ANTH 2 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Human Terrain System, James V. Neel, Project Camelot
Document Summary
Unified vision of human life: biology, society, culture. Try to integrate research to the analysis of art forms. Holism - studying the whole of human existence. Universals and particulars - more general conclusions. Cultural relativism: approach to understanding diversity/difference with deep respect for the way the other people do things, not passing judgement. Question our assumptions about how other people are doing things, right vs wrong. Ethnocentrism: putting their own values first (disregard for the other, assumption that their way is the right way) Ethnography: studying daily life and writing in detail (not only studying about what people are doing, but what they take for granted) The taken-for-granted - trying to understand this assumption, question/being reflective of our own culture. Observation and participation- being part of daily life somewhere else. Conversation and interviews- more formal, structured method; to identify answers to particular questions. Archives and documents (government reports)- valuable sources, ethnographic texts.
