1. What is Anthropology

8/13/2019 1. What is Anthropology

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/1-what-is-anthropology 1/14

What is Anthropology?



Anthropology – Four Subfields



Cultural Anthropology

Cultural anthropologists:Explore cultural diversity among

all living societies, including ourown.

Study how humans organizethemselves to carry out collectivetasks, and

Examine how materiallife — clothing, housing,

tools — varies across

human societies




Uses ethnography and ethnology tostudy human societies to explain

cultural similarities and differences.

Ethnography:An account of a specific local

society’s customs, practices, and

beliefs

Fieldwork typically

involves an extended

stay with a local

community




Uses ethnography and ethnology tostudy human societies to explain

cultural similarities and differences.

Ethnology:

Comparative and often cross-

cultural study of two or more local

societies

Creates theories toincrease our

understanding of how

cultures and societies

work



Linguistic Anthropology

Language is a system of arbitrary

symbols that enable

communication and the

transmission of cultural knowledge.

Lingustic anthropology

studies language in its

cultural contexts to examinediversity among societies.

Includes sociolinguists and

historical linguists.



Linguistic Anthropology

Sociolinguists:Study how variation in language

use relates to differences in gender,

race, class, or ethnicity.

Historical linguists:

Reconstruct the historical

development of languages

and study language variation

through time

http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=QVZLe3vC9xKH_M&tbnid=Hsr_jhQhlMRgoM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http://www.public.iastate.edu/~cfford/342worldhistoryearly.html&ei=hIgbUs3JOpWz4AOFtIH4Cw&bvm=bv.51156542,d.dmg&psig=AFQjCNFvCGykJcfiAMAAYAmQdVwps_MXvg&ust=1377622508016221



Archaeology

Archaeologists study culturesthrough their material

remains.

Material remains allow past

cultural activities to be

described, reconstructed,

and interpreted.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=zX74WDgOFSoZAM&tbnid=B-qGispSYagrmM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http://www.ioa.ucla.edu/resources/SPI&ei=lIkbUo-CApbb4APw3oHoAw&bvm=bv.51156542,d.dmg&psig=AFQjCNEpCQJayEERiDpi2alCbO95Dcv2aw&ust=1377622793804003

http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=A_snwZkoBbK5oM&tbnid=gRoIVXQOZayZ7M:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Archaeology.rome.arp.jpg&ei=RYkbUtOxMbO64AOf0YBI&bvm=bv.51156542,d.dmg&psig=AFQjCNEdzblsLPSuJeRzOaWBLjtTMCSzFQ&ust=1377622647313213



Archaeology

Archaeology provides a tremendoustime depth unavailable to

ethnographers.

Prehistoric archaeologists examine

remains from people without

writing, including artifacts millions

of years old.

Archaeologists also studypeople objects from societies

who have a written record, such

as items from ancient Egypt or

21st-century garbage dumps.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=r7mFtX-pgSbVgM&tbnid=N4Ld6HXclL4KCM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-1330126/Egypt-archaeologists-new-4th-century-sphinxes-Luxor.html&ei=FowbUp6fHZLH4APv44D4CA&bvm=bv.51156542,d.dmg&psig=AFQjCNEZbxnXHMsnK33cUaagBdy0gARJ1Q&ust=1377623419357145

http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=HXZINv2rPrSXXM&tbnid=XE7tdD1nnEgRFM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http://www.lithiccastinglab.com/gallery-pages/2008junehandaxesacheuleanpage2.htm&ei=uosbUsOyD7Sw4APhnIDIBg&bvm=bv.51156542,d.dmg&psig=AFQjCNFUnKRfxwVsIX_hHRp_GjJjd3wqIQ&ust=1377623246933165

http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=XcQp3AB_VvIjlM&tbnid=q0aq8iWx1fbw8M:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http://www.pasthorizonspr.com/index.php/archives/03/2011/stone-tools-reveal-indias-1-5-million-year-old-prehistory&ei=i4sbUsOwJLOu4APvyoHwCQ&bvm=bv.51156542,d.dmg&psig=AFQjCNFUnKRfxwVsIX_hHRp_GjJjd3wqIQ&ust=1377623246933165



Biological Anthropology

Examines human biological

variation across time and

space.

