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Cultural Anthropology > FInal Exam > Flashcards

FInal Exam Flashcards

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1
Q

Ambilineal Descent

A

-can go through male or females, can use both matrilineal and patrilineal descent
-association to famous people in Western culture

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2
Q

Animism

A

-Spirit or soul animates beings/features
-lives inside them

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3
Q

Animatism

A

-Divine essence can be contained
-Luck in objects
-Touching/ holding a rabbit’s foot allows for connection with the supernatural

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4
Q

Art

A

-Emote
-Often symbolic
-Has cultural meaning, produced in patterned ways
-Sometimes thought provoking
-expresses as well as communicates
-stimulates the senses, affects emotions, and invokes ideas

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5
Q

Avunculocal Residence

A

-married couple moves in with female’s mother’s brother
-pre-existing female-oriented lineage
-considerable fighting in society

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6
Q

Band

A

-Local group or band
-Informal leadership if any (roles are more fluid)
-Foraging or food collecting
-Very small, low density communities
-Egalitarian
-Distribution: mostly reciprocity

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7
Q

Belief System

A

-used to encompass less complex sets of social and cultural traits found in less complex societies (often cultures of the archaeological record)
-Religion is a complex, modern subset of belief systems

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8
Q

Bilateral Kinship

A

-Ego-centered
-Do not allocate importance to ancient ancestors

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9
Q

Bilocal Residence

A

-Can practice patrilocal or matrilocal residence
-Usually practiced by societies under pressure or are unstable

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10
Q

Biomedical Paradigm

A

-identify illnesses based on ideology
-varies based on worldview, exclusionary western ideal
-thinking about death as something to be solved
-medicine is primarily cultural, some science

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11
Q

Body Decoration/ Adornment

A

-all societies decorate or adorn the body
-extremely universal
-enormous cultural variation in the parts decorated and how
-typically for aesthetic purposes
-can be used to delineate status, occupation, etc.
-Erotic significance in some cases

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12
Q

Bride Price/ Wealth

A

-often paid from the husband’s family to the bride’s
-take women= household loss compensation
-‘buy’ wife

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13
Q

Caste

A

-most restrictive form of social stratification
-practice endogamy
-only present in state level societies

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14
Q

Chiefdom

A

-Multi-local group
-Some specialized political officials
-Extensive or intensive agriculture and/ or herding
-Large communities of medium density
-Rank society
-Reciprocity and redistribution
-chief is a member of historically significant kin group
-male chief in violent societies
-villages may have representatives that report back to the chief
-more complex subsistence practices
-chief resolves conflict and represents to the outside world
-chiefs may manage redistribution
-collective intent moderates the community
-Chiefs have greater prestige only

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15
Q

Clan

A

-A set of kin whose members believe themselves to be descended from a common ancestor
-links back to that ancestor are not specified
-Totem: animal that is forbidden from consumption for some tribes who see them as their common ancestor

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16
Q

Compatibility-with-Childcare Theory

A

-Bad omen to have twins, cannot feed both
-menstruation= energy expensive
-modern females menstruate hundreds of times in a lifetime
-Females stay with babies to feed them, are important for future reproduction

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17
Q

Cultural Resource Management

A

-Recovering and preserving the archaeological record before programs of planned change disturb or destroy it.
-some countries have historical preservation laws that require allocation of federal funds to ensure damage to archaeological resources is mitigated
-may also work with native peoples to preserve their cultures
-efforts to train and employ tribal members in CRM
-accounts for the majority of archaeology jobs in the United States today

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18
Q

Culture Bound Syndromes

A

-unique illnesses specific to certain cultures
-Ex: Suso, Anorexia Nervosa in Wester Societies

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19
Q

Deism

A

Generic belief in some sort of supernatural being

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20
Q

Double Descent

A

-Individuals affiliate for some purposes with a group of matrilineal kin and for other purposes with a group of patrilineal kin

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21
Q

Dowry

A

-Bride’s family gives it to the bride
-Bride brings payment to new house

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22
Q

Indirect Dowry

A

-Husband’s family provides
-payments first given to bride’s father to pass down to the bride

