Anthropology Final Study Guide PDF

Anthropology Final Study Guide ★ ALTERED STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS ↷ 1. Brainwave states ↴ a. Beta: Waking, consciousness. b. Alpha: Daydream, light trance. c. Theta: REM dreaming, deep trance. d. Delta: Deep sleep, unconscious. i. REMINDER: BAT-D! 2. Ty...

Anthropology Final Study Guide ★ ALTERED STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS ↷ 1. Brainwave states ↴ a. Beta: Waking, consciousness. b. Alpha: Daydream, light trance. c. Theta: REM dreaming, deep trance. d. Delta: Deep sleep, unconscious. i. REMINDER: BAT-D! 2. Types of ASC ↴ a. Hypnagogic: State between sleep and wake. b. Hallucinogenic: Psychedelic states induced by drugs. i. REMINDER: “Hallucinate” c. Spirit possession: Instills feelings of disassociation. d. Hypnotic trance: Hypnosis/trance/mesmerism. e. REM dreaming: Lucid dreaming can occur. 3. Brain structures ↴ a. Left hemisphere: Logical, analytic; linear thinking; sequential time experience. i. Controls the RIGHT side of the body. b. Right hemisphere: Intuitive, emotional; holistic thinking; spatial time experience. i. Controls the LEFT side of the body; Is connected to ASC!  c. Pineal gland: At the front of the brain; releases melatonin; called “the 3rd eye.” d. Reticular Formation: At the top of the spine; governs sleep and waking; called the “seat of consciousness.” e. Temporal lobes: Above the ears; stimulating them causes visions and feelings of sensed presence/ASC. 4. Hypnosis: The state of putting someone in a trance. a. It used to be called mesmerism after Franz Anton Mesmer because he could heal people by manipulating their animal magnetism (a fluid in the body). i. This didn’t last long though… he was later proved to be a fraud by the French and U.S. groups who revealed he was only putting others in a trance. ii. After this, a man named Charcot renamed Mesmer’s technique “hypnoticism” after Hypnos, the Greek god of sleep. 1. NOTE: Sigmund Freud was Charcot’s student! 5. The God Helmet: Brain stimulation can evoke religious experiences. a. A device developed by Dr. Michael Persinger that uses magnetic fields to stimulate the temporal lobes leading to altered states of consciousness (ASC) and feelings of a divine presence. 6. Doors of Perception: Book written by Aldous Huxley. a. It was named after a poem written by William Blake. b. It talks about his experiments with mescaline (a hallucinogen). → ★ ENTHEOGENS ↷ 1. Entheogen: Plants ritually consumed for religious purposes; they are believed to contain divine life force or energy from the gods. a. Ayahuasca: 2 plants; Used by Amazonian shamans in Santo Daime (Brazil). b. Peyote: A cactus that contains mescaline; used by native American churches. c. Ergot: Brain fungus; Consumed at Eleusis in a ritual. i. It’s believed that eating ergot-infected bread causes visions such as those in St. Anthony’s fire (visions of demonic torment). d. Fly agaric: Mushroom; Used by the Tungus Shamans of Siberia, Wasson’s “Soma of the Aryans” and Viking berserkers. e. Cannabis: Hemp/hashish; Used by the medieval group, Assassins (hashisheen) and OG Rastafari. ★ SYNCRETISM ↷ 1. Syncretism: A hybrid religion that combines two earlier religions, often of an indigenous group and a colonizing faith (e.g. African x Christian). a. Syncretic religions are greatly influenced by Western European spiritualism! 2. Spiritualism ↴ a. Began with the Fox sisters in 1848 and their table-rappings. b. Spiritualist churches ↴ i. Believe in a progressive afterlife and contact with spirits through mediumship. ii. Believe in reincarnation and several levels of spiritual existence.  c. Widespread practices: Ouija boards, automatic writing, and table seances. 3. Spirit possession a. Theories of possession ↴ i. Emic theory: Possession involves actual spirit beings. ii. Theatric theory: Possession is a performance art. iii. Dissociation theory: Possession is an ASC that involves the temporary displacement of the ego. 1. Somewhat like multiple-person disorder! b. Other info ↴ i. Rhythmic drumming and singing → trance state. ii. Possessed people report having no memory or OBEs. iii. Possessed persons often show remarkable changes in physical appearance and potential. iv. Non-Haitian people have reported being possessed at ceremonies. 