Anthropology 1
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26 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 Anthropology | the study of humanity, including prehistoric origins and contemporary human diversity |
| biological anthropology | the study of humans as biological organisms, including evolution and contemporary variation |
| archeology | the study of past human cultures through their material remains |
| linguistic anthropology | the study of human communication, including its origins, history, and contemporary variation and change |
| cultural anthropology | the study of living people and their cultures, including variation and change |
| culture | people's learned and shared behaviors and beliefs |
| applied anthropology | the use of anthropological knowledge to prevent or solve problems or to shape and achieve policy goals |
| functionalism | the theory that a culture is similar to a biological organism, in which parts work to support the operation and maintenance of the whole |
| holism | the perspective in anthropology that cultures are complex systems that cannot be be fully understood without paying attention to their different components, including economics, social organization, and ideology |
| cultural relativism | the perspective that each culture just be understood in terms of the values and ideas of that culture and should not be judged by the standards of another |
| cultural materialism | a theoretical position that takes material features of life, such as the environment, natural resources, and mode of production, as the bases for explaining social organization and ideology |
| interpretive anthropology | the view that cultures can be understood by studying what people think about, their ideas, and the meaning that are important to them |
| structurism | a theoretical position concerning human behavior and ideas that says large forces such as the economy, social and political organization, and the media shape what people do and think |
| agency | the ability of humans to make choices and exercise free will within dominating structures |
| microculture | a distinct pattern of learned and shared behavior and thinking found within a larger culture |
| symbol | an object, word, or action with culturally defined meaning that stands for something else; most symbols are arbitrary |
| globalization | increased and intensified international ties related to the spread of Western, especially US, capitalism that affects all world cultures |
| localization | the transformation of global culture by local cultures into something new |
| class | a way of categorizing people on the basis of their economic position in society, usually measured in terms of income or wealth |
| race | a classification of people into groups based on supposedly homogeneous and largely superficial biological traits (hair, skin color) |
| ethnicity | a shared sense of identity among a group based on a heritage, language, or culture |
| indigenous people | groups who have a long-standing connection with their home territory that predates colonial or outside societies that prevail in that territory |
| gender | culturally constructed and learned behaviors and ideas attributed to males, females, or blended genders |
| ethnocentrism | judging other cultures by the standards of one's own culture rather than by the standards of that particular culture |
| biological determinism | a theory that explains human behavior and ideas mainly as shaped by biological features such as genes and hormones |
| cultural constructionism | a theory that explains human behavior and ideas mainly as shaped by learning |
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