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23
Q

Economic (Business) Anthropology

A

-Anthropologists can help businesses understand other cultures
-Assist multinational corporations
-Can also help business members understand their own organization’s culture
-may also be used to determine marketing tactics by discovering what people want

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24
Q

Economy-of-Effort Theory

A

-Jobs assigned based on pre-existing knowledge
-Already have tools and knowledge
-Less expensive in terms of time than teaching someone new
-hunter= combat, ability to hunt humans

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25
Egalitarian
-Bride service and female exchange often occur because women make significant contributions to primary subsistence -Usually give males less access to rewards -Often support individual self help and can tend towards violence rather than consensus -Negotiation and mediation are central -Competition for leadership can become intense in some tribes -leadership shifts informally from one person to another -unenclosed area in art= non-differential access to property -repetition of certain symbol: lack of political organization -empty space: society's relative isolation
26
Endogamy
-required to marry within a particular group -common in caste systems -frowned upon to marry outside of your status -nobility families (genetic problems)
27
Ethnomedicine
-Health related beliefs, knowledge, and practices of a cultural group -Every culture has an ethnomedical perspective -Primates also use herbs to prevent/ protect against disease or infection
28
Exogamy
Required to marry someone outside of your group
29
Expendability Theory
-Men tend to do more dangerous work in a society because the loss of men is not as great a disadvantage reproductively as the loss of women -Risk-taking in small communities
30
Extended Family
-Often consists of a married couple and one or more of the married children living in the same household -prevailing form of family -may be very large, encompassing three or four generations -may also be composed of families linked through a sibling tie
31
Family
-A social and economic unit consisting of one or more parents and their children -must have children to be an anthropological family
32
Fine Art
-Western construction of what art is -Art that typically has value attributed to it -Exclusive labeling
33
Folklore
-A broad category comprising all the myths, legends, folktales, ballads, riddles, proverbs and superstitions of a cultural group -generally transmitted orally -Not always clearly separable from the other arts
34
Forensic Anthropology
-Specialty in Anthropology dedicated to solving crimes and why they occur -insight into state-sponsored violence -identification of genocide victims can be particularly disturbing.
35
Gender
-Refers to cultural expectations and experiences of females and males -Social Construction: society agrees on rules -External sociocultural influences are important -Ex: Aggression and socialization because these are not biological
36
Gender Roles
-nearly universal -Evidence of gendered roles also extends to primates, may accept roles different from biology -Defined as role assignments for females and males that are a product of a particular culture. -Set up to provide an adaptive advantage -Some tasks are difficult to execute biologically
37
Gods
-Any kind of supernatural being that has a name/ individual identity -often anthropomorphic in feature
38
Incest Taboo
-most rigid marriage regulation -found in all cultures -no culture today permits incest within the nuclear family
39
Kinship
-provides the main structure of social action in non-commercial societies which have no autonomous individuals -Kin are the people obligated to help you whether the help is deserved or not -living with or near kin has been the basis of social organization for many societies
40
Levirate
Custom that obliges a man to marry his brother's widow
41
Lineage
-Set of kin whose members trace descent from a common ancestor through known links -Often designated by name of common female or male ancestor
42
Magic
-any actions which compel the supernatural to act in specific and intended ways -often pertains to immediate assistance
43
Mana
-Luck, gravity, life force, etc. -Non-anthropomorphic you can connect to -can influence the physical world
44
Marriage
-socially sanctioned union between 2 or more people -typically at least one male, one female -Economic and sexual function
45
Matrilocal Residence
-Married couple goes to live with female's family -Subsistance contribution correlation
46
Medical Anthropology
-study of heath, illnesses and related treatments -Increased realization that biological and social factors need to be considered if we are to reduce human suffering -Western and non-western medicine are both valuable.
47
Mediums
