Cultural Studies in Anthropology

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Questions and Answers

Which themes are primarily focused on in Cultural Studies?

Technology and science

Power, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and race (correct)

Language and literature

Geography and economy

Who are considered the 'fathers' of anthropology?

Benedict, Bunzel, and Kroeber

Durkheim and Radcliffe-Brown

Tylor and Boas (correct)

Malinowski, Mead, and Evans-Pritchard

What is the primary focus of biological anthropology?

Cultural impacts on language

Human evolution and variability (correct)

Development of social structures

Study of human extinction

In what context does linguistic anthropology study human language?

In the context of particular culture Signup and view all the answers

What approach was created by Franz Boas and his students?

The four-field approach Signup and view all the answers

What does the movement emphasize in writing about culture?

Reflexivity and collaboration among writers Signup and view all the answers

Which issue highlights the challenge of objectivity in cultural documentation?

The crisis of representation Signup and view all the answers

What reflects the shift in perspective regarding the construction of culture?

Culture is constructed through subjective experiences Signup and view all the answers

What aspect of writing is described as problematic regarding the observer's perspective?

The power dynamics inherent in written descriptions Signup and view all the answers

What is the significance of the cut-up method of writing in cultural documentation?

It creates new narratives from existing pieces Signup and view all the answers

What does the term 'cultura animi' refer to in the context of philosophy?

Cultivation of soul Signup and view all the answers

According to Tylor's understanding, what constitutes culture?

A complex whole including knowledge, beliefs, and practices Signup and view all the answers

What is the anthropological understanding of culture based on?

The assumption that culture is an observable entity Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is a characteristic attributed to culture?

Learned and shared Signup and view all the answers

What role does 'ethnocentrism' play in cultural studies?

It leads to ranking and judging cultures based on one's own background Signup and view all the answers

How many definitions of culture did Kroeber & Kluckhohn analyze in their research?

165 definitions Signup and view all the answers

Which aspect is NOT typically associated with the concept of culture?

Genetic traits and biology Signup and view all the answers

What thematic approach influenced changes in anthropological thinking regarding culture?

The Writing Culture school Signup and view all the answers

What are culture universals as defined by Murdock?

Cultural similarities that vary in form and content Signup and view all the answers

What is one key characteristic of field research in anthropology?

It requires the researcher to remain impartial without biases. Signup and view all the answers

What does ethnocentrism refer to in cultural studies?

The tendency to rank other cultures based on one’s own cultural standards Signup and view all the answers

What is an autoethnonym?

A name a group uses to refer to themselves Signup and view all the answers

What defines an exoethnonym?

A name given by outsiders, often with negative implications Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements about anthropological research is true?

It requires reflexivity to manage biases. Signup and view all the answers

How does the study of culture today differ from earlier anthropological focuses?

It now emphasizes contemporary cultural dynamics. Signup and view all the answers

What role does scholar imagination play in anthropological research?

It allows for creative interpretations of cultural norms. Signup and view all the answers

What methodology emphasizes the need to study a single phenomenon across multiple settings?

Multi-sited ethnography Signup and view all the answers

Which theory primarily addresses the effects of colonialism on colonized individuals?

Postcolonial theory Signup and view all the answers

Which author is known for their significant contributions to the concept of Orientalism?

Said Signup and view all the answers

What concept describes the mixing of cultures, particularly in relation to language, as seen in the Caribbean?

Creolization Signup and view all the answers

What common imagery is associated with the veiling of Muslim women according to prevalent stereotypes?

Exotic beauty and imprisonment Signup and view all the answers

What does Tsing's work demonstrate about the logging industry in Borneo?

It connects various global interests and stakeholders. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following portrays the Western perspective of the East as irrational and backward?

Orientalism Signup and view all the answers

What is one consequence of losing neighboring cultures, as suggested by the study of Tasmanians?

Devolution of society Signup and view all the answers

What is the oldest known writing system identified?

Cuneiform in ancient Sumer Signup and view all the answers

Which hypothesis is associated with the origins of language related to mother-child communication?

Mother tongues hypothesis Signup and view all the answers

What is one ability that Washoe, the chimpanzee, demonstrated in her language learning?

Create new signs by combining existing ones Signup and view all the answers

According to the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis, how does language affect its speakers?

Affects their world view Signup and view all the answers

What do languages generally begin with in terms of color terminology according to Berlin and Kay's study?

Two color terms: black and white Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements accurately reflects the concept of linguistic relativity?

Language creates a reality for its speakers. Signup and view all the answers

Which capability was proven to be outside the capacity of primates based on experiments?

Learning articulated language Signup and view all the answers

What does Wittgenstein imply with his quote, 'What we cannot speak about we must pass over in silence'?

Some concepts exist beyond language. Signup and view all the answers

How does language serve as a tool in society?

By facilitating communication and social relations Signup and view all the answers

What aspect of societal impact does the study by Berlin and Kay focus on?

Predictable evolutionary sequence of color terms in languages Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Cultural Studies - Week 1

Cultural Studies is a discipline that focuses on themes of diversity in contemporary culture, including power, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, race, the human body.
Developed by British scholars in the 1960s.
Leading figures associated with the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies (Birmingham).
Traditionally, Cultural Studies drew on semiotics, Marxism, poststructuralism, ethnography, and cultural anthropology.
Courses often combine standard anthropological topics with contemporary world issues.

