Required to spend extended periods of time with people in their environment
Explain human beings and human behaviour
Study of humans everywhere, past and present
Greek: Anthropos = man/human + logos = study
Produces information on what makes people different and similar
,Anthropology and other disciplines that study people
Definition: Discipline: a branch of instruction or learning, a branch of science. Each has its different field of study, characteristics, approach and methods of
obtaining data.
Psychology Sociology History Geographers
Studies the mental life (nature Studies the social relations, Focuses on past events and Relate the study of human to the
& characteristics of the mind) of organisation and human individuals study of land
humans behaviour of human societies Ecological factors (terrain and
Fields of study: Psychological Use questionnaires – sampling climate) and their influence on
anthropology, culture and and statistical methods human behaviour
personality, ethnopsychology
,Perspective and approach
Distinguishing feature: holistic/multifaceted approach to studying people
Take the whole context of a particular group of people into account
Study all varieties of people and many aspects of human experience
Integrates and applies knowledge from various areas of activity to an aspect of human
behaviour by placing it within its sociocultural and environmental context
Contextualisation – emphasises dynamic relationships between phenomena
Holism/contextualisation = each patterned element/system is linked to other elements
within a specific time, situation and locality
Change within one system can influence other systems
Comparative method
Not intended as a way of determining which groups are better than others
Indicate the differences/similarities/universals between sociocultural systems of people
Concept of culture/sociocultural system and fieldwork
, Subfields
Biological/physical anthropology Archaeology Linguistic Anthropology Sociocultural Anthropology
Biological/physical aspects of Studies the past living conditions Focuses on the large variety of Cultural Anthropology:
humans and populations and changes that occurred in languages and the relationship Used in America
Emergence of humans and their human populations during between language and other Emphasised pattern behaviour
development prehistoric times aspects of people’s lives transmitted over generations
Why and how contemporary Obtain data from the material Specialist areas: within a group context, which is
human populations vary remains of human settlements Historical linguistics – how guided by particular common
biologically Remains include tools, ornament, language changes over time & values.
Obtain info about early humans postherds, weapons and human how they are related to each Social anthropology:
and their relation to modern bones other Used in Great Britain
humans These are exposed during Descriptive/structural linguistics – Focused on the dynamics of
Make use of: excavations differences between social relations, social structure,
human genetics – inherited contemporary languages, etc.
human traits especially in terms of their Sociocultural systems is a
population biology – study of construction combination of the two
the effects of the environment Sociolinguistics – the way More balanced approach
epidemiology – effects of languages are used in different towards understanding the
diseases on populations social contexts human experience
Note: demographic refers to Note: research about people and
statistical data concerning their sociocultural systems
populations (size, composition and requires a basic knowledge of
developments). Such statistical data their language
are acquired by census surveys
concerning the registration of births,
deaths, marriages and the migration
of people.
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