Cultural Anthropology Cheat Sheet

The core ideas of Cultural Anthropology distilled into a single, scannable reference — perfect for review or quick lookup.

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Quick Reference

Ethnography

The primary research method of cultural anthropology, involving long-term immersion in a community through participant observation, interviews, and detailed field notes to produce a rich, holistic account of a culture or social group.

Cultural Relativism

The principle that a culture should be understood and evaluated on its own terms rather than judged by the standards of another culture. It is a methodological stance that promotes unbiased analysis, not a moral position that all practices are equally acceptable.

Participant Observation

A fieldwork technique in which the researcher lives within a community, participating in daily activities while simultaneously observing and recording social behavior, customs, and interactions over an extended period.

Ethnocentrism

The tendency to view one's own culture as superior and to judge other cultures by the standards, values, and norms of one's own. Cultural anthropology explicitly works to identify and counteract ethnocentric biases in research and everyday thinking.

Kinship Systems

The culturally defined relationships based on descent, marriage, and social ties that organize family structure, inheritance, political alliances, and social obligations. Kinship is one of the oldest and most studied domains in cultural anthropology.

Rite of Passage

A ceremonial event or sequence of events that marks a person's transition from one social status or life stage to another. Arnold van Gennep identified three phases: separation, liminality (transition), and incorporation (reintegration).

Holism

The anthropological approach of studying all aspects of a society as interconnected parts of a whole, including economy, politics, religion, kinship, language, ecology, and history, rather than examining any single domain in isolation.

Structural Functionalism

A theoretical framework, associated with A.R. Radcliffe-Brown and Malinowski, which views society as a system of interrelated parts that each serve a function in maintaining social stability and cohesion.

Thick Description

A concept developed by Clifford Geertz that refers to the detailed, context-rich interpretation of cultural practices, going beyond surface-level behavior to uncover the layers of meaning that make an action intelligible within its cultural context.

Globalization and Culture Change

The study of how increased interconnection between societies through trade, migration, media, and technology transforms cultural practices, identities, and power relations, often producing both homogenization and new forms of local distinctiveness.

Key Terms at a Glance

Acculturation:The process of cultural change resulting from sustained contact between two or more cultures, often involving adoption or blending of practices.

Applied Anthropology:The practical application of anthropological theories, methods, and findings to solve real-world problems in fields such as public health, development, and business.

Communitas:Victor Turner's term for the intense experience of social equality and solidarity felt among people sharing a liminal ritual phase.

Cultural Diffusion:The spread of cultural traits, ideas, or technologies from one society to another through trade, migration, conquest, or media.

Cultural Ecology:The study of how human cultures adapt to and interact with their natural environments, developed by Julian Steward.

Cultural Relativism:The principle that cultures should be understood on their own terms rather than judged by the standards of another culture.

Enculturation:The lifelong process by which individuals learn and internalize the norms, values, and behaviors of their own culture.

Endogamy:The practice or rule of marrying within a specific social group, caste, class, or ethnic group.

Ethnocentrism:The tendency to evaluate other cultures according to the standards and customs of one's own culture, often viewing one's own as superior.

Ethnography:Both a research method (long-term participant observation) and a written product describing a culture or community based on fieldwork.

Exogamy:The practice or rule of marrying outside a particular social group, clan, or kinship category.

Functionalism:A theoretical approach arguing that cultural institutions serve essential functions in maintaining social cohesion and meeting human needs.

Holism:The anthropological approach of understanding cultures as integrated systems whose parts are interconnected.

Informant / Interlocutor:A member of the community being studied who provides information and cultural knowledge to the anthropologist. The term 'interlocutor' is now preferred.

Kinship:The culturally defined web of social relationships based on descent, marriage, and recognized social ties.

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