Ethnocentrism
The belief that one’s own culture or way of life is normal and natural; using one’s own culture to evaluate and judge the practices and ideals of others
Ethnographic fieldwork/Ethnography
A primary research strategy in cultural anthropology, typically involving living and interaction with a community of people over an extended period to better understand their lives
Why do anthropologists take a cross-cultural and comparative approach?
To compare practices across cultures to explore human similarities, differences, and the potential for human cultural expression
What are the four-field approaches (anthropology)
- Biological
- Archaeology
- Linguistic
- Cultural
Biological/Physical Anthropology
The study of humans from a biological perspective, particularly how they have evolved over time and adapted to their environments
Archaeology/Archaeological Anthropology
The investigation of the human past by means of excavating and analyzing artifacts
Linguistic Anthropology
The study of human language in the past and the present
Cultural Anthropology
The study of people’s communities, behaviors, beliefs, and institutions, including how people make meaning as they live, work, and play together
Ethnology
The analysis and comparison of ethnographic data across cultures
Globalization
The worldwide intensification of interactions and increased movement of money, people, goods, and ideas within and across national borders
What are the characteristics of globalization?
- Time-Space compression
- Flexible Accumulation
- Increasing Migration
- Uneven Development
Time-Space compression
The rapid innovation of communication and transportation technologies associated with globalization that transforms the way people think about space (distances) and time
Flexible Accumulation
The flexible strategies that corporations use to accumulate profits in an era of globalization, enabled by innovative communication and transportation technologies
Increasing Migration
The accelerated movement of people within and between countries
Uneven development
The unequal distribution of the benefits of globalization
Anthropocene
The current historical era in which human activity is reshaping the planet in permanent ways
Holism
The anthropological commitment to look at the whole picture of human life - culture, biology, history, and language - across space and time
Paleoanthropology
The study of the history of human evolution through the fossil record
Ethnocentrism
The belief that one’s own culture or way of life is normal and natural; using one’s own culture to evaluate and judge the practices and ideals of others
Applied Anthropology
Work outside of academic settings to apply anthropological strategies and insights directly to current world problems
What are the Nacirema?
The Nacirema refers to Americans, or a regional group of people who visit the dentist
The reading on Nacirema, what did it teach?
It enables people to avoid the tendencies of ethnocentrism, and developing an anthropological perspective instead. Seeing through others eyes.
