HOW ANTHROPOLOGISTS CONDUCT THEIR WORK 1. PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION: Live with subjects and gather detailed observations. 2. SERACH FOR FACTS, DON’T RELY ON INTUITION: Anthropologists acknowledge that intuitions are beliefs, not facts. 3. COMPARE CULTURES: Increase our knowledge of what it is to be human by comparing cultural differences. Example 1: Differences in marriage practices in Canada and Japan Example 2:When Cultures Clash-Article

ETHNOGRAPHY Definition: Ethnography is the in-depth description of a particular culture An ethnographer: Lives within a culture as an active participant rather than simply an observer, often for a year or more (observing, talking to people, recording thoughts, behaviours, traditions, etc…) learns the language, gains trust of people and participates in everyday life Remains objective and tries not to disturb the culture Has a ‘teacher’ (an insider) within the community to explain the meaning of events and help them fit into the community VIDEO & ETHNOGRAPHY ASSIGNMENT

Skills and Methods Used by Anthropologists Participation-observation Collection of statistics Field interviews Rigorous compilation of detailed notes Fieldwork by anthropologists is know as “ethnography”: the scientific study of human races and cultures

SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT IN ANTHROPOLOGY NOTE: School of Thought = competing approaches to a discipline. Different interpretations of the discipline. 1. FUNCTIONALISM: To understand a culture it is necessary to investigate the social functions of institutions (established laws, practices, customs) Functionalists believe that society is a logical institution & that it functions in the best interest of the majority Critics believe functionalists present societies more stable than they are.

Schools of Thought-Cont… 2. STRUCTURALISM: Believes the human mind functions on the principle of binary opposites (two forces that oppose each other). Example: Night/Day, Good/Evil Anthropologists must seek out and explain cultural rules based on binary opposites Examples: Shoes outside = good, shoes inside = bad Yelling in playground = good, yelling in classroom = bad

Schools of Thought-Cont… 3. CULTURAL MATERIALISM: Believes technological and economic factors are the most important in moulding a society. Cultural Materialists believe in determinism (the types of technology and economic methods that are adopted always determine the type of society that develops)

BRANCHES OF ANTHROPOLOGY 1. PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY: Focuses on the evolution of human beings by studying physical remains 2. CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY: The study of how culture shapes human ideas and learned behaviour in different societies.