Question 1

Like Marvin Harris, Clifford Geertz defines culture as human behavior and the shared traditions that guide it.

Accepted Answer

Clifford Geertz defines culture more as a system of inherited conceptions expressed in symbolic forms by means of which men communicate, perpetuate, and develop their knowledge about and attitudes toward life. Marvin Harris, on the other hand, emphasizes materialism and the role of environmental and economic factors in shaping human behavior and culture.

Question 2

Geertz argues that generalizations about human thought and behavior (for example, that "all people have supernatural beliefs") are basically meaningless, in that they fail to help us understand the belief systems of specific cultures.

Accepted Answer

Geertz's argument is that generalizations about human thought and behavior are not helpful in understanding specific cultures. He argues that to truly understand a culture's belief system, we must study it in its own context and not make sweeping generalizations.

Question 3

According to Victor Turner, all symbols are multivocal in that they present multiple meanings to the members of society.

Accepted Answer

According to Turner, symbols in a culture have multiple meanings and interpretations.

Question 4

The task of anthropology, according to Geertz, is to produce a single, authoritative interpretation of culture that all readers would agree with.

Accepted Answer

According to Geertz, anthropology's task is not to produce a single, authoritative interpretation of culture, but rather to provide thick descriptions of cultural practices and meanings, which can be interpreted in various ways by different readers.

Question 5

Anthropologist William Roseberry criticizes Geertz's article on the Balinese cockfight for ignoring the broader gender, historical, and political context of Balinese (Indonesian) society.

Accepted Answer

William Roseberry's critique of Geertz's article on the Balinese cockfight is well documented in academic literature. Roseberry argues that Geertz's analysis of Balinese culture is limited because it ignores important contextual factors such as gender dynamics, historical influences, and political power structures.

Question 6

According to Claude Lévi-Strauss, the "structure" that underlies all cultural behavior is a mental process involving binary oppositions.

Accepted Answer

According to Claude Lévi-Strauss, the "structure" that underlies all cultural behavior is binary oppositions, such as nature versus culture or raw versus cooked, that are part of a mental process. This concept is known as structuralism.

Question 7

According to anthropologist Sherry Ortner, "men" are on the side of "nature" because of their work outside the home, while women are on the side of "culture" because of their role in raising (enculturating) children.

Accepted Answer

Sherry Ortner argued the opposite: that women are associated with nature due to their biological functions and roles, while men are associated with culture because of their societal roles and activities outside the home.

Question 8

Lévi-Strauss originally derived his ideas about cannibalism from observing dietary patterns in France, where guests were served roast chicken and family was served boiled chicken.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Lévi-Strauss originally derived his ideas about cannibalism...

Question 9

Daniel Ingersoll argues that advertisers in the U.S. promote their products by invoking the attributes of family, love, cooperation, and security, all of which fall on the "culture" side of the culture-nature opposition.

Accepted Answer

Ingersoll argues that advertisers promote their products by invoking cultural values and concepts, such as family, love, cooperation, and security, which are on the "culture" side of the culture-nature opposition.

Question 10

One criticism of ethnoscience is that, while our knowledge may be organized taxonomically, the taxonomies of different people are probably organized in different ways.

Accepted Answer

Ethnoscience recognizes that different cultures may organize their knowledge differently and acknowledges the importance of understanding those differences. However, this can also be a criticism because it means that a universal, objective taxonomy may not be possible.

Quiz 13: Symbols, Structures, and the Web of Significance