Introduction to Anthropology
From KstructIB
There are four fields of Anthropology:
Biological Anthropology : concentrates on the biology of humans, the evolution of the species, and the study of variation in the behaviour and physical make-up of humans. This is the only field which does not concern culture.
Cultural Anthropology : concentrates on culture. It involves the comparison of different societies and their cultures and norms.
Archaeology : concentrates on material things that remain from people who lived in the past, and therefore involves excavation of artefacts and ecofacts, many experiments to determine certain details about these remains and detailed study of people in history through these remains, so that anthropologists can have a clearer understanding of past societies.
Anthropological linguistics : concentrates on various languages which have existed throughout history, and explores the world of communication and interaction. The link between culture and languages is also studied and considered very important, as is body language and communication through technological means.
Ethnographies concentrate on:
- Survival
- Habits
- Beliefs
- Drug habits
- Rituals
- Gender
- Social Status
- Knowledge
- Skills
- Technology
- Obtaining food
- Education
Taxonomic order:
Language : the words we have fit into specific orders:
- General e.g. food, furniture
- More specific e.g. pancake, desk
