Anthropology Chapter 1 PPT.pdf for fresh man

Anthropology short not

1. Anthropology
•Course Information:
✓Course Name: Social Anthropology
✓Course Code: Anth1002
✓Credit Hours: 2Cr. Hrs.
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2. Course Description:
•Thecourseisexpectedtoacquaint/familiarize,inform/youwithessentialconceptof
anthropologycoveringawidearrayofquestionsrevolvingaroundourveryexistence.
•Itcoversissuessuchas:
✓What makes human beings similar to each other?
✓How do we differ one another?
✓What do anthropologist mean when they talk about diversity, multiculturalism, marginalization,
inclusion and exclusion?
✓The course will enable learners grasp the different ways of being human by dealing with themes
such as:
oculture, kinship(relationship, association) ,
omarriage,
ocultural relativism, ethnocentrism,
ohumanity, human origins, cosmologies ( the study of the origin and structure of universe),
orace, ethnicity, ethnic relations, ethnic boundaries,
omarginalization, minorities,
olocal systems of governance, legal pluralism,
oindigenous knowledge systems, and indigenous practices and development.
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3. Course Objectives:
Uponthesuccessfulcompletionofthecourse,studentswillbeableto:
•Developanunderstandingofthenatureofanthropologyanditsbroaderscopein
makingsenseofhumanityinaglobalperspective;
•Understandtheculturalandbiologicaldiversityofhumanityandunityindiversityacross
theworldandinEthiopia;
•Analyzetheproblemsofethnocentrismagainstthebackdropofculturalrelativism;
•Realizethesociallyconstructednatureofidentities&socialcategoriessuchasgender,
ethnicity,raceandsexuality;
•ExplorethevariouspeoplesandculturesofEthiopia;
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4. •Understandthesocial,cultural,political,religious&economiclifeofdifferent
ethno-linguistic&culturalgroupsofEthiopia;
•Understanddifferentformsmarginalizationanddevelopskillsinclusiveness;
•Appreciatethecustomarysystemsofgovernanceandconflictresolution
institutionsofthevariouspeoplesofEthiopia;
•Knowaboutvalues,normsandculturalpracticesthatmaintainsociety
together;
•RecognizethecultureareaofpeoplesofEthiopiaandtheformsof
interactiondevelopedovertimeamongthemselves;and
•Developbroaderviewsandskillstodealwithpeoplefromawidevarietyof
socio-economicandculturalbackgrounds.
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5. Unit One: Introducing Anthropology and its Subject Matter
ChapterIntroduction:
▪Thisunitdealswithanthropology'sessence.
▪Inthisunit,youwillbeintroducedtodefineconceptscrucialforgrasping
themeaningofanthropology.
▪Italsoexplainsanthropology'shistoricaldevelopment,scope,subject
matter,subfields,uniquefeaturesandcontributions.
▪Induecourse,studentsarerequiredtoassumeactiveroleinclass
activitiesanddiscussions;sharingofexperiences,undertakedifferent
debatesandargumentsandtake-homeassignments.
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6. 1. Definition of Anthropology
•Tobeginwiththeetymologyoftheterm,thetermanthropologyisa
compoundoftwoGreekwords,‘anthropos’and‘logos’,whichcanbe
translatedas‘humanbeing/mankind’and‘reason/study/science’,
respectively.
•So,anthropologymeans‘reasonabouthumans’or‘thestudyor
scienceofhumankindorhumanity’.
•Moreover,manhastwoimportantcharacteristics:biologicaland
cultural:Itisveryimportanttounderstandthatthebiologicalandthe
culturalcharacteristicsareinseparableelements.
•Cultureinfluenceshumanphysicalstructuresandthevise-versa.
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7. •Yetthisliteraldefinitionisnotparticularlyilluminating;becausea
numberofotheracademicdisciplines—includingsociology,biology,
psychology,politicalscience,economics,andhistory—alsostudy
humanbeings.
•Whatisitthatdistinguishesanthropologyfromalloftheseother
disciplines?
