/
Introduction to Anthropology Concepts
Save to my account
Sign up
Introduction to Anthropology Concepts
Introduction to Anthropology Concepts
Study
1
Question
What is Anthropology?
Answer
The study of being human.
2
Question
What is Archaeology?
Answer
A subfield of anthropology that studies human activity and cultures of the past. Accomplished through the recovery, analysis, and interpretation of material culture.
3
Question
What are oracle bones?
Answer
An example of material culture studied in archaeology.
4
Question
What is Cultural Anthropology?
Answer
A subfield of anthropology that studies cultures and people within them. Focuses on contemporary cultural systems, cultural variations, and human behavior within cultures.
5
Question
Define culture.
Answer
Ideas and behaviors that are learned and transmitted through non-genetic biological means. Culture is learned, never static, and includes cooking, music, rituals, generational traditions, techniques, diets, and globalization.
6
Question
What is globalization in anthropology?
Answer
Increased global interconnectedness.
7
Question
What is Linguistic Anthropology?
Answer
A subfield of anthropology that studies how language influences social life. It attempts to explain linguistic variation, meaning, and relationships between languages and societies.
8
Question
What is empiricism?
Answer
The prioritization of knowledge based on firsthand experience.
9
Question
What is empirical evidence?
Answer
Rational observation in all its forms, conclusions over time revise as needed.
10
Question
How is all anthropology based on empiricism?
Answer
For example, Galileo and the Earth circling the sun.
11
Question
What was The Enlightenment?
Answer
An intellectual, philosophical, and scientific movement in 18th century Europe defined by an emphasis on skepticism, rationality, and empiricism.
12
Question
What is the Four Field Approach in anthropology?
Answer
The combination of cultural anthropology, linguistic anthropology, archaeology, and biological anthropology as the American tradition of anthropology.
13
Question
Define Armchair Anthropology.
Answer
A method in late 19th century and early 20th century where scholars reach anthropological conclusions based on the written accounts of others about the exotic.
14
Question
What is methodology in anthropology?
Answer
A system of methods used for investigation.
15
Question
What is fieldwork in anthropology?
Answer
A methodology of first-hand observation in non-controlled environments.
16
Question
Who was Bronislaw Malinowski?
Answer
An anthropologist (1804-1942) known for his work in the Trobriand Islands and the kula ring, who was not allowed to leave due to British ownership.
17
Question
What is Participant Observation?
Answer
A methodology of participating in the everyday lives of the people one studies, focusing on qualitative information, often for long-term periods.
18
Question
What is Embedded Colonialism?
Answer
The policy or practice of acquiring full or partial political control over another country, occupying it, and exploiting it economically.
19
Question
What is Biological Anthropology?
Answer
A subfield of anthropology that studies humans as a biological species, examining the biological, behavioral, and evolutionary traits of human beings, their extinct hominid ancestors, and related non-human primates.
20
Question
Define ethnocentrism.
Answer
Regarding one's own culture as inherently superior to another. When practicing anthropology, it is important to avoid ethnocentrism.
21
Question
What is Ethnography?
Answer
A written account of anthropological narratives and data, summarizing findings.
22
Question
What is Cultural Relativism?
Answer
The practice of interpreting the aspects of a culture according to its own point of view rather than judging it against one's own culture.
23
Question
Define reflexivity in anthropology.
Answer
The ability to view one's own culture objectively and to account for the actions and perspectives of oneself in anthropological fieldwork and subsequent findings.
24
Question
What is informed consent in anthropology?
Answer
Documented approval by the participants being studied, providing them with information about the goals, methodology, intended use, and their rights regarding the research process.
25
Question
What is functionalism in anthropology?
Answer
The perspective that all aspects of society have a function and serve a purpose within the social structure.
26
Question
What are symbols in anthropology?
Answer
Something used to represent an idea or an object, often with multi-level meanings that are important in the function and interpretation of rituals.
27
Question
What is a taboo?
Answer
An action, object, or quality that is restricted and/or forbidden in a specific cultural context, culturally reinforced by the community.
28
Question
What are calendrical rituals?
Answer
Rituals that take place at a specific time of year, often for the care and maintenance of the whole society.
29
Question
Define catharsis in anthropology.
Answer
The process of releasing and providing relief from strong or repressed emotions.
30
Question
What is a liminoid phase?
Answer
A period of ritual play during which normal rules of conduct are suspended, typically temporary and followed by a return to normalcy.