4. Afro-christian religions a. Vodun ↴ i. Origins: French slaves in Haiti. ii. Practitioners: Hougans and mambos. iii. Shrines: The peristyle. iv. Mediators: Lwa, Legba. v. Controversies: Are zombies real?  b. Santeria ↴ i. Origins: Cuban slaves. ii. Practitioners: Santeros (or Babalaos/highest santeros). iii. Shrines: Altars in people’s homes or botanicas. iv. Mediators: Orisha, Chango, and Yemaya. v. Controversies: Animal sacrifices (Church of Babalu - Aye vs. Hialeah) c. Candomble ↴ i. Origins: Brazilian slaves. ii. Practitioners: Umbandistas (come from Umbanda, mixed with Kardecism and spiritualism). iii. Shrines: Altars in people’s homes. iv. Mediators: Ogoun (St. Peter), Oloddua (St. Anthony). v. Controversies: “Surgeon of the Rusty Knife” (Jose Argago possessed by a German WW2 doctor). 5. Ras Tafari ↴ a. Founder: Marcus Garvey in 1930s Jamaica. b. Sacred text: The Holy Piny. c. Prophecy: “A king will be crowned in the East and then your house of redemption is at hand.”  d. Rituals: “Reasoning” (involves the use of ganja/hemp). e. Beliefs: Haile Selassie I was the African Messiah. i. Jamaica = Babylon (exile); Ethiopia = Zion (liberation) 1. Spread to others through reggae music! 6. Zombis ↴ a. Proposed by Wade Davis in “The Serpent and the Rainbow” i. He explains zombies are people who were paralyzed by a toxin (tetrodotoxin) making them appear dead and were then buried alive. After being in the grave for 24 hours, a sorcerer revived them. 1. NOTE: Wes Craven also made a movie with the same name! ★ REVITALIZATION MOVEMENTS ↷ 1. Revitalization Movement: A deliberate, organized, conscious effort by members of the society to construct a more satisfying culture. a. Usually found in cultures suffering from European colonialization; this tension drives individuals to expel new influences and restore authentic cultural tradition. b. Can be secular or religious! REV. MOVEMENT CHARACTERISTICS Nativist and nationalist Millenarian and apocalyptic Messianic Reactionary or traditionalist Prophetic Anti-colonial Syncretistic Non-progressive; focused on the past 2. Stages of formation ↴ a. Steady state b. Increased individual/social stress c. Cultural distortion d. Period of revitalization (many substages) e. New steady state i. REMINDER: Think about those “climax curves!” 3. Revitalization movements a. Ghost dance ↴ i. Founder: Jack Wilson and Paiute Indians. ii. Practice: 19th century Plain Indians. iii. Rituals: Circle dances, chanting, ghost shirts (to protect from white man’s bullets). iv. Beliefs: The ghost dance would revive the buffalo herds and ancestors. 1. Ended by the Massacre at Wounded Knee (1890). b. Cargo cults ↴ i. Founded: Pacific Melanesian Island cultures (post WW2). ii. Rituals: Used statues of soldiers and planes to magically compel cargo to return. iii. Beliefs: Attacked colonial powers for holding back cargo. 1. And continue to do so today… → c. Serpent handlers ↴ i. Practitioners: Most are part of the Holiness-Pentecostal (Charismatic) church in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Oklahoma (the “Bible Belt Buckle” states). 1. REMINDER: T-O-K! ii. Rituals: Handle poisonous snakes and drink strychnine (toxins). iii. Beliefs: “By faith, you will be saved” (Fundamentalist Protestant). 1. NOTE: This has to do with the Garden of Eden and the snake! d. Zapatista Revolt: An uprising that occurred in Chiapas, Mexico in 1944. i. Some say it was a secular Mayan revitalization movement, but it could have also been rooted in earlier movements such as the Caste War of the Yucatan or the War of the Talking Crosses. 1. REMINDER: Two C’s (Caste War + Talking Crosses) e. Christianity ↴ i. During Christ’s time, Judean institutions were distributed and crumbling, so they wanted to “purify the land” by driving out Hellenism and Roman occupation. 