Download Anthropology and the Study of Culture Miller Chapter 1

Anthropology and the Study
of Culture
(Miller Chapter 1)
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2008
The BIG Questions
 What is anthropology?
 What are the goals of anthropology?
 What are the fields of anthropology?
 What are some key aspects of
anthropology?
 How is anthropology relevant to a
career in the “real world”?
 How can anthropology be applied?
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What is Anthropology?
 What do you know about anthropology?
 What do you think of when someone
mentions anthropology? How did you
acquire these impressions?
 What do you think anthropology is?
??
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What is Anthropology?
 Anthropology is…
 The study of humanity, including our
prehistoric origins and contemporary
human diversity (p. 4)
 The study of humankind in all times and
all places
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Goals of Anthropology
 What do you think are the main goals of
anthropology?
 Why is anthropology important?
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Goals of Anthropology
 Discover what makes people different
from one another
 Discover what all people have in
common
 Produce new knowledge and new
theories about humankind and human
behavior
 Apply this knowledge
 Look at our own culture more
objectively, like an outsider
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The Fields of Anthropology
 What are the fields of anthropology?
(hint: there are four of them!)
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The Fields of Anthropology
Cultural
anthropology
(or social
anthropology)
Linguistic
anthropology
Archaeology
(or prehistory)
Biological
(or physical)
anthropology
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Biological Anthropology
(Paleoanthropology)
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Biological Anthropology
(Primatology)
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Biological Anthropology
(Contemporary Human Variation and Adaptation)
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Biological Anthropology
(Molecular/Genetic Anthropology)
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Biological Anthropology
(Forensic Anthropology)
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Archaeology
(Old World Archaeology)
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Archaeology
(New World Archaeology)
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Archaeology
(Underwater Archaeology)
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Archaeology
(Historical Archaeology)
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Linguistic Anthropology
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Cultural Anthropology
 Study of living people and their
cultures, including variation and change
(p. 4 & 6 – 7)
 Cultural anthropologists study
economics, politics, psychology,
medicine, international development,
art, religion, migration, marriage,
family…and MORE
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Research Approaches in the
Anthropology
Four Fields
Empirical
is a social
science
Humanistic
Scientific
Fieldwork
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Some Key Aspects of
Anthropology
 Holistic
 Interconnectedness
 Cross-cultural, comparative
 Ethnology
 Takes a long-term perspective
 Relies on extensive fieldwork
 Ethnographic research / participant
observation
 May result in an ethnography
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Ethnography and Ethnology
Summary

ETHNOGRAPHY
– means “culture
writing”
– provides a first-hand,
detailed description
of a living culture
– based on first-hand
fieldwork and
research of one
culture

ETHNOLOGY
– the study of one
topic in more than
one culture
• marriage forms,
economic practices,
religion, etc.
– comparative and
cross-cultural
– uses ethnographic
material collected by
a number of
researchers
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Some Key Aspects of
Anthropology
 Focus on cultural relativism rather than
ethnocentrism
versus
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Absolute vs. Critical Cultural
Relativism
 Star Trek Prime Directive
 Prime Directive Debate - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mHL6UCCAE
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Absolute vs. Critical Cultural
Relativism
 Star Trek Prime Directive Debate
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Applied Anthropology
 Anthropology put to use
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Applied Biological Anthropology



Forensic anthropology
Primatology
Ergonomics and design
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Applied Archaeology




Cultural Resource Management (CRM)
Museums
Historic preservation
Environmental management
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Applied Linguistic Anthropology




Preserving and documenting
indigenous languages
Looking at the role of information
technology in communication
Bilingual education
Forensic linguistics
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Applied Cultural Anthropology

Applied cultural anthropologists work
in…
 Education
 Health care
 Business
 Conflict prevention and resolution
 Advocacy and activism
 Poverty reduction
 Community development
 International development
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Question #1

Anthropology is traditionally composed of _______
subfields.
A.
B.
C.
D.
One
Two
Three
Four
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Question #2

Anthropology is both a science and a humanity.
A. True
B. False
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Question #3

Anthropologists doing fieldwork typically try to
investigate how the various aspects of culture relate
to each other, i.e., political systems, economics and
religious beliefs. This approach is: __________
A.
B.
C.
D.
Holistic
Archaeological
Sociocultural
Ethnological
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Question #4

Which of the following does NOT characterize the
anthropological approach to the study of human
societies and their cultural traditions?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Culturally relativistic
Holistic
Ethnocentric
Comparative
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Question #5

A museum exhibit of an early one-room school in the
Midwestern U.S. is being planned. Which subfield(s)
of anthropology would be likely to carry out the
research and interpretation of surveyor's maps,
diaries, textbooks, journals, and other historic
artifacts, as well as excavation of the original site?
A.
B.
C.
D.
paleontologist and archaeologist
archaeologist and a biological anthropologist
cultural anthropologist and archaeologist
forensic anthropologist and cultural anthropologist
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Question #6