Anthropology: A Short Introduction

Anthropology is the scientific study of humankind's past and present.
It gradually developed in the 19th century.
Key figures in the development include Tylor and Boas.
Early anthropology was often dominated by male researchers, though figures like Benedict, Mead, and Bunzel made significant contributions.
It was often carried out in colonial contexts, influencing the way anthropologists approached their research.
An important approach is a four-field approach developed by Franz Boas and his students. This includes biological, linguistic, and cultural anthropology along with archaeological anthropology.

Structure of Anthropology

Biological anthropology examines human evolution, variability, and adaptations.
Linguistic anthropology explores language in particular cultures.
Cultural anthropology investigates customs, beliefs, and behaviours within particular cultures.
Archaeological anthropology explores past human societies.
The study of each of these fields often incorporates fieldwork.

Cultural Specifics

People solve similar problems, but use different solutions.
Cultural universals are shared cultural similarities.
The example of universals provided covers family, religion, magic, childbirth, death, etc.
In each of these cultures, there is inter-culture comparison.
A large database hosted by Yale University, known as the HRAF, exists to document many different cultures.

Cultural Studies - Week 2

Culture is one of the most complicated concepts in social sciences and humanities.
It's used across disciplines such as anthropology, sociology, philosophy, media studies, psychology, literature, and musicology.
There is a wide range of approaches to culture, including perspectives on culture as an activity, as an entity (anthropology), as a social/historical construct or as an ontology.
One way is seeing culture via its values and practices, which is the axiological approach.
Another approach, the anthropological perspective, sees culture as an identifiable "thing," a shared experience.
Postmodernism sees culture as a concept created by human actions, not a fixed thing.
Some consider culture via the lens of ontological approaches, the study of being. Culture affects human perceptions of reality and world views.

Cultural Studies - Week3

Culture evolved as a non-biological adaptation.
The way humans adapt to their environments through their culture is seen as a nonbiological way of adaptation.
Key ideas within human adaptation include that humans developed various ways of living: hunting and gathering, pastoralism, cultivation, and industrial food production.
An example from the study: Hunting and gathering is shown in the Kung San people; while pastoralism was studied in the Nuer people.

Cultural Studies - Week 4

Language is a fundamental tool for communication. Includes grammar and vocabulary.
Language evolved about half a million years ago.
Language allows us to communicate via verbal and written means.
The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis argues that language shapes a person's world view, because different languages can create different views of reality.
Different languages have different structures that cause differing perspectives of the world.

Cultural Studies - Week 5: Sex and Gender

Culture constructs differences between males and females.
Distinctions in biological sex may contribute to differences in temperament and behaviour between sexes, though this distinction varies between cultures
Cultural variations exist in how people view gender, gender roles, gender identity, and sexuality..
Some cultures view masculinity and femininity as rigid categories that shape behaviour, while others view it as more flexible.
Gender is often considered a social construct, meaning it is not inherent but rather learned through the process of enculturation.
Some suggest that differences in male and female behaviour can be found in differences between their brains.

Cultural Studies - Week 6: Visual Documentation

Visual representation can convey history and information about lives of different peoples including their customs, belief and practices.
The study of art and visual documentation has been influenced by many cultures.
Art has been recorded across a wide spectrum of cultures and societies and artists have represented these cultures.

Cultural Studies - Week 7: Language

The development and role of photography in anthropology.
The roles of visual documentation in the study of other cultures.
The way photography and painting have been interpreted across cultures in different periods.

Cultural Studies - Week 8: Globalization and Culture

Globalization causes a wider scale and scope of cross-cultural interactions.
Increased movement of people, goods, and ideas occurs across the globe.
Examining the connection between T-shirts and globalization.
Multi-sited ethnography is a useful approach for studying phenomena across different places.
Studying connections between places using cases from Papua New Guinea and California.
Postcolonial studies look at the effects of colonialism on modern cultures, including colonialism-related effects on the interactions between dominant and subordinate groups.

Cultural Studies - Week 9: Globalization

Core and periphery theory, a theory of global economics, looks at global inequalities.
Culture change can be viewed as ongoing.
Globalization relates to the ongoing development and/or modernization of new and existing cultural practices, behaviours and other forms of expressions.

Cultural Studies - Week 10: Who Owns Culture?

The study and historical perspective on the ownership of cultural artifacts.
Museums, as institutions, face ongoing arguments about repatriation of artifacts.
Museums historically, have held and displayed cultural artifacts representing various cultures.
Issues of ownership, representation, power, and the relevance of these objects for modern cultures are relevant considerations in the study of cultural history.

Cultural Studies - Week 11: Repatriation of Artefacts

Motivations for repatriation of cultural artifacts (e.g., cultural preservation, honoring customs and ensuring cultural integrity).
Legal frameworks like the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) aim to repatriate artifacts.
Examples including "Buhl Woman" and "Minnesota Woman" highlight ethical and contextual issues related to repatriation.
Issues relating to cultural artifacts can be complex.

Cultural Studies - Week 12: Orientalism

How the West has viewed the East.
Western perspective of the Orient: constructed and often prejudiced.
The concept of Orientalism to understand how the West has presented ideas, people, culture, and views of the East.
Important figures like Edward Said were critical of the East/West dichotomy used in these representations.

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Description

Test your knowledge on key themes in Cultural Studies and the foundational figures in anthropology. This quiz covers topics such as biological and linguistic anthropology, including methodologies established by Franz Boas. Dive deeper into the concepts that shape the study of culture and society.