Chapter 4 - The Social and Cultural Construction of Reality

Anthropology 2000 with Martinez at University of Connecticut

About this deck

By: Noelle Grudzinski
Textbook:

Cengage Advantage Books: Cultural Anthropology: A Problem-Based Approach

Cultural ANTHRO (with Anthropology CourseMate with eBook Printed Access Card)
Created: 2010-11-07
Size: 15 flashcards
Views: 116

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totemism

the use of a symbol, generally an animal or plant, as a physical representation for a group, generally a clan

ritual

a dramatic rendering or social portrayal of meanings shared by a specific body of people in a way that makes them seem correct and proper

symbolic actions

the activities - including ritual, myth, art, dance, and music - that dramatically depict the meanings shared by a specific body of people

Sapir-Whorf hypothesis

the idea that there is an explicit link between the grammar of a language and the culture of the people who speak that language

metaphor

a figure of speech in which linguistic expressions are taken from one area of experience and added to another

domain of experience

an area of human experience (such as business, war, science, family life) from which people borrow meaning to apply to other areas

key metaphors

metaphors that dominate the meanings that people in a specific culture attribute to their experience

myth

a story or narrative that portrays the meanings people give to their experience

key scenarios

dominant stories or myths that portray the values and beliefs of a specific society

interpretive drift

the slow, often unacknowledged shift in someone's manner of interpreting events as he or she becomes involved with a particular society

secondary elaboration

people's attempts to explain away inconsistencies or contradictions in their beliefs

selective perception

the tendency of people to see and recognize only those things they expect to see or those that confirm their view of the world

suppressing evidence

the tendency to reject or ignore evidence that challenges an accepted belief

revitalization movements

attempts by a people to construct a more satisfying culture

frames

mental structures that shape the way we see the world