•Anthropologyisthestudyofpeople—theirorigins,their
development,andcontemporaryvariations,whereverand
whenevertheyhavebeenfound.
•Itisabroadscientificdisciplinededicatedtothecomparativestudy
ofhumansasagroup,fromitsfirstappearanceonearthtoits
presentstageofdevelopment.
•Ofallthedisciplinesthatstudyhumans,anthropologyisbyfarthe
broadestinscope.
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8. ❑Inmorespecificterms,anthropologyisasciencewhich:
•Investigatesthestrategiesforlivingthatarelearnedandsharedbypeopleasmembersof
humansocialgroups;
•Examinesthecharacteristicsthathumanbeingsshareasmembersofonespecies(homo
sapiens)andthediversewaysthatpeopleliveindifferentenvironments;
•Analysestheproductsofsocialgroups-materialobjects(materialcultures)andnon-material
creations(religion/beliefs,socialvalues,institutions,practices,etc).
•Anthropologyis an intellectually challenging, theoretically ambitious subject, which tries to
achieve an understanding of culture, society and humanity through detailed studies of
community life, supplemented by comparison.
•At the deepest level, it raises philosophical questions, which it tries to respond to by exploring
human lives under different conditions.
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9. •Itseekstoexplainhowandwhypeoplearebothsimilaranddifferentthrough
examinationofourbiologicalandculturalpastandcomparativestudyof
contemporaryhumansocieties.
•Itsultimategoalistodevelopanintegratedpictureofhumankind—agoalthat
encompassesanalmostinfinitenumberofquestionsaboutallaspectsofour
existence.
•Weask,forexample,whatmakesushuman?Whydosomegroupsofpeople
tendtobetallandlanky,whileotherstendtobeshortandstocky?Whydosome
groupsofpeoplepracticeagriculture,whileothershuntforaliving?
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10. •Asamatterofsimplicityandbrevity,anthropologyprimarilyoffers
twokindsofinsight:
1.First,thedisciplineproducesknowledgeabouttheactualbiological
andculturalvariationsintheworld;
2.Second,anthropologyoffersmethodsandtheoreticalperspectives
enablingthepractitionertoexplore,compare,understandand
solvethesevariedexpressionsofthehumancondition.
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11. 2. The Historical Development of Anthropology
•Liketheothersocialsciences,anthropologyisafairlyrecentdiscipline.
•Itwasgivenitspresentshapeduringthetwentiethcentury,butithasimportant
forerunnersinthehistoriography,geography,travelwriting,philosophyand
jurisprudence(thescienceorphilosophyoflaw)ofearliertimes.
•Ifwerestrictourselvestoanthropologyasascientificdiscipline,somewould
traceitsrootsbacktotheEuropeanEnlightenment,duringtheeighteenth
century;
•Otherswouldclaimthatanthropologydidnotariseasascienceuntilthe1850s,
•Yetotherswouldarguethatanthropologicalresearchinitspresent-daysense
onlycommencedaftertheFirstWorldWar.Norcanweavoidsuchambiguities.
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12. •Anthropology,consideredasthescienceofhumanity,originatedintheregionwe
commonlybutinaccuratelycall‘theWest’,notablyinthreeorfour‘Western’countries:
France,GreatBritain,theUSAand,untiltheSecondWorldWar,Germany(Erikson,2001).
•Thepresentacademicanthropologyhasitsrootsintheworksandideasofthegreat
ancientandMedievalGreek,Roman,andHebrewphilosophersandsocialthinkers.
Thesepeoplewereinterestedinthenature,originanddestiny/intention/ofman,and
themoralityandethicsofhumanrelationships.
•Whiletherootsofanthropologycanbegenerallytracedthroughthehistoryofwestern
cultureasfarbackasancientGreeksocialphilosophicalthinking,thedisciplinedidnot
emergeasdistinctfieldofstudyuntilthemid-nineteenthcentury.
•Generallyspeaking,anthropologyasanacademicdisciplinewasbornduringthe19th
century,outoftheintellectualatmosphereofEnlightenment,whichistheeighteenth
centurysocialphilosophicalmovement.
