Cultural Anthropology - Chapter 1

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Anthropology

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The systemic study of humankind.

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Cultural Anthropology or Ethnology

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The comparative study of human societies and cultures. Human thought, meaning, and behavior that is learned rather than genetically transmitted, and that is typical of groups of people is studied by its scholars. It examines the various contemporary societies and cultures throughout the world.

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Ethnologist

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Anthropologists who focus on the cross-cultural aspects of the various ethnographic studies done by the cultural anthropologists. They analyze the data that are produced by the individual ethnographic studies to produce cross-cultural generalizations about humanity and cultures.

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Holistic/Holism

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In anthropology, an approach that considers the culture, history, language, and biology essential to a complete understanding of human society.

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Biological (or physical) Anthropology

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The sub-discipline of anthropology that studies people from a biological perspective, focusing primarily on aspects of humankind that are genetically inherited. It includes osteology, nutrition, demography, epidemiology, and primatology. The sub-discipline concerned with humans as a biological species.

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Primatology

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The study of primates.

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Primates

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Mammals that belong to the same overall biological classification as humans, and therefore, share similar physical characteristics and a close evolutionary relationship with us.

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Paleoanthropology

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The study of in which anthropologists are concerned with tracing the evolution of humankind in the fossil record. The study of human evolution through analysis of fossils.

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Fossils

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The fragmentary remains of bones and living materials preserved from earlier periods.

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Human Variation

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The sub-discipline of biological anthropology concerned with mapping and explaining physical differences among modern human groups.

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Primate

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A member of a biological order of mammals that includes human beings, apes, and monkeys as well as prosimians (lemurs, tarsiers, and others).

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Linguistics

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The study of language.

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Linguistic Anthropology

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The sub-discipline of anthropology concerned with understanding language and its relation to culture. This branch focuses on the relationship between language and culture, how language is used within a society, and how the human brain acquires the uses the language.

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Historical Linguistics

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The study of the relationships among languages to better understand the histories and migrations of those who speak them. This concentrates on the comparison and classification of different languages to discern the historical links among languages.

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Structural Linguistics

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This discipline of linguistics explores how language works.

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Sociolinguistics

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The examination of the connections between language and social behavior in different cultures.

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Archaeology

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The sub-discipline of anthropology that focuses on the reconstruction of past cultures based on their material remains. The branch of anthropology that examines the material traces of past societies.

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Prehistoric

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Societies for which we have no usable written records.

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Artifact

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Any object made or modified by human beings. Generally used to refer to objects made by past cultures. The material products of former societies.

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Middens

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Ancient trash piles.

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Ethnoarchaeology

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The study of material artifacts of the past along with the observation of modern peoples who have knowledge of the use and symbolic meaning of those artifacts.

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Cultural Resource Management (CRM)

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The protection and management of archaeological, archival, and architectural resources.

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Society

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A group of people who depend on one another for survival or well-being as well as the relationships among such people, including their status and roles.

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Culture

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The learned behaviors and symbols that allow people to live in groups. The Primary means by which humans adapt to their environments. the way of life characteristic of a particular human society.

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Participant Observation

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The fieldwork technique that involves gathering cultural data by observing people's behavior and participating in their daily activities.

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Ethnography

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The description of a culture within a society. This refers to both the process of qualitative, fieldwork-based research and the written results of that research.

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Emic (ethnography)

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A study that attempts to capture what ideas and practices mean to members of a culture.

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Etic (enthnography)

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A study that describes and analyzes cultures according to principles and theories drawn largely from Western scientific traditions.

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Applied Anthropology

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The use of anthropological data from the other subfields to address modern problems and concerns.

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Indigenous Peoples

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Members of societies that have occupied a region for a long time and are recognized by other groups as its original (or very ancient) inhabitants.

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Ethnocentrism

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Judging another society by the values and standards of one's own society; the notion that one's own culture is more beautiful, rational, and nearer to the perfection than any other.

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Racism

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The belief that some human populations are superior to others because of inherited, genetically transmitted characteristics.

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Cultural Relativism

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The notion that cultures should be analyze with reference to their own histories and values, in terms of the cultural whole, rather than according to the values of another culture.

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Biopsychological Equality

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The notion that all human groups have the same biological and mental capabilities.

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Scientific Method

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A system of logic used to evaluate data derived from systematic observation.

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Inductive Method

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A method of developing testable propositions by first making observations and collecting data and then developing a theory.

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Variable

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Any piece of data that changes from case to case.

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Hypothesis

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A testable proposition concerning the relationship between particular sets of variables in the collected data.

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Theories

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Statements that explain hypotheses adn observations about natural or social phenomena.

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Deductive Method

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A method of developing testable propositions by first developing a general theory from which scientists develop testable hypothesis.

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Ethnopoetics

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The study of poetry adn how it relates to the experiences of people in different societies.

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Ethnomusicology

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The study of musical traditions in various societies throughout the world.