WMST Chapter 4 Flashcards
(27 cards)
Alyha
Among the Mojave people, a boy who underwent a transformation to the social role of female.
Berdache
Anthropological term for third gender individuals of the male sex. “Female berdache” is sometimes used for the female sex. Term is considered offensive by indigenous communities.
Circumcision
Excision of the foreskin of the penis. Primarily used in North America.
Couvade
Anthropological term for rituals observed by men to “mimic” pregnancy when their wives are pregnant. Perform same acts and restrictions.
Cultural Determinism
The belief that cultures in which we are raised determine our character, personalities, emotional lives, and behaviours.
Cultural Relativism
The belief, developed and named by anthropologists, that any individual’s belief’s and behaviours should be understood in the context of their culture vs. universal tendencies/values.
Descent Theorists
Anthropology: those who study kinship, esp. how cultures shape and understand blood relationships.
Female Genital Cutting (FGC)/ Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)
Alteration of the female genitalia.
Functionalism
A school of thought that maintains that the sex-based division of labour arose because it was necessary for the survival of early human societies , might have some biological imperative.
Hijras
In India, biologically male or intersex people who adopt female social identities. Distinct caste.
Hwame
Among the Mojave people, a girl who underwent transformation to a male soical role.
Hypermasculinity
The exaggerated display of or adherence to behaviours, traits, and beliefs seen as masculine.
Infibulation
A practice that involves the removal of the clitoris and much of the tissue of the external genitalia, with the vaginal opening being sewn much smaller.
Matriarchy
A women-centred form of social organization in which women, particularly mothers are the centre of prestige and power.
Matrilineality
The practice of reckoning kinship, naming, inheritance, and descent through the mother, rather than the father.
Muxes
In Zapotec communities in Mexico, males who take on feminine modes of dress and social roles.
Nadle
Among the Navajo, a third gender assigned to either individuals of ambiguous sex or biological males. Individuals may also choose this role.
Patrilineality
The practice of reckoning kinship, naming, inheritance and descent through the father.
Polygamy
In anthropology and sociology, marriage to more than one partner at the same time.
Polygyny
A man’s marriage to more than one woman at a time.
Purdah
The (primarily Islamic) practice of the social seclusion of women; a system of segregation aimed at keeping women completely separated from the world of men.
Ritual Segregation
The segregation of the sexes through rituals that provide a sense of identity and group membership.
Sex Segregation
The concentration of men and women in gender specific roles and locations within a society. Can be vertical or horizontal.
Sworn Virgin
In Albanian society, a daughter who swore perpetual chastity and took on the social role of a man in order to serve as her family’s head of household.
