Economic anthropology

Prior to WWII many anthropologists maintained that race was a biological phenomenon best ascertained through the use of anthropometric measurements. After the war, however, a growing number of anthropologists along with geneticists and serologists began to rethink the race concept and its attendant methodologies. Prompted by political and social events as well as empirical shifts brought on by the modern synthesis, these scientists sought more "objective" and "scientifically valid" methods for…

In this essay I will explore structuralism and evaluate the usefulness of the theory. I will look at examples of Structuralism in ethnography, such as observable binary oppositions and interpretations of the importance of myth, also exploring criticisms of the theory. I will explore the claim that Structuralism is too theory-based and cannot account for the experience of the individual, and whether this means that Structuralism can be relied on to inform us about human life from an…

As many concepts in Anthropology have, the concept of Culture has also changed through time. During the early 19th century a prevailing model for cultural evolution was much like the model for human evolution. The thought was cultures become increasingly more complex as they reached particular milestones (Morgan). As more information about past human societies became known, the theories and concepts surrounding culture changed. The concepts of culture and culture changed shifted from an…

Chapter 36 (Mead) mentions that anthropology was used to explore social problems and now we have to solve another problem of a world on the verge of self-consciousness and a new period is history. Mead states that no one is able to attain the degree of detachment for their own society while remaining a participant member of the society. Additionally, the author mentions that anthropologists’ sees a society or community differently than a traveler. The anthropologists is trained to see complex…

A Comparative Perspective: Guanxi Guanxi is not an unchanging practice inherent in Chinese culture, but is a deeply historical and constantly evolving cultural phenomenon that has adapted to the shifting political and economic patterns of modern China (Osburg, 2013, p. 24). This section will explore the historicity of guanxi, its related cultural forms—renqing, kinship, and reciprocity—and will chart the dynamism of the affective and instrumental components of guanxi through a comparison of…

Moreno began systematic recording and analysis of social interaction in small groups, especially classrooms and work groups (see sociometry). In anthropology, the foundation for social network theory is the theoretical and ethnographic work of Bronislaw Malinowski,[12] Alfred Radcliffe-Brown,[13][14] and Claude Lévi-Strauss.[15] A group of social anthropologists associated with Max Gluckman and the…

race to define. As mentioned above, structural violence plays an important role in the perception of racism and racialization in the healthcare field. The term defines harms caused by social forces and its underlying causes include political and economic inequalities as well as racism, sexism, and homophobia (Koch, Lecture Notes). This is almost completely synonymous with the term health inequalities which refer to the disproportionate opportunities and resources in disadvantaged groups in…

Have you ever heard the racial joke that begins with “An American, a Chinese and a Hispanic man are in a plane?” Or how about the one that takes place with different religious leaders meeting in a casual bar? If you live in the United States, especially California I would assume you would have heard these jokes or similar ones. Although they are extremely offensive, they help show how culturally diverse our country is. Being culturally diverse, many people of different religions and…

There are five major archaeological paradigms, which include the Speculative Period that took place from 1492-1840, the Classificatory-Descriptive Period that took place from 1840-1914, the Classificatory-Historical Period that took place from 1914-1940, the New (Processual) Period that took place in the 1960’s up to the 1980’s, and the Post-Processualism that took place 1980 and present. During each period there were different interpretations of what archaeology was, there were new ideas of…

relativism. Is it possible to understand the values and worldview of another culture(s) and not accept all of their practices and standards? Does adopting an ethical relativist viewpoint present a problem such as ethnocentrism? Cultural Relativism in Anthropology theorizes the way people act, behave and perceive things relative to their cultures. One must understand the culture in order to understand certain actions or customs (Debra Kraft). Anthropologist use this concept when studying…