what is anthropology

SOC 111Introduction to Anthropology

WHAT IS ANTHROPOLOGY?

WHAT IS ANTHROPOLOGY?

Antropos+Logos(human)+(science)

It is the science of human.

Anthropology studies the whole of the human condition; past, present, future; biology,society, language, culture.

CULTURE

• Traditions and customs, transmitted through learning, that form and guide the beliefs and behavior of the people exposed to them.

• Anthropologists examines different societies and compares their cultures. They focus on the differences.

• Children learn culture through enculturation.

CULTURE

• Is everywhere when you are born.• How should we do things?• What is proper behavior for girls and boys?• What kind of work should men and women

do?• What role should religion play?• What is right? • What is wrong?

GENERAL ANTHROPOLOGY

• The academic discipline of anthropology, also known as ‘four-field’ anthropology, includes:

I. Sociocultural ( cultural anthropolohy)II. ArchaeologicalIII. BiologicalIV. Linguistics

GENERAL ANTHROPOLOGY

• Developed as scientific field in U.S.

Early American anthropologists studying native peoples of North America combined studies of customs, social life, language and physical traits in the 19th century.

CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY

• Describes, analyzes, interprets, and explains social and cultural similarities and differences.

Ethnograpghy: fieldwork in a particular culture; provides an account of that community, society or culture.

Ethnology: comparative, cross-cultural study of ethnographic data,society and culture.

TWO DIMENSIONS OF CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY

ETHNOGRAPHY ETHNOLOGYRequires fieldwork to collect data.

Often descriptive

Group/community specific

Uses data collected by a series of researchers

Usually synthetic

Comparative/cross-cultural

ARCHAEOLOGİCAL ANTHROPOLOGY

• The study of human behavior and cultural patterns and processes through the culture’s material remains

ArtifactsGarbageBurialsRemains of structures

BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY

• The study of human biological variation in space

Human evolutionHuman geneticsHuman growth and developmentHuman biological plasticityBiology,evolution,behavior,and social life of

monkeys,apes and other nonhuman primates.

LINGUISTIC ANTHROPOLOGY

• The study of language in its social and cultural context across space and time.

Historical linguistics reconstruct ancient languages and study linguistic variation through time.

Sociolinguistics investigates relationships between social and linguistic variation.

ANTHROPOLOGY

• Is a science: a field of study that seeks reliable explanations with reference to the material and physical world.

• APPLIED ANTHROPOLOGY: application of anthropological data, perspectives, theory, and methods to identify, assess and solve contemporary social problems.

THEORIES, ASSOCIATIONS AND EXPLANATIONS

• THEORY: a set of ides formulated to explain something

• ASSOCIATION: an observed relationship between two or more measured variables.

• HYPOTHESES: suggested but yet unverified explanations

THE SCOPE OF ANTHROPOLOGY

• Anthropology, a discipline of infinite curiosity about human beings.

• Every part of the world containing human populations is of interest to anthropological study.

THE RELEVANCE OF ANTHROPOLOGY

• In order to understand humans, it is essential that we study humans in all times and places.

• Anthropological studies can illustrate why other people are the way they are, both culturally and physically.