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

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

5
Branches of Anthropology Archaeology

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

6
Branches of Anthropology Anthropological
Linguistics

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

7
Branches of Anthropology Cultural Anthropology

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

8
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.

9
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.

10
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.

11
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  writing and about whom historical documents have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.

12
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.

13
Anthropological Linguistics

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

14
Cultural Anthropology

1. Areas of Specialization
2. Urban anthropology
3. Medical anthropology
4. Educational anthropology
5. Psychological anthropology

15
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.

16
Holism

• Anthropology studies many different aspects of
  human experience
• Family structure
• Marital regulations
• House construction
• Methods of conflict resolution
• Means of livelihood
• Religious beliefs
• Language
• Space usage, and art

17
Responding to Unfamiliar Cultures

• Ethnocentrically
• Responding from the context of ones own
  cultural perspective.
• Cultural relativist
• Responding within the context of the other
  culture.

18
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.

19
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.

20
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.

21
Quick Quiz
22

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

23
Answer d

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

24

• 2. ________ are objects that have been made or
  modified by human beings.
• Features
• Objects
• Artifacts
• Ecofacts

25
Answer c

• Artifacts are objects that have been made or
  modified by human beings.

26

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

27
Answer d

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

28

• 4. Cultural relativism is the idea that any part
  of culture must be viewed in its proper cultural
  context.
• True
• False

29
Answer true

• Cultural relativism is the idea that any part of
  culture must be viewed in its proper cultural
  context.

30

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

31
Answer b

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