Anthropology Notes PDF

Names: Napoleon Chagnon: Bribed people, skewed findings, vaccinated causing illness, incited violence Patrick Tierney: criticised Chagnon Franz Boas: cultural relativism Bronislaw Malinowski: functional theory, pioneered participant observation Diamond Jenness: studied Innuiniait, did great partici...

Names: Napoleon Chagnon: Bribed people, skewed findings, vaccinated causing illness, incited violence Patrick Tierney: criticised Chagnon Franz Boas: cultural relativism Bronislaw Malinowski: functional theory, pioneered participant observation Diamond Jenness: studied Innuiniait, did great participant observation Margaret Mead: studied adolescent development in Samoan women,= Derek Freeman: opposed Mead’s conclusions Paul Shankman: concluded that both Mead and Freeman were correct in their own rights Ruth Benedict: studied Japan from an outsider perspective Richard Lee: observed Dobe Ju/’hoansi people Marvin Harris: cultural materialism Noam Chomsky: structural linguistic anthropologist, idea of “universal grammar” William Rathje: archeologist who studied garbage and concluded that people aren’t honest about their habits Donald Johanson: found 40% skeleton of 3.2 million year old Australopitecus afarensis, named “Lucy” Charles Darwin: established the concept of natural selection, advocated for theory of evolution, suggested humans first evolved in Africa Raymond Dart: Found Australopithecus africanus skeleton in Africa, first evidence of African origin, named it “Tuang Child” Louis and Mary Leakey: Provided more evidence with 1.75 million year old australopithecine skeleton in Kenya, named fossil “Dear Boy”. Also found homo habilis skeletons. Richard Leakey: Discovered almost complete Homo erectus skeleton in Kenya Jane Goodall: went to Tanzania to observe chimps Dian Fossey: went to Rwanda to observe gorillas Birute Galdikas: went to Borneo to observe orangutans Sue Savage-Rambaugh: Long-term research of bonobo communication, taught them to communicate with signs Michael Finkel: Participant observant with Hadza tribe Anthropology is the study of humankind. Psychology is the study of the human mind and its mental states. Sociology is the study of human social life, groups, and societies. Two subdivisions of anthropology: Cultural anthropology: study of past and present cultures Physical anthropology: study of where humans as a species come from, how our bodies evolved to their present form, and what makes humans unique. Ethnology: study of the origins and cultures of different races and peoples Note: ethnologists use participant observation to study cultures Ethnography: the written account of a culture Cultural Relativism: Each culture has their own internal interpretation seen through the lens of their own culture Example: Ms. Tharshan didn’t fully understand Islamic traditions. During parent-teacher interviews, she extended her hand to a student’s parent to shake, and he kindly declined and bowed instead. Ms. Tharshan interpreted this as rude through the lens of her own culture as disrespect. However, she later learned that intergender physical touch is looked down upon, and instead they bow as a sign of respect to the other gender. Functional theory: Every action, belief, or relationship in a culture functions to meet the needs of individuals. Example: In India, cows are often seen roaming wild throughout the streets. Often, you'll hear that the reason for this is that cows are considered sacred animals. While this is true, this belief came about because of the usefulness of keeping cows alive. Because of how useful they are, they have been kept alive which progressed into them being considered sacred. Cultural Materialism: Materials or conditions within the environment influences how culture develops creating the ideas and ideologies of culture. Harris says cultures develop in three stages: infrastructure, structure, superstructure Eurocentric: The idea that European culture is superior to all other cultures. Ethnocentric is when you believe your culture is superior to all others. Feminist Anthropology: Re-examining anthropology to ensure that female voices were heard and included in research Eurocentric: The idea that European culture is superior to all other cultures. Ethnocentric is when you believe your culture is superior to all others. Postmodernism: the belief that it is impossible to have any “true” knowledge about the world. Rejects the idea of an objective truth Linguistic Anthropology: study of human languages and how languages affect and express culture. Historical Linguistic: Comparing the similarities and differences in language structure and how people migrates in the past Example: English is different in different regions of the world. Scots speak a harsher version of English known as Gaelic. In the Caribbean islands, due to slaves from across the world