Chapter 1
The Essence of Anthropology
Learning Objectives
After studying this material, students should be able to do the following:
1. Describe the discipline of anthropology and make connections among its four
fields.
2. Compare anthropology to the sciences and humanities.
3. Identify the characteristics of anthropological field methods and the ethics of
anthropological research.
4. Explain the usefulness of anthropology in light of globalization.
Lecture Outline
,I. The Anthropological Perspective
1. The authors define anthropology as “the study of humankind in all times and
places.”
2. Other disciplines focus on humans in one way or another. Anthropology focuses on
the interconnections and interdependence of all aspects of the human experience.
3. This broad holistic perspective equips anthropologists to address human nature.
4. Anthropologists seek to apply a holistic perspective, viewing all aspects of culture
in the broadest possible context in order to understand their interconnections.
5. Anthropologists attempt to avoid ethnocentrism, a belief that the ways of one’s
own culture are the only proper ones.
6. Anthropology has links to many other disciplines and aims at the synthesis of
various approaches to the human experience
7. In addition, until recently Europeans failed to recognize the common humanity
they share with others, a recognition essential to the anthropological enterprise.
a. A unique cross-cultural and historical perspective distinguishes anthropology
from the other social sciences and protects against culture-bound theories of
human behavior (those based on the assumptions and values of the
researcher’s own culture).
b. Anthropology can be seen as a laboratory, or testing ground, for the theories
of other disciplines such as sociology, psychology, and economics.
II. Anthropology and Its Fields
1. Anthropologists tend to specialize in one of four fields, or subdisciplines, of
anthropology: cultural anthropology, linguistic anthropology, archaeology, and
physical (biological) anthropology.
2. One specialty in anthropology that brings theoretical and applied approaches from
both cultural and physical anthropology to the study of human health and disease
is medical anthropology.
A. Cultural Anthropology
3. An anthropologist may use participant observation to better understand a
particular way of life.
, 4. The ethnographer must observe carefully to understand all parts of a culture – its
social, political, economic, and religious practices and institutions, and how these
areas relate to each other.
5. Ethnography provides the raw data for ethnology. The ethnology is the branch of
cultural anthropology that provides cross-cultural comparisons and theories that
explain differences and similarities from group to group.
6. Applied anthropology is the practical use of anthropological knowledge and
methods to solve practical problems.
a. Today, anthropologists apply their findings to a variety of contexts ranging
from business to education to healthcare. This is applied cultural anthropology
B. Linguistic Anthropology
1. Language allows people to create, preserve, and transmit details of their culture
from generation to generation.
2. Linguistic anthropology is a branch of anthropology that studies human languages.
b. Linguistic anthropologists investigate the structure, history, and relation to
social and cultural contexts through language.
c. Linguistic anthropology has three main branches: descriptive linguistics,
historical linguistics, and language in relation to social and cultural settings.
All three yield valuable information about how people communicate and how
they understand the world around them.
(a) Descriptive linguistics involves recording, delineating, and analyzing all the
features of a language leading to a deeper understanding of that
language.
(b) Historical linguistics focuses on all the features of a language at a given
moment in time.
(c) Linguistic anthropologists may look into the dynamic relationship between
language and culture to determine the degree to which they mutually
influence each other.
d. Linguistic anthropologists apply their research to many areas of life. For
example, these anthropologists may assist small ethnic groups in the
preservation or revival of languages that have been suppressed by dominant
societies. Another example of applied linguistic anthropology is the creation of
written forms of languages that previously only existed orally.
, C. Archaeology
1. Archaeology studies material remains in order to describe and explain human
behavior, looking particularly at the human past.
e. A number of topical archaeological subspecialties exist including
bioarchaeology (the study of human remains), contemporary archaeology
(studying how people use material currently), applied archaeology (use of data
on current cultures, such as landfill excavations to inform concerned parties on
modern issues), and culture resource management (concerned with survey
and/or excavation of archaeological and historical remains that might be
threatened by construction or development).
i. Culture resource management is most often tied to government policies
for the protection of cultural resources threatened by construction or
development.
