Midterm 1 Study Guide

ANTH 1: Introduction to Socio-cultural Anthropology (Fall 2013)
MIDTERM I REVIEW

Part I Identifications: The exam will have 10 concepts from the list below. You will select 5 concepts only from the list of 10 and provide the following information:
a) a definition (4 points); b) identify the source of the term from class—specific reference to syllabus topic, lecture, reading or film (2 points); and c) state why the concept is important to anthropology (2 points) [5 concepts x 8 points each = 40 points] empathetic

Part II Essays: You will write two essays. There will be specific prompts that ask you to synthesize what you have learned about (for example) anthropology as a discipline, its history, how it has changed, key individuals, key ideas and concepts; and draw from the key reading Reflections on Fieldwork in Morocco. [2 essays x 30 points each = 60 points]

Nacirema
Definition: a satire on anthropological paper; based on behaviors and rituals of US citizens
Source: readings
Importance to Anth: allows readers to understand how degrees of perception matter for ethnographers

Anthropology
Definition: study of human beings through space and time
Source: lecture
Importance to Anth: allows people to understand what it means to be human from an interdisciplinary standpoint

British social anthropology v. American cultural anthropology
Definition: British emphasizes structural and functional parts of society; American emphasizes four subfields
Source: Lecture
Importance to Anth: It allows our field to be multifaceted

Socio-cultural anthropology
Definition: merges british anthropology with American cultural
Source: lecture
Importance to Anth: it allows our field to be multifacted

Four fields of American anthropology
Definition: Linguistic, cultural, physical and Archaeology
Source: Lecture
Importance to Anth: it is what defines American cultural anthropology

Armchair anthropologists
Definition: based much of their reason from indirect sources and information
Source: lecture
Importance to Anth: lack of empirical evidence encouraged other anths to direct fieldwork

Society
Definition: social grouping characterizing humans and social animals
Source: lecture
Importance to Anth: allows anth to study different aspects of society which are so central to humans

Social Structure
Definition: pattern of social relationships that characterize a society
Source: lecture
Importance to Anth: social structures reveal dynamics in a society

Social Institutions
Definition: structures or social orders that govern the behavior of individuals in society
Source: lecture
Importance to Anth: it’s the rules that a society abides by

Ethnocentrism
Definition: belief in superiority of ones ethnic group
Source: lecture
Importance to Anth: something you want to avoid when doing fieldwork

Emic vs. Etic perspective
Definition: emic is my pespective, insider; etic is the outsider perspective
Source: lecture
Importance to Anth: allows for an insiders or outsiders perspective of a culture

First Contact
Definition: a film about Australians going to papua new guinea
Source: film
Importance to Anth: shows how one culture can be altered by another

Anthropology straddles the Social Sciences and Humanities Disciplines
Definition: we’re about humanities, but is also tied to biological part of humans
Source: lecture/syllabus topic
Importance to Anth: shows that our discipline is multifaceted

Holistic approach
Definition: complex whole of society
Source: lecture
Importance to Anth: the way to approach new cultures

Alfred Kroeber
Definition: us anthropologists that wrote a 5 step process about the nature of culture
Source: lecture
Importance to Anth: how do cultures appear in society

Culture (characteristics of)
Definition: learned, superorganic, integrated, ideational, adaptive, embedded
Source: lecture/syllabus topic
Importance to Anth: how do cultures appear in society

Franz Boas
Definition: believed that anth must be a historical science
Source: lecture/readings
Importance to Anth: father of American anthropology

Unilineal Cultural Evolution
Definition: culture went through a hierarchal evolution represented by materials
Source: lecture
Importance to Anth: it was a theory explaining incremental technological change

Cultural Relativism
Definition: study cultures on their terms
Source: lecture
Importance to Anth: allows for a holistic approach to studying cultures

Historical Particularism
Definition: the idea that every cultures history is as long as yours, and they each have their own history
Source: lecture
Importance to Anth: ties historical and environmental factors into why cultures are different from one another

Structural-Functionalism
Definition: saw society as a function for human needs
Source: lecture
Importance to Anth: allowed them to study cultures in a society according to the present

Symbolic or Interpretive anthropology
Definition: trying to understand the meaning; culture is a system of symbols
Source: lecture
Importance to Anth: allowed anths to have a deeper meaning of symbols

Postmodernism in anthropology
Definition: self-reflective approached tied to humanities
Source: lecture
Importance to Anth: must acknowledge a varity of povs

