Cultural Anthropology Overview
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Questions and Answers

What is the primary focus of participant observation as a research methodology?

  • Interviewing participants about their past experiences
  • Conducting surveys to gather statistical data
  • Analyzing historical documents about the participants
  • Immersing in the daily activities of the participants (correct)

    • How does Harrison suggest anthropologists should address the influence of imperialism?

  • By focusing solely on traditional customs and practices
  • By avoiding discussions on power dynamics in research
  • By promoting the idea of cultural relativism
  • By converting anthropological discourse into an anti-imperialist weapon (correct)

    • What does the term 'imponderabilia of actual life' refer to in anthropology?

  • The observation and recording of everyday life in detail (correct)
  • The experiences that cannot be quantified or observed
  • The collection of statistical data from participants
  • The study of cultural artifacts and their meanings

    • What is a significant characteristic of colonialism as described?

    <p>It is marked by violent dispossession and political domination</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What aspect of Bronislaw Malinowski’s work is highlighted as a limitation?

    <p>His failure to account for the socio-political context of the people studied</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What challenge do people in Africatown currently face?

    <p>Efforts by outsiders to purchase their land</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What phrase best describes imperialism?

    <p>The active extension of power through territorial and economic means</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is one key trait of the community formed by the survivors of Clotilda in Africatown?

    <p>It represents a revival of their customs and traditions</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does cultural anthropology primarily focus on?

    <p>The organization of societies and meanings assigned to social activities</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Who is regarded as the 'father' of American anthropology?

    <p>Franz Boas</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What philosophical idea did Social Darwinism promote?

    <p>Survival of the fittest in societal advancement</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In which context was the 'Great Chain of Being' historically significant?

    <p>Establishing a hierarchical worldview of all beings</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary focus of postcolonialism?

    <p>The study of colonialism and its effects</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How do American anthropologists approach the study of cultures?

    <p>By uncovering symbolic meanings through empirical research</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does utilitarianism suggest about individuals within a society?

    <p>Everyone acts based on self-interest and rational choices</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the concept of Orientalism critique?

    <p>The portrayal of the Middle East in art and media</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does settler colonialism aim to achieve?

    <p>The displacement of existing populations through genocide</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was a major critique of Herbert Spencer's views associated with Social Darwinism?

    <p>Using biological determinism to categorize people</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What method did Franz Boas introduce into anthropological research?

    <p>Intensive fieldwork as a primary research method</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the underlying assumption of the ‘culture of poverty’ thesis?

    <p>Cultural differences in poverty are inherently pathological.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What differentiates race from ethnicity?

    <p>Race is based on observable physical traits.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How did early 20th-century anthropological ideas influence racism?

    <p>They were used to justify Jim Crow laws.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the division of research focus between sociologists and anthropologists in the 1900s regarding race?

    <p>Anthropologists studied marginalized communities.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What did Baker imply when discussing the census categorization of Southern and Eastern Europeans?

    <p>They were incorporated into a broader definition of 'white'.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is required for marriage to become an equal partnership?

    <p>Wider societal changes and flexible work options</p> Signup and view all the answers

    According to Delaney, what does 'nurturance' entail beyond biological survival?

    <p>An emotional bond characterized by affection and cooperation</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What contrasting terminology did Lewis Henry Morgan observe between Iroquois and Anglo-American kinship systems?

    <p>Iroquois use a single word for both mother and mother's sister</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does David Schneider assert about blood in relation to kinship?

    <p>Kinship relations often exist beyond blood connections</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Why does Delaney suggest kinship has never been stable?

    <p>Kinship is constructed within particular cultural contexts</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was a key argument made by Boas regarding the relationship between anatomical type and behavior?

    <p>There is no justification for linking anatomical type to behavior.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the term 'ethnographic refusal' refer to in research contexts?

    <p>Collaboration to dismiss certain harmful information.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How did the classification of who is considered 'white' change over time?

    <p>It evolved due to the integration of various immigrant groups.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What criticism did Boas make regarding early IQ tests?

    <p>They contained cultural biases favoring Eurocentric perspectives.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What connection does Tallbear make between Native American DNA and colonial history?

    <p>Colonial history led to the creation of the 'Native American' category.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How do tribal members typically understand DNA testing processes compared to geneticists?