1. During this, there was a hope for Messianic liberation (eventually taking eschatological POVs)… a. Zealots of Masada: Confrontation! Guerilla warfare! b. Essenes: Withdraw from the corrupt! Rebuild ourselves! → ★ SHAMANISM ↷ 1. Shaman: A master of the spirits; Comes from Tungus (Saaman). a. Roles ↴ i. Diviner: Finder of lost souls. ii. Healer: Sucks our evil “spirit darts.” iii. Judge: Sorts out village disputes. iv. Prophet: Visionary of the future. v. Medium: Communicated between material and spirit worlds. 2. Eliade: Master of the archaic techniques of ecstasy. a. According to Mircea Eliade, shamanism began 100,000 years ago in Siberia while experimenting with fly agaric! 3. World tree (Axis Mundi; Polestar): A great tree that connects the 3 worlds ↴ a. Underworld: The realm of the chthonic nature powers. b. Middle realm: The everyday world. c. Celestial realm: The realms of the star and sky spirits. i. NOTE: Shamans can travel through this tree via “spirit flight.” 4. Carlos Castaneda; A.KA Arana (from Peru) a. He’s the “outlet” through which Westerners came to know about shamanism. b. He wrote “The Eagle’s Gift” and claimed to be initiated into the “Yaqui way of knowledge” by Don Juan Matus. i. But he was later revealed to be a fraud because DJM didn’t exist…  5. Sun dance: A ritual by Native Americans around the summer solstice. a. It consists of a 4-day dance around a pole (representing the world tree) followed by entering a trance state. 6. Devil's Tower: A small mountain in Wyoming where Native Americans used to do rituals. a. When Christian missionaries came across it they said “Must be devil sh*t”, hence the name. ★ WITCHCRAFT ↷ 1. Evil eye: A certain gaze/power (mainly possessed by witches) that can cause misfortune, curses, or hexes. 2. Mobility hypothesis ↴ a. Societies settle → accumulation of private property → arguments over inheritance i. Following inheritance, societies become patriarchal and patrilineal, thus viewing women as interfering in this process and intensifying witchcraft accusations. ii. This also happens with changes in male and female roles (e.g. presidents; Hillary Clinton). 3. Malleus Maleficarum: A book published by 2 Dominicans and the cause of death for millions of women. a. It warned that witches were having intercourse with the devil and giving their souls over to him + that they could be found by an identifying mark. i. The 15th to 18th centuries were massacre times for women… →  4. Salem Witch hunts ↴ a. Where: 1960s Massachusetts. b. What happened: Tituba, a black slave, was teaching some of the local girls “root charms” which led to the outbreak of witch hysteria. c. Then what: Anyone could be guilty of witchcraft simply by appearing in one’s dream, leading to the persecution of innocent Salem women. 5. Wicca ↴ a. Founder: Gerald Gardner (England 1940s) b. Beliefs: Ecology, feminism, god/goddess duo. c. Practices: You can belong to a coven or grove or be a solo practitioner. d. Misunderstandings: i. Horned god = antler-horned “Master of the Hunt.” ii. Pentagram = symbol of the five elements. iii. Threefold Law and the Wiccan Rede → no harmful magic against others! ★ RITUALS ↷ 1. Ritual: A fixed sequence of actions, culturally and cyclically determined, that serve to obtain specific ends. a. Ritual = praxis (religious beliefs → practices and behaviors) b. They are often repeated based on a symbolic number. c. They serve to separate sacred time from secular time. i. Life cycle rituals → changes in social status (rites of passage). ii. Calendrical rituals → events in the past held in collective social memory. iii. Funerary rituals → serve the deceased and the community left behind.  ★ Rituals = collective and social; Mysticism = individual and introspective! 2. Types of Rituals ↴ a. Temporal: Orienting of time (e.g., time, calendars) b. Spatial: Orienting of space. c. Body: Physical transformation. d. Fertility (both crops and people). e. Divination: Foretelling the future. f. Healing: Curing sickness. g. Taboos: Negative prohibitions. 