Week 9 flashcards-
The concept of culture
Culture itself can be thought of as a kind of lens
Being part of a spesific culture gives us a specfic prespective on the world and guides our intercations with others.
All humans have a capacity for culture
Nothing in our genes or biology determines what cultures we learn
All human groups have culture
Culture is learned by absorbing whats going on around us and imitation
Cultures can be small, large, concentrated, diasporic.
Cultures are not fixed and constantly changing
Culture differs from bahaviour based on biological interacts or personality traits
Instincts are automatic and coded in peoples DNA (ex- run from danger)
Personality is individual and related to a persons unique development or experiance
Culture is learned, based on symbols, hollistic and shared
Culture is learned:
The process of learning culture begins with interactions with family, then continues through interactions with peers, friends, school teachers, media, ect
People are not born with instincts about what to do to be a member of that culture
Culture is trasmitted from one generation to the next through a process called ENCULTURATION.
Culture is based on symbols:
A symbol can be anything that stands for something else and carries cultural meanings
(example- people from a common culture using a shared launguage agree that words on the page and the sounds we make when talking stand for meaning)
(ex- poutine is a symbol for Canada)
Culture is hollistic or integrated
Anthrologists approach the study of culture knowing that all aspects of society are linked
If one aspect of culture is altered, then the others will be effected aswell
ex- changes in farming practices may change food related practices which may in turn impact famiky life
This is why we need to pay attention to all aspects of culture
Culture is shared:
Because culture requires more than 1 individual, culture must be shared
Unique individual quirks are not part of culture
The shared nature of culture allows people to undertsand each others behaviours and what goes on around them in approximetly the same ways, without needing to say anything out loud.
Dependence training:
Supports the family unit over the individual
Children learn the importance of compliance to the family group
Typically taught in societies that value extended (or joint) families where family members work together or pool resources
Children may be incdulged when they are young but quickly that they are part of a unit and must put families needs over their own
These cultural values are referred to as a collectivist or communmal
Independance Training:
Fosters a childs sence of individually
Typically found in industerial societies and involves a nuclear family and the individual is seen as as actor who has the right to shape their own destiny
The sence of self is strongly linked to the individual over the group, which can create individual feeling of entittlement and these cultural values are reffered to as individualistic
Child rearing
Allows us to see the intregrated nature of culture clearly
The way you decide to raise your child can tell us about the culture more broadly.
Each contributes to a different set cultural values and different types of social structure
Cognition
Values, symbols and understandings that allow us relate to other members of our culture
Bahaviour
Actions and interactions with others are guided by culture in ways that allow people to understand and act approperatly with each other
Artifacts
Artifacts (portable items)
Features (Non portable)
Also rerfered to more broadly as material culture are the things that people make, alter, use
Community def
When people share a geological space
Can also be virtual, since online communites can develop the same kinds of relationships that physical ones do
GROUP DEF
Looser term, refers to people who share culture. They generally live in the same area
Society def
Used somewhat interchangably with the term group to refer to large number of people with social connections
Subcultures def
Communites based on identity markers (Ethnicity, socio-economic class, religion, age, gender, interests)
Homogeneous group:
a group that shares many identity markers (ex. Hadza, Tanzania)
Heterogeneous group
A group that shares few idenity markers (Americans,USA)
Race and Ethnicity
Biological race does not exist for human species (Skin color has nothing to do with personalities, behaviours, capabilities
Despite knowing that race is not a valid biological concept, that concept remains a common part of vocabulary
The term "race" was used infrequently before the 1500s and was used to identify groups of people witj a kinship or group connection
European enlightement incites people to seek to understand the world by creating categories and understading things, including humans
Actual scientific developmemts allowed scientists to study human variation, allowinh the comparison of the entire genomes of people around the world
We know that peoples DNA differs by no more than 0.14% anywhere in the world
Still, many peope see high numbers of people of certain ethnicities as seccessful in particular fields and wonder if there is a genetic basis for their talent (genetics can help an individual but no group is "wired" to be good at something
Talents are individual and are nurtured over a lifetime (ex- Number of players in the US Major legue baseball are Dominican Republic)
Why do anthropolgists study race if its not a valid concept?
