Cultural Anthropology Flashcards

Grade 12 · Social Studies · Flashcards

Essential terms and concepts for understanding cultural anthropology in 12th grade Social Studies.

Flashcards

Ethnography: Immersive first-hand research method where anthropologist lives within a community; uses participant observation.
Cultural Relativism: Principle of understanding cultural practices in their own context before applying outside judgments.
Ethnocentrism: Viewing one's own culture as the standard for judging other cultures; the bias anthropology works to overcome.
Kinship: The cultural definition of family relationships and the obligations they create; highly variable across cultures.
Matrilineal Descent: System tracing kinship and inheritance through the mother's family line.
Rite of Passage: Ritual marking a major life transition; van Gennep's three phases: separation, liminality, incorporation.
Cultural Diffusion: Spread of cultural elements between societies through trade, migration, and contact.
Cultural Hybridity: The blending of cultural elements from different societies; result of cultural contact and globalization.
Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis: Theory that the language you speak influences how you perceive and think about reality.
Participant Observation: Core ethnographic method: actively participating in community life while maintaining analytical perspective.
Reciprocity: Economic exchange of goods/services with expectation of return; creates social bonds in many societies.
Assimilation: Process by which a minority culture fully adopts the dominant culture's language, customs, and values, losing its own distinctiveness.