Chapter One

What Is Anthropology?
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?
What is Anthropology?
 Anthropology is the study of people
 their origins

 their development, and contemporary

variations
 wherever and whenever they have
been found.
Branches of Anthropology:
Physical Anthropology
 Paleontology
 Primatology
 Human variation
 Forensic Anthropology
 Applied Physical Anthropology
Branches of Anthropology:
Archaeology
 Historical archaeology
 Prehistoric archaeology
 Contract archaeology
 Applied archaeology
Branches of Anthropology:
Anthropological Linguistics
 Historical linguistics
 Descriptive linguistics
 Ethnolinguistics
 Sociolinguistics
 Applied linguistics
Branches of Anthropology:
Cultural Anthropology
 Economic anthropology
 Psychological anthropology
 Educational anthropology
 Medical anthropology
 Urban anthropology
 Political anthropology
 Applied cultural anthropology
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.
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.
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.
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used writing and about whom historical
documents have been written.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.
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.
Anthropological Linguistics
 Ethnolinguistics
 Study the relationship between
language and culture.
 Sociolinguistics
 Study the relationship between
language and social relations.
Cultural Anthropology
1. Areas of Specialization
2. Urban anthropology
3. Medical anthropology
4. Educational anthropology
5. Psychological anthropology
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.
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
Responding to Unfamiliar
Cultures
 Ethnocentrically
 Responding from the context of one’s
own cultural perspective.
 Cultural relativist
 Responding within the context of the
other culture.
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.
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.
Value of Anthropology
 Individual
 The study of different cultures provides a
better understanding of one’s own culture
and develops valuable leadership skills.
 Societal
 Understanding different cultures can
contribute to the solution of pressing societal
problems.
Quick Quiz
1. The study of humans from a biological
perspective is called
a) anthropological linguistics.

b) zoology.

c) forensic anthropology.

d) physical anthropology.
Answer: d
 The study of humans from a biological
perspective is physical anthropology.
2. ________ are objects that have been
made or modified by human beings.
a) Features

b) Objects

c) Artifacts

d) Ecofacts
Answer: c
 Artifacts are objects that have been
made or modified by human beings.
3. A distinguishing feature of anthropology
is its ________ approach to the study of
human groups.
a) emic

b) etic

c) ethnocentric

d) holistic
Answer: d
 A distinguishing feature of anthropology is
its holistic approach to the study of
human groups.
4. Cultural relativism is the idea that any
part of culture must be viewed in its
proper cultural context.
a) True

b) False
Answer: true
 Cultural relativism is the idea that any part
of culture must be viewed in its proper
cultural context.
5. ________ is the belief that one's own
culture is superior to all others.
a) Holism

b) Ethnocentrism

c) Cultural relativism

d) Emeticism
Answer: b
 Ethnocentrism is the belief that one's
own culture is superior to all others.