-Tend to be females -Part-time practitioners -Asked to heal and divine while in possession trances -Possessed by spirits -Described as having convulsions, seizures, and temporary amnesia
48
Monogamy
-One only has one spouse at a time -common in Western societies -plural marriage is illegal
49
Monotheism
-Only one deity in all cosmetology, or only on high ranking deity above all others -central being
50
Music
-Wide variation across the world -Production varies from culture to culture -connection to childbearing
51
Neolocal Residence
-rarest -couple starts a new household after marriage -postindustrial and commercialized societies -individual accessibility -consumption is ideal -demonstration of viability -times of stress= extended family residence
52
Nuclear Family
married couple and children
53
Patrilocal Residence
married couple goes to live with the male's family
54
Peaceful Resolution of Conflict
-No further conduction of violence after resolution -Avoidance -Community action -Negotiation and mediation: both parties negotiate, settlement, third party assistance= mediation -Ritual reconciliation and apology: give up status to get out of social jail, humble yourself, express remorse -Oaths and Ordeals: formalized ways of convincing a society you are going to reduce conflict, swear on a bible, prove worth in an ordeal -Adjunction, courts, and codified law: formal system, acceptance of fundamental principles of the process
55
Personalistic Practitioners
-practitioners who deal with more than the body -illness may be viewed as a result of someone's social life being out of order
56
Physicians
-certain substances or treatments will fix the problem -rely on science for authoritative knowledge -value is also placed on own clinical experience -Often consider own observations more important than patient reports -attempt to do something even in the face of uncertainty -low value placed on talking with patients -rely on technology heavily for diagnosis -give patients relatively little information
57
Polyandry
Many men married to one woman
58
Polygamy
-plural spouse marriage -feature of most societies -Two types: polyandry and polygyny
59
Polygyny
Multiple females married to one man
60
Polytheism
-Includes many named beings -None of which outrank another
61
Postpartum Sex Taboo
-long taboo: low protein diet -Mother puts off having another baby: current infant has a better chance for survival by being fed by mother for longer (prevents protein deficiency) -Common in tropical regions -Prevents parents from carrying two children at the same time -Statistical association with low protein diets and a longer taboo
62
Practicing Anthropology
-Becoming an agent of change -less of a consultant position -more negatively paternalistic
63
Applied Anthropology
-employed outside of colleges or universities -The use of anthropology knowledge to solve real world problems
64
Priests
-full-time male specialists who officiate at public events -very high status -Relate to gods beyond the control of an ordinary person -May be distinguished by special clothing or hairstyle -training can be vigorous and long -supported by donations -often have some sort of political power as a result of their office -Dependence on ritual protects a priest -nonresponse of gods= person is unworthy of supernatural favor.
65
Primary/ Secondary Subsistence
-Primary: attainment of resources -Secondary: processing of resources for consumption -Both are important -Masculine gender is correlated with more primary subsistence activities -non-subsistence related activities are often also divided on the basis of gender in cultures -Mining falls to men: more physically demanding
66
Rank
-Virginity emphasized in rank and stratified societies -Chief in chiefdoms has a higher rank than others -hereditary leadership -Gods may also be ranked like people -Some spirits may be promoted to rank of gods -one leading voice drowned out by others in songs -Adornment used to differentiate
67
Religion
-A set of beliefs and practices -Any set of attitudes, beliefs, and practices pertaining to supernatural power -Some beings in some cultures are natural Usually include: -social -morals/ ethics and laws -sacred texts -History -Ritual -Practitioners -Symbols -Cosmology -Mythology
68
Sex
-Purely biological differences -bimodal distribution in humans -hormonal, phenotype, genitalia, genetics -Small portion of intersex: chromosome complications, mixed genitalia
69
Sexuality
-All societies have rules governing proper conduct -Every society has rules about premarital sex -Rules about sex in marriage -Rules about extramarital sex -Homosexuality rules
70
Sexually Dimorphic
-Occurs on a species level in humans -Females and males in of our species are generally of different size and appearance -Extends beyond genitalia differences alone. -muscle mass -grip strength -expression of hair -hip: waist ratios -Fat: muscle ratios
71
Shaman
-Usually a part-time male specialist who has fairly high status in his community and is often involved in healing -Deals with spirits to get their help or prevent them from causing harm -Enters into a trance
