Cultural Anthropology

Cultural Anthropology

Three Basic Parts of Culture

Culture is a Three Headed Beast Culture has three basic components.  These three components are things in a culture, ideas of a culture, and the behavior patterns of a group of people.  These three components are interrelated.  All cultures are…

Cultural Anthropology

Shared Culture

Shared Culture Sharing culture leads people to be able to predict behaviors and thought processes within one’s own culture.  There is actually a psychological condition, culture shock, that one can experience when exposed to things that are dramatically different than one’s own…

Cultural Anthropology

Anthropological Concept of Culture

Anthropological Concept of Culture According to Ferraro and Andreatta,  the concept of culture in Anthropology is, “everything that people have, think, and do as members of a society.”    They reference three main points being possessions, beliefs, and patterns of behavior….

Cultural Anthropology

Emic vs Etic Approaches to Cultural Anthropology

Emic vs Etic Emic Approach A method of ethnography that uses concepts and categories relevant to the culture being studied Etic Approach A method of ethnography which uses concepts and categories of the anthropologist doing the research’s culture to describe…

Cultural Anthropology

Different Types of Research in Cultural Anthropology

Types of Research in Cultural Anthropology There is two types research in cultural anthropology, applied research and problem-oriented or basic research. Applied Anthropology The application of anthropological methods, knowledge, and theory towards the better understanding of issues that arise in…

Cultural Anthropology

Cultural Relativism is Important to Cultural Anthropology

Cultural Relativism Cultural relativism is seeing a culture seen from the viewpoint from within the context of the culture itself.  This practice is used to have a better understanding of why and how the people of the culture have developed…

Cultural Anthropology

Ethnocentric Reactions in Cultural Anthropology

Ethnocentric Reactions in Cultural Anthropology Cultural Anthropology shows that incidents of ethnocentrism are far reaching through all societies.  Ethnocentrism occurs when one views another’s culture from the viewpoint of one’s own culture.  It seems that ethnocentrism is far spread due to the lack…

Cultural Anthropology

Cultural Anthropology’s Principles

Cultural Anthropology’s Principles There are four main principles that guide cultural anthropology as a field. Cross-culturalism A perspective that sees the world as an interdependent, interconnected system of global cultures Cultural relativism Traits of a given culture are best comprehended…

Cultural Anthropology

Specialization in Cultural Anthropology

Specialization in Cultural Anthropology There are five areas of specialization in cultural anthropology. Development anthropology Environmental anthropology Medical anthropology Psychological anthropology Urban anthropology

Cultural Anthropology

Four Branches of Linguistic Anthropology

There are Four Branches of Linguistic Anthropology In Linguistic Anthropology, there are four branches or subfields: Descriptive linguistics Studies the structure of language Ethnolinguistics Studies how languages and cultures are related Historical linguistics Studies how languages change on a linear scope and how…