Anthropology Practice Test 2025 – The Comprehensive All-in-One Guide for Exam Success

Salvage ethnography refers to the practice of documenting the cultural practices, languages, and traditions of a group that is perceived to be in decline or under threat, often due to the forces of modernization, Westernization, or other socio-cultural changes. Anthropologists engaged in salvage ethnography aim to preserve knowledge that may soon be lost, ensuring that the cultural heritage of these communities is recorded and can be studied in the future. This approach typically stems from a sense of urgency regarding the survival of the culture in question, emphasizing the importance of capturing and archiving it before it potentially vanishes.

While other options also concern the preservation or documentation of cultural or archaeological elements, they do not encompass the broader social and cultural implications inherent in salvage ethnography. Recovery of archaeological sites, re-writing previous ethnographies, and recording linguistic diversity all address important aspects of anthropology but lack the specific focus on threatened cultures that defines salvage ethnography.