WHAT IS ANTHROPOLOGY?
Anthropology
• Greek origins of word:
– anthropos “man”
– -ology “study of”
Anthropology
• Greek origins of word:
– anthropos “man”
– -ology “study of”
• The study of human biological and cultural
variation, past and present
Anthropology
• Greek origins of word:
– anthropos “man”
– -ology “study of”
• The study of human biological and cultural
variation, past and present
• Goal: understand uniqueness and diversity,
and discover universal similarities
Anthropology
• Greek origins of word:
– anthropos “man”
– -ology “study of”
• The study of human biological and cultural
variation, past and present
• Goal: understand uniqueness and diversity,
and discover universal similarities
• Holistic approach: study many different
aspects of human experience
Four-Field Approach
• Cultural Anthropology
• Linguistic Anthropology
• Biological Anthropology
• Archaeology
BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY
Also called Physical Anthropology
Biological Anthropology
• Human Paleontology and Paleoanthropology
– Evolution of humans
Biological Anthropology
• Human Paleontology and Paleoanthropology
– Evolution of humans
• Primatology
– Study of primates
Biological Anthropology
• Human Paleontology and Paleoanthropology
– Evolution of humans
• Primatology
– Study of primates
• Modern Human Biological Variation
– How and why populations of humans vary
biologically
CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY
Also called Social Anthropology and Sociocultural Anthropology
Cultural Anthropology
• Ethnology (Ethnologist)
– Study of existing and recent cultures
Cultural Anthropology
• Ethnology (Ethnologist)
– Study of existing and recent cultures
• Ethnography (Ethnographer)
– Detailed description of customary thought & behaviour of
a particular culture
Cultural Anthropology
• Ethnology (Ethnologist)
– Study of existing and recent cultures
• Ethnography (Ethnographer)
– Detailed description of customary thought & behaviour of a
particular culture
• Ethnohistory (Ethnohistorian)
– Study of how the ways of life of a
group of people have changed
over time
ARCHAEOLOGY
Archaeology
• Prehistoric Archaeology
– Reconstruct past cultures based on material
remains
• Historic Archaeology
– Same as prehistoric, but
study societies with
written records
LINGUISTIC ANTHROPOLOGY
Linguistic Anthropology
• Historical Linguistics
– How languages change over time and are related
Linguistic Anthropology
• Historical Linguistics
– How languages change over time and are related
• Structural (or descriptive) linguistics
– How modern languages differ in construction
Linguistic Anthropology
• Historical Linguistics
– How languages change over time and are related
• Structural (or descriptive) linguistics
– How modern languages differ in construction
• Sociolinguistics
– How language is used in social
contexts
Applied Anthropology
Useful application of anthropological
knowledge (of ANY subfield) to realworld issues and concerns
Next time…
• Concept of Culture