A way of looking at a topic from a particular perspective

A theory that states that an anthropologist cannot compare two cultures because each has its own internal rules that must be accepted. This was a response to cultural evolutionism (culture evolves from savage to barbarian to civilized) Trying to change the ethnocentric views (believing that one’s own culture is superior to all others)

Every action, belief or relationship in a culture functions to meet the needs of individuals Stresses the interdependence among all things within a social system for long term survival Meeting individual needs makes the culture whole Also rejects cultural evolution Malinowski illustrates this theory with his study of a necklace and an arm band in the Trobriand Islands Something that seemed ceremonial had real economic, social and political functions

Theory states that materials or conditions within the environment (climate, food supply, geography) influence how a culture develops Society develops on a trial and error basis If something is not of value to a society, it will disappear from society altogether Law, government, religion must benefit society or will no longer exist

Infrastructure: material resources Structure: a society’s family, political, economic and social systems The Superstructure: a society’s ideas, values, symbols and religion

Feminist anthropologists wanted to make sure that females were heard and included in research Compared to see how many cultures were dominated by men, how many by women and how many were egalitarian They concluded that the amount of freedom women had was tied to their contribution to the food supply Today feminist anthropologists continue to look at how cultures determine gender roles, debunk gender myths and show how gender is constructed Look at how gender, race, class, ethnicity and sexual orientation are constructed

A theory that states: it is impossible to have any “true” knowledge about the world They reject the idea of objective (non-judgemental) truth They deconstruct what a society believes to be true They use reflexivity (reflecting on their own world view, biases and impact on the culture they study) Understanding immigrant experience in Toronto Understanding subcultures (their own frequently)