Download - WHAT IS ANTHROPOLOGY?
WHAT IS ANTHROPOLOGY?
Anthropology
• Greek origins of word: – anthropos “man” – -ology “study of”
Anthropology
• Greek origins of word: – anthropos “man” – -ology “study of”
• The study of human biological and cultural variation, past and present
Anthropology
• Greek origins of word: – anthropos “man” – -ology “study of”
• The study of human biological and cultural variation, past and present
• Goal: understand uniqueness and diversity, and discover universal similarities
Anthropology
• Greek origins of word: – anthropos “man” – -ology “study of”
• The study of human biological and cultural variation, past and present
• Goal: understand uniqueness and diversity, and discover universal similarities
• Holistic approach: study many different aspects of human experience
Four-Field Approach• Cultural Anthropology• Linguistic Anthropology
• Biological Anthropology• Archaeology
BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGYAlso called Physical Anthropology
Biological Anthropology
• Human Paleontology and Paleoanthropology– Evolution of humans
Biological Anthropology
• Human Paleontology and Paleoanthropology– Evolution of humans
• Primatology– Study of primates
Biological Anthropology
• Human Paleontology and Paleoanthropology– Evolution of humans
• Primatology– Study of primates
• Modern Human Biological Variation– How and why populations of humans vary
biologically
CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGYAlso called Social Anthropology and Socio-
cultural Anthropology
Cultural Anthropology
• Ethnology (Ethnologist)– Study of existing and recent cultures
Cultural Anthropology
• Ethnology (Ethnologist)– Study of existing and recent cultures
• Ethnography (Ethnographer)– Detailed description of customary thought & behaviour of
a particular culture
Cultural Anthropology• Ethnology (Ethnologist)
– Study of existing and recent cultures
• Ethnography (Ethnographer)– Detailed description of customary thought & behaviour of a
particular culture
• Ethnohistory (Ethnohistorian)– Study of how the ways of life of a
group of people have changed over time
ARCHAEOLOGY
Archaeology• Prehistoric Archaeology– Reconstruct past cultures based on material remains
• Historic Archaeology– Same as prehistoric, but
study societies with written records
LINGUISTIC ANTHROPOLOGY
Linguistic Anthropology
• Historical Linguistics – How languages change over time and are related
Linguistic Anthropology
• Historical Linguistics – How languages change over time and are related
• Structural (or descriptive) linguistics– How modern languages differ in construction
Linguistic Anthropology
• Historical Linguistics – How languages change over time and are related
• Structural (or descriptive) linguistics– How modern languages differ in construction
• Sociolinguistics– How language is used in social
contexts
Applied AnthropologyUseful application of anthropological knowledge (of ANY subfield) to real-
world issues and concerns
Next time…
• Concept of Culture