Anthropology: Core Terms & Ideas

Agency Community Comparative Cultural relativism

Agency is the capacity of human beings to act Community is one of the oldest concepts used Anthropologists strive to capture the diversity of For anthropologists, cultural relativism is a
in meaningful ways that affect their own lives in anthropological studies. Traditionally, it social action and its predictability by focusing methodological principle that emphasizes the
and those of others. Agency may be referred to a geographically bounded group of on the way in which particular aspects of importance of searching for meaning within the
constrained by class, gender, religion and other people in face-to-face contact, with a shared society and culture are organized similarly and local context. Non-anthropologists often
social and cultural factors. This term implies system of beliefs and norms operating as a differently across groups. While social action is interpret cultural relativism as a moral doctrine,
that individuals have the capacity to create, socially functioning whole. Communities existed frequently innovative, there are limits to its which asserts that the practices of one society
change and influence events. within a common social structure and diversity, and patterns identified in one group cannot be judged according to the moral
government. More recently, communities have resemble patterns identified in another. precepts and evaluative criteria of another
also been defined as interest groups accessed society. In its extreme form, this version of
through space, as in “Internet communities” or cultural relativism can lead to a non-analytical
“communities of taste”. With the advent of position that is contrary to the critical
globalism and global studies that often question commitments of the discipline.
the stability of territories, space and place,
community is now a highly contested concept.

Culture Ethnographic Meaning Process

Culture refers to organized systems of symbols, Anthropology places considerable emphasis on Meaning is both constructed and transmitted Social process is what humans actually do,
ideas, explanations, beliefs and material its empirical foundation based on a direct through cultural categories. These attribute including human action that may work against
production that humans create and manipulate engagement with particular people and their particular significance to persons, relations, social structure. Social process is the dynamic
in the course of their daily lives. Culture social and cultural context. Ethnographic objects, places and events. This enables counterpoint of social structure. Anthropologists
includes the customs by which humans materials are usually gathered through people to make sense of, and give order to, who focus on processes emphasize the
organize their physical world and maintain their participant observation. Ethnographically their experiences, which may in turn reinforce possibility of change over time and the
social structure. While many anthropologists grounded anthropology can be contrasted with or change meaning. The analysis of meaning is importance of human agency, that is, the ability
have thought of culture simply as shared 19th century “armchair” anthropology a principal focus of contemporary to challenge existing structures and create new
systems of experiences and meanings, more conducted by scholars with no first-hand anthropological thinking. structures. Process is linked to role, the
recent formulations of the concept recognize acquaintance with the societies they analysed, dynamic counterpart of status, consisting of the
that culture may be the subject of disagreement and with “common sense” or journalistic behaviour associated with a person’s status (for
and conflict within and among societies. accounts of a particular society. example, a doctor is entitled to prescribe
medicine and does not divulge information
about the health of the patient).

Qualitative Social reproduction Society Ethnocentrism

The data that anthropologists gather during Social reproduction is the concept that, over Society refers to the way in which humans For anthropologists, cultural relativism attempts
fieldwork comes in many forms because time, groups of people reproduce their social organize themselves in groups and networks. to recognize and address the problem of
anthropologists are trying to capture the structure and patterns of behaviour. This Society is created and sustained by social ethnocentrism. Ethnocentrism is the tendency
complexity and diversity of social life. This data includes not only the enculturation of individual relationships among persons and groups. The to evaluate the practices of others in terms of
may be textual (oral or written), observational, human beings but also the reproduction of term “society” can also be used to refer to a one’s own criteria. Generally, ethnocentrism
or impressionistic, or may take the form of cultural institutions, and material means of human group that exhibits some internal has the effect of giving greater worth to the
images or sounds. Much of the data cannot be production and consumption. Social coherence and distinguishes itself from other social or cultural context of the evaluator than
reduced usefully to quantitative forms without reproduction may be contested, leading to such groups. to the context being evaluated, and hinders
losing the essence of the material as perceived social change. understanding across social boundaries.
from an anthropological viewpoint.