ANTH 001 - Summary Cultural Anthropology A Toolkit for a Global Age PDF

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Chapter 1 Notes challenge of anthropology: to understand the rich diversity of human life & to see how our particular life experiences connect to those of others by bringing these perspectives together, we can grasp more fully the totality & potential of human life global web of interaction anthropology provides a unique set of tools, including strategies & perspectives, for understanding our rapidly changing, globalizing world anthropology: the study of the full scope of human diversity, past & present, & the application of that knowledge to help people of different backgrounds better understand one another Franz Boas: one of the founders of American anthropology conducted studies that showed the wide variation of physical forms within groups of the same national origin & the marked physical changes in the children & grandchildren of immigrants as they adapted to the environmental conditions in their new country Audrey Richards: studied Bemba people in 1930s focused on issues of health & nutrition among women & children opened a pathway for the study of nutritional issues & women’s & children’s health in anthropology ethnocentrism: the belief that one’s own culture or way of life is normal & natural; using one’s own culture to evaluate & judge the practices & ideals of others what anthropologists don’t want us to do, wants to move beyond it ethnographic fieldwork: a primary research strategy in cultural anthropology typically involving living & interacting with a community of people over an extended period to better understand their lives “walking in their shoes” anthropology studies both the people & the larger structures of power around them; including: families, governments, economic systems, educational institutions, militaries, the media, & religions; as well as ideas of race, ethnicity, gender, class & sexuality also seek to understand the “agency” of people - central role of individuals & groups in determining their own lives, even in the face of overwhelming structures of power all humans share connections that are biological, cultural, economic, & ecological our increasing connection today reminds us that our actions have consequences for the whole world, not just for out own lives & those of our families & friends four-field approach: the use of four interrelated disciplines to study humanity: physical anthropology, archaeology, linguistic anthropology, & cultural anthropology physical anthropology: the study of humans from a biological perspective,...