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final exam Flashcards

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1
Q

What is political organization?

A

The way that power is distributed and embedded in a society and the way that power is used to coordinate and regulate behavior, so order is maintained.

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2
Q

Define government.

A

An administrative system with specialized personnel that may or may not form a part of the political organization, depending on the society’s complexity.

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3
Q

What is power?

A

The ability of individuals or groups to impose their will upon others and force them to behave in ways potentially against their wishes.

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4
Q

What is hard power?

A

Coercive power that is backed by economic or military force.

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5
Q

Give an example of hard power.

A

War in Iraq – ‘shock and awe’.

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6
Q

What is soft power?

A

Cooptive power that presses others through attraction and persuasion to change their ideas, beliefs, values, and behaviors.

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7
Q

Give an example of soft power.

A

War in Iraq – ‘hearts and minds’.

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8
Q

List the top three countries by global military spending in 2014.

A
  • United States: 610 billion USD
  • China: 216 billion USD
  • Russia: 85 billion USD
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9
Q

What are the primary sources of soft power?

A

Primarily global communications media, advertising, and the spread of ideas.

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10
Q

What is a band in political organization?

A

A relatively small and loosely organized kin-ordered group that inhabits a common territory, often splitting into smaller extended family groups.

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11
Q

Describe the conflict resolution methods in a band.

A

Conflicts are settled informally through gossip, ridicule, negotiation, or mediation.

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12
Q

What is the role of the kxau in a band?

A

The kxau is a leader with a symbolic claim to waterholes through ancestry, but lacks the power to control others.

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13
Q

What defines a tribe?

A

A range of kin-ordered groups that are politically integrated by a unifying factor, sharing common ancestry, identity, culture, language, and territory.

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14
Q

Who holds power in a tribe?

A

Typically a clan leader known as a ‘big man’ who gains influence through economic surplus and personal relationships.

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15
Q

What is a chiefdom?

A

A regional polity in which two or more local groups are organized under a single chief, who heads a ranked hierarchy.

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16
Q

How is power structured in a state?

A

Controlled by government, making laws, collecting taxes, and maintaining order through a defined hierarchy and inequality.

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17
Q

Define a nation.

A

A people who share a collective identity based on a common culture, language, territorial base, and history.

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18
Q

What is a monarchy?

A

A state headed by a single ruler, often with power passed down through a royal lineage.

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19
Q

What characterizes an oligarchy?

A

A state ruled by a small group of elites who advance their own interests rather than the common good.

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20
Q

What is legitimacy in a political context?

A

The right of political leaders to govern based on socially accepted customs, rules, or laws.

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21
Q

What is authority?

A

The ability to claim and exercise power based on legitimacy provided by laws, customs, or traditions.

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22
Q

How do cultural controls function?

A

Through internalized controls (beliefs and values) and externalized controls (social norms and laws).

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23
Q

What is witchcraft’s role in uncentralized political systems?

A

Used as a means to control behavior, punish antisocial acts, and is based on belief in supernatural powers.

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24
Q

What is the purpose of rituals in religion?

A

To mobilize supernatural powers to achieve or prevent transformations of state in people or nature.

