure is
focuses on interdependence in the recurrent patterned
institutions and their behavior arrangements which influence or
patterns to maintain their survival limit the choices and opportunities
and social system. In addition, available. Agency is the capacity of
functionalism entails how individuals individuals to act independently and
function in their daily operations to to make their own free choices.
uplift themselves and society. à MEANING-MAKING- At its root is the
à INTERPRETIVIST APPROACHES- It is a proposition that humans constantly
perspective that was developed by seek to under- stand the world
Clifford Geertz as a response to the around them, and that the
established objectivized imposition of meaning on the world
ethnographic stance prevalent in is a goal, a spur to action, and a site
anthropology at the time, and that of contestation. Meaning includes
calls for an epistemology (“culture as moral understandings of right and
text”) and a writing methodology wrong, cognitive understandings of
(“thick description”) that will allow true and false, perceptual
an anthropologist to interpret a understandings of like and unlike,
FOUR FIELDS OF ANTHROPOLOGY à SOCIAL DARWINISM- the theory that
human groups and races are subject
ANTHROPOLOGICAL APPROACHES TO to the same laws of natural selection
UNDERSTANDING HUMAN DIVERSITY: as Charles Darwin perceived in plants
and animals in nature.
à HOLISM- the anthropological à CULTURAL EVOLUTIONISM- the idea
commitment to look at the whole that human cultural change––that is,
picture of human life- culture, changes in socially transmitted
biology, history, and language- across beliefs, knowledge, customs, skills,
space and time. attitudes, languages, and so on––can
à COMPARITIVISM- the search for be described as a Darwinian
similarities and differences between evolutionary process that is similar in
and among human beings in all their key respects (but not identical) to
biological and cultural complexities. biological/genetic evolution.
à CULTURAL EVOLUTIONISM- Cultural à SCIENTIFIC RACISM- the pseudo-
evolution is an evolutionary theory of scientific belief that empirical
social change. It follows from the evidence exists to support or justify
definition of culture as "information racism, racial inferiority, or racial
capable of affecting individuals' superiority. Historically, scientific
behavior that they acquire from racism received credence
other members of their species throughout the scientific community,
through teaching, imitation and but it is no longer considered
other forms of social transmission". scientific.
à RACIALIZATION- the complex set of à BOASIAN ANTHROPOLOGY- It was
historical and sociopolitical based on an understanding of human
processes of attributing superior or cultures as malleable and
inferior status based on the perpetuated through social learning
presumption of biological difference. and understood behavioral
à ETHNOCENTRISM- the term applied differences between peoples as
to the cultural or ethnic bias— largely separate from and unaffected
whether conscious or unconscious— by innate predispositions stemming
in which an individual views the from human biology—in this way it
world from the perspective of his or rejected the view that cultural
her own group, establishing the in- differences were essentially
group as archetypal and rating all biologically based.
other groups with reference to this à CULTURAL RELATIVISM- the idea that
ideal. we should seek to understand
another person’s beliefs and
, ANTHROPOLOGY 100 THV
behaviors from the perspective of culture by understanding how the
their culture rather than our own. people within that culture are
à EMIC VS ETIC- The terms 'emic' and interpreting themselves and their
'etic' were borrowed from the study own experiences.
of linguistics. Specifically, 'etic' refers à PRACTICE THEORY- a perspective
to research that studies cross- used in collaboration with other
cultural differences, whereas 'emic' anthropological theories, such as
refers to research that fully studies functionalism or symbolic
one culture with no (or only a anthropology. The main idea of
secondary) cross-cultural focus. Practice Theory is analyzing the
relationship between established
CONCEPT OF CULTURE structures of culture and how the
people act within that structure.
à ESSENTIALIST- the view that certain Practice Theory focuses on the idea
categories (e.g., women, racial that people are not only influenced
groups, dinosaurs, original Picasso by their social structure but influence
artwork) have an underlying reality their social structure as well. This
or true nature that one cannot idea of a circular relationship
observe directly. 29. Gelman, S. A. between people and society is a
(2005, May 1). founding aspect of practice theory.
à FUNCTIONALIST- the theory that à STRUCTURE VS AGENCY- structure is
focuses on interdependence in the recurrent patterned
institutions and their behavior arrangements which influence or
patterns to maintain their survival limit the choices and opportunities
and social system. In addition, available. Agency is the capacity of
functionalism entails how individuals individuals to act independently and
function in their daily operations to to make their own free choices.
uplift themselves and society. à MEANING-MAKING- At its root is the
à INTERPRETIVIST APPROACHES- It is a proposition that humans constantly
perspective that was developed by seek to under- stand the world
Clifford Geertz as a response to the around them, and that the
established objectivized imposition of meaning on the world
ethnographic stance prevalent in is a goal, a spur to action, and a site
anthropology at the time, and that of contestation. Meaning includes
calls for an epistemology (“culture as moral understandings of right and
text”) and a writing methodology wrong, cognitive understandings of
(“thick description”) that will allow true and false, perceptual
an anthropologist to interpret a understandings of like and unlike,
