Glossary of Key Terms

Chapter 1: The Nature of Anthropology

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A

Agency theory
In post-processual archaeology, the view that the arcaheological record results from the actions of individuals who are part of a culture in which their actions take place.

Anthropology
The study of humankind in all times and places.

Applied anthropology
The use of anthropological knowledge and methods to solve practical problems.

Archaeology
The study of material remains, usually from the past, to describe and explain human behaviour.

B

Biological anthropology
The systematic study of humans as biological organisms; also known as physical anthropology.

C

Cultural ecology
The perspective that uses ecological and environmental factors to explain cultural variation; culture is the primary means by which people adapt to their environment.

Culture
The often unconscious standards by which societies-structured groups of people-operate. These standards are socially learned rather than acquired through biological inheritance

Culture-bound
Based on the assumptions and values of one's own culture.

E

Engendered archaeology
Set in feminist theory it examines the roles gender plays in understanding the past, including the impact of gender bias in the profession of archaeology.

Ethnographer
An anthropologist who studies cultures from a comparative or historical point of view, utilizing ethnographic accounts.

Ethnohistory
The study of cultures of the recent past through oral and written histories; accounts left by explorers, missionaries, and traders; and through analysis of such records as land titles, birth and death records, and other archival materials.

F

Fact
An observation verified by several observers skilled in the necessary techniques of observation.

Forensic anthropology
Field of applied biological anthropology and archaeology that specializes in the identification of human skeletal remains for legal purposes.

H

Historic archaeology
The study of the material remains of past societies that also left behind historical documentary evidence. This subfield of archaeology studies the emergence, transformation, and nature of the Modern World.

Historical linguistics
The study of language origins, language change, and the relationships between languages.

Hypothesis
Tentative explanation of the relations among certain phenomena.

L

Linguistic anthropology
The branch of cultural anthropology that studies human language.

P

Paleoanthropology
The study of fossil remains with the goal of reconstructing human biological evolution.

Post-processual archaeology
A critique of processual archaeology that rejects scientific explanations of the archaeological record. It represents a diverse perspective encompassing social and cognitive aspects of human behaviour.

Prehistoric/pre-contact archaeology
The study of ancient cultures that did not possess writing systems to record their history.

Primatology
The study of nonhuman primates, their biology, adaptation, and social behaviour.

Processual archaeology
A scientific approach to explaining the process of culture changes and adaptations.

S

Settlement archaeology
Research designed to describe the arrangement of occupations in the landscape in order to understand how people organized themselves in particular settings.

Sociocultural anthropology
The branch of anthropology that focuses on humans as a culture-making species.

T

Theoretical perspective
The set of assumptions that form a model or theory.