Schools of thought in anthropology

Schools of Thought in Anthropology

What is a school of thought?
A perspective, a viewpoint, or a certain way of interpreting a discipline’s subject matter that has become widely credible
Functionalism
Society must have a set of standard laws and practices to provide stability. These are called institutions
Society is a logical institution and functions in the best interest and by the needs of the majority; every practice, custom serves a purpose to provide stability
All cultures are set up to deal with the universal problems that human societies face
(ex. Conflict = law enforcement)
Structuralism
The mind functions on binary opposites
Humans see things in terms of two forces that are opposite to each other. For example night and day, good and bad
Binary opposites differ from society to society
Rules in each culture are different
Anthropologists must seek out and explain these rules, depending on culture they are in.
Ex. Structuralists believe that the world is organized according to male and female constructs, roles, words and ideas
Cultural Materialism
Technological and economical factors are most important ones in moulding a society
The types of technology and economic methods that are adopted always determine the type of society that develops; the true explanation of a culture can only be derived by examining members decisions regarding human reproduction and economic production
This is known as Determinism
According to cultural materialists, a culture is evaluated by outsiders on 3 levels:
Level 1 – Infrastructure
Represented by material factors: goods/products/services
Ex. Way in which goods are produced
Ex. Methods used to reproduce population at an acceptable rate
Level 2 – Structure
Social class
Distribution of wealth
Level 3 – Superstructure
Music
Recreation
Arts