ANT 121 Midterm Exam Study Guide
Anthropological Basics
Anthropology
The study of humanity
Four fields:
1) Cultural
2) Linguistic
3) Biological
4) Archaeology
Armchair anthropology:
- Relying on secondhand accounts
to make observations about a
culture
Veranda anthropology:
- Step above armchair; in the place
you’re studying, but not living
among and communicating with
the community
Culture
The learned, shared patterns of behavior,
beliefs, values, customs, and practices that
characterize a group or society
- Full range of human social life
- Interactions and social
organization
- How people make sense of the
world
- How meaning is created
Holism:
- Viewing people and cultures as
integrated wholes, not as separate
pieces
Ethnography
In depth study of a group or culture
Participant observation:
- Living with the people you’re
studying/working with,
participating in their daily lives
and cultural activities
Interlocutor:
- Informant in the field who may
provide information themselves
and/or facilitate conversations with
other community members
Might also use interviews, surveys, etc.
Reflexivity
Considering own positionality as the
researcher/anthropologist
- Identify potential cultural biases
- What are your own cultural
frameworks
Anthropology is subjective
Cultural Relativism
The idea that we should try to view people
and cultures from their own perspectives
Franz Boas
- Father of American Anthropology
Opposite of ethnocentrism
Ethnocentrism
Judging another culture based on your
own cultural standards
- Viewing own cultural norms and
experiences as the default, others
as negative or weird