•Bythelate1870s,anthropologywasbeginningtoemergeasaprofession.Amajor
impetusforitsgrowthwastheexpansionofwesterncolonialpowersandtheir
consequentdesiretobetterunderstandthepeopleslivingundercolonialdomination.
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13. •Duringitsformativeyears,anthropologybecameaprofessionprimarilyin
museums.Inthisregard,inthe1870sand1880smanymuseumsdevotedtothe
studyofhumankindwerefoundinEurope,NorthAmericaandSouthAmerica.
•Earlyanthropologistsmainlystudiedsmallcommunitiesintechnologicallysimple
societies.Suchsocietiesareoftencalledbyvariousnames,suchas,“traditional”,
“non-industrializedand/orsimplesocieties”.
•Anthropologistsoftheearly1900semphasizedthestudyofsocialandcultural
differencesamonghumangroups.Here,manyoftheindigenouspeoplesofnon-
westernworldandtheirsocialandculturalfeatureswerestudiedindetailand
documented.Thisapproachiscalledethnography.
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14. •Bythemid-1900,however,anthropologistsattemptedtodiscover
universalhumanpatternsandthecommonbio-psychologicaltraitsthat
bindallhumanbeings.Thisapproachiscalledethnology.Ethnology
aimsatthecomparativeunderstandingandanalysisofdifferentethnic
groupsacrosstimeandspace.
•InEthiopia,professionalanthropologistshavebeenstudyingculture
andsocietyonamoreintensivelevelonlysincethelate1950s.Almost
inevitably,theinitialemphasiswasonethnography,thedescriptionof
specificcustoms,culturesandwaysoflife.
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15. Scope and subject matter of Anthropology
•The breadth and depth of anthropology is immense/vast.
•There no time and space left as far as man exists.
•It is so wide as an ocean.
•In other words, the temporal dimension covers the past, the present and even the
future.
•In terms of the spatial dimension, anthropology studies from Arctic to Desert, from Mega
polis to hunting gathering areas.
•The discipline covers all aspects of human ways of life experiences and existence, as
humans live in a social group.
•It touches all aspect of human conditions as far as there is a relation between human
beings and natural environment and man and man.
•Anthropology studies humanity with its all aspects of existence, and in its all means of
differences (diversity) and similarities (commonality).
•Where every human, there is always anthropology.
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16. •Theareascoveredbyanthropologyisdiverseandenormous.
•Anthropologistsstriveforanunderstandingofthebiologicaland
culturaloriginsandevolutionarydevelopmentofthespecies.
•Theyareconcernedwithallhumans,bothpastandpresent,aswell
astheirbehaviorpatterns,thoughtsystems,andmaterial
possessions.
•Inshort,anthropologyaimstodescribe,inthebroadestsense,what
itmeanstobehuman(Peacock,1986).
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17. Sub-fields of Anthropology
•Thereisnotime,spaceandcharacteristicslefttostudyhumanbeings.Itisso
wideasanocean.
•Accordingly,itisrequiredtodivideandunderstandin-depth.Accordingly,
anthropologyhasoftencategorizedintofourmajorsubfields:
✓Physical/BiologicalAnthropology,
✓Archeology,
✓LinguisticAnthropologyand
✓Socio-CulturalAnthropology.
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18. 1. Physical/Biological Anthropology
•Isthebranchofanthropologymostcloselyrelatedtothenaturalsciences,
particularlybiology;thatiswhyitisoftencalledbiologicalanthropology.
•Physicalanthropologistsstudyhowcultureandenvironmenthave
influencedthesetwoareasofbiologicalevolutionandcontemporary
variations.
•Humanbiologyaffectsorevenexplainssomeaspectsofbehavior,society,
andculturelikemarriagepatterns,sexualdivisionoflabor,genderideology
etc.
•Thefeaturesofcultureinturnhavebiologicaleffectslikethestandardsof
attractiveness,foodpreferences,andhumansexuality.
•Biologicalvariationssuchasmorphology/structure,color,andsizeare
reflectionsofchangesinlivingorganism.Sincechangeoccursinthe
universe,italsoappliesinhumanbeings.
