C2 · 50 words
Anthropology in Spanish
Fieldwork, kinship, ritual, exchange — how societies, foreign and own, are written about.
El don in this list is the gift that obliges a return. On its own it is also the gift somebody is born with: tiene un don para los idiomas, a gift for languages, and los dones in church are the gifts of the Spirit. And then there is the other don, the one before a first name — don Manuel, doña Carmen — which English borrowed for a Mafia boss and an Oxford tutor and made strange in both. The two are not one word worn two ways: the gift is Latin donum and the title is dominus, lord. They arrived at the same three letters from different directions, which is why don Juan tiene un don is not a pun.
The words
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Phrase (34)
la antropología socialthe study of what a society takes for grantedPhraseC2
La antropología social estudia lo que una sociedad da por supuesto.Social anthropology studies what a society takes for granted.
el trabajo de campothe months spent living where the study isPhraseC2
El trabajo de campo dura lo que dura una estación entera.Fieldwork lasts as long as a whole season.
la observación participantethe taking part and the writing down, done at the same timePhraseC2
La observación participante exige estar y anotar a la vez.Participant observation demands being there and taking notes at once.
el diario de campothe notebook that records what was uncomfortable tooPhraseC2
El diario de campo recoge también lo que incomodó.The field diary also records what was uncomfortable.
el informante clavethe person who opens doors, and closes somePhraseC2
El informante clave abre puertas y también las cierra.The key informant opens doors and closes some too.
la mirada émicathe view that uses the group's own categoriesPhraseC2
La mirada émica usa las categorías del propio grupo.The emic view uses the categories of the group itself.
la mirada éticathe view that uses the observer's categoriesPhraseC2
La mirada ética permite comparar entre sociedades.The etic view allows comparison between societies.
el relativismo culturalthe rule of describing before judging, which is a methodPhraseC2
El relativismo cultural es un método antes que una moral.Cultural relativism is a method before it is a morality.
la extrañeza metodológicathe making strange of what is familiar, one's own society includedPhraseC2
La extrañeza metodológica se aplica también a la propia sociedad.Methodological estrangement applies to one's own society too.
el sistema de parentescothe system of who counts as kin, which is not biologyPhraseC2
El sistema de parentesco no coincide con la biología.The kinship system does not coincide with biology.
la residencia posmaritalthe rule of whose household a couple joinsPhraseC2
La residencia posmarital decide con quién se vive.Post-marital residence decides whom one lives with.
el tabú del incestothe rule that says who is not marriageablePhraseC2
El tabú del incesto define quién no es casadero.The incest taboo defines who is not marriageable.
la terminología de parentescothe words for kin, which group together what we keep apartPhraseC2
La terminología de parentesco agrupa a quien nosotros separamos.Kinship terminology groups together those we keep apart.
el rito de pasothe ritual that separates, transforms and takes a person back inPhraseC2
El rito de paso separa, transforma y reintegra.The rite of passage separates, transforms and reintegrates.
el ritual colectivothe ritual that produces the very group performing itPhraseC2
El ritual colectivo produce el grupo que celebra.The collective ritual produces the group that celebrates it.
el mito de origenthe story of the beginning, which explains a present orderPhraseC2
El mito de origen explica un orden presente.The myth of origin explains a present order.
el pensamiento mágicothe reasoning that has a coherence of its ownPhraseC2
El pensamiento mágico tiene su propia coherencia.Magical thinking has a coherence of its own.
el don y la contraprestaciónthe gift and the counter-gift, an exchange that bindsPhraseC2
El don y la contraprestación crean una obligación duradera.Gift and counter-gift create a lasting obligation.
el intercambio recíprocothe exchange between equals, which need not balancePhraseC2
El intercambio recíproco no exige que las cosas valgan lo mismo.Reciprocal exchange does not require that things be worth the same.
la economía de subsistenciathe producing of what will be consumed, and no morePhraseC2
La economía de subsistencia produce para consumir.A subsistence economy produces in order to consume.
el prestigio socialthe standing that is accumulated differently in every societyPhraseC2
El prestigio social se acumula de forma distinta en cada sociedad.Social prestige accumulates differently in every society.
la sociedad segmentariathe society that orders itself without a statePhraseC2
La sociedad segmentaria se ordena sin Estado.The segmentary society orders itself without a state.
el control social difusothe control exercised by shame and by talkPhraseC2
El control social difuso funciona por vergüenza y por murmuración.Diffuse social control works through shame and through gossip.
la norma no escritathe rule that is discovered by breaking itPhraseC2
La norma no escrita se descubre al romperla.The unwritten rule is discovered by breaking it.
