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.

Reflection

Some of the listed anthropological theories above all lead towards insight relating to the past, present, and/or future. They were not only relative during the time period they were created but also is true within today's time period. When conducting research for an ethnography, I tend to use theory as a reference when finding new inquiries that may be reliable. That then helps not only me but also the reader to further imply that there is a ongoing trend when it comes to the human experience. In the Language and Culture course, we looked into Symbolic Anthropology theory when looking into various ways people communicate besides verbally. We found that there were other creative outlets that were developed such as sign language, drawings, braille, and more.

Using methods such as observation, transcription, analysis within linguistic anthropology allowed me to further understand theories like symbolic. I used the observation method when listening in conversation styles such as dialectic, tone, and speech styles (informal or formal) when doing research for "Open Conversations- Bible Study"(Dejah's e-Portfolio: Anthropology Projects). 

The Language and Culture course is related to how we use anthropological theories to offer insight to the problems of the past, present, and/or future. We gain a better understanding of how people use to communicate with each other, how we currently communicate, and how we will start to communicate with each other going forward. Language is constantly evolving and it is so important to capture every movement. Why do we communicate, what is the significance of language, and what causes language to be developed?

The skills that I have listed above will push my anthropological goals and career as I would follow into examining human experiences. This project helped me understand human communication styles, while in a more formal environment. Especially with this project, I understood how others are able to portray and listen to others believes following an end goal or message pertaining towards their own lifestyles. I am now more tuned in to human's forms of language.