ANTHROPOLOGY AND

THE STUDY OF
CULTURE
 INTRODUCTION TO
ANTHROPOLOGY
Defined as:
“the study of people- their
origins, their development,
and contemporary variations,
wherever and whenever they
have been found on the face
of the earth”
(Ember, Ember, and Peregrine, 2010)
ANTHROPOLOGY
• Humans studying humans
• antropos (human) and logos (study)

• Seeks to answer:
–“What does it mean to be human?”
ANTHROPOLOGY
• Promotes a holistic study of humans (inquire & research
time frame)
• Extensive and inclusive approach to humans as both
biological and social creatures.
• Biologically,
– Genetic composition of humans
– their relationship with other primates
– evolution
ANTHROPOLOGY
• Socially,
– human behaviors
– attitudes
– belief systems, which range from birth practices to burial
rites
ANTHROPOLOGY
• Research time frame
– Ranges from evolution of humans as a species to our current
development
– Studies humans from various ethnic groupings and geographic
locations
• Points of inquiry are addressed by 5 sub disciplines:
– Archaeology, cultural, linguistic, physical, and applied
1. Archaeology examines the remains of ancient and
historical human populations and promote an understanding
of how humans have adapted to their environment and
developed.
2. Cultural anthropology promotes the study of a society’s
culture through their belief systems, practices, and
possessions.
3. Linguistic anthropology examines the language of a
group of people and its reflection to their culture.
4. Physical anthropology looks into the biological
development of humans and their contemporary variation.
5. Applied anthropology
attempts to solve
contemporary problems
through the application of
theories and approaches of
the discipline.
In the advent of the 21st century, human experiences
diversified, and as globalization’s effects were felt in
almost all societies, anthropology extended its study to
cultural and sub-cultural groups in industrialized societies.
Issues that were once the turf of other disciplines, such as
deviance and social organization, were studied by
anthropologists. Philippe Bourgois, a professor of
anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania, studied the
lives of street-level drug dealers.
• In both studies, the methodology used in gathering
information was crucial. Anthropologists need to establish
rapport with their host societies before they can extract the
life stories of people. This is important as people would not
usually discuss personal matters to a stranger. After a
significant amount of time, when the key informant is
already accustomed to the presence of the anthropologist,
questions could now be asked.
• Key informants - are individuals in a society who have
significant knowledge n the topic being studied by the
anthropologist.
• Apart from the interviews,
anthropologists also use participant-
observation methods, which entail the
participation of the researcher on the
daily practices and rituals of the
group being studied. In the cases of
Levi-Strauss and Bourgois, both
anthropologists stayed in the field for
more than two years and lived in the
communities that they were
documenting.
 C U LT U R E
“Culture is everything
that a person learns
as a member of a society.”
•Culture
– is everything
– is learned
– is shared
– affects Biology
– is adaptive
– is maladaptive
– changes
• Culture is everything
– What a person has, does, and thinks as part of society
– Implies all of a person’s belief systems, set of behaviors, and
material possessions.
– Is a powerful agent in shaping the decisions and actions of
humans, given a situation
– Consists of the Material and Nonmaterial culture
Material culture
– All the tangible and visible parts of culture
– Clothes, food, buildings
– Example: the culinary culture of the Philippines is different from
even that of its neighbors in Asia such as Japan; the difference
lies in the availability of the ingredients in these areas.
– Globalization = lessened difference in material culture
(e.g., gadgets produced in the US become part of the Phil
through trade)
Nonmaterial culture
– Includes all the intangible parts of culture
– Consist of values, ideas, and knowledge
– The belief and value systems of societies differ from one
another based on their environment and history.
Values vs Beliefs
– Values are concepts that are culturally determined; it
separates what is acceptable from that which is taboo.
– Beliefs are culturally approved truths that deal with the
specific parts of human life. For example, the belief in the
phrase “bahala na” which was derived from the older
phrase bathala na, supports the religious values system that
is present in the society.
• Culture is learned
– The set of beliefs, attitudes, and practices that an individual
learns through his or her family, school, church, and other
social institutions.
– Enculturation , Acculturation and Deculturation
– Enculturation – the process of learning you own culture; values
and accepted behaviors in your society.
– Acculturation – due to constant interaction between societies,
culture can be modified to accommodate desirable traits from
other cultures.
For example, Korea & k-pop
– Deculturation – when the culture of the older generation comes
into conflict with the needs and realities of the younger generation;
lost reason & process of being forgotten
For example, Japan & firstborn role model tradition
• Culture is shared
– The set of behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs that a person
possesses is part of a greater collection of values and ideas that
is communally owned and practiced by members of a society.
– A particular behavior cannot be considered as a culture if there
is only one person practicing it.
– Is shared intergenerationally
– To share a culture, it must be taught to members of
contemporary society who will, in turn, teach the younger
generation.
 Culture of

Individual
Culture of
Culture of
parent’s inter-acting
society society

As such, a Filipino living in another country would have a set

of knowledge and behaviors that corresponds to the combined
culture of his or her parents and that of the adopted society.
• Culture affects Biology
- Humans are born into cultures that have values on beauty
and body. They alter their bodies to fit into the
physiological norms that are dictated by culture.
• *Among the Mursi tribe of Ethiopia, wearing lip plate is a
sign of beauty. Women are expected to wear them to appear
desirable to men*
• *Foot binding among women in China*
• Culture is adaptive
- Culture is a tool for survival that humans use in response to
the pressures of their environment. Both the material and the
nonmaterial parts of culture are influenced by the goal of
humans to address their needs as dictated by their
environment and their biology
- The Inuits of the Arctic region are well-known for building
igloos during fishing and hunting expeditions. These dome-
shaped homes provide temporary shelter for the mobile
group
• Another adaptive mechanism that is practiced in most
cultures is the creation of food taboos. These are the
socially constructed and accepted prohibitions on the
consumption of several food items. Among the Muslims,
the consumption of pork is not allowed, so cattle is one of
their primary sources of meat. In India, on the other hand,
cows are venerated, so consuming beef is considered a
taboo.
• Culture is maladaptive
- Culture can also cause problems for the people who
subscribe to it. These problems arise when the environment
has changed and culture has remained the same
- Example: the ”car culture” present in most societies is
getting maladaptive as the environment gets more populated.
In the Philippines, the car industry remains active despite the
economic turmoil it faces as a developing country. This
culture is highly maladaptive given the roads that cater to
vehicles are not wide enough.
• Culture changes
- The final characteristics of culture is that it is never static.
This dynamism of culture is due to the changing needs of
humans as they interpret and survive in their environment.
- Culture is continuously reinvented by people. From the
clothes that we wear to the food that we eat, culture can be
seen as ever changing.
THEORIES ON
CULTURE
ANTHROPOLOGY IN
T H E 21 ST

CENTURY
• The key strength of anthropology as a discipline of the
social science is its holistic approach to the study of
humans.
• Holistic in the sense that it studies:
1) Humans, both as biological and social creatures
2) Human behavior from the time the species existed to the
time that it will desist
3) Human behavior from all regions of the world
4) All forms of human actions and beliefs
– Provides a comprehensive insight into the nature of humans and
the trajectory of these behaviors
 The discipline’s arm in the applied sciences addresses
the contemporary issues of a globalizing world and
informs public policy.
For example, ethnographic researches on social issues
provide international organizations and governments key
indicators for policy reforms and implementations.
 With the discipline’s engagement with the ordinary and
the mundane parts of human interaction, anthropology
provides a degree of keenness to its learner such that
everyday things are contextualized and understood within
the frame of culture. This develops acuity among students of
anthropology.