3. Types of body ritual ↴ a. Body alteration: Elongation, distortion. b. Body painting: Tattooing. c. Body marking: Branding, scarification. d. Incision: Circumcision (both male and female) e. Clothing: Using costumes or headwear. f. Fasting or Flesh mortification g. Sadomasochism: Boundaries of pleasure/pain.  4. Liminality (Van Gennep): The state of “social in-betweenness” that rituals help address and resolve. a. Most rituals serve the purpose of separation, rebirth, or reincorporation (e.g., quinceañera, marriage, funeral, etc.) 5. Solstices & equinoxes ↴ a. They establish the 4 seasons (based on 2 sets of astrological events) and are marked by rituals worldwide. i. Summer solstice: Longest day of the year. ii. Winter solstice: Shortest day of the year. 1. Summer & Winter (solstices) + Fall & Spring (equinoxes) 6. Mayan Calendar ↴ a. Mayans had 2 calendars: i. The Halve: Similar to our 365-day one. ii. The Solcan: Sacred calendar; 265 days long. 1. They realign every 52 years! b. They count days beginning from the “zero date” of their calendar. i. August 11, 3114 BCE (In the Gregorian calendar)! c. Their calendar hits 13.0.0.0.0 on December 23, 2012 (CE). ★ PILGRIMAGE ↷ 1. Pilgrimage: Travelling to a sacred spot for purposes of devotion. a. Pilgrim: A traveler who journeys to a sacred place seeking the holy. 2. Omphalos: A sacred stone in Greece; Represents the axis/center point of the world. a. Many believe their cult sites are the center of the world where the world tree passes through! 3. Pilgrimage Sites a. Santiago de Compostela ↴ i. Where: (Starts in France) ends in Northwestern Spain. ii. Fact: Santiago pilgrims wear a scallop shell on their clothing. iii. Importance: Site of the finding of bones of St. James in the 9th century. b. Al Aqsa ↴ i. Where: Northern Israel. ii. Fact: It’s a golden dome structure. iii. Importance: It’s the 3rd holiest place in Jerusalem (believed to stand on the original temple mount). c. Glastonbury ↴ i. Where: Southwestern England. ii. Beliefs: 1. Jesus went there in the 1st century. 2. King Arthur was buried there. 3. The Glastonbury Thorn. 4. Chalice Well; The site of the Holy Grail. → ★ TOTEM AND TABOO ↷ 1. Totem (dodem): Meaning ancestor or a person’s tribe. a. Most were clan animal symbols believed to be the legendary ancestor of the clan. 2. Manitou: A person’s personal totem or guardian spirit; often found through a vision quest. 3. Totemism: A clan animal believed to be the legendary ancestor of the clan. a. You can’t kill or eat this animal as it’s considered kin! 4. Taboo: A forbidden thing. a. Types ↴ i. Prohibitions on action: Food, clothing, objects, etc. ii. Prohibitions on association: Marriage, intercourse, friendship, or contact. b. Hinduism ↴ i. You can’t switch out of your caste (Brahmins ↑; Shudras = ↓) 1. The Dalits (i.e., Untouchables) are the lowest members of society and others aren’t allowed to interact with them. ii. Castes guide your lifestyle (eating habits, job, etc.). 1. No Hindus can eat beef because it’s sacred! However, “cow butter” was reserved for the Brahmins. 5. Decalogue: The 10 commandments or Noahide laws. a. While Israelites had to follow the Ten Commandments (in the Torah), all of mankind had to follow these laws revealed to Noah after the Flood (because he’s a shared ancestor). b. They consist of “thou shall not…” rules/taboos.  6. Carnival: A celebration 3 days before Ash Wednesday marking the last day to eat meat. a. The last day is known as Shrove (Fat) Tuesday or Mardi-gras in French. i. REMINDER: Carne-val (carne = meat)! ii. NOTE: During the carnival, the king and a peasant swapped places + the Jester roamed the streets to cause chaos. ★ RELIGION AND THE STATE ↷ SYSTEM? WHAT? WHO? Theocracy Religion = Law Islamic Rep. of Islam Divine kingship Religious officials control a Ancient Israel, Egyptian “divine” or “demigod” king. pharaoh, Japanese emperor Dual state Religion & state = “separate Medieval Europe but equal” Secular state Religion & state = separate U.S Atheist state Religion = forbidden China, Old Soviet Union FUNDAMENTALISM MODERNISM “Religious writings are legit and there’s no “Maybe we shouldn't take religious scriptures mistakes because they’re the word of God” literally because changes occur over time” 1. 