being.. Structural linguistic anthropology: Study of how sounds are put together to make meaning. Sociolinguistic anthropology: Study of how people use language within their culture to express status and context. Example: Ms. Tharshan will speak in a different way depending on who she's talking to. Her boss, her children, her friends, and her students all receive a different cadence of speaking based on authority and context. Archeology: Study of physical remains of past cultures to understand and reconstruct them Prehistoric archaeology: For civilization with no written record archaeology is the best way to find out how people lived and moved Example: Study of how Tobacco spread explains trade and contract between people Humans followed the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers from the Persian Gulf to the Middle Eastern lands along the Mediterranean Sea, tracing an arc that would become known as the Fertile crescent. Paleoanthropology: Study of human ancestors based on evidence (bones, fossils, remains, ancient tools) from the distant evolutionary past Bipedalism: The trait of walking on two legs habitually. Traits of bipedal fossils: S-shaped spine, wide & flat pelvis, slanting thigh bone, arched feet, big toe in line with heel. Began at least 3.6 million years ago. Theories for bipedalism: Hauling food to safer places To explore the world, no longer needed a body that could climb. Attracting mates, upright walking males could carry more food and thus seem more competent Low hanging fruit leads to eating in a squatting position, and thus shifting our anatomy. Keeping cool, as bipeds are exposed to less sunlight and more wind. Early hominids lived in a semi-aquatic environment that had to be waded through Tools and weapons are easier to use as bipeds. Manual dexterity: usage of fingers and fine motor skills Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa is where bones were found Forensic anthropology: Aid in identifying human remains after mass disasters, wars, homicides, suicides, or accidental deaths Forensic anthropologists (paleoanthropologist, archeologists) study bones Cultural anthropologists may help understand why bodies were placed certain ways Questions to ask: Is it bone Animal or human Individuals represented How long have they been dead Sex of individual Age at death Ancestry/ethnic origin Height Evidence of trauma (helps deduce cause of death) Distinguishing features (medical devices, bone anomalies, bone disease, old fractures, fingerprints, amputations)  Identity of deceased Primatology: the study of the anatomy and behaviours of living primates: Observe primates in their natural habitat OR in labs, depending on conducted research. HUMANS COMPARED TO OTHER PRIMATES Similarities DIfferences Mother/infant bond is important for Only primates adapted to bipedalism survival Longest infant dependency period Longest infant dependency period among primates among mammals Have a symbolic, spoken language Dominance hierarchies and aggression between males for food Live in groups & mate in pairs at the and females same time Groom one another Humans develop ideas and beliefs that guide their actions Communicate through facial expressions, touch, vocalisation, body language Rotating forearm, grasping hands & feet, forward facing eyes, large brains Memorise these: Australopithecus afarensis, “Lucy” Australopithcecus africanus, “Tuang Child” Homo habilis, Homo erectus. Homo neanderthalensis, around time of agriculture Homo sapien, recent to modern humans Human Variation: physical differences and similarities of existing human populations Gene: the basic unit of heredity passed from a parent to child. They lead to the expression of a particular physical characteristic. Evolution: humans evolve over time tin order to survive in different conditions Variation: every species has a lot of variety within it (migration and isolation) Example: eye colour, body structure, blood type, metabolism, height, hairline Heritability: passing of traits to offspring Environmental fitness: bitter adaptation to an environment will pass off traits Race is a social construct and the concept of race has been defined by our society Physical traits such as skin and hair colour are not biological explanations for intellectual or social differences Race isn't a scientific category, ‘racial’ traits have no evolutionary advantage Evolution is a result of three principles: Variation (every species has a lot of variety within it) Heritability (individuals pass on their traits) Environmental fitness (individuals that are better adapted to their environment will pass on their traits) Five elements of natural selection: Population shrinkage (reduced gene pool) Mating based on appearance or location (certain traits in gene pool are preferred) Mutation (adds to the gene pool) Migration (gene flow) Adaptation