what is anthropology? exploring the four fields of anthropology introductory lecture anthropology...
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WHAT IS ANTHROPOLOGY?EXPLORING THE FOUR FIELDS OF ANTHROPOLOGY
Introductory LectureAnthropology 100: Survey of Anthropology
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. Develop an understanding of anthropology and how the subfields of anthropology interrelate
2. Develop an understanding for the importance of anthropology in today’s world
3. Practice thinking like an anthropologist
ANTHROPOLOGYanthro = humanology = the study of
Study of the past and present biological and cultural variation within the human species
ANTHROPOLOGY
Major question addressed within anthropology:
What Does It Mean To Be Human?
DISTINCTIVE WAY OF STUDYING HUMANSUnique Perspective of What Does It Mean to Be Human: 1. Holistic
Emphasizes the functional relation between parts and the whole
Holism=Integratio
n
Past
PresentLanguage
Culture
GeneticsAnatomy
DISTINCTIVE WAY OF STUDYING HUMANSUnique Perspective of What Does It Mean to Be Human: 2. Comparative
Compare patterns of variationBiologically and Culturally
Consideration of similarities & differences
Coming of Age CeremoniesLeft: Korean; Right: Maasi (Kenya)
Skeletal FeaturesLeft: Chimpanzee; Right: Modern Human
DISTINCTIVE WAY OF STUDYING HUMANS
Unique Perspective of What Does It Mean to Be Human:3. Field-based
Data collection; direct contact
Cultural AnthropologyMursi women in Ethiopia
Linguistic AnthropologyProject on Beaver Language
Primatology: Baboon Dominance Calls
Archaeology in the Middle East
DISTINCTIVE WAY OF STUDYING HUMANS
Unique Perspective of What Does It Mean to Be Human: 4. Evolutionary
Observations placed in
temporal framework
Consider change over time
EvolutionHumans
Primates
CONCEPT OF CULTURE
What is culture? Set of learned behavior and ideas that humans
beings acquire as members of a society
Humans are biocultural organisms Triangle of Adaptation
Biological and cultural factor
influence the world around us
Environment
CultureBiology
ANTHROPOLOGY: CROSS-DISCIPLINARY DISCIPLINE
Spans the social sciences, natural sciences, and humanities
Diversity with the discipline : 4 subfields Biological (Physical) Anthropology Cultural Anthropology Linguistic Anthropology Archaeology
Holistic
AppliedAnthropology
FIGURE 1.1 THE SUBFIELDS OF ANTHROPOLOGY Copyright © 2008 by Robert H. Lavenda and Emily A. Schultz.
BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY Human beings as biological organisms
Aims to discover what characteristics make humans different from other organisms and what characteristics they share
Attention focused on patterns of variation & adaptation
Paleoanthropology
PrimatologyDental Anthropology &
Bioarchaeology
BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY Research – What Can It Tell Us?• Allocation of energy –
breastfeeding, health & disease, primates
• Skeletal anatomy – disease, stress, activity patterns, trauma, forensic anthropology
• Susceptibility to disease – access to resources, lower immunity, genetics
Lesion on a rib with M tuberculosis DNA
BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY
Research – What Can It Tell Us?
CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY Variation in beliefs and behaviors of members
of different human groups Shaped by sets of learned behaviors and ideas
that human beings acquire as members of society
Study all human societies Urban & Rural, Developed & Developing, Western
& Non-Western
Conduct fieldwork: Participant observation & Ethnography
CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY
• Cultural conflict – war, ethnicity, politics, aftermath of conflict
• Subsistence patterns – strategies, land ownership, environment
CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY Research – What Can It Tell Us?• Social organization – comparison of different
forms of human social life, kinship patterns, social groupings
CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY
LINGUISTIC ANTHROPOLOGY
Study of human language
Language: system of arbitrary vocal symbols used to encode one’s experience of the world and of others
Broader cultural, historical and/or biological contexts
LINGUISTIC ANTHROPOLOGY
LINGUISTIC ANTHROPOLOGY
Research – What Can It Tell Us?• Multi-lingualism – usage of
language, circumstances, education
• Language socialization – children, new language, cross-cultural studies
• Power and Control – linguistic dimensions
LINGUISTIC ANTHROPOLOGY
ARCHAEOLOGY
Study of past societies and their cultures, especially the material remains of the past
Examine evidence of past human cultural activity Artifacts
Garbage heaps
Postholes
Settlement patterns
Plant pollenExcavation
Sigatoka Valley, FijiAmber Beads
from Stonehenge
ARCHAEOLOGY
Research – What Can It Tell Us?• Human-Environmental
Interactions – use of the environment, climate change, paleoclimates
• Garage heaps – past and contemporary; consumption patterns
• Agricultural production – emergence of the first agricultural complexes
ARCHAEOLOGY
Research – What Can It Tell Us?
IN-CLASS ACTIVITY Four-Field Approach Worksheet
In this activity, students will: Describe the distinguishing features of
anthropology Identify the four subfields of anthropology
We will do one example as a class The other two examples will be worked on in small-
groups. Be prepared to share your responses with the class.
Economics
Local and regional spheres of interaction
Labor distributionSubsistence
Language use in trading and businessDifferences in languages
among SES
Health consequences (skeletal & living populations)
Non-human primate societies
Local / regional tradeGlobalization
Development & effects on traditional societies
Subsistence regimeBiological Anthropology
Cultural Anthropology
Linguistic Anthropology
Archaeology
ANTHROPOLOGY - SUMMARY
Anthropology is devoted to the broad,
“holistic” study of humankind, to the
understanding and explanation of
human beings in all of their diverse
aspects at all times and places
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