1st amendment clauses ↴ a. Establishment clause: No “establishment” of an official church. b. Free exercise clause: “Free” to practice whatever; protects religions.  2. Scopes monkey trial ↴ a. Scopes, a public school teacher, was accused of teaching Darwinian evolution in the 20th century (He lost…) 3. Sacred Heart movement: French movement that aimed to create a Catholic monarchy/theocracy where the pope would rule over society. ★ EASTERN RELIGIONS ↷ 1. INDIA Hinduism Buddhism Believe in karma and dharma (duty) as a Believe in ending the cycle of reincarnation means to achieve a favorable reincarnation by entering nirvana (fostered by good acts) 2. CHINA Taoism Confucianism No deity; A way of living focused on No deity; A moral philosophy focused on harmony with nature and “not doing” social harmony and filial piety 3. JAPAN Zen Shinto A variety of Buddhism; Focused on learning Indigenous religion; No scripture; Based on through paradox oral traditions from ages ago 4. Theosophical Society: An attempt in the late 19th century to merge Eastern and Western philosophies, religions, and traditions. 5. I-ching: The “Book of Changes”; a Chinese oracle used for divination. ★ ISLAM ↷ 1. 5 pillars of Islam ↴ a. Shahada: Declaration of faith in Allah. b. Salah: Prayer (5x per day, facing Mecca). c. Sawm: Fasting during Ramadan. d. Zakat: Giving to those in need. e. Hajj: The pilgrimage to Mecca (required at least once in a Muslim's life). 2. Succession of leadership argument ↴ Sunni Shi’ite The caliphs (heads of state) Imams or Ayatollahs, descendants of Ali should lead! (Muhammad's cousin/son-in-law) should lead! 3. Wahabbi: The official religion of Saudi Arabia and Sunni fundamentalists. 4. The seven prophets ↴ a. 6th = Jesus; 7th = Muhammad. 5. People of the book: The other Abrahamic religions (Jews & Christians). a. According to the Quran, others can be forcibly converted, but these people can’t! 6. Sufis: A mystical tradition within Islam. a. It seeks personal experiences with God through practices like meditation and devotion. i. NOTE: They reject fundamentalism! ★ TECHGNOSIS ↷ 1. Techgnosis: The seeking of knowledge (gnosis) through technology. 2. Techgnostic religions a. Extropians ↴ i. Believe there is a force opposed to entropy (disorder) known as extropy (self-organization); this force = technology! 1. Technology will reverse entropy and progress infinitely to help us evolve as a species. ii. They’re transhumanist (i.e., transcend humanity) because they believe tech innovations will make us more than human or godlike. b. Raelians ↴ i. Founder: “Rael.” ii. UFO-based religion; Rael claimed he met aliens and that they told him “We created you… now tell everyone that.” iii. They believe human cloning is the path to immortality. 1. REMINDER: R-aliens! c. Church of Scientology ↴ i. Founder: L. Ron Hubbard. 1. He wrote a book but didn’t want to get taxed so he called it a church. 2. It’s techgnostic because you monitor spiritual progress with an e-meter.  3. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin: Mid-20th century Jesuit Priest who believed in the “no-sphere” and human’s approach towards the Omega point. a. Omega point: “The one global mind” formed by electronic communication technology; Similar to medieval idea of Christ’s body. 4. Joachim of Fiore: Medieval prophet who claimed… a. Age of sun (woo church!) was ending → Age of holy spirit (no church needed…) ★ MISCELLANEOUS ↷ 1. Christian nationalism: The belief that the U.S. was founded as a Christian nation and, therefore, our laws should be based on the Bible. 2. Manifest destiny: The belief that God chose the U.S. for a special purpose. 3. Singularity (Ray Kurzweil): The idea that AI will become sentient and change human societies until they’re unrecognizable. 4. Dalai lama: The leader of all Tibetan Buddhists. 5. Clash of civilizations (Samuel Huntington): Talks about the clash between Islam and Western civilizations after 9/11. a. REMINDER: Clash → crash → 9/11 (Islam x U.S) ★ NOTE: If there’s a question about a “forbidden fruit” the answer is pomegranate! ‎ ‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎GOOD LUCK 🍀‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