Anthropology and Behaviour

Your task: Read p. 152-165 and answer the following questions.

● People’s behaviour has a lot to do with what they know or what their culture has
taught them.

● To understand why people behave the way they do, we must understand their
world view.

● Define technological diffusion:

The adoption by one culture of a technology invented by another culture

● Identify two recent research studies that have been examining digital
technology’s impact on cultures and subcultures:

-the greater popularity of instant messaging and texting over cell phones among
teens

-hacker or blogger culture

● True or False: Language and culture are not intimately tied together.

● What is the Sapir-Wolf hypothesis?

The theory that language not only labels but shapes our cultural identity. Their
language shapes how they view the world.

● Colour perception is another area where language and culture intersect.

 ● Define euphemism:

a word or set of words used to indirectly describe an uncomfortable or inappropriate

concept or idea in a socially acceptable way

● True or False: Body language is probably one of the most important areas of
communication especially for anthropologists.

● Why are greetings often complicated?

Greetings are complicated because many cultures have different ways of doing
so and rules. Such as the French like to kiss another on the cheek but one must
not kiss the cheek but the air and a man cannot kiss another man, etc (many
rules that need to be followed).

● Distance between speakers varies enormously by culture as well.

● Why are foragers one of the most studied groups in anthropology?

Foragers or hunter-gatherers are the most studied because humans have spent
most of their time on earth in these roles and tend to be mobile to access the
resources that change within seasons.

● Define reciprocity:

an economic system of formal and informal sharing among members of a society to

distribute resources fairly

● What are horticultural societies?

Societies that practice agriculture but without irrigating/cultivating the soil

 ● Many horticultural societies use the economic system of redistribution. Define
redistribution:

an economic svstem of collecting resources centrally and handing them out them
among members of a society

● Once people stopped moving so much, they started to irrigate and fertilize their
fields, which led to surplus crops.

● Industrial societies have less than the majority of the population working to
produce the food and goods needed for subsistence, with most people working in
wage labour.

● Define wage labour:

work for which wages are paid (people are paid for their work not the product)

● Since the 1970’s, Canada has had a postindustrial economy. In this economy, a
majority of the population does not work for subsistence or in industry producing
things; rather, most people work in the service sector, producing information or
providing a service.

● Define globalization:

the process by which economies, societies, and cultures become integrated through a
worldwide network
 ● True or False: The world has become more connected through the integration of
our economies and financial systems, our cultures, and technology.

● What are some of the positive effects of globalization?

-connects humans around the world

-breaks down cultural barriers
-exposes people to ideas and products they did not have access to before
-changed the kind of food we eat

● How has globalization effected industry?

There are now worldwide production markets and rates. People now have
access to products made throughout the world and have the ability to obtain
products previously only available in other countries, adapting the product to suit
their unique needs.

● True or False: Globalization has not allowed us to make products and tools that
are more complex.