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Class notes Sociology and anthropology (socsci101)
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It defines tha basic concept as a science, the areas, branches and the historical development of anthropology.
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ANTHROPOLOGY AS A SCIENCE: AREAS, BRANCHES, AND HISTORICALDEVELOPMENT
Anthropology as the Study of Man
- From two Greek words – Anthropos which means “man” or “human being,” and logos which
means “knowledge.”
- Man is the central concern of anthropology – his physical, social, and cultural development
across time and space.
- Studies the behavioral, biological, and socio-cultural aspects of man as well as his works and
achievements.
The objectives of anthropology as identified by Palispis (1996, 10) are:
1. To describe the phenomena of human life and culture
2. To classify the variable phenomena that are studied in order to achieve revealing general
formulations
3. To locate the origins of the changes and processes that are characteristics of such classified
data
4. To describe those changes and directions of change that are likely to be taken by the
phenomenon under examination
Four Main Fields of Anthropology
1. Physical anthropology or biological anthropology
- It is called physical anthropology because the data that it uses are mainly physical (e.g., the use
of fossils, especially human bones) to gather information on the evolutionary development of
man.
- Some of its subfields are population genetics, primatology, osteology, and anthropometrics.
2. Cultural anthropology
- The main concerns of cultural anthropology are human society and culture.
- Cultural anthropologists investigate the culture and social organization of a particular group of
people, including their language, political organization, kinship, socialization, traditions and even
gender relations.
- Among the subfields of cultural anthropology are ethnography (describes human society);
ethology (comparatively examines the origin, distribution and culture of the different divisions
of humanity); cultural studies; psychological anthropology; and ethnic studies.
3. Linguistic anthropology
- It studies the processes of human communication, i.e., the variation of language across time.
- It examines the relationship between language and other aspects of culture like ethnicity, social
status, and even socialization.
, - Other subfields of linguistics include historical linguistics or the study of language change;
sociolinguistics or the study of patterns of linguistic variability; and developmental linguistic or
the study of the development of linguistic ability in an individual.
4. Archeology
- Field of anthropology that examines the distribution and form of artifacts, and the cultural
patterns or movement of ancient life.
- It aims to reconstruct man’s past behavior by studying fossils (plant and animal remains) and
artifacts.
- The main technique is excavation work: which involves very careful and highly sophisticated
ways of recovering and rediscovering our ancestors.
Anthropology and Other Academic Fields
Anthropology
- Is both scientific and humanistic in nature
- Anthropologists frequently collaborate with other scientists, such as botanists, paleontologists,
and zoologists, in analyzing plant and animal remains found along with human bones and
artifacts.
Physics, chemistry, and geology
- Provide links with anthropology in using techniques that identify and date fossils and artifacts
used in archeological studies.
Field of humanities
- Has also established its relevance in anthropology, whose branches make use of languages, arts,
music, and other cultural variations.
History
- Branch of social science which deals with the study of past events.
- Historians collaborate with anthropologists in tracing and interpreting historical development,
and placing past events in their social and cultural contexts.
Psychology
- Concerned with human mind and behavior and the same objective applies to anthropology.
- Psychological theories can be utilized by anthropologists in the fields of cultural and physical
anthropology. On the other hand, anthropology provides cross-cultural data and offers
psychologists a wider factual base where theories or assumptions may be applied and tested.
Economics
- Deals with the production, distribution, and consumption of wealth in the society.
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