Key Concepts in Anthropology

Front

Who is the Father of American Anthropology?

Back

Franz Boas. He contributed to cultural, biological, and linguistic anthropology, criticized evolutionary anthropology, and introduced cultural relativism and participant observation.

Front

What is cultural relativism?

Back

The idea that anthropologists should understand cultures based on their own values and not judge them by external standards (Franz Boas).

Front

What is participant observation?

Back

A research method where anthropologists live among people, observe their daily lives, and engage in their activities (Boas, Malinowski).

Front

Who is the Father of Ethnography?

Back

Bronisław Malinowski. He conducted long-term fieldwork in the Trobriand Islands and pioneered functionalism.

Front

What is functionalism in anthropology?

Back

A theory stating that cultural institutions exist to serve the needs of society and maintain social structure (Malinowski).

Front

What is structuralism?

Back

A theory that sees culture as structured like language, where humans impose order through classification (Claude Lévi-Strauss).

Front

What is cultural evolution?

Back

The idea that societies progress through stages: savagery -> barbarism -> civilization (Tylor & Morgan).

Front

What is multilinear evolution?

Back

The concept that different cultures evolve along unique paths influenced by environmental factors (Julian Steward).

Front

What is symbolic anthropology?

Back

A field that studies culture through symbols and meanings (Victor Turner, Clifford Geertz).

Front

What is feminist anthropology?

Back

A field that examines how gender biases have influenced anthropology and focuses on gender relations.