ANT 201 Midterm ACTUAL UPDATED QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS
Ethnology Study of human cultures from a comparative perspective
Synchronic Describing a culture at one period in time
Diachronic Describing changes in a culture over time
, Ethnographic fieldwork Collection of information from living people about their way of life
Ethnohistoric Research Study of a people's culture using written accounts and other records
Participant Observational Research A technique used in ethnographic fieldwork involving living among people and
participating in their daily culture
Rapport Working relationship between the researcher and the members of the community
they are studying
Consultant A member of a society who provides information to a fieldworker, often through
interviews or surveys
Key consultant (informant) A member of a society who is especially knowledgeable about a subject and
supplies detailed information to a fieldworker
Culture shock A feeling of uncertainty and anxiety when placed in a new or unfamiliar cultural
setting
Ethnohistory Study of past cultures using written accounts and other documents
Comparative methods Methods that test hypotheses by systematically comparing elements from many
cultures
Cross-cultural comparison Methodology for testing a hypothesis using a sample of societies from around the
world
Unilineal Evolutionism Nineteenth-century theory that all human ways of life pass through a similar
sequence of developmental stages
Historical Particularism (historicism) Theoretical orientation emphasizing each culture is the unique product of its past
influences
Configurationalism The idea that each culture develops its own unique patterns of beliefs, values, and
behaviors
Functionalism Theoretical approach analyzing cultural elements based on their usefulness to
individuals or society
-Society as a system of interrelated parts that operate interdependently
Neoevolutionism Mid-twentieth-century revival of evolutionary approaches to studying culture
Scientific approach Approach suggesting cultural differences and similarities can be explained like
biological evolution
Cultural materialism Theory that cultural differences are shaped by technology, environment,
population, and resource use
Humanistic approach Approach focusing on empathetic understanding rather than explaining cultural
differences scientifically
Ethnology Study of human cultures from a comparative perspective
Synchronic Describing a culture at one period in time
Diachronic Describing changes in a culture over time
, Ethnographic fieldwork Collection of information from living people about their way of life
Ethnohistoric Research Study of a people's culture using written accounts and other records
Participant Observational Research A technique used in ethnographic fieldwork involving living among people and
participating in their daily culture
Rapport Working relationship between the researcher and the members of the community
they are studying
Consultant A member of a society who provides information to a fieldworker, often through
interviews or surveys
Key consultant (informant) A member of a society who is especially knowledgeable about a subject and
supplies detailed information to a fieldworker
Culture shock A feeling of uncertainty and anxiety when placed in a new or unfamiliar cultural
setting
Ethnohistory Study of past cultures using written accounts and other documents
Comparative methods Methods that test hypotheses by systematically comparing elements from many
cultures
Cross-cultural comparison Methodology for testing a hypothesis using a sample of societies from around the
world
Unilineal Evolutionism Nineteenth-century theory that all human ways of life pass through a similar
sequence of developmental stages
Historical Particularism (historicism) Theoretical orientation emphasizing each culture is the unique product of its past
influences
Configurationalism The idea that each culture develops its own unique patterns of beliefs, values, and
behaviors
Functionalism Theoretical approach analyzing cultural elements based on their usefulness to
individuals or society
-Society as a system of interrelated parts that operate interdependently
Neoevolutionism Mid-twentieth-century revival of evolutionary approaches to studying culture
Scientific approach Approach suggesting cultural differences and similarities can be explained like
biological evolution
Cultural materialism Theory that cultural differences are shaped by technology, environment,
population, and resource use
Humanistic approach Approach focusing on empathetic understanding rather than explaining cultural
differences scientifically
