What Is Anthropology?

ANTH 221: Peoples and Cultures of MexicoKimberly Martin, Ph.D.

What is Anthropology?

DEFINITION Anthropology is

the holistic, synthetic, multidisciplinary study of human beings.

KEY COMPONENTS1. Anthropology seeks and uses all

information about both individual humans and groups of humans regardless of time, geographic location, culture or types of evidence.

2. Anthropology studies the biological, psychological, social and cultural aspects of being human in the present and in the past.

3. Anthropology draws knowledge and methods from any discipline that can help understand humanness

4. Anthropology attempts to integrate information from many disciplines into a single whole picture of what it means to be humans

What are the Four Sub-disciplines of Anthropology?

1. Physical Anthropology

2. Archaeology3. Linguistic Anthropology4. Cultural Anthropology

What is Physical Anthropology?

DEFINITION Physical Anthropology,

also called Biological Anthropology, is the study of the genetic, anatomical and physiological aspects of humanness, including our relationship to other kinds of animals in the past and present.

KEY COMPONENTS1. Physical anthro studies

human evolution to understand when humans first existed and how the human body has changed through time

2. Physical anthro studies how and why human individuals and groups differ from one another biologically in the past and present

3. Physical anthro studies how humans are alike and different from other animals, especially those most like us, the non-human primates

What Kinds of Physical Anthropologists Are There?

Paleoanthropologists study human fossil remains

Human Variation Specialists study how human anatomy and physiology are adapted to particular environments

Human Geneticists study patterns of gene distribution in human populations, as well as the consequences of particular genes to individuals

Forensic Anthropologists apply anthropological knowledge about the human body to solve crimes

Human Epidemiologists study how human biology and cultural practices affect health and disease patterns

Primatologists study similarities and differences between humans and our closest relatives, the non-human primates

Six Kinds of Biological Anthropologists

What is Archaeology?

DEFINITION Archaeology is

the study of the material remains of human cultures from the past and in the present.

KEY COMPONENTS1. Archaeology studies things

that people make (artifacts like pottery or tools) and leave behind

2. Archaeology studies things that people alter (features like roads and buildings) and leave behind

3. Archaeology studies environmental clues that show the circumstances in which people live or lived (ecofacts)

4. Archaeologists are interested in material culture from the past as well as from the present

What Kinds of Archaeologists Are There?

Classical Archaeologists

Study the remains from the foundational societies for Western Civilization

Ethnoarchaeologists Study how living societies make

and use tools and other material objects to draw analogies with ancient materials

Historical Archaeologists

Study the remains of historically documented societies to provide additional data on how people lived.

Contract ArchaeologistsIdentifying, evaluating, and managing sites threatened by development.

Experimental ArchaeologistsAttempt to reconstruct how material culture and cultural features were constructed and used in the past.

Five of Kinds of Archaeologists

What is Linguistic Anthropology?

DEFINITION Linguistic

Anthropology is the study of language and communication.

KEY COMPONENTS1. Linguistic anthropologists

describe how languages are produced and used

2. Linguistic anthropologists study how language changes through time

3. Linguistic anthropologists study how language usage varies in different social contexts

4. Linguistic anthropologists study how knowing a particular language influences how people think

5. Linguistic anthropologists study how people communicate non-verbally through gestures, body language and the use of space.

6. Language is a central part of culture

What kinds of Linguistic Anthropologists Are There?

Descriptive Linguists study how languages are produced and organized

Historical Linguists study how languages change over time

Ethnolinguists study how knowing a particular language affects the way people think

Sociolinguists study how language use changes in differing social situations

Developmental Linguists study how children acquire language

Paralanguage Experts study pitch, tone and rhythm in language

Proxemics Experts study the use of space to communicate

Kinesics Experts study body language and gestures

Eight Kinds of Linguistic Anthropologists

What is Cultural Anthropology?

DEFINITION Cultural

Anthropology, also called Socio-cultural Anthropology, is the study of contemporary and historic human societies through their cultures.

KEY COMPONENTS1. Cultural anthropology

studies living societies and descriptions of living societies

2. Cultural anthropology uses fieldwork and participant-observation to understand other ways of life

3. Cultural anthropology attempts to take a cultural relativist perspective on other cultures

4. Cultural anthropology is interested in all aspects of life in a society and how they fit together

What Kinds of Cultural Anthropologists Are There?

Cultural Ecologists study how culture interacts with the environment

Social Anthropologists study the rules for forming kin and non-kin social groups in society

Economic Anthropologists study how people produce and distribute the things they need to survive

Psychological Anthropologists study how individuals grow and function in different cultural contexts

Political Anthropologists study how power and authority

are delegated and rules enforced in society

Medical Anthropologists study how culture and human biology interact to create disease and illness in societies

Aesthetic Anthropologists study what is considered beautiful and how beauty is created in different societies

Seven Kinds of Cultural Anthropologists

Cultural Anthropology Terms

• Culture = the abstract, learned, shared rules and standards used to interpret experiences and generate behavior

• Society = a group of people living according to a shared culture.

• Ethnocentrism = judging another culture using your own culture’s rules and standards

• Cultural Relativism = judging another society using their cultural rules and standards.

Key Terms• Anthropology• Holistic• Synthetic• Multidisciplinary• Physical Anthropology• Paleoanthropology• Forensic Anthropology• Primatology• Archaeology• Classical Archaeology• Ethnoarchaeology• Contract Archaeology• Historical Archaeology• Experimental Archaeology

• Linguistic Anthropology• Descriptive Linguistics• Historical Linguistics• Ethnolinguistics• Sociolinguistics• Cultural Anthropology• Culture• Society• Ethnocentrism• Cultural Relativism• Cultural Ecologist• Social Anthropology• Economic Anthropologists• Medical Anthropologists