Society Challenge and Change

 What is Social Change:  Social change refers to changes in the way society is organized and in the beliefs and practices of the people who live in it  Social Scientists try to understand the nature of social change and what forces drive it rather then predict the future.

What are the Social Sciences?

Groups Personality Social Science is the study of humans in their social, economic and political relations.

Government Goods & Services The Social Sciences Human Behaviour Climate Culture Human behaviour is so varied, that social sciences have been organized into specialties according to areas of concern.

Each area asks different questions when trying to account for human behaviour.

Anthropology, Psychology & Sociology

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Anthropology

– the study of the unity and diversity of humanity (and related primates) and of human culture and society from a comparative and global perspective.



Psychology

– the study of thought processes and the behaviour of humans



Sociology

– the study of human social life, groups and societies

Venn Diagram – Compare & Contrast Anthropology

Behaviours of Groups & institutions Group dynamics, roles, rules, & institutions Cultural Customs & Rituals Behaviours of individuals & groups

All Study Human Behaviour

Behaviour of Individuals Personality Development

How Do The Experts Compare and Contrast Social Change?

DISCIPLINE Anthropology focuses on what causes an entire culture to change Psychology focuses on behaviours of individuals Sociology focuses on changes in a society.

QUESTIONS ASKED  What are the known basic mechanisms of social change?

 What ideas or explanations can we use to describe what causes cultures to change?

 How adequate are these ideas or explanations when we apply them to the modern world?

 What are the implications for anthropology?

 What must people do to successfully change their behaviours?

 What factors make behaviour-modification programs successful?

 Do most people need help in making behavioural changes or can they be self-changers?

 What are the massive shifts in the behaviours and attitudes of groups and whole society?

 How does social change come about?

 What are the patterns of social change?

The study of people, whether it is through anthropology , sociology , or psychology , helps us to learn what drives people.

The study of people

helps to breed

understanding

, and understanding begets

empathy

and

compassion

What is Anthropology?

Anthropology

Anthropology is the broad study of humankind around the world and throughout time.

It is concerned with both the biological and the cultural aspects of humans.

Anthropology

 What makes humans different from other animals?

 Is there such a thing as human nature, and if so, what is it like?

 How and why do human groups differ, both biologically and culturally?

 Why have humans changes so much in the last 10,000 years?

 How are people who live in urbanized nations different from “traditional” or “indigenous” people?

Anthropologists are interested in all human beings – whether living or dead.

No place or time is too remote to escape the notice of anthropologists.

No dimension of humankind from skin color to dress customs falls outside the anthropologist’s interest.

Anthropology is made up of five sub-divisions

Let’s get started…

Physical Anthropology

A.K.A. Biological Anthropology



Biological (also called Physical) anthropology is concerned with the anatomy and behavior of monkeys and apes, the physical variation between different human populations, and the biological evolution of the human species.



The specialization of primatology studies the evolution, anatomy, adaptation, and social behavior of primates, the taxonomic order to which humans belong.

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We humans or Homo sapiens sapiens share 98% of our genes with chimpanzees.

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Another important goal of biological anthropology is to understand how and why the human species evolved from prehuman, apelike ancestors.



The specialization that investigates human biological evolution is known as paleonanthropology.



Paleonanthropologists have reconstructed the history of how humans evolved anatomically.

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Through analyzing fossils, comparing DNA sequences and other methods, the outlines of human evolution are becoming clear.



Many scholars agree that the evolutionary line leading to modern humans split from those leading to modern African apes, chimpanzees and gorillas around 5 to 6 million years ago.

Cultural Anthropology

Cultural Anthropology…

 Is the study of contemporary and historically recent activities and cultures  Is the studying firsthand and reporting about the ways of living in particular groups  Is understanding the causes and consequences of cultural change  Is enhancing public understanding and appreciation of cultural differences and multicultural diversity

Cultural Anthropology

       

Culture Emotions and behaviors Languages and communication Religion Technology Political systems Social control Economic patterns



Kinship



Sex and marriage



Socialization



Class



Ethnicity



Gender



Culture change



Ethnocentrism

Archaeology

Prehistoric Archaeology is the study of ancient pre-literate cultures—those that never kept written records of their activities, customs and beliefs.

Although prehistoric peoples lacked writing, some information about their way of life can be recovered from tools, pottery, ornaments, bones, plant pollen, charcoal and other materials they left behind, in or around the ground.

Through careful excavation and laboratory analysis of such material remains, prehistoric archaeologist reconstruct the way people lived in ancient times and trace how human cultures have changed over centuries and even over millennia.



Contrary to the impression given by much North American media, the main goal of digging a particular site is not to recover valuable treasures and other artifacts.

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The goal is to understand how people of a particular place lived long ago.



Many archaeologists today are employed not in universities but in museums, public agencies, and for profit corporations.