________ is a central component of anthropology
that recognizes that cultural traits are best
understood when viewed within the cultural context
of which they are a part.
A.
B.
C.
D.
ethnocentrism
cultural relativism
ethnography
ethnology
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Question #7

Which of the following is not a subfield of
anthropology?
A.
B.
C.
D.
cognitive
linguistic
biological
cultural
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Question #8

A written account of how a single human population
lives is called a(n) __________.
A.
B.
C.
D.
ethnology
ethnography
ethnocentrism
holism
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Question #9

Anthropologists gain new perspectives on their own
culture by studying other cultures.
A. true
B. false
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Question #10

The study of contemporary societies and cultures is
called: __________.
A.
B.
C.
D.
anthropology
cultural anthropology
ethnology
cultural relativism
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Question #11

Cultural relativism means that no culture is
inherently __________ any other.
A.
B.
C.
D.
equal to
different from
superior or inferior to
the same as
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Question #12

___________ is the comparative study of one topic
in more than one culture.
A.
B.
C.
D.
ethnocentrism
ethnography
ethnology
empirical
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Question #13

___________ says that whatever goes on in a
particular culture must not be questioned or changed
because it would be ethnocentric to question any
behavior or idea anywhere.
A.
B.
C.
D.
Absolute cultural relativism
Holism
Ethnography
Critical cultural relativsm
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Question #14

Physical anthropologists primarily study all of the
below EXCEPT _________.
A.
B.
C.
D.
primatology
prehistoric archaeology
human variation
paleoanthropology
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Question #15

Goals of anthropology include all of the below
EXCEPT _________.
A. comparing diverse cultures to one another to determine if
there are any common influences that operate in all cultures
B. trying to westernize other cultures in order to improve the
lives of the people in these cultures
C. trying to understand how various aspects of human life
relate to one another
D. making the public aware of and respectful toward the
cultural differences that exist within humanity
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Question #16

Applied anthropology uses the skills of ________in
application to solve practical human problems and
issues.
A.
B.
C.
D.
cultural anthropologists only
archaeologists and physical anthropologists
cultural anthropologists and archaeologists
making the public aware of and respectful toward the
cultural differences that exist within humanity
E. all anthropologists
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Important to Remember…
 All humans have culture!
 Anthropologically speaking, all humans
throughout the world are all “cultured”
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Earliest Definition of Culture
 Edward Tylor – 1871
 Culture “is that complex whole which
includes knowledge, belief, art, morals,
law, custom, and any other capabilities and
habits acquired by man as a member of
society.”
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More Recent Definition of
Culture
 United Nations Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) –
2002
 Culture is the "set of distinctive spiritual,
material, intellectual and emotional
features of society or a social group and
that it encompasses, in addition to art and
literature, lifestyles, ways of living together,
value systems, traditions and beliefs".
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A Couple Simple Definitions of
Culture
 Culture is learned and shared ways of
behaving & thinking (p. 6)
 Culture is the way of life for a society
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Material and Nonmaterial
Aspects of Culture
 Culture consists of what humans have
constructed, both material and
nonmaterial
 Material culture – tangible/physical
aspects of culture
 Nonmaterial culture – intangible/nonphysical aspects of culture
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Material Culture
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Nonmaterial Culture
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Characteristics of Culture
 Culture is learned
 Therefore, culture is not the same as
nature




Culture is symbolic / based on symbols
Culture is integrated
Culture is shared
Cultures are dynamic and change
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Culture is learned
 All culture is learned rather than
biologically inherited
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Culture is based on symbols
 Culture is based on symbols
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Culture is based on symbols
 Culture is based on symbols
 What are symbols?
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What is this?
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What is this?
A dog
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What is this?
Are you sure?
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What is this?
Is it a perro?
It is in the Spanish language!
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What is this?
Is it a hund?
It is in the German language!
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What is this?
What does this symbolize?
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What is this?
What does this symbolize?
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What is this?
What does this symbolize?
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What is this?
What does this symbolize?
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What is this?
What does this symbolize?
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If you are hungry…
 Are rats jumping in your stomach?
 In Hindi (a language of India)
 Or are you so hungry you can eat a
horse?
 In English
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Culture is Based on Symbols
Which are Mainly Arbitrary
 In India, widows
wear white
clothing to mark
their status
 What do widows
usually wear in
the U.S.?
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Culture is Integrated
 Culture is holistic
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Culture is Shared
 Culture is shared among a group of
people
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Cultures are Dynamic and
Change
Internal Forces
Culture
External Forces
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Adaptive or Maladaptive?
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Cultural Universals

A cultural universal is an element,
pattern, trait, or institution that is common
to all human cultures on the planet

