Learning Outcome #2

 

Explain how multiple anthropological theories offer insight to the problems of the past, present, and/or future.

Cultural Relativism

Franz Boas

The belief that one's culture is far more superior than the other. This is a very important anthropological theory when discussing the past, present, and/or the future due to racial ideologies that steadily gets passed on with time.

Structuralism

Claude Lévi-Strauss

Mental structures/ideologies of how humans view or make of the world surrounding them. This theory shapes the various differences between man and women how those inequalities may change over time.

Intersectionality

Kimberlé Crenshaw

How multiple social identities make up various experiences of inequalities and unfair treatment within society. This emphasizes the power of social structures and power imbalances within social spaces.

Postcolonialism

Examines colonialism and the historical factors of inequality on a global scale. This important piece of history shapes other major disparities within our systems and could potentially foster into the future.

Symbolic Anthropology

Clifford Geertz

How people determine everyday practices through symbolism. Symbols through religion, rituals, traditions, identity, or anything with cultural values.

Agency

Individuals’ ability to make choices within structural constraints. This follows into past, current, or future restraint, conformity, and decision making.

Globalization

How global connections shape local lives. This theory helps explain identity, diaspora, and transnational systems

Historical Particularism

Franz Boas

Each culture must be understood through its unique history. This theory doesn't support generalizations and is great when studying colonial histories and local contexts.