Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
Applied anthropology uses knowledge and methods from all four sub
disciplines to solve practical problems.
Key Concepts:
Culture
Ethnicity
Theories:
Topics:
Society as a Whole
Intercultural Comparison
2
Origins of Sociology and Anthropology
Sociology
Anthropology
European history
primitive non-Western
people
peasants, workers
problem
small-scale societies
(village, island, company
etc.)
method
observation
3
Perspective: Emic and Etic Research
Emic Approach (Actor-Oriented)
community studied
Meaning of actions in the community under Analysis, comparison of data obtained in
study
4
Features of culture
Culture is all-encompassing
Culture is learned
Culture is symbolic
Culture is shared
Culture is patterned
What is ethnicity?
Ethnicity became popular in the 1970s.
Primordialist view
Instrumentalist view
Constructivist view
Ethnicity
Primordialist view
Biological, genetic,
Cultural forms,
Ascription, choice of
geographical factors
certain cultural
features (ignoring
others)
Aim of group
Survival,
formation
transmission of
of political identity
maintenance of
family genes
in the competition
borders between
groups; structures
resources
group interaction
Criticisms
nationalism, racism,
as a means to an end
social exclusion
Anthropological Evolutionism
6
Early Evolutionism (Edward B. Tyler, Henry Lewis Morgan)
Tylers three stages of evolution:
1. Savagery
2. Barbarism
3. Civilization
Criticisms:
Later evolutionism (Leslie White, Julian Steward, Marshall Sahlins and Elman
Service)
Two kinds of evolution (Sahlins/Service):
1. Specific evolution: This is the evolution of a particular society in a
particular environment. Environmental and historical influences are
considered. Every society has its own stages of development which are
examined.
2. General evolution: This is the general development all human societies
pass through. It is assumed that there are universal laws of evolution.
Some societies develop to be more complex while others remain at a
simple stage.
Diffusionism
7
British diffusionism (G. Elliot Smith, William J. Perry, W.H.R. Rivers):
1. Egypt as origin of all inventions
2. Uninventive attitude of people
3. Application of biological concepts to culture
Anthropology: Functionalism
Functionalism views society as a complex system whose various parts work
together to produce stability and solidarity (Giddens 2006: 20).
Fieldwork
Secondary/Derived Needs =
Collective Cultural Responses
Nutrition
Food Production
Reproduction
Bodily Comforts
Safety
Movement
Sets of Activities
Growth
Health
Hygiene
Criticisms
Functionalism neglects
Social change
Cultural variation
Dysfunctional elements
8
Psychological Approaches
Culture
Personality structure
Child-rearing practices?
Child-rearing practices
Basic personality
Cultural institutions
Criticisms:
Ethnocentric bias
Cultural variation
9
Marxist Anthropology and Cultural Materialism
Criticisms
Symbolic Anthropology
10
Symbolic Anthropology
How do symbolic anthropologists view culture?
Symbolic anthropologists view culture as a relatively independent entity. It is a
system of meanings which the anthropologist has to decode through the
interpretation of symbols.
How can anthropologists describe culture?
As culture is a system of meanings it can be seen as a text. Research is a
process of reading, interpreting and writing culture.
Criticisms
Economic Anthropology
Economic Anthropology
industrialized economies.
industrialized economies.
universal.
11
Allocation of resources
Type of Society
Hunters and Gatherers
Allocation of Resources
Pastoralists
Horticulturalists
Intensive Agriculturalists
(Industrialized Societies)
Production
Non-industrialized societies
Division of labor
Organization of labor
Family, kinship
Temporary, informal work
groups
Industrialized societies
Work contract
12
Distribution
Type
Explanation
Details
Reciprocity
Redistribution
Monetary Exchange
Generalized
reciprocity
(gift-giving, work
Balanced reciprocity
Negative reciprocity
Based on an overproduction
of food
standardized value)
Anthropology of Kinship
Why is the study of kinship so crucial in anthropology?
Kinship is the most important principle of social organization in small-scale
societies.
Explanation
Pattern
Patrilocal
Percent of all
Linked to
societies in 1965
Couple lives with husbands
67 %
Internal warfare
15 %
External warfare
7%
Depopulation,
family.
Matrilocal
Bilocal
environmental
hardship
Avunculocal
4%
mothers brother.
Internal warfare,
strong
matrilineality
Neolocal
5%
kin.
13
Rules of descent
Bilateral kinship
Ambilineal descent
Explanation
Marriage Regulation
Economic Functions
Political Functions
Religious Functions
Political Anthropology
Bands
Tribes
Chiefdoms
States
14
Elman Services (1962) Classification of Types of Political Organization
Band
Tribe
Chiefdom
Level of
Local group
Sometimes
Multi-local
Political
multi-local
Integration
Specialization
Informal
Informal
Some
of Political
leadership
leadership
specialized
Officials
political officials
Predominant
Mode of
Subsistence
Hunting and
gathering
Shifting
agriculture and
herding
Population
Very small
Small
Density
communities
communities
Social
Egalitarian
Egalitarian
Differentiation
(Adapted from Ember/Ember 1981:243)
Extensive or
intensive
agriculture and
herding
Large
communities
Rank
State
Multi-local
Many
specialized
political
officials
Intensive
agriculture
Cities and
towns
Classes
Anthropology of Religion
phenomena
behavior
by human beings
15
Differences between religion, magic, sorcery, witchcraft
Differences/Similarities of Religion and Magic
Religion
Magic
Sorcery
knowing. Witches only use psychic powers member of society. It involves the use of
(emotions, thoughts) and no material
be proved.
difficult to prove.
Applied Anthropology
16
Academic versus Applied Anthropology
Academic anthropology
Applied anthropology
and theories.
as possible.
Colonial matters
Informed consent
Confidentiality
17
Culture Change and Globalization