    <p>There is a gap in understanding the social and political context of DNA tests.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What notion did 19th-20th century anthropologists justify regarding Native American remains?

    <p>They were viewed as a resource for scientific knowledge only.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a primary distinguishing factor between a classificatory and descriptive system of kinship?

    <p>Classificatory systems classify all relatives under single terms.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does STS (science and technology studies) examine?

    <p>It explores the interplay between social values and scientific progress.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In what way did college courtship practices change from the early 1960s?

    <p>Curfews and parental permissions were relaxed over time.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a significant expectation in Apache courtship practices?

    <p>Comfort and the ability to converse are emphasized.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What do claims regarding the superiority of one race over another imply about culture?

    <p>There are no inherent connections between culture and race.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What aspect of identity politics was affected by new migrants arriving in the U.S.?

    <p>A redefining of class structure occurred.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What misconception did early 19th-century claims about skull size and intelligence reflect?

    <p>Skull size was incorrectly used to judge intelligence.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    Cultural Anthropology

    • The study of how people arrange themselves socially and give meaning to their social interactions and connections.
    • Considers the study of communities, not individuals, as the core area of study for anthropologists.
    • Highlights the impact of the environment and external elements on people.

    Franz Boas

    • Considered the "father" of American anthropology.
    • Criticized the application of Darwin's concepts of evolution to humans.
    • Mentored Zora Neale Hurston.
    • Developed theories and methods including:
      • Intensive fieldwork
      • Historical Diffusion
      • Relativism
      • Race does not determine intelligence, skills, or cultural quality.

    Social Darwinism

    • The idea that societal progress is driven by "survival of the fittest" principles.
    • Used to legitimize eugenics and genocide.
    • Drawn on by early anthropologists to justify hierarchical categorizations of people based on superiority/inferiority.
    • Herbert Spencer, a proponent of this idea.

    "Great Chain of Being"

    • A European worldview from the 17th and 18th centuries.
    • Promoted the idea that everything (people, animals, nature, God) is arranged in a hierarchical order.
    • Used as a foundation for subsequent thought about the hierarchization of people in sociocultural evolutionism.

    American Anthropologists

    • View the study of cultures as deciphering the symbolic meaning underlying people's actions.
    • Do not assume universal social domains apply to all cultures.
    • Emphasize the need to discover cultural aspects empirically (through participant observation and interviews).

    British Anthropologists

    • Draw on the concept of utilitarianism.
    • Perceive society as a whole and see the anthropologist's job as discovering the laws of society that can analyze any culture.

    Utilitarianism

    • The theory that everyone is a rational, self-interested actor pursuing common desires.
    • All cultures are organized around fulfilling people's basic needs.

    Africatown

    • A community established by Clotilda survivors.
    • Embodies the ethos and customs of their homeland.
    • Currently experiencing efforts by others to acquire their land.

    Colonialism

    • The process of European settlement, forceful dispossession, and political domination over the rest of the world.
    • Colonialism involves establishing colonies and settlements in other countries.
    • It's not over. -Indigenous peoples still live in settler-colonial states, and there are ongoing struggles to regain control of traditional territories.

    Imperialism

    • A doctrine, political strategy, practice, state policy, or advocacy based on expanding power through territorial acquisition or extending political and economic control outward.
    • It involves using a country's policies to influence other countries economically and socially.

    Bronislaw Malinowski

    • Functionalist anthropologist.
    • Researched in the Trobriand Islands and wrote about the Kula trading system.
    • Did not address the impact of colonialism on the people he studied.
    • Developed participant observation as a fieldwork method.
    • Focused on the "imponderabilia of actual life."
    • Saw the ultimate goal of anthropological research as "to grasp the native's point of view, his relation to life, to realize his vision of his world.”
    • He criticized prevalent perceptions about "native" groups, arguing that they lacked sophisticated social organization and structure.

    Participant Observation

    • A research methodology where the researcher immerses themselves in the daily activities of the participants.

    The imponderabilia of actual life

    • Observing and recording everyday life in its entirety, including people's routines.

    Harrison's proposal for decolonizing anthropology

    • Transforming anthropological discourse into an anti-imperialist tool.

    Harrison’s critique of commentaries on crime in Oceanview

    • Commentaries on crime rarely place the problem within the context of broader societal forces that produce and exacerbate it, such as the larger effects of imperialism and U.S. interventionism in Jamaica's politics and economy.

