Cultural Anthropology Glossary
25 essential terms — because precise language is the foundation of clear thinking in Cultural Anthropology.
Showing 25 of 25 terms
The process of cultural change resulting from sustained contact between two or more cultures, often involving adoption or blending of practices.
The practical application of anthropological theories, methods, and findings to solve real-world problems in fields such as public health, development, and business.
Victor Turner's term for the intense experience of social equality and solidarity felt among people sharing a liminal ritual phase.
The spread of cultural traits, ideas, or technologies from one society to another through trade, migration, conquest, or media.
The study of how human cultures adapt to and interact with their natural environments, developed by Julian Steward.
The principle that cultures should be understood on their own terms rather than judged by the standards of another culture.
The lifelong process by which individuals learn and internalize the norms, values, and behaviors of their own culture.
The practice or rule of marrying within a specific social group, caste, class, or ethnic group.
The tendency to evaluate other cultures according to the standards and customs of one's own culture, often viewing one's own as superior.
Both a research method (long-term participant observation) and a written product describing a culture or community based on fieldwork.
The practice or rule of marrying outside a particular social group, clan, or kinship category.
A theoretical approach arguing that cultural institutions serve essential functions in maintaining social cohesion and meeting human needs.
The anthropological approach of understanding cultures as integrated systems whose parts are interconnected.
A member of the community being studied who provides information and cultural knowledge to the anthropologist. The term 'interlocutor' is now preferred.
The culturally defined web of social relationships based on descent, marriage, and recognized social ties.
The ambiguous, transitional phase of a rite of passage in which normal social structures and statuses are suspended.
A concept originating in Polynesian cultures referring to a supernatural force or power believed to dwell in persons, objects, or places.
A kinship system in which descent and inheritance are traced through the mother's line.
A research method in which the anthropologist lives within a community, participating in daily life while observing and recording behavior.
A kinship system in which descent and inheritance are traced through the father's line.
A ceremonial feast among Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast involving the giving away or destruction of wealth to display status and reinforce social hierarchies.
The critical self-examination of a researcher's own biases, assumptions, and positionality and their influence on the research.
A ritual ceremony marking the transition from one social status or life stage to another, as defined by Arnold van Gennep.
A theoretical approach, associated with Claude Levi-Strauss, that seeks to identify underlying structural rules and binary oppositions organizing cultural systems.
A strong social prohibition or restriction against certain behaviors, objects, or words that are considered sacred, dangerous, or forbidden within a culture.