ANTH 1220 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Franz Boas, Historical Particularism, Cultural Relativism
3 Apr 2020
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Document Summary
Franz boas ( 1858-1942 ) key concepts. Functionalism: cultural practices are responses to psychological and social needs. Structural functionalism: culture functions to uphold the unity and community of the society. Radcliffe brown and evan pritchard two anthropologists related to structural functionalism. Culture and personality: margret mead (1901-1978) in samoa. Enculturation- the process of learning to become members of a particular society. Cultural materialism: how people make a living shapes. 1) how people organize themselves , 2) their ideas and activities( ritual, arts, sports) Sacred cow (india) sacred to kill since their a critical animal in their food chain since it provides ghee, milk, butter etc. Multiple layers of meanings geertz and turner, mudyi, niembu. Anthropological theory today : postmodernism in anthropology meaning scientific objectivity is possible. The quest for objective knowledge is futile.
