anthropology
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is the study of human kind in different time periods and of different cultures Biological AND cultural portions of humanity. Anthropology . It is important to confirm what we know or disprove what we think we know and anthropologists are great at that. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Anthropology...It is important to confirm what we know or disprove
what we think we know and anthropologists are great at
that
is the study of human kind in different time periods and of different cultures Biological
AND cultural portions of humanity
The most effective way to view a culture is with
Participant observation. Being an active observer is the least invasive way to
collect data and facts about a culture and you are less
likely to effect the culture or change it in any way.
The 4 Inter-related parts of culture…Physical Environment
Level of Technology
Social Organization
System of Symbols
Sources of Change
1) Discovery: finding something that was unknown, changesbeliefs/views on unknown facts
2) Invention: new ideas and products created based on the needs of society
3) Diffusion: the spreading/sharing of practices and methods between cultures
Methods of Adaption
1) Diffusion: cultures BORROWING ideas/methods with each other (across the globe)
2) Acculturation: prolonged CONTACT between cultures results in interchanging ideas and methods (local)
3) Cultural Evolution: societies evolving according to predictable patterns
Social Change
StructuralismAccording to this view
the world is scene in two different ways or
as binary opposites i.e. black and white. This view shows society's good things and bad things like its ok to have a fire camping
but not in the middle of a unvented living room
FunctionalismIn this view all cultures are made to deal with
universal problems that strike the world. Societies must have a set standard of laws
and practices to provide stability. These would be referred to as social institutions.
• Looks at culturalthrough developmentof economy andtechnology• Explores economicproduction• Assumes that laws fitequally to all societiesand is consideredbiased
Cultural Materialism
four main subdivisions1. Physical Anthropology:
The Branch of anthropology that studies the physical development of the human species through biological evolution, genetic inheritance, human adaptability and variation, primatology, and the fossil record of human evolution
2. Cultural Anthropology : The branch of anthropology focused on the study of cultural variation among humans. Such as Culture, ethnocentrism, cultural aspects of language and communication, subsistence and other economic patterns, kinship, sex and marriage, socialization, social control, political organization, class, ethnicity, gender, religion, and culture change
3. Archaeology : The study of human activity in the past. It is Prehistory and early history of cultures around the world; major trends in cultural evolution; and techniques for finding, excavating, dating, and analyzing material remains of past societies.
4. Linguistic Anthropology:
The study of how language influences social life. focusing on the importance of socio-cultural influences; nonverbal communication; and the structure, function, and history of languages, dialects, pidgins, and creoles
AnthropologyStudy of humankind throughout the ages and around the world,
looking biologically and culturally
4Main SubdivisionsCultural: anything culturalPhysical: related to evolutionArchaeological: prehistory & remainsLinguistic: languages
Anthropologists discovered that to live in a culture as an active participant rather than simply an observer you gain the most knowledge – it is the best way to
study
Why do we need anthropologists?To clarify things from our intuitions they
disprove what we believe to be true, or vice versa
KinshipIdea varies between cultures
Defines marriage in 3 ways: mating (marriage), birth (descent), nurturance
(adoption)
Thei
r ski
lls- Participant observation- Collection of stats- Field interviews- Comp of detailed notes- Ethnography
Schools of ThoughtStructuralism: attempts to see as a
whole, social functions within institutions, sees cultures as more stable
than they are
Functionalism: sees based on common things in human mind, based on opposites, too heavy on logic
overemphasizes the stability of cultures
Cultural Materialism: sees through technology/economy, looks at individ.’s
decisions w/ economy and reproduction, tries to apply laws to all cultures, sees
through biased eyes
Social ChangeChanges in social structure & institutions
Sources of changeInvention: new products & ideasDiscovery: learn a previously unknown thingDiffusion: spreading of tools/ideas/etc.
1) Physical Environment 2) Level of Technology 3) Social Organization4) System of Symbols
Culture: Four Inter-related Parts
Methods of Social ChangeHappens in 3 methods
Diffusion: one culture borrows symbols form anotherAcculturation: prolonged contactCultural Evolution: cultures evolve according to common patterns