biological determinism
an argument that biology determines completely one's capacities and characteristics
what is a negative effect of biological determinism
bio-determinism can lead people to place false limitations on their potential (ex: only
men can fix cars, white people are better than black, the poor are dim-witted)
cultural determinism
culture (rather than biology) determines one's capacities and characteristics
are humans biological or cultural?
WE ARE BOTH! the whole nature vs nurture theory is BS. biology and culture are both
part of a system that leads to greater outcomes
what is holism
connectedness---- the whole is more important than the sum of its parts. the properties
of a system can be neither explained nor determined by examining its parts alone.
what is reductionism
explaining organisms as machines and reducing them to their moving parts (OPPOSITE
OF HOLISM)
anthropology
the study of human systems and human interactions with the systems in which they are
embedded
ecosystems
All the living and non-living things that interact in an area. an ecosystems populations
are all related to each other through various ties involving energy flows (example-
squirrels rely on oak trees, oak trees rely on squirrels to spread their acorns etc...)
homeostasis
the process by which organisms maintain a relatively stable internal environment. an
ideal balance point at which species population numbers and the relations between
populations would hold steady even as time passed. from this perspective, change is
seen in a bad way!
complex adaptive systems
networks of dynamically interrelated parts between which information can flow and in
which "emergent, surprising, creative behavior is a real possibility" (change is fine!)
what leads to emergence
simple interactions between parts to strive to keep a system together can lead to
something entirely new // to an emergence // we adapt and something new comes out of
it!
law of unintended consequences
intervention in a complex system can have surprising and undesirable consequences.
example- McDonald's leading to an obesity and diabetes issue
adaptation
,survival-enhancing change in a system brought about in response to a change in the
environment. adaptive systems evolve instead of breaking down
holon
any system that is simultaneously a whole unto itself and a part of something larger
(example- the state is a system, and so, too, the city within it, as is the neighborhood
etc.)
ethnology
study of characteristics of various peoples and the differences and relationships
between them
ethnocentrism
involves putting one's own culture at the center of any interpretation, in contrast to using
the cultures norms and values to make interpretations
comparative method
cultures under study are compared with each other as a basis for generalizing about
humankind; they can also be compared with the culture of the anthropologist
themselves
participant-observation
an attempt to minimize ethnocentrism by living among/with the people of a different
culture
social determinants
economic and social conditions that influence the health of people and communities
(childhood experiences, education, social support, family income, etc..... they are the
conditions in which we are born, we grow and age, and in which we live and work)
how to address social determinants
- improve conditions of daily life
- tackle unequal distribution of power, money, and resources
- measure the problem, evaluate action, expand the knowledge base
the CSDH focuses on the "causes of the causes" and eliminating and improving them
What are the 4 subfields of anthropology?
cultural, linguistic, archaeology, biological
cultural anthropology
the study of people's communities, behaviors, beliefs, and institutions, including how
people make meaning as they live, work, and play together.
- holistic understanding of humans across space and time
- immersive, local data collection methods
- solutions must attend to cultural relative understanding
- emphasis on qualitative research
what are the two dimensions of cultural anthropology
- ethnography
- ethnology
Archaeological Anthropology
- focuses on material remains
- observe/reconstruct culture through physical remains rather than observing human
behavior
- "ideal" vs "real" culture
,(ideal culture- what people say about themselves. real culture- the material remains set
aside)
linguistic anthropology
- grammar, sound, and meaning in language
- historical linguistics: ancient languages and linguistic variation through time
- sociolinguistics- how language and culture/social organization and behavior interact
and intertwine
biological anthropology
- human evolution
- human genetics
- human growth and development
- human biological plasticity
- primatology
applied anthropology
- action-oriented
- problem-solving
are social determinants of health inevitable or avoidable?
- they are LARGELY AVOIDABLE
- THE GOAL- learn to identify the root cause of a problem and see the connection from
underlying to proximate determinants
what is culture
"culture is that complex whole which includes knowledge, beliefs, arts, morals, law,
custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man (humans) as a member
of society"
- learned behaviors, beliefs, values, and attitudes characteristic of a particular
society/group
what are the 8 characteristics of what culture is
culture is
1. learned
2. symbolic
3. all-encompassing
4. organizes nature
5. shared
6. integrated
7. can be adapted
8. culture is contested (people learn, interpret, and manipulate the same cultural rules in
different ways)
what are the different levels of culture
international culture, national culture, and "subcultures" (within a subculture there can
be different groups)
different methods of cultural transmission
- direct- firsthand contact
- forced- through warfare or domination
- indirect- through an intermediary
ethnography
, a systematic approach to learning about the social and cultural life of communities,
institutions, and other settings
characteristics of ethnography
- is scientific
- is investigative
- uses the researcher as the primary tool of data collection
- uses research methods and data collection techniques to avoid bias and ensure the
accuracy of data
- emphasizes and builds on the perspectives of the people in the research setting
- uses inductive and deductive approaches
applied ethnographic research
concerned with understanding social/cultural problems and using these understandings
to bring about positive change in communities (applied ethnographic research vs
ethnographic research)
gatekeepers
individuals who control access to a community, organization, group of people, or source
of information
building rapport
requires the researcher to gain the trust of people involved in the research community
stakeholders
persons who have a vested interest in what the research results are and how they are
used
inductive research
identifies specific and concrete data bits and provides explanations for why events
occur as they do
- reasoning that uses a number of specific examples to arrive at a conclusion
recursive research
continuous interaction between data and hunches/hypothesis until a stable, cultural
pattern appears
ethnicity
self-designated membership in a group working to maintain its cultural and political
presence in a national system (not all people of similar national origin identify
themselves as members of the same ethnic group)
intraethnic
differences in the beliefs and behaviors of members of a specific ethnic group (avoid
stereotypes!! not everyone is the same within a certain group)
positionality
the power position in which a person/group is situated socially
situatedness
involves the specific privileges and disadvantages inherent in an individuals social
role/status
what are emit/etic perspectives for an ethnographer
emit- insiders perspective
etic- outsiders perspective
ethnographic techniques
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