Cultural Anthropology Final Exam

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inequality

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degree to which individuals, groups, and categories differ in their access to rewards

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egalitarian society

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form of society in which there is little inequality in access to culturally valued rewards

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ranked society

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society that has a limited number of high-ranking social positions that grant authority; groups are ranked relative to one another, with the highest rank bringing the highest rewards in prestige, power, and sometimes wealth; hereditary

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stratified society

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society with marked and largely or partly heritable differences in access to wealth, power, and prestige; inequality is based mainly on unequal access to productive and valued resources

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class

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system of stratification in which membership in a stratum can theoretically be altered and intermarriage between strata is allowed

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caste

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stratification system in which membership in a stratum is in theory hereditary, strata are endogamous, and contact or relationships among members of different strata are governed by explicit laws, norms, or prohibitions

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ideologies

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ideas and beliefs that legitimize and reinforce inequalities in stratified societies

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secular ideology

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an ideology that does not rely on the will of supernatural powers but justifies inequality on the basis of its society side benefits

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functional theory of inequality

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theory holding that stratification is a way to reward individuals who contribute most to society's well being

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conflict theory of inequality

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theory holding that stratification benefits mainly the upper stratum and is the cause of most social unrest and other conflicts in human societies

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animism

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belief in spiritual beings

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myths

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stories that recount the deeds of supernatural powers and cultural heroes in the past

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ritual

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organized, stereotyped, symbolic behaviors intended to influence supernatural powers

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intellectual (or cognitive) approach

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the notion that religious beliefs provide explanations for puzzling things and events

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psychological approach

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the notion that the emotional or affective satisfactions people gain from religion are primary

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sociological approach

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the effects of religion on maintaining the institutions of society as a whole by instilling common values, creating solidarity, controlling behavior, and so forth

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sorcery

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the performance of rites and spells for the purpose of causing harm to others by supernatural means

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witchcraft

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the use of psychic powers to harm others by supernatural means

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individualistic organizations

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religious organizations based on personal relationships between specific individuals and specific supernatural powers

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shamanistic organizations

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religious organizations in which certain individuals (shamans) have relationships with supernatural powers that ordinary people lack

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communal organizations

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religious organizations in which the members of a group cooperate to perform rituals intended to benefit all

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ecclesiastical organizations

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religious organizations in which a full-time priesthood performs rituals believed to benefit believers or the whole society, usually in large buildings dedicated to religious purposes or deities; found in complex societies

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vision quest

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the attempt to enlist the aid of supernatural powers by intentionally seeking a dream or vision

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shaman

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part-time religious specialist who uses his special relationship to supernatural powers for curing members of his group and harming members of other groups

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ancestral rituals

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rituals the conscious purpose of which is to worship, honor, or beseech the deceased ancestors of a kin group

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totemism

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a form of communal religious organization in which all members of a kin group have mystical relationships with one or more natural objects

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priest

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a kind of religious specialist , usually full-time, who officiates at large-scale, bureaucratically organized rituals that keep the population in proper relationship to deities or cosmic forces

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revitalization movement

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a religious movement explicitly intended to create a new way of life for a society or group

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cargo cults

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Melanesian revitalization movements in which prophets claim to know secret rituals that will bring wealth (cargo)

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art

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any human action that modifies the utilitarian nature of something for the primary purpose of enhancing its aesthetic qualities; or actions, objects, or words valued largely for their aesthetic pleasure or symbolic communication

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aesthetic

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qualities that make objects, actions, or language more beautiful or pleasurable, according to culturally relative and variable standards

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body arts

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artificial artistic enhancement or beautification of the human body by painting, tattooing, scarification, or other means

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visual arts

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arts produced in a material or tangible form, including basketry, pottery, textiles, paintings, drawings, sculptures, masks, carvings, and the like

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performance arts

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forms of art such as music, percussion, song, dance, and theater/drama that involve sound and/or stylized body movements

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globalization

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the process of integrating the world's peoples economically, socially, politically, and culturally into a single world system or community

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global trade

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the direct or indirect exchange of goods and products between peoples from all regions of the world

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global economy

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the buying and selling of goods and services in an integrated global market

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multinational corporation

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a corporation that has most of its employees, produces and sells most of its products or services, and generates most of its gross revenues outside the national boundaries of its "home" country

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ethnic group

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a named social group based on perceptions of shared ancestry, cultural traditions, and common history that culturally distinguish that group from other groups

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hierarchical nesting

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occurs when an ethnic group is part of a larger collection of ethnic groups, which together constitute a higher level of ethnic identity

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origin myth

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the collective history of an ethnic group that defines which subgroups are part of it and its relationship to other ethnic groups

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ethnic boundary markers

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any overt characteristics that can be used to indicate ethnic group membership

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ethnogenesis

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the creation of a new ethnic group

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nationality

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an ethnic group that claims a right to a discrete homeland and to political autonomy and self-determination

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homeland

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a geographical region over which a particular ethnic group feels it has exclusive rights

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subnationalities

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a dependent subgroup within a larger nationality that lacks the concept of a separate homeland and makes no claim to any inherent right to political autonomy and self-determination

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transnationals

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members of an ethnic community living outside their country of origin

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civilization

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a form of complex society in which many people live in cities

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artificial countries

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Multinationality countries created by external powers; usually applied to former colonies

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ethnic homogenization

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the attempt to create a single ethnic group in a particular geographical region

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ethnic cleansing

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the elimination or removal of an unwanted ethnic group or groups from a country or a particular geographical region; usually involves genocide and/or relocation of the population

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genocide

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the deliberate attempt to eliminate the members of an ethnic category or cultural tradition

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relocation

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the forced removal of the members of a particular ethnic group from one geographical region to another

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assimilation

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the merging of the members of one ethnic group into another, with the consequent abandonment of the former group's identity

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forced assimilation

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the social absorption of one ethnic group by another ethnic group through the use of force

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passive assimilation

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the voluntary social absorption of one ethnic group by another ethnic group

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segregation

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the enforced separation of ethnic groups, in which the dominant ethnic group places legal restrictions on the actions of the members of the other group

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accommodation

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the creation of social and political systems that provide for and support ethnic group differences