ANT 112 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Ethnocentrism, Cultural Relativism, Child Abuse
22 Jan 2018
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Document Summary
Cultural anthropology is the cross-cultural comparative study of humans and their diverse variable, but always patterned ways of living. Mothers most likely should be credited with the creation of language. Anthropologists study the social, emotion level, etc. Universals: every known culture believes in their own supernatural system, religion , language, cooking, art. Seeing or understanding something is neither the only nor the right one. The cultural construction of reality: there are many cosmologies (world views) with which to interpret, analyze, and compare human ways of life. Cultures are integrated systems with interrelated parts. Cannot isolate social variables/ domains from others. But: cannot study everything about a particular culture. Different cultures have different notions of what good, moral, No culture is more or less valuable than another no matter how valuable, legal, etc. Ethnocentrism: to value one"s own culture over others who are different or perceived as such. We should condone or condemn other people"s way of life.
