begin quote:
Cultural anthropology
evolved
from 19th-century evolutionary theories, initially viewing cultures as
progressing from "primitive" to "civilized," but shifted dramatically in
the early 20th century with Franz Boas and Bronislaw Malinowski
to cultural relativism, emphasizing cultural uniqueness, context, and
fieldwork, moving beyond ethnocentrism to study all cultures as complex
systems. This transition rejected unilineal evolution for
holistic, empirical study, establishing culture as the central concept
for understanding human diversity. Early Stages (19th Century): Evolutionism
- Inspiration: Influenced by Darwin's biological evolution, scholars like E.B. Tylor and Lewis Henry Morgan proposed cultural evolutionism, suggesting societies progress through fixed stages (savagery, barbarism, civilization).
- Focus: Understanding human origins and differences, often through a hierarchical lens, seeing non-Western societies as remnants of the human past.
- Key Figures: Edward Burnett Tylor (defined culture in 1871) and Lewis Henry Morgan.
The Boasian Revolution (Early 20th Century)
- Key Figure: Franz Boas and his students (like Ruth Benedict, Margaret Mead) challenged evolutionism.
- New Concepts:
- Cultural Relativism: Judging cultures by their own standards, not one's own.
- Historical Particularism: Each culture has a unique history.
- Holism: Viewing culture as an integrated whole.
- Methodology: Emphasized immersive fieldwork (ethnography) and detailed description, rather than grand theories.
Post-Boasian Developments (Mid-20th Century Onward)
- ** Structural Functionalism:** Focus on how cultural elements function to maintain social order (Malinowski, Radcliffe-Brown).
- ** Symbolic/Interpretive Anthropology:** Exploring culture as systems of meaning (Clifford Geertz).
- ** Materialism & Ecology:** Focusing on environment, subsistence, and technology (Leslie White, Julian Steward).
- ** Political Economy/Practice Theory:** Analyzing power, inequality, and human agency (Eric Wolf, Pierre Bourdieu).
Contemporary Trends
- ** Globalization & Transnationalism:** Studying interconnectedness and migration.
- ** Applied Anthropology:** Using anthropological insights to solve real-world problems.
- ** Decolonization:** Critiquing colonial legacies and incorporating diverse, non-Western perspectives.
- Science & Culture: New approaches to cultural evolution (Dual Inheritance Theory, Memetics) that are more scientific but acknowledge complex influences.
Show all
Dive deeper in AI Mode
No comments:
Post a Comment