Provincial highway agencies employ archaeologists to conduct surveys of proposed new routes in order to locate and excavate archaeological sites that will be destroyed.

Linguistic Anthropology

Applied Linguistics

Linguistic Anthropology

• • • • • • The human communication process focusing on… the importance of socio-cultural influences nonverbal communication the structure of language The function of language The history of languages, dialects, pidgins, and creoles

Applied Linguistics…

 Is the ability to communicate complex messages with greater efficiency  Is concerned with the complex relations between language and other aspects of human behaviour and thought e.g.

 How is language used in various social contexts? How does one order a drink in Japan?  What style of speech might one use with people of a higher social order?

 Does the language we learn while growing up have any important effects on how we view the world or how we think and feel?

Applied Anthropology

Now we now about it…what do we do with it?



Applied Anthropologist are problem solvers.



They solve problems drawing upon the cultural context for clues about how to address a problem in ways that will make sense to the people of that culture.



Today, hundreds of anthropologists hold full time positions that allow them to apply their expertise in government agencies, nonprofit and for profit organizations, and international agencies.



Applied anthropologists can be medical anthropologists—investigate the complex interactions among human health, nutrition, social environment and cultural beliefs and practices.



Also development anthropologists—apply their expertise to the solutions of practical human problems especially in the developing world— development anthropologists provide information about communities that help agencies adapt projects to local conditions and local needs.



Development anthropologists working for the World Bank, United Nations Development Program provide policy makers with knowledge of local-level ecological and cultural conditions, so that projects will avoid unanticipated problems and minimize negative impacts.

Research Methods Used by Anthropologists

Just how do they find out about this stuff?

Research Methods used by Anthropologists

• • • • • Participation-observation Collection of statistics Field interviews Rigorous compilation of detailed notes Fieldwork by anthropologists is know as “

ethnography

”

Participation-observation

•

Anthropologists have learned that the best way to really get to know another society and its culture is to live in it as an active participant rather than simply an observer.

•

By physically and emotionally participating in the social interaction of the host society it is possible to become accepted as a member.

Dian Fossey

• Dian Fossey believed that in order to study gorillas effectively she had to immerse herself with them in an effort to get them to accept her presence • She was murdered in her cabin at Karisoke on December 26, 1985. Her death is a mystery yet unsolved.

Why do we need Anthropologists? Don’t they tell us what we already know to be true?

•

Intuition

is believing something to be true because a person’s emotions and logic support it •

Intuition

is not proof of fact – this is why we need anthropologists – they prove or disprove what we BELIEVE to be true

Anthropology & Family

One of the major functions of an Anthropologists is to help us increase our knowledge regarding “What it is to be human?” by noting and comparing cultural differences.

One of the ways that this is done is by examining how different cultures view

“FAMILY”.

Is a family relationship based on what a culture considers a family to be?

•

KINSHIP

Kinship is a family relationship based on what a culture considers a family to be. • The family unit can vary depending on the culture in which the family lives • Through study Anthropologists have concluded that human cultures define the concept of kinship in three ways: • • • Mating – (marriage) Birth – (descent) Nurturance (adoption)

How do we track Kinship?

•

Patrilineal

– Method of tracing and organizing families through the father's line •

Matrilineal

– Method of tracing and organizing families through the mother's line.

•

Patriarchy

– A place in history designed for the convenience of men, and structured according to rules that men find comfortable. Consisting in society male dominate institutions that oppress women.

Anthropological Schools of Thought

Functionalism

• The theoretical school of Functionalism considers a culture as an interrelated whole, not a collection of isolated traits. • The Functionalists examined how a

is interrelated with other aspects of the culture and how it affects the whole system of the society

.

particular cultural phase

• The method of functionalism was based on fieldwork and direct observations of societies.

Structuralism

• Structuralism assumes that cultural forms are based on common properties of the human mind. • This theory states that humans tend to see things in terms of two forces that are opposite to each other - e.g.. night and day. • The goal of Structuralism is to discover universal principles of the human mind underlying each cultural trait and custom. • This theoretical school was almost single handedly established by Claude Levi-Strauss.

Cultural Materialism

• Technological and economical factors are the most important ones in molding a society – known as materialism.

• Determinism – states that the types of technology and economic methods that are adopted always determine (or act as deciding factors in forming) the type of society that develops.

Schools of Thought

Similarities Functionalism Structuralism Cultural Materialism

Attempts to understand cultures Attempts to understand cultures Attempts to understand cultures

Differences

Investigates the social functions of institutions Seeks out and explains rules that are based on binary opposites Explores members’ decisions regarding human reproduction and economic production

Criticisms

Presents societies as being more stable than they are a and downplays the negative results of some practices Overemphasizes logic and stability in human societies; societies wouldn’t die out if they always met the needs of their members Tries to establish laws that apply to all cultures and development; observes cultures through biased eyes