el capital simbólicothe standing that can be turned into other kinds of powerPhraseC2
El capital simbólico se convierte en otras formas de poder.Symbolic capital converts into other forms of power.
la cultura materialthe things a society makes, which say what nobody statesPhraseC2
La cultura material dice lo que nadie enuncia.Material culture says what nobody states.
la frontera étnicathe boundary that holds even when what it contains changesPhraseC2
La frontera étnica se mantiene aunque cambie el contenido.The ethnic boundary holds even when the content changes.
la invención del otrothe making of that other, which says more about the describerPhraseC2
La invención del otro dice más del que describe.The invention of the other says more about the one describing.
la antropología aplicadathe anthropology done inside somebody else's projectPhraseC2
La antropología aplicada trabaja dentro de un proyecto.Applied anthropology works inside a project.
el consentimiento de la comunidadthe agreement of the people studied, which comes before the permitPhraseC2
El consentimiento de la comunidad va antes que el permiso oficial.The community's consent comes before the official permit.
la devolución de resultadosthe giving back of the findings to those they came fromPhraseC2
La devolución de resultados es parte del compromiso.Giving the findings back is part of the commitment.
la autoría compartidathe credit that names whoever did the tellingPhraseC2
La autoría compartida reconoce a quien contó.Shared authorship acknowledges whoever did the telling.
la reflexividad del investigadorthe researcher's own account of themselves, part of the dataPhraseC2
La reflexividad del investigador forma parte del dato.The researcher's reflexivity is part of the data.
la etnografía multisituadathe same writing carried across several places at oncePhraseC2
La etnografía multisituada sigue al objeto por varios lugares.Multi-sited ethnography follows its object across several places.
Noun (f) (10)
la etnografíathe writing of a culture, which is method and text at onceNoun (f)C2
La etnografía es a la vez método y texto.Ethnography is method and text at the same time.
la alteridadthe state of being an other, which is made as much as foundNoun (f)C2
La alteridad se construye tanto como se encuentra.Otherness is constructed as much as it is found.
la filiaciónthe reckoning of descent, by one line or by bothNoun (f)C2
La filiación puede contarse por una línea o por las dos.Descent may be reckoned by one line or by both.
la exogamiathe rule that one marries outside the groupNoun (f)C2
La exogamia obliga a casarse fuera del grupo.Exogamy requires marrying outside the group.
la endogamiathe rule that one marries inside the groupNoun (f)C2
La endogamia conserva la propiedad dentro.Endogamy keeps property inside.
la liminalidadthe threshold time in which the rules are suspendedNoun (f)C2
La liminalidad suspende las reglas por un tiempo.Liminality suspends the rules for a time.
la redistribuciónthe exchange that passes through a centre and comes back outNoun (f)C2
La redistribución pasa por un centro que reparte.Redistribution passes through a centre that shares out.
la jefaturathe rule of a chief who does not monopolise forceNoun (f)C2
La jefatura manda sin monopolizar la fuerza.A chiefdom commands without monopolising force.
la aculturaciónthe taking on of another culture, which runs both waysNoun (f)C2
La aculturación no es una calle de dirección única.Acculturation is not a one-way street.
la etnicidadthe belonging that asserts itself against somebodyNoun (f)C2
La etnicidad se afirma frente a alguien.Ethnicity asserts itself in the face of somebody.
Noun (m) (6)
el etnocentrismothe assumption that one's own order is the natural oneNoun (m)C2
El etnocentrismo se nota antes en otros que en uno mismo.Ethnocentrism is noticed in others sooner than in oneself.
el linajethe descent group that holds inheritance and duties togetherNoun (m)C2
El linaje organiza herencia y obligaciones.The lineage organises inheritance and obligations.
el chamanismothe practice of the specialist who travels between worldsNoun (m)C2
El chamanismo aparece en continentes sin contacto.Shamanism appears on continents with no contact.
el potlatchthe feast that wins standing by giving away and destroyingNoun (m)C2
El potlatch gana prestigio dando y destruyendo.The potlatch wins prestige by giving and by destroying.
el habitusthe disposition carried in the body before the headNoun (m)C2
El habitus se lleva en el cuerpo antes que en la cabeza.The habitus is carried in the body before the head.
el sincretismothe mixing that does not erase the originsNoun (m)C2
El sincretismo mezcla sin borrar los orígenes.Syncretism mixes without erasing the origins.
This list belongs to Society, politics and media — 23 lists and 1150 words that can also be practised as a whole.
Practise this list
From these 50 words, as many per round as you like — up to all of them: first what is due today, then new ones. First you choose, then you fill the gap, then you write it yourself. Mistakes come back again shortly.