ANTH-101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Coevolution, Ethnocentrism, Cultural Relativism
2 May 2019
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Document Summary
Patterned by related beliefs that manifest in different social domains. Adapted as humans are dependant on culture for survival. Symbolic as something that stands for something else. Modified by successive generations, constant state of change. Cultures aren"t entirely strongly defined and can be similar to others. Biocultural organisms: culture is a principle means by which humans survive. Surmount biological and individual limitations: coevolution: human culture evolved over time as the human brain evolved, non-human cultures: e. g) chimpanzee grooming and tool use. Dialectic differences in vocalizations: origins of culture: difficult to say for sure. Embodied in certain material patterns: ornaments: likely encode cultural info, burials, tools, agency: human ability to exercise control over their lives and make choices. Institutions: enduring cultural practices that organize social life: agents: act within, alter, and reinforce institutions, holism: no one factor singularly determines human behaviour. Interpretative room for culture, history, and human agency. Some object, actions, or events may mean different things in different cultures.
