Anthro Chapter 1

Front 1

Agency theory

Back 1

In post-processual archaeology, the view that the arcaheological record results from the actions of individuals who are part of a culture in which their actions take place.

Front 2

Anthropology

Back 2

The study of humankind in all times and places.

Front 3

Applied anthropology

Back 3

The use of anthropological knowledge and methods to solve practical problems.

Front 4

Archaeology

Back 4

The study of material remains, usually from the past, to describe and explain human behaviour.

Front 5

Biological anthropology

Back 5

The systematic study of humans as biological organisms; also known as physical anthropology.

Front 6

Cultural ecology

Back 6

The perspective that uses ecological and environmental factors to explain cultural variation; culture is the primary means by which people adapt to their environment.

Front 7

Culture

Back 7

The often unconscious standards by which societies-structured groups of people-operate. These standards are socially learned rather than acquired through biological inheritance

Front 8

Engendered archaeology

Back 8

Set in feminist theory it examines the roles gender plays in understanding the past, including the impact of gender bias in the profession of archaeology.

Front 9

Ethnographer

Back 9

An anthropologist who studies cultures from a comparative or historical point of view, utilizing ethnographic accounts.

Front 10

Ethnohistory

Back 10

The study of cultures of the recent past through oral and written histories; accounts left by explorers, missionaries, and traders; and through analysis of such records as land titles, birth and death records, and other archival materials.

Front 11

Fact

Back 11

An observation verified by several observers skilled in the necessary techniques of observation.

Front 12

Forensic anthropology

Back 12

Field of applied biological anthropology and archaeology that specializes in the identification of human skeletal remains for legal purposes.

Front 13

Historic archaeology

Back 13

The study of the material remains of past societies that also left behind historical documentary evidence. This subfield of archaeology studies the emergence, transformation, and nature of the Modern World.

Front 14

Historical linguistics

Back 14

The study of language origins, language change, and the relationships between languages.

Front 15

Hypothesis

Back 15

Tentative explanation of the relations among certain phenomena.

Front 16

Linguistic anthropology

Back 16

The branch of cultural anthropology that studies human language.

Front 17

Paleoanthropology

Back 17

The study of fossil remains with the goal of reconstructing human biological evolution.

Front 18

Post-processual archaeology

Back 18

A critique of processual archaeology that rejects scientific explanations of the archaeological record. It represents a diverse perspective encompassing social and cognitive aspects of human behaviour.

Front 19

Prehistoric/pre-contact archaeology

Back 19

The study of ancient cultures that did not possess writing systems to record their history.

Front 20

Primatology

Back 20

The study of nonhuman primates, their biology, adaptation, and social behaviour.

Front 21

Processual archaeology

Back 21

A scientific approach to explaining the process of culture changes and adaptations.

Front 22

Settlement archaeology

Back 22

Research designed to describe the arrangement of occupations in the landscape in order to understand how people organized themselves in particular settings.

Front 23

Sociocultural anthropology

Back 23

The branch of anthropology that focuses on humans as a culture-making species.

Front 24

Theoretical perspective

Back 24

The set of assumptions that form a model or theory.