ANTH 021 1st Edition Lecture 2 Outline of Last Lecture I. Introduction to Anthropology and its Four FieldsA. What is Anthropology?B. Four FieldsOutline of Current Lecture I. Introduction to the History and Scope of Cultural AnthropologyA. Brief History of the Field and Key Theoretical DevelopmentsB. The Concept and Characteristics of CultureC. Distinctive Features of Cultural AnthropologyD. Three Theoretical DebatesCurrent Lecture I. Introduction to the History and Scope of Cultural AnthropologyA. Brief History of Cultural Anthropology1. Begun to take shape with Darwin’s principles of biological evolution2. Impacts on (erroneous and often racist) ideas of social Darwinism- Ie. “Euro/American cultures were more advanced”3. Anthropology’s Early Theorists- Bronislaw Malinowski o Developed the theory of functionalism: “the view that a culture is similar to a biological organism, in which the parts work to support the operation and maintenance of the whole”o Holistic terms: we must account for multiple aspects of culture- Franz Boas o Introduced idea of cultural relativism: “the view that each culture must be understood in terms of the values and ideas of that culture and not be judged by the standards ofanother”o Often called the “Father of North American Anthropology”4. More Foundational Theorists and Theories- Structuralismo Developed by Claude Levi Strausso Defined as: “the study of culture as a system of meanings”These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.o The best way to understand people is to collect myths and stories and analyze their underlying meanings- Cultural materialismo Largely influenced by Marxist theoryo Studies culture through looking at the natural environmentand how people make a living - Interpretive Anthropologyo Largely developed by Clifford Geertzo Studies culture through focusing on what people think about, their ideas, and the symbols and meanings that are important to them- Structurism and Agency o Structurism: “powerful structures such as economics, politics and media shape cultures, influencing how people behave and think even when they don’t realize”o Agency: “the power of individuals to create and change culture by acting against structure”- Other key theoretical influenceso Feminist anthropologyo Queer anthropology o Antiracist anthropologyB. The Concept and Characteristics of Culture1. Culture is the learned and shared ways of behaving and thinking (Miller 2013: 14)2. Microculture or local culture is the “distinct pattern of learned and shared behavior and thinking found within a larger culture”3. Characteristics of culture- Eating- Drinking- Sleeping - EliminationC. Distinctive Features of Cultural Anthropology1. Cultural relativism - As opposed to ethnocentrism: “judging other cultures by the standards of one’s own culture rather than other cultures- Absolute: whatever goes on must not be questioned by outsiders- Critical: poses questions about cultural practices in terms of who is accepting them and why2. Valuing and sustaining diversityD. Three Theoretical Debates1. Biological Determinism (we are who we are because of our biology) vs. Cultural Construction (we are who we are because of our culture)- Ie. Alcoholism, drinking ages 2. Individual Agency (a lot of choice) vs. Structurism (society controls choices)- Ie. Economics3. Interpretive Anthropology vs. Cultural Materialism- Ie. If there is a taboo about eating pork, the difference between understanding the meanings attached to the pig in a specific culture and the fact that pigs do not survive in the area where thatculture