THEORY IN ANTHROPOLOGY

Learning Objectives

1) Develop a timeline for anthropological theory

2) Recognize the early influence of European scholars on American anthropological theory

3) Discriminate between the various anthropological theoretical schools of thought

4) Explain the main contributes of each scholar to anthropological theory

5) Distinguish between early ideas of cultural and biological variation and current understanding of such processes.

Unlinear Evolutionism

•‘Armchair’ Anthropologists

•[Note: As emphasis on scientific methodology grew, both methods and ‘theories’ were challenged]

Unlinear Evolutionism•Result of ‘Armchair’ Anthropology = Unilinear Evolutionism •All human ways of life pass through a ___________ ________________________________________

•Cultures evolve in a _______________________________

•Cultural traits have a ______________________

Unlinear Evolutionism•Louis Henjry Morgan•_____________ development, with subdivisions:_____________ ____________ _________

•Problem(s) with Morgan’s scheme•_______________________________

Unlinear Evolutionism•E. B. Tylor•Anthropology of _____________________ __________ _________ _________

•Different starting points & speeds along the unilinear continuum•Viewed some cultures as _________________

•Checkpoint: What does ‘living fossils’ mean?

Unlinear Evolutionism

•Positive•NegativeUnilineal Evolutionism Summary

Historical Particularism

•Emphasized that each culture has its own unique _______________

•Cultures should be understood based __________ ____________________________________

•Methods of cultural analysis = _________________

•Rejected _________________

Historical Particularism•Franz Boas (Father of American Anthropology)

•Cultures may take ___________________•Cultural histories are __________________

•Emphasized ______________•Checkpoint: How is diffusion defined in cultural anthropology?

•___________________________________•Example: Subsistence practice

Historical Particularism

•Positive•Negative

Historical Particularism Summary

Functionalism•Emphasizes the role (function) of________________

•Challenged both ______________________________

•Important scholars:•Malinowski (Father of Ethnography)•Radcliffe-Brown

Functionalism

•Malinowski, a Functionalist because of:•All customs & institutions were ____________________•If one changed, ____________________•Each were therefore a ____________________

•‘Needs Functionalism’•Cultural customs are developed to_______________

Structural Functionalism

•Radcliffe-Brown•Role that ____________ play in the life of societies today

•Theoretical category of Structural Functionalism•Culture & cultural practices _________________

•maintained by the ____________________________

•Social systems similar to _______________________

Functionalism•Functionalism – Still Present in Anthropology

•Despite challenges to the general theme, a form of functionalism is still a very active perspective in anthropology

Configurationalism•Culture viewed as _____________________

•Pulled from both ____________________________

•Diffusion is ______________________•_____________ barriers and/or _____ barriers

•Considered to be part of psychological anthropology

•Scholars: Ruth Benedict and Margaret Mead

Configurationalism

•Benedict•Believed that each culture is ______________________

•“made over into consistent patterns in accordance with unconscious cannons of choice that develop within a culture,” (Benedict, 1961, p.34)

•Illustrated her point through studying the ____________

Configurationalism•Mead

•Viewed human nature as a ________________

•Focused on relationship between ___________

•Studied ____________________________•Coming of Age in Samoa (1928) – pioneering fieldwork, ‘classic’ anthropological text

Neoevolutionism•Leslie White & Julian Steward – American Anthropologists•Renewed interest in cultural change & evolution after WWII

•Theoretical school of thought: Neoevolutionism

Neoevolutionism•Leslie White •Foundation of __________________________________

•___________= unit of measurement & cause of cultural change

•Rejected ___________________

Cultural Ecology & Neoevolutionism

•Julian Steward•Environmental Influence:

•Cultures in ___________________ would tend to follow the same developmental ______________________________to their ____________________________

•_____________influence ______________

Cultural Materialism

•Marvin Harris •Proposed Cultural Materialism:

•__________________________________

•All societies have __________________

•Reinforced anthropology as a science

Symbolic Anthropology •Study of symbols in their ___________________

•Victor Turner –

•Mary Douglas –

Structuralism

•Levi-Strauss•____________________underlie all human activity, giving shape to seemingly _________________________

•Used ____________ to emphasis his point•Underlying ___________________

When we get to Globalization…

We will cover: •Processual Approches•World System Theory•Political Economy

Anthropology Today

•Increase specialization •Specializations of Cultural Anthropology:

•Four-field approach continues to be present among Anthropologists

Economic Anthropolog

y

Anthropology of

Migration

Anthropology of

Religion

Medical Anthropolo

gy

Educational Anthropolog

y

Urban Anthropolog

y

Psychological

Anthropology

Summary•Become comfortable with:•Scholars outlined on previous slide

•Theoretical school of thought•Main contribution

•Example: Leslie White’s idea that energy capture propelled cultures forward & his rejection of unilinear evolutionism