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25
What is a worldview?
The collective body of ideas that members of a culture share concerning the ultimate shape and substance of their reality.
26
What are the social and psychological needs fulfilled by religion?
* Provides meaning to life and death * Promotes group norms and moral sanctions * Offers explanations for the unexplainable
27
What is the significance of prayer in religion?
It is a ritualistic contact with the supernatural, believed to influence outcomes.
28
How does war function as a political action?
It is organized fighting between opposing groups, often about territory and resources.
29
What are diplomatic methods for achieving peace?
Discussions to achieve mutually acceptable agreements, often involving treaties.
30
What role does religion play in conflict and war?
It can provide ideological justifications, such as notions of good versus evil.
31
What is the difference between religion and spirituality?
Spirituality is often individual, concerned with the sacred, while religion is collective and may have a distinctive format. ## Footnote Spirituality does not require traditional organization or practices associated with religion.
32
Define monotheism.
Belief in only one all-powerful divinity. ## Footnote This can vary among religions that claim to worship one God but may have different interpretations of that God.
33
Define polytheism.
Belief in multiple gods/goddesses collected into a pantheon. ## Footnote This includes gods for different aspects such as war, love, etc.
34
What are ancestral spirits?
Souls of human beings that have died but still influence the living world. ## Footnote They are usually related to deceased relatives.
35
What is animism?
Belief that nature is animated by distinct personalized spirit beings separable from bodies. ## Footnote Example: Inuit belief in Anirniq, which involves the concept of two souls.
36
Define animatism.
Belief that nature is enlivened by an impersonal spiritual force or supernatural energy. ## Footnote Example: Melanesian concept of 'mana'.
37
What is the role of a priest(ess)?
A full-time religious specialist formally recognized for guiding religious practices and contacting supernatural powers. ## Footnote This role can be achieved through descent, training, election, or seeking.
38
What distinguishes a shaman?
A person who enters an altered state of consciousness to contact hidden realities for knowledge and power. ## Footnote This often involves hallucinations and altered states.
39
Define taboo.
A prohibition that, if not observed, leads to penalties inflicted by magic, spiritual force, or religion. ## Footnote Example: Dharma in Hinduism.
40
What is the caste system in Hinduism?
A hierarchical system based on ritual purity, organizing people into four ranks (varnas) and a category outside the system. ## Footnote Officially abolished in 1950, but still exists in practice.
41
What are rites of purification?
Symbolic acts to establish or restore purity after violating a taboo. ## Footnote Example: Native American sweat lodges.
42
What are rites of passage?
Rituals marking important life stages, consisting of separation, transition, and incorporation. ## Footnote Example: Circumcision in various cultures.
43
What is the difference between male and female circumcision?
Male circumcision typically involves foreskin removal for various reasons, while female circumcision ranges from nicking to complete removal of genitalia. ## Footnote Female circumcision is often referred to as female genital mutilation (FGM).
44
Define magic.
Ritual practices involving specific formulas and actions to compel supernatural powers for good or evil. ## Footnote This includes imitative and contagious magic.
45
What is divination?
Magical procedures to discover the unknowable through rituals. ## Footnote Examples include throwing bones and reading tea leaves.
46
What is witchcraft?
Magical rituals intended to cause misfortune or harm. ## Footnote Example: Navajo 'Skin-walkers' who transform into animals to inflict curses.
47
What are sacred shrines?
Places considered spiritually significant, often located in transitional zones between natural and supernatural. ## Footnote Examples include mountain peaks and burial locations.
48
What is syncretism?
Creative blending of indigenous and foreign beliefs and practices into a new cultural form. ## Footnote Example: Voodoo in Haiti combining African and Christian elements.
49
Define art.
The creative use of human imagination to aesthetically interpret and engage life, representing reality. ## Footnote Art modifies experienced reality.
50
What are the three levels of studying art?
* Aesthetic * Narrative * Interpretive ## Footnote Each level examines different aspects of art, from composition to cultural meaning.
51
What is performance art?
Creatively expressed promotion of ideas through dramatic staging to challenge opinions or provoke action. ## Footnote Example: Ron Athey's piece on HIV awareness.
52
What is visual art?
Art created primarily for visual perception, such as paintings and sculptures. ## Footnote It encompasses a wide range of mediums and techniques.
53
What is verbal art?
Creative use of words in forms such as stories, poetry, and proverbs. ## Footnote It includes oral traditions and narratives.
54
What is musical art?
Art whose medium is sound and silence, expressing ideas and emotions through tonality, pitch, rhythm, and timbre. ## Footnote It involves a nonverbal auditory component.
55
What is political commentary in visual art?
Art that expresses a point of view or critiques societal issues, often through propaganda. ## Footnote It can be both positive and negative in its portrayal.
56
What is folklore?
Traditional oral stories and sayings preserved in societies, distinguishing folk art from fine art. ## Footnote It reflects cultural values and social hierarchies.
57
What are myths?
Sacred narratives explaining human existence and the origins of the world. ## Footnote Example: The story of Anunnaki in creation myths.
58
What is a myth?
A sacred narrative that explains the fundamentals of human existence, including origins and purpose ## Footnote Examples include ‘Tabaldak’ and the Anunnaki creator god narrative.
59
Who is the Anunnaki creator god?
A deity responsible for creating humans, first from stone, then from wood ## Footnote The stone humans were destroyed for being cold-hearted.
60
What does the Genesis story explain?
The creation of the universe, earth, humans, and nature ## Footnote It is considered an overall myth embedded in Christianity.
61
What is the function of religion according to the text?
To explain mysteries of the beginning of life and what happens after death.
62
What is a legend?
A story about a memorable event or figure handed down by tradition, told as true but without historical evidence.
63
Give an example of a legend.
American Thanksgiving ## Footnote The narrative is not historically accurate.
64
What characterizes legends?
They often feature real or fictional main characters capable of extraordinary accomplishments.
65
What is an epic?
A long, dramatic narrative recounting the celebrated deeds of a hero, often in poetic language.
66
Provide an example of an epic.
Homer’s The Iliad.
67
What is the primary purpose of tales?
To entertain while also conveying a moral or practical lesson.
68
Give an example of a tale.
Peter Rabbit.
69
What are 'Ghinnáwa'?
Little songs created by women in Egyptian society for discussing sensitive topics.
70
What is 'Nushu'?
A writing system created by women in Hunan Province, China, for communication among women.
71
What is ethnomusicology?
The study of a society’s music in terms of its cultural setting.
72
What is an example of a musical art form mentioned?
Inuit Throat Singing (katajjaq).
73
What does 'terra nullius' mean?
Land belonging to no one, a term used by colonizers to justify claiming land inhabited by Indigenous people.
74
What was the significance of the Mabo case in relation to terra nullius?
It proved that Indigenous people had always had a connection to the land.
75
List some functions of art.
* Transmission of abstract, emotional ideas * Display socio-cultural aspects * Permit self-identification * Make social/political statements * Demonstrate ethnic identity * Promote national character * Entertain and create enjoyment * Fund-raising and philanthropy.

cultural anthropology (1 decks)

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