Banc 102 Unit 3

Front 1

Who suggested the term comparative sociology for the subject social anthropology?

Back 1

A.R. Radcliffe-Brown

Front 2

What is the subject matter of sociology?

Back 2

The social science that is closest to social anthropology is sociology.

The subject matter of sociology is to learn about key social structures and dynamics embedded in contemporary societies, including the forms of social power and privilege that exist in any society, and how these often unequal power relations are organised, sustained, reproduced, and transformed.

Front 3

What is the basis of psychological studies?

Back 3

The concept of personality is the basis of psychological studies.

Anthropologists approach this domain from defining personality in terms of culture.

Front 4

What is the focus of psychological anthropologists?

Back 4

Culture is reflected in personalities and personalities reflect culture.

Psychological anthropologists divide the cultural institutions of society into primary or basic and secondary or projective.

The former compromises the geographical environment, the economy, family, socialisation practices, the policy while the latter comprises of myth, folklore, religion, magic, art etc.

While the basic institutions condition personalities, personalities construct the secondary institutions.

The relationship between culture and personality in each society of the world is studied by the psychological anthropologists.

Front 5

What is the common study area of the anthropologists and the historians?

Back 5

Anthropology and history both attempt to trace the origin, expansion and advancement of culture in the past.Anthropologist studies past cultures and tell us about the technology of past peoples by analysing the tools those people use in the past

Front 6

Which period of human past is studied by historians?

Back 6

The discipline of history which is concerned only with the past 5000 years during which human beings has left behind written materials of their accomplishments.

Front 7

What is the main method used by the archaeological anthropologists?

Back 7

The main methods of archaeological anthropologists are therefore, excavation to find out artefacts followed by dating to dispense a rough time period and witty speculations to form the cultural history of one’s past.

Front 8

What is economic anthropology?

Back 8

Economic anthropology is the cross cultural comparative study of economic systems.

The nature of economic transaction and economic process covers production, consumption, distribution and exchange of products.

Anthropologists concentrate on these activities mainly in tribal and peasant societies.

They focus on the different ways of exchanges including ceremonial exchanges.

The theory of reciprocity and redistribution are vital here.

The environment of trade and market systems is also a very vital part of their study.

The progression of economy and its development in societies is finally studied.

Front 9

What is the political anthropology?

Back 9

The focus of political anthropology is on the following aspects:

The ubiquity of political process and the functions of legitimate authority; law, justice and sanctions in the simple societies; political organisation in egalitarian and stratified societies; locus of power and leadership; the anthropological points of view in the formulation of the typology of political structures based on differences and similarities observed among the societies of the world; the political process among emerging nations and complex societies; political culture and the nation-building processes.

In the study of all these aspects of the political systems of the world is perceptible the undercurrent of the socio-cultural mains.

Anthropologists those who study all these facts and systems related to authority among simple societies and other societies were called by the term political anthropologists.

Front 10

How is management sciences using anthropological knowledge?

Back 10

We all see that changes in technology produce their results by disturbing the equilibrium of individuals and groups.

If we are to keep technology from running away with us this can only be done by using anthropological methods that is, by utilising the science of human relations.

This has prompted administrators and other working in this field to use anthropology not merely in accomplishing a desired objective but to also learn to formulate their objectives in terms of known principles of anthropology that concerns human behaviour and

relations.

Moreover, the use of anthropological method and principles enables the administrator to estimate the state of equilibrium in the system of human relations in the institution for which s/he is responsible and make such adjustments as are necessary.

By instituting methods of control through periodic assessment of human relations and thus determining the precise nature of the adjustments at any given time, they will be able to perfect the organisation and bring about a more satisfactory adjustment for all the individuals who compose it.

Front 11

What is the focus of biological anthropology?

Back 11

Biological anthropology is the study of human as an organism. The species Homo sapiens are the object of investigation in this branch of anthropology.

Front 12

Name the three important aspects of human beings that biological anthropologists studies?

Back 12

There are three important aspects concerning the study of human beings.

They are human biology, human evolution and human variation.

The biological aspect includes the anatomical, physiological, and morphological features.

The study of human genetics and human types are two crucial domains that contribute to the understanding of human biology, evolution and variation.

However, all these different angles of vision are brought together to throw light on the bio-physical nature of human.

Front 13

How does the linguistic anthropologists account for the diversity of languages?

Back 13

Linguistic anthropologists account for the diversity of languages in two ways:

1) It can be shown that culture influences the structure and content of language, and by implication, linguistic diversity arises at least partially from cultural diversity.

2) It can also be shown that linguistic features affect the other aspects of culture.

Front 14

State the major difference between a linguist and linguistic anthropologist

Back 14

The major difference between the linguists and linguistics anthropologists is that the former are mainly concerned with the study of how languages particularly written ones are constructed and structured but the linguistic anthropologists study unwritten languages as also written languages.

Another crucial difference between linguists and linguistic anthropologists is that those features which the former take for granted are taken into consideration by the latter.

These features relate to the systems of knowledge, belief, assumptions and conventions that produce particular ideas at particular times in the minds of people.

Front 15

What is demography?

Back 15

Demography is statistically inclined and is mainly concerned with the vibrant forces defining population size and their structure and also on their variation across time and space.

Demography is the statistical study of varied human population. It can be considered as a very general science that can be functionally applied to any kind of dynamic living population.

Front 16

State whether the following statement is true or false: “Anthropology and philosophy as disciplines are related to each other as both have logical foundations.”

Back 16

True

Front 17

What is the focus of cultural studies?

Back 17

Socio-cultural anthropology is the study of people and their ways of life.

Within this branch of anthropology, there are two sub-branches viz., social anthropology and cultural anthropology, which are however inter linked and intertwined.

Cultural anthropology is concerned with the habits and customs of the people.

Thus, in the life of an individual within society, right from pregnancy, childbirth, puberty, marriage to death, all the features that are culture-specific including the rituals and ceremonies associated with each event in the life-cycle of an individual are all observed and studied carefully under cultural studies.