    Postcolonialism

    • The study of colonialism and its consequences.
    • Critiques the effects of colonialism and aims to dismantle its premises, ideologies, and belief systems.

    Orientalism

    • A concept developed by Edward Said that has been influential for postcolonial scholars and anthropologists.
    • Criticizes the portrayal of the Middle East in art and media.
    • Claims that the underlying beliefs embedded in these representations (the West/Occident as being culturally and socially superior to the "Orient") are used to justify imperialism and violence against the Middle East.

    Settler colonialism

    • A system of oppression built on genocide and colonialism that aims to displace a nation's population (often indigenous people) and replace it with a new settler population.

    Doctrine of Manifest Destiny

    • Elevated racism and nativism to a divine right.
    • In U.S. history:
      • The supposed inevitability of the continued territorial expansion of the United States westward to the Pacific and beyond.

    "Culture of poverty" thesis

    • Argued that the cultures of certain ethnic groups were pathological because their family structures (e.g., single-mother households) did not resemble those of the beneficiaries of the American Dream.
    • Had underlying racial and class-based assumptions, believing that people's values in poverty perpetuate their poverty.

    Differences between race and ethnicity

    • Race: Based on observable physical traits that a particular society considers significant.
    • Ethnicity: Based on shared cultural heritage, including language, religion, foodways, and other customs.

    Influences anthropologists had on questions of race in the 1900s

    • When anthropological ideas about race became widely accepted, they were used to legitimize racism.
      • Underwrote Jim Crow laws and validated the enactment of anti-immigrant legislation.
    • Other anthropologists contributed to the demand for desegregation, UN resolutions concerning racial equality, challenged assertions about the racial heritability of IQ scores, and refuted claims that race was an essential biological category.

    How research work was divided between sociologists and anthropologists during the 1900s when it came to discussions of race

    • Most U.S. anthropologists focused on "primitive" communities on the fringes of the civilized world, while U.S. sociologists dealt with social issues, including race relations, in the industrializing cities of a capitalist world.

    What Baker means by "the not-quite-white ethnics of census in 1930 and 1940 became white"

    • Southern and Eastern Europeans' ethnicity, birthplace, and parental nativity were no longer recorded in the 1950 census, expanding the category of who was considered "white" in the U.S.
    • The idea of who was considered white changed over time.

    Processes that marked the development of identity politics

    • The arrival of new migrants coincided with a related reorganization of the U.S. class structure and the emergence of new groups composed of previously disconnected individuals who began to recognize shared interests.

    Boas's challenges to claims about skull size, intelligence, and common ancestry in his article "Race and Progress"

    • Around the 1800s, the claim of a link between skull size and intelligence was becoming common.
    • In the early 19th century, there was growing skepticism that all humans shared a common ancestry.
    • Boas criticized IQ tests for their ability to assess intelligence, arguing that they were filled with Eurocentric/white cultural assumptions.

    What Boas claims racial heredity implies

    • Implies that there must be unity of descent, that a small number of ancestors with distinct physical forms existed at one point from which the present population has descended.

    Boas's argument regarding claims about biological degeneracy from interracial mixing

    • He had never observed any degeneracy due to this cause.
    • Biological degeneracy was actually found in rare instances of intense inbreeding.

    Boas's argument regarding whether anatomical type determines behavior

    • There is no justification for claiming that anatomical type determines behavior.

    Boas's argument regarding the connection between race and culture

    • There is no reason to believe that one race is inherently more intelligent, endowed with greater willpower, or emotionally more stable than another, which would significantly influence its culture.

    Genetic signatures

    • The molecular sequences of ancient peoples whom scientists perceive as the original continental populations.

    DNA profile

    • Beyond genetic-ancestry tests that target "Native American" as a race or panethnic category, DNA profiles are helping to reconfigure the concept of tribe and who counts as Native American genetically.
    • To determine a DNA profile, one needs a grasp of different types of complex knowledge:
      • Molecular knowledge and its social histories
      • Practices of tribal citizenship

    Ethnographic refusal

    • Researchers and research participants jointly decide not to make specific information available for use within academia.

    STS (science and technology studies)

    • Explains how social, political, and cultural values affect science and technology research and innovation, and how techno-sciences affect politics, cultures, and social institutions.

    Justifications provided by anthropologists in the 19th-20th centuries for inspecting Native American bones and skulls taken from battlefields or gravesites.

