Anthropology: Cultural Anthropology Basics

What is the anthropological definition of 'culture'?

Culture is a system of learned, shared, and symbolic behaviors, beliefs, and values that are transmitted across generations and integrate a society.

What is the difference between ethnocentrism and cultural relativism?

Ethnocentrism is the tendency to judge other cultures by one's own standards, while cultural relativism is the principle of understanding a culture on its own terms without judgment.

What is 'participant observation' in ethnographic fieldwork?

A research method where the anthropologist lives within a community, participating in daily activities while simultaneously observing and recording behavior.

Define 'patrilineal descent'.

A kinship system in which family membership and inheritance are traced exclusively through the male line (father's side).

In Émile Durkheim's study of religion, what is the distinction between the 'sacred' and the 'profane'?

The sacred refers to things set apart as extraordinary or holy, while the profane refers to the ordinary, mundane elements of everyday life.

What is 'monogamy' in the context of marriage systems?

A form of marriage that permits an individual to have only one spouse at a time.

Who is known as the 'Father of American Anthropology' and introduced the concept of historical particularism?

Franz Boas, who argued that each culture is a product of its own unique history rather than a universal evolutionary path.

What are the three stages of a 'rite of passage' as defined by Arnold van Gennep?

The three stages are separation (detaching from the old status), liminality (the transitional 'in-between' phase), and incorporation (re-entering society with a new status).

What is Bronislaw Malinowski's primary contribution to anthropological theory and methodology?

He established the requirement of long-term fieldwork and developed Functionalism, the idea that cultural traits exist to meet the basic needs of individuals.

How does Clifford Geertz define 'thick description'?

Thick description is a research strategy that provides detailed context and interpretation of social actions to uncover the layers of meaning behind them.