The Essence of Anthropology
Learning Objectives
After studying this material, students should be able to do the following:
1. Describe the discipline of anthropology and make connections among its four
fields.
2. Compare anthropology to the sciences and humanities.
3. Identify the characteristics of anthropological field methods and the ethics of
anthropological research.
4. Explain the usefulness of anthropology in light of globalization.
Lecture Outline
,I. The Anthropological Perspective
1. The authors define anthropology as “the study of humankind in all times and
places.”
2. Other disciplines focus on humans in one way or another. Anthropology focuses on
the interconnections and interdependence of all aspects of the human experience.
3. This broad holistic perspective equips anthropologists to address human nature.
4. Anthropologists seek to apply a holistic perspective, viewing all aspects of culture
in the broadest possible context in order to understand their interconnections.
5. Anthropologists attempt to avoid ethnocentrism, a belief that the ways of one’s
own culture are the only proper ones.
6. Anthropology has links to many other disciplines and aims at the synthesis of
various approaches to the human experience
7. In addition, until recently Europeans failed to recognize the common humanity
they share with others, a recognition essential to the anthropological enterprise.
a. A unique cross-cultural and historical perspective distinguishes anthropology
from the other social sciences and protects against culture-bound theories of
human behavior (those based on the assumptions and values of the
researcher’s own culture).
b. Anthropology can be seen as a laboratory, or testing ground, for the theories
of other disciplines such as sociology, psychology, and economics.
II. Anthropology and Its Fields
1. Anthropologists tend to specialize in one of four fields, or subdisciplines, of
anthropology: cultural anthropology, linguistic anthropology, archaeology, and
physical (biological) anthropology.
2. One specialty in anthropology that brings theoretical and applied approaches from
both cultural and physical anthropology to the study of human health and disease
is medical anthropology.
A. Cultural Anthropology
3. An anthropologist may use participant observation to better understand a
particular way of life.
, 4. The ethnographer must observe carefully to understand all parts of a culture – its
social, political, economic, and religious practices and institutions, and how these
areas relate to each other.
5. Ethnography provides the raw data for ethnology. The ethnology is the branch of
cultural anthropology that provides cross-cultural comparisons and theories that
explain differences and similarities from group to group.
6. Applied anthropology is the practical use of anthropological knowledge and
methods to solve practical problems.
a. Today, anthropologists apply their findings to a variety of contexts ranging
from business to education to healthcare. This is applied cultural anthropology
B. Linguistic Anthropology
1. Language allows people to create, preserve, and transmit details of their culture
from generation to generation.
2. Linguistic anthropology is a branch of anthropology that studies human languages.
b. Linguistic anthropologists investigate the structure, history, and relation to
social and cultural contexts through language.
c. Linguistic anthropology has three main branches: descriptive linguistics,
historical linguistics, and language in relation to social and cultural settings.
All three yield valuable information about how people communicate and how
they understand the world around them.
(a) Descriptive linguistics involves recording, delineating, and analyzing all the
features of a language leading to a deeper understanding of that
language.
(b) Historical linguistics focuses on all the features of a language at a given
moment in time.
(c) Linguistic anthropologists may look into the dynamic relationship between
language and culture to determine the degree to which they mutually
influence each other.
d. Linguistic anthropologists apply their research to many areas of life. For
example, these anthropologists may assist small ethnic groups in the
preservation or revival of languages that have been suppressed by dominant
societies. Another example of applied linguistic anthropology is the creation of
written forms of languages that previously only existed orally.
, C. Archaeology
1. Archaeology studies material remains in order to describe and explain human
behavior, looking particularly at the human past.
e. A number of topical archaeological subspecialties exist including
bioarchaeology (the study of human remains), contemporary archaeology
(studying how people use material currently), applied archaeology (use of data
on current cultures, such as landfill excavations to inform concerned parties on
modern issues), and culture resource management (concerned with survey
and/or excavation of archaeological and historical remains that might be
threatened by construction or development).
i. Culture resource management is most often tied to government policies
for the protection of cultural resources threatened by construction or
development.
