1. Prof. Lawrence H. LeClair University of Prince Edward Island
Anthropology 105D

2. Text book companion website…

3. Chapter Preview…
What is Anthropology? What Do Anthropologists Do? How Do Anthropologists Do What They Do?

4. Anthropology is…
…the study of humankind in all times and places. Anthropologists seek to produce reliable knowledge about people and their behaviour, about what makes them different and what they all share in common. (Text pg. 3)

5. What anthropologists do…
Biological anthropologists trace the evolutionary development of humans as biological organisms. They also study the physical and behavioural nature of our closest biological relatives: nonhuman primates such as monkeys and apes.

6. Archaeologists…
…seek to explain human behaviour by studying material culture; by analyzing what past human societies have left behind.

7. Linguistic anthropologists…
…study the way language is used as a resource for practising, developing, and transmitting culture.

8. Applied Anthropology…
…is the use of anthropological concepts and methods in areas outside of the academic world such as government bureaus, private corporations, and international development agencies.
Forensic Anthropology is a good example. The forensic anthropologist uses his or her knowledge of human skeletal anatomy to help identify human remains which have been found in unusual circumstances.

9. Sociocultural anthropologists…
…concerned with contemporary human cultures, as they have been observed, experienced, and discussed with people whose culture they seek to understand.
Ethnography
Ethnology
Ethnohistory

10. The Subdisciplines of Anthropology…
Biological Anthropology
Applied Anthropology
Sociocultural Anthropology
Archaeology
Linguistic Anthropology

11. Original Study Health and Disease in One Culture: The Ju/’hoansi
Richard Lee, University of Toronto
Indicators of health before and after exposure to outside cultural influences…
…general health has decreased with exposure to modern civilization.

12. Anthropology and Science
Anthropology involves the careful and systematic study of humankind using:
Facts
Hypotheses
Theories

13. “The anthropologist is a human instrument studying other human beings and their societies.”
Hortense Powdermaker, 1933

14. Difficulties of the Scientific Approach
Potential problems with framing hypotheses that are culture bound
Restrictions upon replication of observations
Ideally, theories are generated from worldwide comparisons

15. The Dongria Kondh of the Nyamgiri Hills in India. The real Avatars!!
Dongria Kondh - Survival International
Dongria Kondh story

16. Anthropology and the Humanities
“the most human of the sciences”
Concern with other cultures’ languages, values, and achievements in the arts and literature
Commitment to experiencing other cultures
Emphasis on qualitative research

17. Anthropology’s Contributions to Other Disciplines
Anthropology contributes to social sciences, as well as history, geology, biology
Urban anthropologists work in policy, planning and development of urban settings
Medical anthropologists work closely with health specialists

18. Questions of Ethics… Anthropologists have obligations to:
those studied
those funding research
those in the profession

19. Anthropology and Contemporary Life
Anthropology provides a framework for promoting understanding, acceptance and appreciation of the cultural diversity of our global community

20. Anthropology is about the interactions of one culture with another, or with the interactions of an anthropologist with a culture which is not their own. How can we learn about each other? This clip shows us one way.
Meet the Natives...

21. Anthropological Fieldwork…
Napoleon Chagnon: How Cultures are Studied