Anthropology Glossary

The process of cultural change that occurs when two or more cultures come into sustained contact, potentially involving adoption, blending, or resistance of cultural traits.

The use of anthropological knowledge and methods to solve practical problems in areas such as public health, development, business, and education.

The subfield of anthropology that studies past human societies through the systematic recovery and analysis of material remains such as artifacts, structures, and ecofacts.

The principle that cultural practices should be understood within their own context rather than judged by the standards of another culture.

The process by which an individual learns the norms, values, and behaviors of their own culture, typically beginning in childhood.

The tendency to evaluate other cultures by the standards of one's own, often assuming one's own culture is superior.

A qualitative research method involving immersive fieldwork in a community, and the written account produced from that research.

The practice of conducting research by living among and directly observing the people being studied, typically for an extended period.

A specialization applying skeletal biology and archaeological methods to legal contexts such as identifying human remains.

The anthropological principle of studying all aspects of human life—biological, cultural, linguistic, and historical—as interconnected dimensions.

A member of the community being studied who provides the anthropologist with information about cultural practices, also called a consultant or interlocutor.

Culturally defined relationships based on descent, marriage, and adoption that organize social obligations, inheritance, and group membership.

The transitional phase of a rite of passage when an individual exists between their former and future social status.

The subfield examining how language shapes thought, social identity, and power relations across cultures.

Physical objects and spaces that people create, use, and assign meaning to, including tools, art, architecture, and clothing.

A descent system in which kinship, inheritance, and group membership are traced through the mother's line.

The study of human evolution through the fossil record, examining hominin species, bipedalism, brain evolution, and tool use over millions of years.

A research method in which the anthropologist lives within a community, participating in daily life while systematically observing and recording behavior.

A descent system in which kinship, inheritance, and group membership are traced through the father's line.

The subfield studying human biological evolution, genetics, primate behavior, and skeletal biology. Also called biological anthropology.

The exchange of goods and services between individuals or groups, which may be generalized, balanced, or negative depending on social distance.

A ritual marking the transition of an individual from one social status to another, involving stages of separation, liminality, and incorporation.

A theoretical perspective viewing society as a system of interrelated parts, each serving a function to maintain social equilibrium.

Clifford Geertz's concept of interpreting the layered meanings behind cultural actions rather than merely recording observable behavior.

A belief system in which a group claims a spiritual or ancestral relationship with a natural species or object (the totem), often serving as a symbol of group identity.