Can you think of any cultural universals?
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Ideal Culture versus Real Culture
 Ideal culture is what a society claims as their
culture
 Real culture is the actual culture the society
has
 Can you think of any examples in your culture
of ideal culture versus real culture?
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Culture versus Society
 Culture and society are not the same thing
 Culture is learned and shared ways of behaving
& thinking
 Society is a group of interacting organisms
 In human societies, culture and society are
inextricably connected
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Subcultures/Microcultures
 A subculture/microculture is culture within a
larger culture
 A subculture/microculture shares cultural aspects
with the larger culture of which it is a part
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Microcultures
A individual may be a member of
several microcultures
Class
Indigeneity
“Race” and
Ethnicity
Institutions
Gender
Age
(hospitals, universities,
prisons)
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Microculture: Poverty and Social
Class
 Worldwide, rates
of poverty have
not declined in
recent times
 Disparities
between the
wealthy and the
poor have
increased – they
share very
different
subcultures
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What are some of the functions of
culture?
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What are some of the functions of
culture?
 Culture provides the knowledge and
skills to be able to effectively provide
for the basic needs of a society
 Culture facilitates social interactions
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What are some of the functions of
culture?
 Culture provides for the psychological
and emotional needs of its members
 Ideally, culture functions to satisfy
the physical, social, and
psychological needs and
expectations of the people in that
society
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Three Major Theoretical Debates
in Cultural Anthropology
 Is human behavior the result of biology
or culture?
 Is human behavior the result of people’s
thoughts or the material aspects of their
lives?
 Is human behavior the result of free will
or larger forces beyond our control?
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Is human behavior the result of
biology or culture?
 Biological
Determinists
 Human behavior is
biologically based
 Cultural
Constructionists
 Human behavior is
culturally based
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Is human behavior the result of
people’s thoughts or the material
aspects of their lives?
 Interpretive
Anthropologists
(Interpretivists)
 Human
behavior/culture can
be understood by
studying what is in
people’s minds and
thoughts – what
people think about,
their explanations of
their lives, and the
symbols that are
important to them
 Cultural Materialists
 Human
behavior/culture can
be understood by
studying people’s
material aspects of
life – the natural
environment and how
people make a living
within particular
environments
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Cultural materialist view of the
world…
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Is human behavior the result of
free will or larger forces beyond
our control?
 Individual Agency
 Emphasize that
human behavior and
thoughts are largely
based on individuals’
free will, or agency
 Structurism
 Argue that individual
free will is an illusion
and that human
behavior and thoughts
are conditioned, or
structured, by larger
forces such as the
economy, social and
political organization,
and ideological systems
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Question #1

An object, word, or action with a culturally
defined meaning is a(n) ____________.
A.
B.
C.
D.
enculturation
symbol
culture
interpretivist
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Question #2

Learned and shared ways of behaving and
thinking is ____________.
A.
B.
C.
D.
adaptation
hybridization
culture
materialization
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Question #3

Verbal language is an example of
____________.
A.
B.
C.
D.
material culture
biological determinism
a symbol
ideal culture
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Question #4

Those anthropologists who argue against
those who believe that human behavior is
largely biologically based are called
____________.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
interpretivists
cultural materialists
biological determinists
structurists
cultural constructionists
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Question #5

Those anthropologists who argue against
those who believe that human behavior is
largely based on free will, or agency, are
called ____________.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
interpretivists
cultural materialists
biological determinists
structurists
cultural constructionists
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Question #6

Those anthropologists who argue against
those who believe that human behavior is
largely based on human thoughts are called
____________.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
interpretivists
cultural materialists
biological determinists
structurists
cultural constructionists
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Question #7

The Nacerima article illustrates
____________.
A. how Americans do not have culture
B. how those of other cultures or a foreign
anthropologist might view American culture
C. how we can learn some deeper insights into our
own culture by looking at it more objectively and
less ethnocentrically
D. answers B & C
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Question #8

Art is an example of a(n) ____________.
A.
B.
C.
D.
cultural universal
nonmaterial culture
high culture
subculture/microculture
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Question #9

A college classroom may be its own
__________.
A.
B.
C.
D.
cultural universal
agency
high culture
subculture/microculture
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Question #10

Humans would be able to sustain culture
without a society.
A. True
B. False
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Question #11

Schools of fish have cultures.
A. True
B. False
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Question #12

Ideally, culture functions to __________.
A. provide for the basic needs of a society
B. facilitate social interactions
C. provide for the psychological and emotional
needs of its members
D. all of the above
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Question #13

A someone driving in a car going through a
red light is an example of __________.
A.
B.
C.
D.
ideal culture
real culture
structurism
a cultural universal
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Question #14

Biological adaptation is more important to
human survival than cultural adaptation.
A. True
B. False
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Nacerima
 What are your impressions of this article?
 If the book and I had not told you this article
was about American culture, do you think you
would have recognized this as American
culture? Why or why not?
 How does it feel to you to look at American
culture more “objectively,” as an outside
observer?
 Do you think this article is an accurate
reflection of American culture? Why or why
not?
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