Anthropology

Anthropology ( /ænθrɵˈpɒlədʒi/) is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos (ἄνθρωπος), "human being", and -logia (-λογία), "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German philosopher Magnus Hundt.

Anthropology's basic concerns are "What defines Homo sapiens?", "Who are the ancestors of modern Homo sapiens?", "What are humans' physical traits?", "How do humans behave?", "Why are there variations and differences among different groups of humans?", "How has the evolution Anthropology ( /ænθrɵˈpɒlədʒi/) is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos (ἄνθρωπος), "human being", and -logia (-λογία), "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German philosopher Magnus Hundt.

Anthropology's basic concerns are "What defines Homo sapiens?", "Who are the ancestors of modern Homo sapiens?", "What are humans' physical traits?", "How do humans behave?", "Why are there variations and differences among different groups of humans?", "How has the evolutionary past of Homo sapiens influenced its social organization and culture?" and so forth.

In the United States, contemporary anthropology is typically divided into four sub-fields: cultural anthropology also known as social anthropology, archaeology, linguistic anthropology, and physical (or biological) anthropology. The four-field approach to anthropology is reflected in many undergraduate textbooks as well as anthropology programs (e.g. Michigan, Berkeley, Penn). At universities in the United Kingdom, and much of Europe, these "sub-fields" are frequently housed in separate departments and are seen as distinct disciplines.

The social and cultural sub-field has been heavily influenced by structuralist and post-modern theories, as well as a shift toward the analysis of modern societies (an arena more typically in the remit of sociologists). During the 1970s and 1990s there was an epistemological shift away from the positivist traditions that had largely informed the discipline.During this shift, enduring questions about the nature and production of knowledge came to occupy a central place in cultural and social anthropology. In contrast, archaeology, biological anthropology, and linguistic anthropology remained largely positivist. Due to this difference in epistemology, anthropology as a discipline has lacked cohesion over the last several decades. This has even led to departments diverging, for example in the 1998–9 academic year at Stanford University, where the "scientists" and "non-scientists" divided into two departments: anthropological sciences and cultural & social anthropology; these departments later reunified in the 2008–9 academic year. ...more

Most Read This Week Tagged "Anthropology"

The Bone Hacker (Temperance Brennan, #22)

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Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution

The Way of the Bear (Leaphorn, Chee & Manuelito, #26)

The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity

Sapiens: A Graphic History, Volume 1 - The Birth of Humankind

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Less Is More: How Degrowth Will Save the World

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Anthropology Books

Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies

Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed

The Gift: The Form and Reason for Exchange in Archaic Societies

The Third Chimpanzee: The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures

1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus

Coming of Age in Samoa: A Psychological Study of Primitive Youth for Western Civilisation

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Lists

The Conquest of Gaul by Gaius Julius Caesar

A New History of Ireland by Theodore William Moody

The Celtic World Suggested Reading

81 books — 2 voters

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7 books — 2 voters

The Politics of Belonging in India by Daniel J. Rycroft

The Adivasi Will Not Dance by Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar

Adivasi

67 books — 2 voters

Bukareszt. Kurz i krew by Małgorzata Rejmer

Gdzieś dalej, gdzie indziej by Dariusz Czaja

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96 books — 24 voters

Celestial Beings and Bird-Men by Angus Forsyth

The Stavelot Triptych, Mosan Art, and the Legend of the True ... by Unknown

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103 books — 3 voters

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

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255 books — 108 voters

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Quotes Tagged “Anthropology”

“ Cultural analysis is intrinsically incomplete. And, worse than that, the more deeply it goes the less complete it is. ”
― Clifford Geertz

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“ One-third to one-half of humanity are said to go to bed hungry every night. In the Old Stone Age the fraction must have been much smaller. This is the era of hunger unprecedented. Now, in the time of the greatest technical power, is starvation an institution. Reverse another venerable formula: the amount of hunger increases relatively and absolutely with the evolution of culture. ”
― Marshall Sahlins, Stone Age Economics

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