Because the experiance of racism, prejudice and discrimination is real and the idea of race continues to have impacts on peoples lives
The differences attributed to race are only meaningful as a set of categories based on social/cultural experiance. Therefore, this is a problem of social injustice, with no direct to human bioology (ex- covid 19 dispanties in the US)
Ethnicity vs Race
May be closer to what we mean when we mistakenly use the term "race"
Ethnic orgin most often has to do with a persons ties to their culture, launguge and shared history
People identify with their ethnic herritage as a member of a particular group of people, but society tends to group people into larger, often meaningless groupings. (ex- Census ethnic categories)
Functions of culture, cultural adapation and maladatation
Although humans are still evolving biologically it is the cultural adapations that have not only allowed us to survive and thrive
Humans are unique in developing advanced cultural adaptations
Culture has certain functions beyond providing the shared understandings that guide peoples behaviours
In any society, culture should provide for basic needs of the group
Specifically, aspects of culture (beliefs and behavioirs) should support the health and wellbeing of members and the survival of the culture itself
Anthropologits can examine in an objective way wheather aspects of culture are adaptive or maladaptive
Adaptive def
If aspects of culture adaptive, they should supoort the health and well-being of members
Maladaptive def
They may lead to ill effects for the people or the longevity of the culture
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)
Maladaptive cultural practice
Surgical removal of parts of the genestics for non-medical reasons
FGM is common in 24 countaries in Africa and the Middle east
Advocates for cultural freedom argue that undergoing the practice is a form of cultural identity and social belonging but can lead to severe health problems and represents a severe form of gender discimination amoungst women and girls
Participant observation
Reasrchers participate in peoples lives at the same time that they are observing/ analyzing their behaviour
While doing participant observation, an ethnographer seeks to understand a full picture of culture by asking these questions
1) How people THINK they should behave (What are the norms and values of a society?)
2)How do people SAY they behave? (Do they say they conform to these standards or not?)
3) How do they ACTUALLY behave? (This can only be discovered by long term fieldwork and establishing trusting relationships with the people invloved in the study)
The lens of anthropology definition
Shapes how ethnographers approach their subjects and what questions they ask.
Emic def
insiders view
Etic view
outsiders view
Ideal behaviour vs. Real behaviour
The difference between what people say ans what they do is a contrast between real and ideal behaviour
What are the 3 differnent types of approaching informants?
Anthpologists spend much time talking with locals during a field study and may be called INFORMANTS, accociates or interlocutors.
1) Random Sampling- allows everyone an equal chance to be interviewed, which is done by selecting people randomly
2) Judgement sampling- Selects informants based on their skills, knowledge, insight, sensitivity to cultural issues
3) Snow-ball sampling- One informant introduces the ethnographer to other informants. This can also be very helpful
Key informants (key accociates) def
Anthropologists usually develop close ties to one or more informants who are chosen for their special insights and they spend alot of time with them
Many differnet methods may be used when doing participant observation including....
1) Formal interviews (In which the same set of questions are posed to multiple informants)
2)Informal interviews (In which the fieldworker seizes an oppurtunity to ask a question)
3)Life histories or other oral histories
4)Case studies, in which a particular event is examined from multiple prespectives
5)Kinship data (a family tree or genealogy)
6)Photography
Peoblems arisng when an ethnographer is present:
The ethnographers presence during fieldwork is felt within the community and can lead to awkward situations and may take time for informants to feel comfortable telling certain things to their resercher
Launguage, cultural differneces or an anthroplogst seen as a governmeny spy ect
THE AMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION (AAA)
Created a set of guidlines called THE CODE OF ETHICS (2012)
States that anthroplogists must weigh the possible impacts of their actions with dignity, health ans material wellbeing of those amoung whom they work
This seems clear enough in theory but situations can arise when it isnt clear what the reprocussions of a decison might be
Ex- Anthrologist were to develop a sexual/romantic relationship with someone from the group they are studying or gathering data for the military.
Anthropoigists doing ethnographic work are held to high standards of ethics, which includes fieldwork conduct and what happens to that data collected during fieldwork.