    • Inspecting them was for the good of knowledge, and thus supposedly for the good of all.
    • Indians were seen as destined to vanish, first through westward expansion, and now through genetic mixing.

    Types of knowledge geneticists use to determine someone’s DNA profile compared with the types of knowledge that tribal folks use

    • Geneticists, who understand the technical limitations of DNA testing, lack a deep historical or practical understanding of tribal enrollment or the broader political framework that shapes their work.
    • Tribal people are well-versed in these politics and histories but have limited knowledge about the molecular complexities of the test.
    • Tribes are increasingly combining DNA tests with established citizenship rules.

    What Tallbear means by: “Native American DNA could not have emerged as an object of scientific research until individuals and groups emerged as ‘Native American’ in the course of colonial history?”

    • "Native American DNA" as a concept didn't truly exist before, as Native Americans are composed of diverse panethnic backgrounds.
    • It wasn't until the arrival of colonists that Native Americans were defined as a unified category in contrast to Europeans.
    • This unified category is now used to study "Native American DNA."

    What is at stake when some peoples’ ideas and knowledge about Native American DNA are made to matter more than others

    • Indigenous political authority and identities, along with land and resource claims.

    Classificatory system:

    • Classifies an entire group of relatives under a single term.
    • All men one generation above you on your father's side are called by the same term, and all men of the generation on your mother's side are called by another term.

    Descriptive system

    • Uses separate words to describe each different relationship (the Euro-American system is primarily descriptive).

    Stereotypical contradictions between nature and culture

    • Assumption that women, due to their sexual biology, are aligned with animals and nature.
    • While biological science is a modern discipline, our everyday ideas about biology are rooted in older mythological traditions, blurring much of what biological science actually tells us.

    How courtship in a college setting changed over time

    • College was long considered the primary place for finding a mate, but how this happened has changed since the early 1960s.
    • Women's dorms used to have curfews.
    • Men were expected to call women for dates at least a week in advance.
    • Women could not go away for the weekend without parental permission.
    • The school acted in place of parents by taking responsibility for their daughters.
    • People could have never imagined that a few decades later, there would be co-ed dorms, or even co-ed floors and bathrooms.

    How Apache courtship differed from other types of courtship

    • People often prioritize feeling comfortable and being able to connect with the other person as important in a relationship.
    • Keith Basso discovered in his fieldwork in the 1960s that Apache young people would not talk to their girlfriend or boyfriend for weeks or months, even though they were already holding hands and going places together.

    How expectations around compatibility differ between the U.S. and the Apache

    • In the U.S., there's an expectation that romantic partners should be compatible in terms of their personalities, interests, and values.
    • Among the Apache, the emphasis is on the continuity and longevity of the relationship.

    If marriage is to become an equal partnership, then wider societal changes are necessary, including

    • Variable work hours
    • Job sharing
    • Flexible career paths
    • More widespread and accessible childcare and healthcare

    What “nurturance” means, according to Delaney

    • The concept of "nurturance" goes beyond providing materials for biological survival.
    • Nurturance is a particular kind of relationship that involves affection and love, cooperation, endurance, and is not conditional on performance. It's governed by feelings and morality rather than law and contract.

    Differences Lewis Henry Morgan noted between Iroquois and Anglo-American kinship systems + assumptions he brought to his analysis

    • He noticed that the Iroquois had a very different kinship system than that of Anglo-Americans.
    • While English has two different words for father and father's brother (father and uncle), the Iroquois had one word.
    • While English has two different words for mother and mother's sister (mother and aunt), the Iroquois had one word.
    • His work was based on the underlying assumption that kinship terms reflected the biological facts of reproduction.

    David Schneider’s assertion that blood symbolizes kinship relations, but does not create them

    • People may mention blood when discussing their kinship relationships, but their actual everyday relationships might be very different, extending beyond connections by blood.

    Why kinship has never been stable, according to Delaney

    • Kinship is not and has never been stable; it's not something inherent in the "nature of things" but is constructed in particular cultures around concepts of the individual and the cosmos.

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    Explore the fundamentals of Cultural Anthropology, focusing on social arrangements and interactions. Learn about key figures like Franz Boas, who challenged evolution theories and emphasized the importance of cultural context. Examine the implications of Social Darwinism and its relevance in anthropology.

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