These are all the lecture notes, including text on slides, from CTA 2020/2021 by F. Columbijn. I've paraphrased everything he said and added the text on slides later, nothing is missing!
Position cultural anthropology in four field anthropology
- Cultural ant.
- Physical ant. (evolution of hominis)
- Archaeology
- Linguistic ant.
In America cult. Ant. This is all one study, in Europe its all different studies.
Cult. Ant. Has three subfields:
- Enthology
- Ethnography
- Ethnohistory
What makes ant. Different form other social sciences?
Five matters:
- Views of locals are the starting point of the analysis
- Culture: everyday culture. What do we need and stuff?
- Fieldwork as defining research methodology, it is our own methodology, nobody else uses
this form of research.
o Participant observation, youre allowed to be curious
- Holism: Anthropologists studies everything and make connections between them that way.
Contextualization: why and when. What does everybody say about it?
- Every culture is equally interesting. You never have to explain why a culuter is interesting to
talk about it.
Emic and etic perspectives
Emic perspective is one of the defining things of anthropology, but it is not all. Sometimes you have
to take an etic perspective, describe what is happening in your own words. But if you only use the
etic perspective, you don’t understand how people themselves understand the world.
It is because of your own background that you are interested in other cultures. So you should never
not use your etic perspective.
We need them both
,Position of cult. Ant. Vis-á-vis social ant. and development sociology
We look at de development via the ant. perspective. It is integrated. Difference between social an
cultural ant. : cultural looks at ideas and social ant. looks at structures and rules.
The concept of culture
The most important concept in cult. Ant. Everybody speaks about the culture but have different
intentions.
Definition: Culture is learned, shared human behaviour and ideas, which can an do change with time.
If its learned, shared and dynamic it could be culture.
There are loads of definitions.
Ethnocentrism and cultural relativism
- Cultural relativism is the important and basic principle of cult. Ant
- Cult. Relativism is the most basic and pervasive axiom of cult. Ant.
- Cult. Relativism considers all cultures to be, in principle, equal in moral and intellectual terms
to one another. In contrast, ethnocentrism is associated with the notion that one’s own
group is more ethical and worthy of one’s love, respect and allegiance than any other griuo.
o Freek doesn’t agree with this definition and rather quotes Eriksen:
o Ethnocentrism means evaluating other people from one’s own vantage point and
describing them in one’s own terms. One’s own “ethnos”, including one’s cultural
values, is literally at the centre.
Ethnocentrism isn’t evil. Both, cult. Relativism and ethnocentrism, are extremes. Extreme is not good
so try to have a balance.
Suicide bombers, genocide, terrorists and such things: its good to try and understand, but should we
just let them? How far can you go? It may lead to nihilism.
Conclusion
To understand the position as one of the social sciences, in which what is special its taking the emic
perspective, we take that as the starting point of our story. We take the locals very seriously. Focus
on culture, fieldwork as defining method, even though its not our only method. (summary of lecture)
Core themes in anthropology
Week 1.2
2-9-2020
Balée chapter 2
Sociocultural universals
Recap online lecture Monday
,Why search for universals?
We try to understand humanity. It’s an arrogant ambition. We are trying to look for universals,
because they tell us what we humans are and what makes us different from other species. We try to
live up to the promise of being good anthropoigsts. Its by looking at these variations we see cultural
revelation.
Very few anthropologists are looking for these universals and cultural variation. Ahtropologists look
at specific cases. In our daily work we look at particular cases. Then we make coparisons, but only to
understand our own case better.
Arm chair anthropologists, theyre not doing fieldword. The are just sitting in the chair thinking about
the wordl and then make these ??
French babies and German babies cry different. They cry like their language.
My tribe syndrome: most of our research is in our own societies. 50 years back, anthropologists it
was hard for them to travel. They have to be years with one tribe. So they react with their own
fieldwork experience. When there is a general conclusion, anthropologists will respond by saying that
their tribe is different.
Animals with tools
Humans don’t have a monopoly on tools.
Important universals
There are nine, see the book. Freek highlights some in the lecture, but everything is important for the
exam.
Transmission of culture
Enculturation is not only for children. When you enter the army, army culture for you is
totally new. The process of enculturation in the army.
WHAT IS IDFFERENCE BETWEEN BECOMING IN AC ULT EN ENCULTURATION
Acculturation is also process of learning in a culture but also knowing your own culture.
Youre enculturated in one society, but then you move to the Netherlands: acculturation. When you
get your first job as a lawyer: enculturation. When you get a job as a lawyer somewhere else, its
acculturation.
Economy and exchange
All human societies have some kind of economy. Not with money and capitalism per se.
reciprocity is the exchange of goods and services. This distinction between
- Generalized reciprocity. You very freely you share things with someone else. But you don’t
count how much you give away and how you get back. For example; when you give a
present. You remove the price tag, because you try to not make a calculation how much its
worth.
- Balanced reciprocity. You go to the shop, buy bread, in return for the bread you give money.
Also when you buy someone a drink, you expect to them to give a drink back. Does not have
to be the same thing.
- Negative reciprocity. When you buy a second hand card. I don’t know missed this part.
, Answering questions
Universal: cultural phenomenon that is found everywhere in the world. This is typical for humanity.
Universals make us human.
Marcel Mauss: armchair anthropologists. He makes the point that analysing gifts. In many societies
its an obligation to give away gifts and receive gifts. And sometimes its an obligation to give a gift in
return. Gift giving is a very powerful way to build relationships.
What’s the most precious thing to give away: Precious is what you are short of. Example: time. In
most societies the most precious thing is marriage. Its not the western pov of marriage. In other
societies marriage is the bonding of two groups of people. You get my daughter, I get your son.
Kula ring
Classical example. Its an exchange system within a tribe. Its ceremonial. Tehyre ‘useless’. Youre just
supposed to have them. Movement of armshells and the movement of necklaces. It’s a lot of work
to exchange them, so why do people do that? It helps to establish a relationship
In western world we have status because of money/cars/smartphones. You can keep them. But in
the soulava tribes you cant hoard them. It’s the giving away of the necklaces and arm things that
gives you status. They try to balance it, but theres an ongoing debt because the two thing go
clockwise and counterclockwise.
Rules governing behaviour
For example:
- Taboos
- Joking relationship
In some cases you should never talk to your in laws, in other cases you have to make jokes with them
all the time. Sometimes even rude jokes.
Example universal: age categories
Rits of passage, somebody is introduced to a new social status.
- Separation, youre taken out of the normal society
- Transition, you require the new status
- Reintegration, you become part of the new society
For example: honeymoon. African tribes where teenage boys get removen from the village for
some time when they get a certain age. Ontgroening at universities.
Core Themes in Anthropology
Week 1.3
4-09-2020
Cultural Variation
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