Ethnography
Definition: fieldwork in a culture
Source: syllabus topic
Importance to Anth: one of the four subfields

Reflections on Fieldwork in Morocco
Definition: book on paul rabinows ethnography in morocco
Source: readings
Importance to Anth: it was a reflection on a real application of anthropology

Bronislaw Malinowski
Definition: conducted fieldwork with trobiand islanders
Source: lecture
Importance to Anth: introducing ethnography to fieldwork

Ethnographic (fieldwork) method
Definition: develop rapport, extended stays, language immersion, learn customs and rules, gather info through observation, collect data, field notes, chronicle experience
Source: lecture
Importance to Anth: one of the subfields of American anthropology

Participant-Observation
Definition: develop rapport, extended stays, language immersion, learn customs and rules, gather info through observation, collect data, field notes, chronicle experience
Source: lecture
Importance to Anth: one of the subfields of American anthropology
Key Informant
Definition: member of society that works closely with anthropologists during fieldwork to facilitate fieldwork
Source: lecture/readings
Importance to Anth:

Margaret Mead v. Derek Freeman controversy
Definition: mead interviewed adolescents in samoa and they were very explicit; same interview with freeman makes them seem more conservative
Source: lecutre
Importance to Anth: shows how theoretical orientation of anthropologists can influence research material

Comparative Method
Definition: identifying fundamental similarities and differences w/in & b/w societies
Source: lecture
Importance to Anth: tries to answer question on why cultures are diverse

Synchronic/Diachronic
Definition: one single intensive fieldwork; long term or application of multiple sessions of fieldwork
Source: lecture
Importance to Anth: different dimensions of conducting fieldwork

Changing ideas about “the field”
Definition: fieldwork occurs everywhere, not just around nonwestern societies
Source: lecture
Importance to Anth: fieldwork is applicable to any culture

Ethics
Definition: values pertaining to human conduct
Source: lecture/reading
Importance to Anth: how conduct our discipline is according to ethics

Human Subjects Protection
Definition: risk of harm should be minimized and they need informed consent
Source: lecture/readings
Importance to Anth: collecting research and data is contingent on this

Informed Consent
Definition: asking uncoerced permission and completely informing particpant of what study involves
Source: lecture/reading
Importance to Anth: abides by AAA ethics

Great Chain of Being
Definition: aristotles 1579 list of who was closest to god
Source: lecture
Importance to Anth: began to categorize people into hierarchy

Biological race
Definition: populations and cultures that share similar phenotypic traits
Source: lecture
Importance to Anth: allows for a classification based on physical traits

Racism
Definition: belief that culture and intellect are tied to physical traits, and that some races are superior than others
Source: lecture
Importance to Anth: a discpline that tries to disprove that

Scientific Racism
Definition: any type of scientific publication used to support racism
Source: lecture
Importance to Anth: fathers of anthropology were racist

Anthropometry
Definition: study of human body measurements
Source: lecture
Importance to Anth: important to physical anthropology

Social Race (or race as a social construct)
Definition: socially assigned meanings about physical differences
Source: lecture
Importance to Anth: integral part of how people classify you

Ethnicity
Definition: identity formed on the basis of shared culture
Source: lecture
Importance to Anth: can be used as basis to claim, defend, or regain territories

Ethnic Group
Definition: a group of people with shared history and culture that is incorporated into a state
Source: lecture
Importance to Anth: minority group that exists in relation to dominant group

Nation
Definition: group of people with shard culture, language, and territory
Source: lecture
Importance to Anth:

State
Definition:r efers to any autonomous political entity.
Source: lecture
Importance to Anth: population that the state governs could have multiple ethnic groups

Nation-State
Definition: refers to the union of nation (the people),the territory, and the political entity that governs
Source: lecture
Importance to Anth: emerged with independence from colonies

National identity
Definition: Distinguishing features of a nation and one’s sense of belonging to the nation.
Source: lecture
Importance to Anth: establishing how one belongs to a nation with language, history and religion

Nationalism
Definition: Holds that the nation is the fundamental unit of social life and takes precedence over any other social or political principles. Can evoke great emotion and loyalty
Source: lecture
Importance to Anth: evokes loyalty in nation

Ethnonationalism
Definition: desire of ethnic groups to have their own state
Source: lecture
Importance to Anth: where is the line to study ethnic groups