What Is Anthropology and Why Should I Care?

The Scientific Method The testing hypotheses to show how and why the object of study is related to other objects of study. A theory is a general framework based on multiple tested hypotheses that have not been falsified that suggests associations and attempts to explain them.

The Scientific Method Theories cannot be proven; we evaluate them through the method of falsification. If true, certain predictions should stand up to tests designed to disprove them. Theories that have not been disproved are accepted because the available evidence thus far supports them.

The Four Sub-disciplines of Anthropology Cultural anthropology Anthropological linguistics Archaeology Biological or physical anthropology

The “Four-Field Approach” American and British. Early American anthropologists sought to explore the origins and diversity of Native Americans. This is partially because Native Americans did not leave written records.

Unity of the 4 Sub-disciplines They allow the holistic exploration of biological and cultural variation across time and space.

Cultural Anthropology The study of human society and culture. Cultural anthropologists attempt to understand culture through the study of its origins, development, and diversity. Lamalera whale and shark hunters.

Ethnography and Ethnology Ethnography is the description of culture (i.e., the data). Emic ethnography (insider perspective) Etic ethnography (analytical scholarly perspective) Some lean one way, some the other, some do both (the last fairly common now) Ethnology is the comparative analysis and interpretation of ethnographic data.

Anthropological Linguistics The study of language in varying social and cultural contexts. Speech communities. Current focus on group identities and resistance. Complex language is central to being a human being and is grounded in human biology.

Linguistic Anthropology Indigenous Languages Record & study endagered minority languages, esp in terms of language survival language death Identity & resistance Historical linguists reconstruct ancient languages & study linguistic variation through time & space.

Archaeology The discovery, preservation, and interpretation of material culture in order to infer past cultural patterns.

Archaeology as Anthropology Ethnographic analogy and remains are used to reconstruct how past lifeways, behaviors, and beliefs. It provides the unique opportunity to look at cultural changes in social complexity through time and space.

Biological Anthropology The study of humans as physical and biological entities. Bio-cultural variation across time & space. All human culture rests on a biological base. Examples: Human palaeontology (evolution), primatology, forensic anthropology.

Anthropology and Other Social Sciences Anthropology focuses on understanding other groups of people. Anthropology attempts to observe, collect, record, and understand the full range of human cultural experience. Anthropology presents many useful ways of thinking about culture.