Considers how the

interplay between

culture and human

biology has changed as

we evolved to become

modern humans.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=kRIdTmtJPvDY5M&tbnid=tPbjb97TQ_HLuM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http://www.accessscience.com/search.aspx?rootID=793637&ei=YY0bUuvBKsTh4APrzYDYAw&bvm=bv.51156542,d.dmg&psig=AFQjCNGYWQOjp1GcMoLAEOz4XvinEruSbQ&ust=1377623707920474

http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=MHNHKSLmEspGdM&tbnid=XajDmisgPoeKlM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http://anthro.palomar.edu/adapt/adapt_4.htm&ei=LI0bUrSGCKjh4APQ0ICwDg&bvm=bv.51156542,d.dmg&psig=AFQjCNGYWQOjp1GcMoLAEOz4XvinEruSbQ&ust=1377623707920474




Focuses on biological variation and diversity among

modern humans and non-human primates, and their

extinct ancestors.

Biological anthropology includes:

Biological anthropologists

Primatologists

Paleoanthropologists

http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=a04tLXCXN-0AGM&tbnid=Gm_U9eYaTh9nnM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~anthro/physical/Landing_PhysAnth.html&ei=540bUr3NGcP_4AOr24HADQ&bvm=bv.51156542,d.dmg&psig=AFQjCNGYWQOjp1GcMoLAEOz4XvinEruSbQ&ust=1377623707920474

http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=vZ9pZIq5t4boxM&tbnid=55b697UHzr5n2M:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http://anthro.palomar.edu/vary/&ei=wY0bUvP4Ore34AOu-IHoBg&bvm=bv.51156542,d.dmg&psig=AFQjCNGYWQOjp1GcMoLAEOz4XvinEruSbQ&ust=1377623707920474




Primatologists:

Study the biology, behavior,

and social life of non-human

primates, our closest living

relatives

Paleoanthropologists:

Examine human and non-human

primate evolution, particularly as

revealed by fossilized remains

http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=FpJ6dK7FKFHrcM&tbnid=TxhKb2nrgAjtlM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http://sharon-taxonomy2009-p3.wikispaces.com/primates&ei=lI4bUsWMObXF4AOl3YDoDg&bvm=bv.51156542,d.dmg&psig=AFQjCNFmhgqiiKx8FE2eeTNG4JQDvPzx3A&ust=1377624058844740



Anthropological Perspective

Holistic – Integrates all that is known about humansand their activities.

Comparative – Examines similarities and differences

between human societies.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=yzomcMaAHMs2AM&tbnid=3krRoHvwKORd_M:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http://lindahourihan.wordpress.com/2012/09/24/there-is-only-one-race-the-human-race-re-posted-from-march-24-2012/&ei=F5EbUu2UGrin4AOkmoDQAw&bvm=bv.51156542,d.dmg&psig=AFQjCNEcmjWoWsdbEk9GertbG04yqQJSNA&ust=1377624700942066



Anthropological Perspective

Field-basedAnthropologists collect data from

direct contact with people, sites, or

animals.

Evolutionary

Anthropologists examine

biological and cultural

change in humans over time.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=6Qtbkazi7vPxiM&tbnid=-4wTNtbf8LTP0M:&ved=0CAgQjRwwAA&url=http://web.mesacc.edu/dept/d10/asb/origins/hominid_journey/central.html&ei=m5IbUsf4IdKp4AOn7YGwBA&psig=AFQjCNEER3be6epfrfqvfgBNM_ptR7uExw&ust=1377625115590644

Documents

1. What is Anthropology