Quote: "Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species."
It is a study of human societies and cultures, including their beliefs, values, customs, and practices.
Anthropology as a discipline: Anthropology is the study of human behavior, culture, and society. It involves a holistic understanding of human life, examining everything from evolutionary history to contemporary cultural practices.
Cultural relativism: This is the principle that cultures should be understood on their own terms, without judging them according to the standards of one's own culture.
Ethnocentrism: This is the tendency to view one's own culture as superior to others, and to judge other cultures based on one's own values and beliefs.
Cultural diversity: Anthropology recognizes that there is tremendous diversity in human cultures, and seeks to understand the range of cultural practices and beliefs across the world.
Human evolution: Anthropologists study the evolution of humans and the emergence of different human species, as well as the cultural and social changes that accompanied these developments.
Archaeology: Archaeologists study human societies and cultures through the analysis of artifacts, physical remains, and other material evidence.
Linguistics: Linguistic anthropologists study the role of language in human society, including language acquisition, language change, and variation in language use across cultures.
Social organization: Anthropologists study how societies are structured, including patterns of kinship, political organization, and economic systems.
Symbolic anthropology: This branch of anthropology focuses on the role of symbols and symbolic systems in human culture, including language, art, and ritual.
Cultural ecology: Cultural ecology is the study of the relationship between human cultures and their natural environments, including the ways in which cultures adapt to and transform their environments.
Medical anthropology: Medical anthropology is concerned with the relationship between culture and health, including the ways in which cultural beliefs and practices impact health outcomes.
Anthropology of religion: This branch of anthropology studies the role of religion in human culture, including religious beliefs, practices, and rituals.
Applied anthropology: This is the use of anthropological knowledge and research methods to address practical problems and issues, such as community development, public health, and environmental sustainability.
Anthropology and development: Anthropologists study the social and cultural dimensions of development, including the impacts of development on local communities and the ways in which development programs can be made more effective.
Anthropology of globalization: This branch of anthropology examines the impacts of globalization on cultures and societies around the world, including the spread of cultural forms and the effects of economic and political forces on local cultures.
Cultural Anthropology: This looks at human societies and cultures, studying the similarities, differences and cultural expressions across different communities and societies.
Social Anthropology: This studies the social structures and institutions of societies, including the relationships, kinship systems, and power hierarchies between individuals, communities, and groups.
Linguistic Anthropology: This studies human language and its role in shaping human identity, culture, thought, and communication. This field, for instance, looks at how language differences or similarities can reflect cultural values or social structures of a group.
Biological Anthropology: This examines the biological and physical aspects of humans, including their anatomy, genetics, evolution, and variation.
Archaeology: This studies past human civilizations by analyzing material remains, artefacts, and other physical evidence left behind. This can help uncover the lifestyles, beliefs, and technological developments of ancient societies.
Medical Anthropology: This focuses on the relationship between health, illness, and culture. It can deal with issues like how cultural beliefs or practices impact health outcomes, the spread of diseases or epidemics, and the effectiveness of different medical treatments in various cultural contexts.
Forensic Anthropology: This specialized field applies biological anthropological knowledge—such as methods for assessing age, sex, ancestry, and trauma patterns—to criminal investigations or other legal contexts.
Economic Anthropology: This tackles the issue of how different societies generate, distribute, and consume resources. It can explore various topics such as the role of technology in shaping economic systems, the impact of global markets on local cultures, or the ways in which societies achieve social equality and access to resources.
Political Anthropology: This analyses the power relations within and between societies, including how people gain, maintain, and exercise authority or how societies organize themselves to manage conflicts, resources or shared interests.
Applied Anthropology: This field applies anthropological theories, methods, and insights to real-world problems and issues such as education, policy-making, global development, migration, refugee aid, or corporate social responsibility. It thus emphasizes the practical application of anthropological knowledge for social betterment.
Quote: "Social anthropology studies patterns of behavior, while cultural anthropology studies cultural meaning, including norms and values. Linguistic anthropology studies how language influences social life. Biological or physical anthropology studies the biological development of humans. Archaeological anthropology... studies human activity through investigation of physical evidence."
Quote: "A portmanteau term sociocultural anthropology is commonly used today."
Quote: "Linguistic anthropology studies how language influences social life."
Quote: "Biological or physical anthropology studies the biological development of humans."
Quote: "Archaeological anthropology... studies human activity through investigation of physical evidence."
Quote: "In Europe, archaeology is viewed as a discipline in its own right or grouped under other related disciplines, such as history and palaeontology."
Quote: "Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species."
Quote: "Social anthropology studies patterns of behavior."
Quote: "Cultural anthropology studies cultural meaning, including norms and values."
Quote: "Linguistic anthropology studies how language influences social life."
Quote: "Archaeological anthropology... studies human activity through investigation of physical evidence."
Quote: "It is considered a branch of anthropology in North America and Asia."
Quote: "Archaeology is viewed as a discipline in its own right or grouped under other related disciplines, such as history and palaeontology."
Quote: "Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species."
Quote: "A portmanteau term sociocultural anthropology is commonly used today."
Quote: "Linguistic anthropology studies how language influences social life."
Quote: "Biological or physical anthropology studies the biological development of humans."
Quote: "Archaeological anthropology... studies human activity through investigation of physical evidence."
Quote: "In Europe, archaeology is viewed as a discipline in its own right or grouped under other related disciplines, such as history and palaeontology."