Anthropology
UNIT 7
Anthropology
 Is the study of humans in their
environment- creating a
culture.
Culture
 Is the entire way a society is
organized and lives
Vocabulary
 Enculturation- same as socialization, teaching
members about one’s culture.
 Ethnocentrism- belief that your culture is
superior to another.
 Acculturation- process of taking the traits of one
culture and using them in your own.
 Assimilation- to absorb into the culture or mores
of a population or group
How cultures work
 Material Culture- things a society makes and
uses
-Technology- Knowledge of how to make things.
 Non- Material Culture - society’s ideas and
values
 Norms (folkways, mores and laws)
 Taboo- behavior a culture disapproves of
Cultural Change
 Invention- creating a new way of doing
something.
 Innovation- Improvement in technology
 Cultural Diffusion- borrowing or spreading ways
of doing something
 Conquest/ War
 Acculturation/ Assimilation
Language and Culture
 Communication is necessary for the
operation of any group. By definition, it is the
process of making, keeping and changing
relationships with others.
Language and Culture
 Language- System of symbols used to
communicate
 Verbal- written and spoken symbols
 Non-Verbal-without written or spoken symbols.
Could include body movement or gestures.
 Note- language is the product of a culture which is used.
Culture is learned so language is the key element.
Language and Culture
 Linguistics- study of the relationship of
language to culture
 Dialect- different ways of pronouncing words.
Language Changes with:
 Subcultures
 Technology
 New terms/ words added or introduced
 Diffusion
Stereotype
 Viewing another based on your
past experiences and that view is
usually negative.
How to Analyze a
culture
 Holistic approach- approach that considers
the whole or total of what is studied.
 Analyze:
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Institutions
Enculturation process
Social Stratification
Communication
Art