Catalog / Anthropology Cheat Sheet
Anthropology Cheat Sheet
A comprehensive cheat sheet covering key concepts, theories, and subfields within anthropology. Designed for students and enthusiasts alike, this guide provides a quick reference to the diverse aspects of studying humanity, past and present.
Core Concepts
Basic Definitions
|
Anthropology: |
The study of humanity, encompassing its evolutionary history, present biology, society, and culture. |
|
Culture: |
The learned and shared behaviors, beliefs, and values that characterize a group of people. |
|
Ethnography: |
The systematic study of people and cultures. It is a descriptive work produced from participant observation. |
|
Holism: |
The anthropological commitment to consider the full scope of human life, including culture, biology, history, and language, across space and time. |
|
Ethnocentrism: |
The tendency to view one’s own culture as superior and to apply one’s own cultural values in judging the behavior and beliefs of people raised in other cultures. |
|
Cultural Relativism: |
The principle that all cultural beliefs are equally valid and that behavior in one culture should not be judged by the standards of another. |
Key Approaches
|
Evolutionary Approach: |
Focuses on the biological and cultural evolution of humans over time. |
|
Cultural Ecology: |
Studies how humans adapt to their environment and the ecological consequences of human actions. |
|
Interpretive Anthropology: |
Focuses on understanding culture as a system of meaning and symbols. |
|
Critical Anthropology: |
Examines power structures and inequalities within and between cultures. |
Subfields of Anthropology
Cultural Anthropology
|
Examines cultural variation among humans. Focuses on understanding how people in different societies live and make meaning of their worlds. Employs ethnographic methods. |
|
Key Topics: kinship, religion, economics, politics, art, and social change. |
Archaeology
|
Involves the study of past peoples and cultures by excavating and analyzing material remains. |
|
Key Topics: prehistoric and historic archaeology, cultural resource management, and heritage studies. |
Biological Anthropology
|
Focuses on the biological and behavioral aspects of humans, their extinct hominin ancestors, and related non-human primates. |
|
Key Topics: human evolution, primatology, human genetics, and human variation. |
Linguistic Anthropology
|
Studies language in its social and cultural context, across space and time. |
|
Key Topics: language acquisition, language change, sociolinguistics, and linguistic relativity. |
Theoretical Perspectives
Early Theories
|
Unilineal Evolutionism: |
The 19th-century theory that all societies pass through a series of progressive evolutionary stages. |
|
Diffusionism: |
The theory that cultural traits spread from one culture to another. |
|
Historical Particularism: |
The idea that each culture has its own unique history and development. |
Later Theories
|
Functionalism: |
The theory that all aspects of a culture serve a function and contribute to the overall stability of the society. |
|
Structuralism: |
The approach that sees culture as a system of binary oppositions and underlying structures. |
|
Post-Structuralism: |
A theoretical development that critiques structuralism, emphasizing power, discourse, and the instability of meaning. |
Research Methods
Qualitative Methods
|
Participant Observation: Immersing oneself in a culture to gain a deep understanding of its practices and beliefs. |
|
Interviews: Conducting structured or unstructured conversations with individuals to gather information and perspectives. |
|
Focus Groups: Facilitating group discussions to explore specific topics and gather diverse opinions. |
Quantitative Methods
|
Surveys: Distributing questionnaires to collect data from a large sample of individuals. |
|
Statistical Analysis: Using statistical techniques to analyze numerical data and identify patterns and relationships. |
|
GIS Mapping: Using Geographic Information Systems to analyze spatial data and map cultural phenomena. |
Ethical Considerations
|
Informed Consent: Ensuring that research participants understand the purpose, risks, and benefits of the study and freely agree to participate. |
|
Confidentiality: Protecting the privacy of research participants by keeping their identities and personal information secure. |
|
Cultural Sensitivity: Respecting the cultural values and norms of the communities being studied and avoiding harm or offense. |