Human Diversity Chapter 4 Summary

Human Diversity

Chapter 4
Vocabulary in italics: from page 67 to page 80.

1. Ethnicity is based on a conception of a shared cultural heritage. Refers to an individual’s cultural heritage, separate from one’s physical character. Per David Maybury-Lewis-ethnicity has a will-o-the-wisp quality that makes it extremely hard to analyze and not much easier to discuss. 2. Ethnic Group – collective of people who BELIEVE they share a common history, culture, or ancestry. Refers to an individual’s cultural heritage, separate from one’s physical character. 3. Culture-refers to all learned and shared ideas and products of society. In Tylors view “culture is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, arts, morals, law, custom,
Belief- cultural conventions that concern true or false assumption, including specific descriptions of the nature of the universe and one’s place in it. 14. Worldview- consists of various beliefs about the nature of reality and provides a particular ethnic group with a more or less consistent orientation toward the world. “weltan-schauung” 15. Ideology- consists of cultural symbols and beliefs that reflect and support the interests of specified ethnic groups or subgroups within an ethnic group. 16. Cultural Hegemony- the ideological control by one dominant ethnic group over beliefs and values. 17. Ethnic Hegemony- the ideological control by one dominant ethnic group over beliefs and values. 18. Norms- ethnic groups rules of right and wrong behavior. Shared rules or guidelines that define how member of an ethnic group “ought” to behave under certain circumstances. Generally connected by values, beliefs, worldviews, and ideologies of an ethnic group. 19. Ethos- refers to the socially acceptable norms of an ethnic group. 20. Folkways- norms guiding ordinary usages and conventions of everyday life. 21. Mores-morality norms, have much stronger sanctions than folkway or etiquette norms. Members of an ethnic group believe that their mores are crucial for the maintenance of a decent and orderly way of
Primordialist Model- model developed in the 19610’s, Clifford Geertz, essay “The Integrative Revolution: Primordial Sentiments and Civil Politics in the new states. Describes how many 3rd world countries try to build nations and integrate their political institutions based on “civil order” a political system based on democratic representation processes rather than traditional ties to kinship or religion, this new civil order clashed with older traditional or “primordial” aspects of kinship, race, ethnicity, language, and religion. Suggests that ethnic attachments based on an assumed kinship and other social ties and religious traditions are deeply rooted within the individual through the enculturation process. Joshua Fishman “Social Theory and Ethnography” emphasizes interrelationship between language, symbols, and ethnicity. - worldview that provides explanations for origins and other meaningful questions. ( example-Amish) Criticisms of: Geertz refers to as ineffable (inexpressible) givens or spiritual traditions or what Fishman refers to as mystical