The Cultural Molding of Thought

Stimulus Response Frequency (925)

• Light Dark 364• Cottage House 355• Ocean Water 388• Long Short 442• Bitter Sweet 353

• Butter Bread 384• Bed Sleep 429• Scissors Cut 401• Blossom Flower 420• Boy Girl 355• Lamp Light 664

What is Anthropology?

Anthropology Recap

• Anthropology examines the development of the human species and human cultures throughout the world.• PHYSICAL: Examines the

ways that humans are different/similar to other species and how humans have evolved

• CULTURAL: Explores how culture shaped the way people lived in the past and how they live in the world today

Participant-Observation

• Anthropologists have learned that the best way to really get to know another society and its culture is to live in it as an active participant rather than simply an observer.

Dian Fossey

• Dian Fossey believed that in order to study gorillas effectively she had to immerse herself with them in an effort to get them to accept her presence

• She was murdered in her cabin at Karisoke Research Centre in 1985. Her death is a mystery yet unsolved.

Why consult an Anthropologist?

• When Braniff Airlines translated a slogan promoting the upholstery on its airplane seats, Flying in Leather came out in Spanish as Fly Naked

• The Chevy Nova never sold well in Spanish-speaking countries. “Nova” means “it doesn’t go” in Spanish

• When Pepsi started marketing its products in China a few years back, they translated their slogan, “Pepsi brings you back to life” literally. The slogan in Chinese means “Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the grave”

• When Clairol introduced the “Mist Stick” curling iron in Germany, they found out that mist is slang for manure. Not many people had use for a manure stick.

Comparing Cultures

• Anthropologists increase our knowledge of what it is to be human by comparing cultural differences. • Kinship is a family relationship based on what a culture

considers a family to be• Anthropologists have concluded that human cultures

define the concept of kinship in three ways: mating (marriage), birth (descent), and nurturance (adoption)

Anthropological Schools of Thought

Functionalism

• All cultures are set up to deal with the universal problems that human societies face

• Problems are connected with meeting physical or psychological needs

• Every custom or practice in a culture serves a purpose; individuals have physiological needs (reproduction, food, shelter) and that social institutions exist to meet these needs.

• Uniqueness: Investigates the social functions of institutions• Criticisms: Presents societies as being more stable than

they are and downplays the negative results of some practices

Anthropological Schools of Thought

Structuralism

• The belief that the human mind functions on the principle of binary opposites – humans tend to see things in terms of 2 forces that are opposite (e.g. good vs. evil, night vs. day)

• Uniqueness: Seeks out and explains rules• Criticisms: Overemphasizes logic and stability

in human societies; societies wouldn’t die out if they always met the needs of their members

Anthropological Schools of Thought

Cultural Materialism

• The belief that technological and economic factors are the most important in molding a society – known as materialism

• Uniqueness: Explores members’ decisions regarding human & economic reproduction

• Criticisms: Tries to establish laws that apply to all cultures and their development; observes cultures through biased eyes