ANTH 1001 Chapter : Anthro1001Listi
Anthropology w. Listi 5/6/2012 9:32:00 PM
Biocultural approach
• Understand the relationship between biology and culture (an
interrelationship)
Holistic
• Referring to the entire system
• Relating to or concerned with the whole system and not just the
individual parts
o The doctor will treat the person not just what is hurt
▪ Treat the MIND and BODY
Comparative (Cross-cultural)
• Compare cultures with each other
• Not comparing to make judgments
Ethnocentric
• The belief in the inherent superiority of one’s own ethnic
group of culture
o The is no way like THE AMERICAN WAY
o Anthropologists DO NOT want to be this way
• Yanomawi
o Live in brazil and Venezuela
o They call themselves THE HUMANS
o If you are not a yanomawi or a part of their culture
then you are not HUMAN
Cultural “Relativism”
• Keeping an open mind about a particular group or culture
• Each culture has merit within its own system
• It should NOT be judged
Fieldwork
• A time of data collection
• Working in the field
• Going out and studying something
o Lab, museum
ANTHROPOLOGY
• FOUR SUBFIELDS:
o Each is broad and intertwined (overlap and sometimes are
hard to separate)
▪ Linguistic Anthropology
the scientific study of language specifically
humans
how people talk
people’s language
how people communicate
• 6-7000 spoken languages in the world
trying to study how people use their language to
communicate
the social norms for communication
• talk to friends different then you talk to
children
study the origin of language
how does gender affect speech?
men will use speech to give out facts, while
women use speech to form bonds
▪ Cultural (Socio-cultural) Anthropology
very broad subfield
culture: learned behavior that is distinct
among a group of people, passed down
among generations, and evolutionary
(changes)
estimated 5000 distinct people groups
• culture of professional athletes.
• Culture of business
• Culture of politics
• Culture of power
• Urban—study of city life
• Medical—different in response or
approach in healthcare or disease
• Political—study of power in society
• Economic—study resources and
distribution of goods in society
▪ Archaeology
The study of the past based on material
remains
• Tools, pottery, architecture, clothing,
ceramics
• Anything left behind by humans
Need to be care when excavating because of
the possibility of destroying area.
• Very labor intensive
• Time consuming
• Very controlled and systematic
• Document EVERYTHING
Excavation: process of digging out remains
Firms (contract) responsible for going out in the
field and moving remains
Laboratory – where you clean and document
• Historic vs prehistoric: written records vs
none (prehistoric is before Columbus)
• classical: Greek and Roman
• contract vs academic: CRM cultural resource
management
contract archaeology
• there are contract firms
• time budget and law restraints
academic archaeology
▪ Biological (physical) anthropology
Study of human biological evolution and human
biocultural variation
Human variation
• Evolutionary significance of variation and
differences
Primapes
• Primape behavior
Ergaster
• Nearly complete skeleton
• Homo-erectus/ergaster
• 1.6 million years old
American Anthropology
• Franz Boas (people are usually in matching section of test)
