ANTHROPOLOGY IB - KEY CONCEPTS
Belief and knowledge - Answers-A set of convictions, values and viewpoints regarded
as "the truth" and shared by members of a social group. These are underpinned and
supported by known cultural experience.
Change - Answers-The alteration or modification of cultural or social elements in a
society. Change may be due to internal dynamics within a society, or the result of
contact with another culture, or a consequence of globalization.
Culture - Answers-Culture refers to organized systems of symbols, ideas, explanations,
beliefs and material production that humans create and manipulate in the course of their
daily lives. Culture includes the customs by which humans organize their physical world
and maintain their social structure. More recent approaches to culture recognize that
cultures are not static, homogenous or bounded but dynamic and fluid. Culture refers to
the shared social construction of meanings, but simultaneously culture is often also a
site of contested meanings. These recent formulations of the concept recognize that
culture may be the subject of disagreement and conflict within and among societies, and
this disagreement may include the definition of culture itself.
Identity - Answers-Identity can refer either to the individual's private and personal view
of the self—this is sometimes referred to as the "moi"—or the view of an individual in
the eyes of the social group. Identity also refers to group identity, which may take the
form of religious identity, ethnic identity, or national identity for example.
Materiality - Answers-Objects, resources and belongings have cultural meaning,
described by Arjun Appadurai as "the social life of things", and are embedded with all
kinds of social relations and practices. Some anthropologists think that human
experience can be understood through the study of material objects. For example,
contemporary approaches focus on the materiality of the body.
Power - Answers-Power is an essential part of social relations and can be considered
as a person's or group's capacity to influence, manipulate or control others and
resources. In its broadest sense, power can be understood as involving distinctions and
inequalities between members of a social group. Some approaches to power focus on
structural power or the capacity of power to produce subjectivities.
Social relations - Answers-Any relationship between two or more individuals in a
network of relationships. Social relations involve an element of individual agency as well
as group expectations and form the basis of social organization and social structure.
They pervade every aspect of human life and are extensive, complex, and diverse.
Society - Answers-Society refers to the way in which humans organize themselves in
groups and networks. Society is created and sustained by social relationships among
Belief and knowledge - Answers-A set of convictions, values and viewpoints regarded
as "the truth" and shared by members of a social group. These are underpinned and
supported by known cultural experience.
Change - Answers-The alteration or modification of cultural or social elements in a
society. Change may be due to internal dynamics within a society, or the result of
contact with another culture, or a consequence of globalization.
Culture - Answers-Culture refers to organized systems of symbols, ideas, explanations,
beliefs and material production that humans create and manipulate in the course of their
daily lives. Culture includes the customs by which humans organize their physical world
and maintain their social structure. More recent approaches to culture recognize that
cultures are not static, homogenous or bounded but dynamic and fluid. Culture refers to
the shared social construction of meanings, but simultaneously culture is often also a
site of contested meanings. These recent formulations of the concept recognize that
culture may be the subject of disagreement and conflict within and among societies, and
this disagreement may include the definition of culture itself.
Identity - Answers-Identity can refer either to the individual's private and personal view
of the self—this is sometimes referred to as the "moi"—or the view of an individual in
the eyes of the social group. Identity also refers to group identity, which may take the
form of religious identity, ethnic identity, or national identity for example.
Materiality - Answers-Objects, resources and belongings have cultural meaning,
described by Arjun Appadurai as "the social life of things", and are embedded with all
kinds of social relations and practices. Some anthropologists think that human
experience can be understood through the study of material objects. For example,
contemporary approaches focus on the materiality of the body.
Power - Answers-Power is an essential part of social relations and can be considered
as a person's or group's capacity to influence, manipulate or control others and
resources. In its broadest sense, power can be understood as involving distinctions and
inequalities between members of a social group. Some approaches to power focus on
structural power or the capacity of power to produce subjectivities.
Social relations - Answers-Any relationship between two or more individuals in a
network of relationships. Social relations involve an element of individual agency as well
as group expectations and form the basis of social organization and social structure.
They pervade every aspect of human life and are extensive, complex, and diverse.
Society - Answers-Society refers to the way in which humans organize themselves in
groups and networks. Society is created and sustained by social relationships among
