Ch. 1-4

Question 1

anthropocene

Answer 1

refers to the contemporary world in which humans transformed the globe and it’s ecologies

Question 2

4 philosophical views in anthro:

Answer 2

• dualism
• idealism
• materialism
• determinism

Question 3

dualism views reality as

Answer 3

2 equal and irreducible forces

Question 4

idealism view:

Answer 4

ideas and the mind are the essence of human nature

Question 5

materialism view:

Answer 5

activities of our physical body are the essence of human nature

Question 6

determinism view:

Answer 6

simple forces cause complex events

Question 7

essence:

Answer 7

unchanging core of features that is unique to things of the same kind

Question 8

holistic view:

Answer 8

no sharp boundaries separate mind from body, body from environment, etc… though they may define each other

Question 9

anthological perspective:

Answer 9

draws on the findings of other disciplines and attempts to fit them together with their own findings

Question 10

4 types of anthro & the central kind that draws info from all:

Answer 10

biological, cultural, archaeology, linguistic = applied

Question 11

anthropologists view culture as..

Answer 11

learnt behaviours separate from human biology.. nature vs. nurture?

Question 12

ethnocentrism vs cultural relativism:

Answer 12

the opinion that your way of life is ‘correct’ vs. all cultures are equally valid & understood in their own context

Question 13

4 things about culture:

Answer 13

1) boundaries between cultures are fuzzy & porous
2) each culture offers a variety of ways to interpret experiences
3) constantly being redefined by its members
4) humans do not fit specific culture moulds

Question 14

human agency:

Answer 14

human beings ability to exercise some control over their lives

Question 15

positivist approach:

Answer 15

the view that there’s a reality out there that can be detected through our senses, separate facts and values, believe that a single scientific method can explain any domain of reality, produce objective knowledge

Question 16

objective knowledge:

Answer 16

knowledge about things external to our minds that does not depend on feelings, interpretations, or prejudice. In other words, it is unbiased knowledge about the world around us.

Question 17

reflexive approach:

Answer 17

respect to detail, a broader range of contextual info, partnership w informants, researcher background may create limits (sex, ethnicity..), share all info, understand your own subjectivity, “thinking about thinking”, better than positivist

Question 18

fieldwork and subjects:

Answer 18

dialect is key, fieldworkers and subjects create an intersubjective world of meaning

Question 19

field framework needs/effects:

Answer 19

subjects must agree, build rapport (relationships), communication, culture shock, social change

Question 20

ethnography vs. ethnology

Answer 20

Ethnography deals with the procedures carried out in any society vs ethnology that compares and analyzes the characteristics of different peoples and the relationship between them

Question 21

5 element theory:

Answer 21

early Chinese scientific thought, everything came in 5’s, each element conquered the next

Question 22

the emergence of capitalism and colonialism:

Answer 22

supply & demand, alienation.. taking over nations eco/political structures

Question 23

capitalism:

Answer 23

puts a price tag on everything (ideas, materials, humans), no longer aligned with specific cultures, all effected

Question 24

political economy:

Answer 24

material interest (the economy) is central to the organization of society and use of power (politics)

1) connects conquered communities within conquered territories
2) connects conquered territories with other conquered territories
3) connects all conquered territories with the country of colonizers

Question 25

typologies:

Answer 25

class system based on the organization of shared attributes

Question 26

centralized vs uncentralized political structure:

Answer 26

big boss in-charge (chief, the state) vs. egalitarian (councils, band, tribe)

Question 27

structural functionalist theory:

Answer 27

explores how social forms function day to day in order to sustain traditions.. why do things stay the same?

Question 28

anthropologists interest in language (3):

Answer 28

• fieldwork requires communication
• language has grammatical & conceptual elements that can gain insight on that culture
• language encodes experience

Question 29

linguistic competence:

Answer 29

mastery of adult grammar

Question 30

Sapir-Whorf hypothesis- linguistic relativity principle:

Answer 30

idea that language has the power to shape how people view the world

Question 31

semantics:

Answer 31

study of word meaning

Question 32

pragmatics

Answer 32

the study of language in the context of its use

Question 33

ethnopragmatics:

Answer 33

study of language use in a specific culture, ethnographic approach, looks at the relationships among language, communication and social interaction

Question 34

linguistic enthocentrism:

Answer 34

superior language over another

Question 35

arbitrary:

Answer 35

based on random choice or personal whim, rather than any reason or system

Question 36

linguistic determinism:

Answer 36

we can only describe the world around us through the tools in our language box

Question 37

language ideology:

Answer 37

belief that language features relate to social features.. text language vs exam language