2. Take a moment to ask yourself:
What is humanity?
When did humanity begin?
From where do humans originate?
How did humans become the way we are today?
Why are humans across the globe so vastly different yet
structurally similar?
These seemingly impossible questions are at the root of
Anthropology and continue to guide our inquiry.
4. HOLISTIC
Anthropology is holistic because it
studies the various parts of humanity
from the broadest possible
perspective.
Looks at the past, the present, and the
future
Studies different people across the
globe
Understands the interconnections and
interdependence between humans,
their culture, and biology.
Humans
Time
Space
5. COMPARATIVE
Anthropology is comparative by
addressing the similarities and
differences between groups of
humans
Compares humans and their
behavior in the past and the
present
Compares humans and their
behavior across different
geographic settings
6. American Anthropology is divided into
four sub fields:
1. Archaeology
2. Biological (or Physical) Anthropology
3. Linguistics
4. Cultural Anthropology
7. American Anthropology
is divided into four sub
fields:
1. Archaeology
Studies human life in the
past through recovery and
analysis of material remains
8. American Anthropology is
divided into four sub fields:
1.
2. Biological (or Physical)
Anthropology
Analyzes human
development and variation
from an evolutionary
standpoint
Studies the ancestral
relationship between living
primates (Great Apes,
monkeys, etc.) and humans
Works with molecular data
(DNA) to understand
evolutionary relationships
9. American Anthropology
is divided into four sub
fields:
1.
2.
3. Linguistics
Studies language
development; how it was
created, preserved,
modified, and
transmitted across time
and space
10. American Anthropology is
divided into four sub fields:
1.
2.
3.
4. Cultural Anthropology
The study of human
behavior, thought, and
feeling within diverse
cultural settings
13. METHODS
In all four sub fields, data is collected by doing field work
Archaeologists and Paleoanthropologists physically excavate material remains
from a site
Cultural anthropologists acquire information by participant observation
(social participation and personal observation within the community being
studied – full immersion)
Biological anthropologists may visit sites and scenes, or acquire information on
living primates by observing them in their habitat
Linguistic anthropologists may live with a group to acquire data and/or
document languages
14. ETHICAL CHALLENGES
How do we protect the privacy of individuals who shared their stories?
Who will utilize the findings and for what purpose?
Who will benefit from the research?
Who decides what changes should be introduced for community development?
Who has ownership rights over recovered materials?
These challenging ethical questions lead anthropologists to create a code of ethics to outline
moral responsibilities and obligations. At its core:
“Anthropologists must do everything in their power to ensure that their research does
not harm the safety, dignity, or privacy of the people with whom they work, conduct
research, or perform other professional activities.”
15. ETHNOCENTRISM
The belief that the ways of one’s own culture are
the only proper ones
A form of bias where we judge another culture
(and their practices) as ‘bad’ or ‘wrong’ based
on the standards and values of our own culture
(often without even knowing we are doing it!)
Ethnocentric viewpoints are misinformation
about other cultures that can cause or fuel
serious problems across the globe
16. REFLEXIVITY
The practice of self-reflection and observation done by anthropologists to
monitor and check one’s own biases and assumptions as they work
Anthropology is an empirical science:
1. Systematic collection of information (the scientific method)
2. Testable explanations for observed phenomena
3. Verifiable by others
4. Peer reviewed publications
