Sub-fields of cultural anthro

Economic anthropology: Prof. Fortier doing research on clay pipe making in South Asia

Sub-fields of Cultural Anthropology Psychological Anth Medical Anth Religious Anth Symbolic Anth Ecological Anth Development Anth

Development Anthropologists helpedMixtec vendors sell traditional craftsat Linda Vista Multicultural Fair

Archaeology• Study of human behavior and cultural patterns

and process through the culture’s material remains

Jon Erlandson & Debby Head examine artifacts in Alaska

Archaeology

Archaeological record provides unique opportunity to look at changes in social complexity over time

• Archaeologists use paleoecological studies to establish ecological and subsistence parameters within which given groups lived

Archeology

• Archaeologists study the past cultures of people, to infer info about beliefs, religion, social organization, etc. Just as modern dog lovers pamper

their pets with morsels from the table and space on the bed, it seems that ancient Peruvians also treated their dogs like members of the family.-Nat’l Geog.

Biological Anthropology

Study of human biological variation in time and space

Includes evolution, genetics, growth and development, and primatology

Draws on biology, zoology, geology, anatomy, physiology, medicine, public health, osteology, and archaeology

Courtesy: www.bioanth.cam.ac.uk

Biological Anthropology: Specialties

•Paleoanthropology – Human evolution in the

fossil record•Human genetics•Human growth and development •Human biological plasticity– Body’s ability

to change•Primatology – Study of primate biology,

evolution, behavior, and social life

Example: Human Genographic Project

Nat’l Geographic Deep ancestry

(10kya+) Y chromosome allele

mutations/differences

http://www.daylife.comQuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressorare needed to see this picture.

Historical linguists – reconstruct ancient

languages and study linguistic variation

through time

Sociolinguistics – Studies relationship between

social and linguistic variation... discovers

patterns of thought in different cultures

Linguistic Anthropology

• Study of language in its social and cultural context across space and time

Historical Linguistics: Indo-European Langs 1,500 yrs ago

IE Languages Today

Applying Anthropology

Applying the data, perspectives, theories, & methods to real situations

Helping solve contemporary social problems

E.g., in Public health, cultural resource management, & business

Tongva (Gabrielino) seed beaterof willow & redbud boughs; used to collect seeds for piñole (sage, tarweed, acorns, Madia flowers, cherry stones

Anthropology Interacts with Other Academic Fields

Example: Sociology

•Sociology shares an interest in social

relations, organization, and behavior

•Originally, sociologists focused on industrial

West

•Sociologists use surveys extensively

•Anth & Soc are converging

Anthropology as a Science

Systematic field of study or body of knowledge that aims, through experiment, observation, and deduction, to produce reliable explanations of phenomena with reference to the material and physical world

Anthropology as an Art

Encompasses study of and cross-cultural comparison of languages, texts, philosophies, arts, music, performances, and other forms of creative expression

Science, Explanation, and Hypothesis Testing

Research methods are the techniques that

investigators use to formulate meaningful questions and

to collect, analyze, and interpret facts in replicable and

reliable ways.

Carefully define variables

Associations – observed relationships between two

or more measured variables

Research Methods

1st level of abstraction• observation• concept formation• data• facts

2nd level of abstraction• Associations• Correlations• Proportions• Relations• propositions

Research Q: Is there a relationship b/n Education & Experience? What variables?

What testable framework?

What 1st level abstract concepts?

Define/operationalize our terms: family, parent, college experience

2nd level: Are there associations?

What is the significance?

Theories

Theories are never proved, only disproved

Theories “build” & expandTheories are never “true,” only verifiedA “law” is a highly verified theoryModels and explanations are high level

theories

Science & Validity Reliability Replicability

Balinese Cockfighting

Methods of Collecting Data in Cultural Anthropology

Field Research Questionnaire Interview Participant-

Observation Secondary sources

Final Considerations

Operationalize or define terms

Sampling Independent &

dependent variables

Anthropologist K. Narayan (right) with U. D. Sood doing Oral Folklore project in India