Lecture 1 Flashcards
What is Anthropology
Study of humanity
All aspects of an individual: (how we act, speak, live, look like, our past)
What is the main concept in anthropology
Culture
What is culture? Is it static?
- Broad based concept
- Rules and norms of how we function within our world
- Dictates proper/improper behaviour, language, etc.
- Promote the long-term survival of the group
- Not a static entity (adaptive)
- Change is based upon beliefs and perceptions of group members
- Culture is shared by group members
-Learned - Knowledge within cultural practices allows the group to survive in
their social and natural environment - Practices are integrated
- Many social roles within one culture
Why do we need culture
we aren’t born with the knowledge we need to function
Culture provides us with the mental tools and behaviours to successfully adapt and survie in our environment and interact in our social relations in an appropriate manner
What are the social perspectives to cultures
ethnocentrism
Cultural relativism
ethnocentrism
- Belief that one’s own culture, beliefs and practices are better than others
- All other practices in cultural groups are measured against your own
- Foundational to larger practices used to devalue and persecute other
groups
Cultural relativism
- Perspective that dictates that cultures are viewed and evaluated upon
their own beliefs and standards - No such thing as a superior culture
- Adopted within Anthropology
how is anthropology different form other fields
-Other fields tend to focus on examining only one aspect of one
society, typically their own
* Sociology, psychology, history
* Anthropology examines multiple aspects of multiple groups
across space and time
* Look at and compare different groups to understand the scope of human
behaviour and how it has developed and changed
* Not to rank or judge
* Holistic disciplin
What is holism
- Perspective that recognizes that all aspects of a group (physical, mental, past/present) are important in understanding why that group acts/acted in a particular manner
- Anthropology examines all of the possible factors of influence on groups over time
- Nothing is excluded
- Is a very broad discipline
- Divided into four major subfields
four major anthropology subfields
- Related through a common goal of understanding group culture
- Overlap when approaching specific questions about cultural
groups due to the focus of each subfield - Physical Anthropology
- Anthropological Archaeology
- Linguistic Anthropology
- Cultural Anthropology
Physical anthropology
- Study of human biological diversity, both past and present
- Human evolution, primate studies, disease, and forensic anthropology
Archaeology
- Study of peoples and their environment through physical remains and
objects - Past and present groups
Linguistic Anthropology
Study of language
Cultural anthropology
- Study of living or recent cultural groups
- Observes and examines the social structures and knowledge of a group
that allows it to function - As a group (internally)
- With outside groups (externally
What is indigenous?
- Any group of people or culture that is native to (originating within) a
specific region - People in a location prior to the arrival of outside colonists or settlers
What are societal structures
- One of the most observable aspects of any culture is their system
of political organization - How groups manage public policy and public power
- Uses the most commonly know descriptive terms
- All of these political systems work with other complimentary
systems within a society - Subsistence, religion, kinship, etc.
- Are integrated together
Who made the four major forms of societal structures?
Elman Service
Band
- Least complex
- Foraging groups
- Family group(s)
- Economically self sufficient
- Nomadic
- Disperse and aggregate on a seasonal basis
- Two types:
- Simple
- Composite
Simple vs. composite band
Simple: Composed of a single extended family, 25-50 individuals, egalitarian (consensus), Leadership with elders (based on influence and authority)
Composite: Composed of several extended families, 50-200 members, egalitarian to a certain extent
Tribes
- Several residence groups under one leader
- Several bands
- 1,000 - 20,000 members
- Have similar language and lifestyle
- Occupy different territories
- May have common ancestor
- Kinship basis of membership
- Share organized institutions
- Sodalities
- Kin groups, age groups, warrior groups
- Leadership invested in headman
- Generosity and influence
- Responsible for group decisions
- Hunting, planting, migration
- Not full time politician
- Egalitarian
- Greater authority with headman
- Foraging
- Horticulture
- Pastoralism
chiefdom
- Several residence groups under one leader
- Permanently allied
- 1,000 to 30,000 members
- Similar to Tribe
- Difference is in leadership
- Authority with a hereditary chief
- Passed down familial lines
- Achievement still important
- Centralized leadership
- Leadership is an office
- Regulates production and distribution
- Settles internal conflict
- Plans/leads raids
- Controls two or more local groups
- Can have regional variation in behaviour
- Social stratification
- Superordinate – elite who have privileged access to resources
- Subordinate – underprivileged or commoners
- Inequality of wealth
- Chief responsible for religion
- Fortified towns and villages
- Pastoralism and agriculture
- Some craft specialization
State
- Wide spread territory
- Very large population base (millions)
- Centralized political power
- Ruling elite
- Hereditary, elected, or appointed
- Power through a coup
- Development of bureaucracy
- Manage state supported structures
- Military, religion, government, social support and program
What are powers of state
- Defines citizenship and its rights and responsibilities
- Monopolizes use of force and maintenance of law and order
- Maintains standing armies and police
- Maintains census of citizens
- Age, wealth, marital status
- Extract resources from citizens through taxation
Indigenous vs Western State structures
Western societies have State structures
* Centralized power structures supported through taxation and the
production of food surplus
* Social structures that can be developed and maintained in any area that has been colonized
* Politics, religion, etc
