Chapter One

1
Chapter One

• What Is Anthropology?

2
What We Will Learn

• How does anthropology differ from other social
  and behavioral sciences?
• What is the four- field approach to the
  discipline of anthropology?
• How can anthropology help solve social problems?
• What is meant by cultural relativism, and why
  is it important?
• What skills will students develop from the study
  of anthropology?

3
What is Anthropology?

• Anthropology is the study of people
• their origins
• their development, and contemporary variations
• wherever and whenever they have been found

4
Branches of Anthropology

• Physical Anthropology
• Archaeology
• Anthropological Linguistics
• Cultural Anthropology

5
Physical Anthropology

• Paleontology
• Primatology
• Human variation
• Forensic Anthropology
• Applied Physical Anthropology

6
Archaeology

• Historical archaeology
• Prehistoric archaeology
• Contract archaeology
• Applied archaeology

7
Anthropological Linguistics

• Historical linguistics
• Descriptive linguistics
• Ethnolinguistics
• Sociolinguistics
• Applied linguistics

8
Cultural Anthropology

• Economic anthropology
• Psychological anthropology
• Educational anthropology
• Medical anthropology
• Urban anthropology
• Political anthropology
• Applied cultural anthropology

9
Biological Anthropology

• In 1991, construction workers in Manhattan
  unearthed a burial ground dating to the 17th
  century containing the remains of 10,000 African
  slaves.
• Biological anthropologist Dr. Michael Blakey
  headed the African Burial Ground Project.

10
Physical Anthropology

• Study of humans from a biological perspective.
• Areas of investigation
• Paleoanthropology - emergence of humans and how
  humans have evolved.
• Human variation - how and why the physical traits
  of human populations vary.

11
Forensic Anthropology

• Dr. Kathy Reichs, a forensic anthropologist,
  works with police, the courts, medical
  examiners, and international organizations to
  identify victims of crimes, disasters, and
  genocide.
• Dr. Reichs inspired the primetime TV series Bones.

12
Primatology

• Study of anatomy and social behavior of nonhuman
  primate species gorillas, baboons, and
  chimpanzees.
• Effort to learn about human evolution by studying
  contemporary nonhuman primates in similar
  environments.
• Tool-making skills found in chimpanzees help
  explain human strategies for adapting to the
  environment.

13
Primatology

• Primatologist Diane Brockman studies the behavior
  of Coquerel's sifaka at the Duke University
  Primate Center.

14
Archaeology

• Study people from the past by analyzing material
  culture they leave behind
• Artifacts
• Example tools, arrowheads.
• Features
• Examples foundations and fireplaces.
• Ecofacts
• Examples bones, seeds, and wood.

15
Question

• The study of humans from a biological perspective
  is called
• anthropological linguistics.
• zoology.
• forensic anthropology.
• physical anthropology.

16
Answer d

• The study of humans from a biological perspective
  is physical anthropology.

17
Archaeologists

• Historic archaeologists
• Reconstruct the cultures of people who used
  writing and about whom historical documents have
  been written.
• Prehistoric archaeologists
• Study the human record of cultures that existed
  before the development of writing.

18
Anthropological Linguistics

• Historical linguistics
• Study of emergence of language and how specific
  languages have diverged over time.
• Descriptive linguistics
• Study of sound systems, grammatical systems, and
  the meanings attached to words in specific
  languages.

19
Anthropological Linguistics

• Ethnolinguistics
• Study the relationship between language and
  culture.
• Sociolinguistics
• Study the relationship between language and
  social relations.

20
Anthropology

• Dr. Owen Sichone, an anthropologist at the
  University of Cape Town, conducts research on
  African migrants to Cape Town, issues of
  xenophobia, and emerging political structure in
  South Africa.

21
Cultural Anthropology

• Areas of Specialization
• Urban anthropology
• Medical anthropology
• Educational anthropology
• Psychological anthropology

22
Two Facets of Cultural Anthropology
Ethnography Ethnology
Descriptive Comparative
Based on direct fieldwork Uses data collected by other ethnographers
Focuses on a single culture or subculture Generalizes across cultures or subcultures
23
Non-Academic Career Opportunities in Anthropology
Subfield Examples
Physical Anthropology Forensic specialists with law enforcement Museum curatorGenetic counselorHuman rights investigator Zoologist/primatologistPublic health official
24
Non-Academic Career Opportunities in Anthropology
Subfield Examples
Archaeology Cultural resource management Museum curator Environmental impact specialist Historical archaeologist Contract (salvage) archaeologist
25
Non-Academic Career Opportunities in Anthropology
Subfield Examples
Anthropological Linguistics ESL teacher in public schools International business trainer Foreign language teacher Cross-cultural advertising/marketing Translator/interpreter
26
Non-Academic Career Opportunities in Anthropology
Subfield Examples
Cultural Anthropology International business consultant Cross-cultural consultant in hospital Museum curator International economic development worker Cross-cultural trainer Public school educator Immigration/refugee counselor
27
Holism

• A distinguishing feature of the discipline of
  anthropology is its holistic approach to the
  study of human groups.
• Anthropology involves both biological and
  sociocultural aspects of humanity.
• The time frame goes from the earliest beginnings
  of humans to the present.
• Anthropology studies all varieties of people
  wherever they may be found.

28
Ethnocentrism

• The practice of viewing the customs of other
  societies in terms of ones own.

29
Cultural Relativism

• The idea that cultural traits are best understood
  when viewed within the cultural context of which
  they are a part.

30
Limits of Cultural Relativism

1. If every society is unique and can only be
   evaluated in terms of its own standards, a
   cross-cultural comparison impossible.
2. There is no behavior that could be considered
   immoral if the people who practice it consider it
   acceptable or it functions for the well-being of
   the society.

31
Question

• A distinguishing feature of anthropology is its
  ________ approach to the study of human groups.
• emic
• etic
• ethnocentric
• holistic

32
Answer d

• A distinguishing feature of anthropology is its
  holistic approach to the study of human groups.

33
Question

• ________ is the belief that one's own culture is
  superior to all others.
• Holism
• Ethnocentrism
• Cultural relativism
• Emeticism

34
Answer b

• Ethnocentrism is the belief that one's own
  culture is superior to all others.

35
Emic Versus Etic Approaches

• The emic approach (insider view) seeks to
  describe another culture in terms of the
  categories, concepts, and perceptions of the
  people being studied.
• In the etic approach (outsider view),
  anthropologists use their own categories and
  concepts to describe the culture under analysis.

36
Value of Anthropology

• Individual
• The study of different cultures provides a better
  understanding of ones own culture and develops
  valuable leadership skills.
• Societal
• Understanding different cultures can contribute
  to the solution of pressing societal problems.

37
Cultural Anthropology

• The study of cultural anthropology prepares
  people for working in the global economy of the
  twenty-first century.