The Social Sciences: Anthropology

The Social Sciences    Anthropology  Study human life throughout history   Examines biological and cultural diversity Comparative and holistic Sociology   Study of the groups and societies humans build and the way social relationships affect behavior Focuses on groups and social institutions Psychology  Study of behavior and mental processes in contexts  Focuses on individuals

General Anthropology  Study of the whole of human existence:   Past, present, future Biology, society, language, culture

General Anthropology  Study of the whole of human existence:   Past, present, future Biology, society , language, culture Organized life in groups

General Anthropology  Study of the whole of human existence:   Past, present, future Biology, society, language, culture Traditions and customs that govern beliefs and behaviors Transmitted through learning

General Anthropology   Study of the whole of human existence:   Past, present, future Biology, society, language, culture Grew during the late 19 th  century Influenced by:  Evolutionary theory   Reports from travelers to non-Western societies Discoveries in biology and geology

General Anthropology   Subdisciplines:     Cultural (sociocultural) Archeological Biological Linguistic Common theme: Humans are

biological

and

cultural

beings

evolving

through time

Cultural Anthropology   Study society and culture   Explain cultural similarities and differences What aspects of culture are universal? Generalized? Particular?

Culture is:  Learned (often unconsciously)      Based on symbols Shared and integrated Both stable and changing Forms subcultures Is exceedingly complex

Cultural Anthropology  Ethnography   Based largely on fieldwork Ethnopicture: an in-depth examination of a particular culture or society

Cultural Anthropology  Ethnology   Based on cross-cultural comparison Uses data gathered by ethnographers and archaeologists to identify and explain cultural differences and similarities

Archaeological Anthropology    Reconstructs behavior and cultural patterns by examining material remains Traditional archaeology focused on discovering grand sites Some archaeologists ‘going local’ to look at daily life

Archaeological Anthropology  Not always glamorous!

Archaeological Anthropology  Not always glamorous!

Archaeological Anthropology  Must infer cultural patterns from artifacts and ruins   Non-native materials indicate trade Buildings give clues about the living conditions

Mt. Vernon Distillery Dig

Biological Anthropology  Seek to understand human adaptation, variation, and change  Primatology

Biological Anthropology  Seek to understand human adaptation, variation, and change   Primatology Forensics

Biological Anthropology  Seek to understand human adaptation, variation, and change    Primatology Forensics Genetics

Biological Anthropology  Seek to understand human adaptation, variation, and change     Primatology Forensics Genetics Sociobiology

Linguistic Anthropology   Initially documented unwritten, ‘disappearing’ languages Now those languages have been recorded or lost—very few left

Linguistic Anthropology   Language is constantly changing Now broadens view to many types of communication

Applied Anthropology  Using anthropological knowledge to solve practical problems     Forensic anthropology Linguists Globalization Garbology