72
Sorcery
-May include the use of materials, objects, and medicines to invoke supernatural malevolence -important in societies that lack judicial authority
73
Witchcraft
Accomplish ills by means of thoughts and emotions alone
74
Sororate
Custom that obliges a woman to marry her deceased sister's husband
75
Spirits
-Unidentified, undifferentiated forces that have motivations -Not always conscious -Often related to the environment
76
State
-Multi-local, often an entire language group -A lot of specialized political officials (permanent roles) -Intensive agriculture and herding -Cities and towns with high density -Class and caste differentiation -Mostly market exchange -Reciprocity only occurs on a local level, not the main method
77
Strength Theory
-Biological differences: men do jobs that require the greatest brute strength -Not always applicable: musical instrument making is knowledge based
78
Supernatural
-non-human origin: gods and spirits -human origin: ghosts and ancestral spirits -Supernatural world runs parallel to the natural (Freud) -powers believed to not be human or subjected to the laws of nature -Illness varies: viewed as natural only in some cultures
79
Susto
-Latin American bound cultural syndrome -Illness you can get from witnessing/experiencing trauma -Predisposition of the culture -Nervousness, fever, depression, diarrhea, listlessness.
80
Tribe
-Sometimes multi-local group -Informal leadership if any -Extensive (shifting) agriculture and/or herding -Small low density communities -Egalitarian -Distribution: mostly reciprocity -more than one location under a larger system -kin groups, occasional individual elevation -encampments may become more permanently constructed -no property differentiation -semi-sedentary
81
Unilineal Descent
Person is linked to one kin group of one sex only (patrilineal OR matrilineal)
82
Violent Resolution of Conflict
-Individual violence: act alone, kill someone yourself, violence leads to more violence -Feuding: families that hate each other, hurt you= must hurt back -Raiding: one group attacks another by stealing or taking resources back, highly aggressive, often becomes constant, common in pastoralism -large-scale confrontations: military operations, warfare not resolution, must do something additional to stop the fighting, warfare itself does not end violence
83
Political Warfare Society Theory
-men are involved in combat, military is often a major part of leadership -brute strength is not important in modern warfare -Massive societal populations means expendability no longer matters -women are now involved in the military which means additional involvement in politics -military no longer acts as a constraint on leadership
84
Female Contribution to Work
-women put in more hours -males put in more strenuous work, less time -do different work -Less complex society= more social equality
85
Describe at least three of the different arguments anthropologists have given to explain why marriage is universal among humans?
3 THEORIES: -Gender division of labor: different roles= different resources, you need both halves of gender roles to meet individual needs, not very applicable to egalitarian societies. -Prolonged infant dependency: humans stay infants/ are dependent for long periods of time, obligate people together to ensure child's needs are met for several years, not necessary in band societies where bands are permanent structures -Sexual Competition: humans are constantly sexually active as a species, marriage used to prevent conflict due to constant availability, ensures daily needs are met, does not solve problem of extramarital sex, evolution already assisted in reducing sexual competition
86
Elman Service 4 Types of Political Organization
Band, Tribe, Chiefdom, State
87
Describe, in detail, at least three ways in which Belief Systems or Religions mirror and reinforce social order and cultural norms in a society.
Supernatural Being Stratification -reflects societal social stratification -humans place themselves in a larger hierarchy to justify stratification on Earth -reinforce social order High Intervention of Gods -usually socially stratified -acceptance of higher authority Importance of the Afterlife -correlated with subsistence -interest in claim to ancestors that have influence over current condition -family property inheritance -lineages are important
88
Under what circumstances would a Belief System become Maladaptive?
-When social systems change, the ideology must also change -One example discussed in class: Aztecs used sacrifice as a method of maintaining social order and appeasing the malevolent gods. -Many societies do not practice sacrifice due to too small of population sizes -Aztecs could preform sacrifices due to rapid population growth

Cultural Anthropology (2 decks)

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