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Week 1 Presentation

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azularomi5
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ANTH 2351

Introduction to
Cultural
Anthropology
ZIYA KAYA
UTRGV
WEEK I / Wed
• Today;
• Critical Thinking
• What is Anthropology?
• Sub-fields
• History of Anthropology
• Group activity- The Significance of Anthropology
• Attendance

• Due
• Syllabus Quiz
Critical Thinking vs. Opinion
• What is critical thinking (knowledge claims)?
• What is an opinion?
• What is the difference between them?
• "Critical thinking results in an informed perspective after engaging with
new evidence and accounting for multiple layers of complexity"
• For example, arguments about "social justice"
o Opinion? Critical thinking?

• "The goal of education is to expand one’s knowledge base and critical


thinking skills, rather than protect our preexisting opinions."
In our class
• We do not have to agree with every argument.
• If we want to challenge them, we need to approach them critically.
• This means gathering more information from existing literature or
everyday practices and presenting them as substantial sources to base
our work on.
• Sometimes, it is difficult to move beyond our opinions, but doing so is
an enriching practice.
What is
Anthropology?

• “The study of humanity”


• It can be anything related to humans:
Examples?
•Four sub-disciplines
in the United States:​

•Cultural anthropology
•Linguistic anthropology
o Means of communication
•Biological/physical anthropology
o Human origins, evolution, and variation
•Archaeology
o Materials of humans
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=_PK3r87LywM
•Applied anthropology
o Practical questions
Cultural Anthropology

• Examines various aspects of


everyday cultural practices.
• Investigates differences and
similarities across geographies,
time periods, and cultures.
• Fieldwork: living with research
participants.
• Early anthropological work was
conducted in faraway places, but
later shifted to researchers'
familiar spaces.
• Do you remember any examples
from the reading?
What is culture?
• Materials?
• Foods?
• Infrastructure?
• Buildings?
• Ideas?
• Behaviors?
• Attitudes?
• “Culture is a set of beliefs, practices, and symbols that
are learned and shared. Together, they form an all-
encompassing, integrated whole that binds people
together and shapes their worldview and lifeways”
• Learned? Or Inherited/Biological?
• While our culture impacts our biological
development, our biology and biological needs
can also influence our cultural practices
• Do cultural characteristics change?
• Some of them change faster than others
• An example of sushi:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=TeC6f8zMdvk
• Are there differences within a cultural group?
• While there may be commonalities, there can
also be
differences.
Sweetness and Power:
The Place of Sugar in
Modern History (1985)
• Sugar first became a luxury item in the diet of the
upper classes in the 17th century and was later
incorporated into the diets of lower classes in
Europe by the 19th century.
• Instead of arguing that some groups are biologically
inclined to consume more sugar, Mintz focuses on
how political and economic developments—such as
sugar production through colonialism, industrialism,
global trade networks, and slavery—impact changes
in people's consumption practices.
• He explores how sugar became a cultural symbol for
certain groups by tracing historical developments,
rather than attributing it to biological factors.
Anthropological Perspectives
• Holism
• When researching a topic, anthropologists often explore
related practices and values that might provide additional
insights.
• For example, when studying kinship, they might also
consider contemporary social media practices, such as
gender reveal parties posted on TikTok. Additionally, they
may need to examine legal arrangements and other aspects
of daily life.
• four sub-disciplines of anthropology—biological, Holism is
illustrated by the cultural, linguistic, and archaeological
(material and historical)—as the study of humanity requires
a comprehensive approach that integrates all these
aspects.
• Ethnocentricm:
• "to view one’s own culture as the most important and
correct and as a measuring stick by which to evaluate all
other cultures that are largely seen as inferior and morally
suspect"
• Early anthropologists often exhibited this perspective.
Cultural Relativism
(versus Ethnocentrism)) • Contemporary anthropology, however, rejects
ethnocentrism and instead embraces cultural relativism:
• "the idea that we should seek to understand another
person’s beliefs and behaviors from the perspective of their
culture rather than our own. "
Comparison
• In anthropology, we compare various aspects such as societies,
individuals, identities, practices, economies, environmental practices,
political campaigns, and historical periods.
• This comparative approach helps us make sense of our research
topics by allowing us to approach issues critically.
• For example, comparing gender reveal parties in different parts of the
world can provide insights into varying understandings of gender.
Fieldwork

• Ethnography
o Participant observation
o Interviews
o Archival research
o Ethical questions
Scientific vs
Humanistic
Approaches
• Some sub-
dicisplines:
Hypothesis testing
• Some sub-
disciplines:
Interpretation of
narratives
• Early Examples of Anthropological Thinking
o Travellers from Ancient Times: People from various regions,
A Short including Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, observed and
documented different parts of the world.
History of o 1400s Onwards: Anthropologists' predominantly ethnocentric
accounts of non-Western societies were often used to justify
Anthropology European colonization and colonial expansion.
o 18th century onwards: Modern positivist sciences, e.g. biological
evolutions.
 The theoretical developments in these sciences were incorporated
into anthropology to better understand social developments.
 Societies were expected to progress uniformly, with some
considered advanced while others were viewed as backward or not
yet developed
 This perspective did not treat societies equally,
• These studies were ethnocentric because they
regarded their own societies and cultures as
"advanced," using them as the primary
reference point to evaluate others, rather than
understanding other cultures within their own
contexts.
• However, this ethnocentric approach was
challenged, particularly by American and
European anthropologists such as Bronislaw
Malinowski and Franz Boas.
Cont. • Malinowski and Boas conducted ethnographic
research by living with local people and
striving to understand their cultural practices
within their own contexts. They approached
cultures not as better or worse but as
different. They focused on social and
ecological contexts as sources of cultural
differences, rather than attributing differences
to biological characteristics.
Group Activity
• Form groups of 6 people.
• Focusing on pages 17-24, discuss with
your group:
• Why is anthropology important? Do you
agree with the anthropologists'
perspectives?
• List the reasons why anthropologists
believe anthropology is important.
• Write down the names of your group
members.

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