Cultural Anthropology

Ethnography

Ethnology

Social Anthropology

Linguistics

Ethnography

An attempt to give an accurate, objective, valid, reliable account of the way of life of a specific group of people.

(ethnos, a people+graphos, a writing)

This is the basic descriptive level of cultural anthropology.

Participant Observation is major feature.

Margaret Mead’s work with the Samoans is a good example.

Laura Tamakoshi’s (above) work in New Guinea is another.

(Margaret Mead also worked in New Guinea.)

Ethnology (ethnos, people+logos, word)

An attempt to give an accurate, objective, valid, reliable account of the way of life of a larger set of people.

A higher level of generalization….

The Science of Culture.

Ethnologists try to find patterns of behavior that are common to the various groups under investigation.

The Comparative Method is an important tool.

Cultural Universals…cultural traits manifest in some way in all cultures under study. languagekinship systemsreligion

E.B. Tylor

Social Anthropology

Area of anthropology most like sociology.

Differs mainly on areas of emphasis and the professional identification of the individual.

Kinship and Descent

Social Anthropology

Sociologists have been concerned mainly with own society.

Social anthropologists have been concerned mainly with traditional society.

Genealogical Space

– Space that contains all human beings.

Kinship and descent are Cultural Universals.

Social Anthropology

Genealogical Space

Social Anthropology

Males

Females

Marriageaffinal

Descentconsanguineal

Generationconsanguineal

The investigation of kinship terminology begins with a distinction between kin types and kin terms.

Kin types refer to the basic uncategorized relationships that anthropologists use to describe the actual contents of kinship categories. They are supposedly culture free, etic components.

Kin terms are the labels for categories of kin that include one or more kin types. They are emic structures and vary across cultures.

Social Anthropology

Kin Types Primary components and letter symbols

Mother [M]

Father [F]

Sister [Z]

Brother [B]

Daughter [D]

Son [S]

Husband [H]

Wife [W]

Social Anthropology

Social Anthropology

Social Anthropology

Rules of DescentBilineal (Bilateral)

Unilineal

Matrilineal

Patrilineal

Social Anthropology

Eskimo KinshipBilineal

Similar to “American” system

Social Anthropology

Matrilineal

Social Anthropology

Patrilineal

Social Anthropology

Social Anthropology

Comparison of Patrilineal with Matrilineal Descent

Patrilineal Matrilineal

Strong marriage Brittle marriage

Patrilocal residence Matrilocal residence

Strict sex rules Lax sex rules

No marriage rule X-cousin marriage

Prescribed

Proscribed

Rules of Residence

Neolocal

Matrilocal

Patrilocal

Ambilocal

Associated with bilineal descent

Associated with bilineal descent

Associated with matrilineal descent

Associated with patrilineal descent

Social Anthropology

Forms of Marriage

Monogamy

Polygamy

Polygyny

Polyandry

One spouse

Multiple husbands

Multiple spouses

Multiple wives

Rules of Marriage

Exogamy - Marriage outside group

Endogamy - Marriage within group

Social Anthropology

Family relatives

Four functions of families

Nuclear families Extended families

Nurturance

Economic foundationSex control

Enculturation

Social Anthropology

Linguistics

Study of Language

Language is a system of vocal symbols by means of which human beings interact in terms of their culture.

Linguistics

Study of Language

The three S’s of language:

Shape

Sound

Sense

Grammar; syntax - rules to put sounds together

No language uses all sounds humans can make.Phonology, Phonetics, PhonemicsPhonemes - “packets” of similar sounds recognized as same sound.

Morphology stydy of shape of language

Morpheme - basic unit of sound to which meaning has been attached.

Semantics - study of sense (meaning).All languages make sense to the people who use them…They are equal in this regard.

Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis

!Kung

Linguistics

Metalanguage/Vocalics

Olfactics

Haptics

Kinesics

Proxemics

Oculesics

Chronemics The study of meanings, usage

and communication of time.

In many other cultures, time istime is experienced polychronically

rather than sequentially.

Time in US is a sequence….a commodity to be spent, used, wasted….

Concerned with systems of smell

Communication through the skin….i.e.Touching by Ashley MontagueBodily movement, facial expression, etc.Ray Birdwhistell is pioneer

Communication by use of space….Edward T. Hall’s work, for example

Communication involving the eyes

Includes paralanguage…It’s not what you say, it’sthe way you say it.