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19. •Human biological variations are the result of the cumulative
processes of invisible changes occurring in every fraction of second in
human life.
•These changes have been accumulated and passed through genes.
Genes are characteristics that carry biological traits of an organism,
including human beings.
•The major sources of biological variations are derived from the
interrelated effects of natural selection, geographical isolation,
genetic mutations/changes.
•Physical anthropology is essentially concerned with two broad areas
of investigation: human evolution and genetics.
•Human evolution is the study of the gradual processes of simple
forms into more differentiated structures in hominid. It is interested
in reconstructing the evolutionary record of the human species using
fossils/bones.
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20. •Human evolution is further divided into twospecialties: Paleoanthropology and
Primatology.
•Paleoanthropology(paleo meaning “old”) is the study of human biological
evolution through the analysis of fossil remains from prehistoric times to
determine the missing link that connect modern human with its biological
ancestors.
•Primatologystudies about primates or recent human ancestors to explain human
evolution. Primatologists study the anatomy/ structure, composition/ and social
behavior of such non-human primate species as gorillas and chimpanzees in an
effort to gain clues about our own evolution as a species.
•Human genetics concerns to investigate how and why the physical traits of
contemporary human populations varythroughout the world. It focuses to
examine the genetic materials of an organism such as DNA and RNA.
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21. 2. Archaeological Anthropology
▪Archaeologicalanthropologyorsimplyarchaeologystudiesthewaysoflivesof
pastpeoplesbyexcavatingandanalyzingthematerialculture/physicalremains
(artefact(objects),featuresandeco-facts)theyleftbehind.
▪Artefactsarematerialremainsmadeandusedbythepastpeoplesandthatcan
beremovedfromthesiteandtakentothelaboratoryforfurtheranalysis.Tools,
ornaments,arrowheads,coins,andfragmentsofpotteryareexamplesof
artifacts.
▪Featuresarelikeartifacts,aremadeormodifiedbypastpeople,buttheycannot
bereadilycarriedawayfromthesite.Archaeologicalfeaturesincludesuchthings
ashousefoundations,ancientbuildings,fireplaces,steles,andpostholes.
▪Eco-factsarenon-artefactual,organicandenvironmentalremainssuchassoil,
animalbones,andplantremainsthatwerenotmadeoralteredbyhumans;but
wereusedbythem.Eco-factsprovidearchaeologistswithimportantdata
concerningtheenvironmentandhowpeopleusednaturalresourcesinthepast.
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22. ▪Archaeologyhasalsoitsownsubfieldsorareasofspecialties.
▪Themostimportantonesare-PrehistoricArchaeologyandHistoricalArchaeology.
▪Prehistoricarchaeologyinvestigateshumanprehistoryandprehistoriccultures.It
focusesonentireperiodbetween6,000yearsagoandthetimeofthefirststonetools
(thefirstartifacts),around2.5millionyearsago,iscalledprehistory.
▪Historicarchaeologistshelptoreconstructtheculturesofpeoplewhousedwritingand
aboutwhomhistoricaldocumentshavebeenwritten.
▪Historicarchaeologytakesadvantageofthefactthatabout6,000yearsago,some
humangroupsinventedlanguageandbegantowritedownthingsthatcantellaboutthe
past.
▪WeEthiopianhaveverygloriouspast.ArealogicalfindingsinNorth,south,eastand
westernpartofthecountryhaveshownourcountybelongedtothosecountrieswhich
haveoldcivilization.
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23. 3 . LinguisticAnthropology
•Linguistic anthropologygenerally focuses on the evolution of
languages.
•It tries to understand languages variation in their structures,
units/components/, and grammatical formations. It gives special
attention to the study of unwritten languages.
•Language is a key to explore a culture.
•Indeed, linguistic anthropology or anthropological linguistics studies
human language as a cultural resource and speaking as a cultural
practice in its social and cultural context, across space and time.
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24. •Languageisbasicallyasystemofinformationtransmissionand
reception.Humanscommunicatemessagesbysound(speech),by
gesture(bodylanguage),andinothervisualwayssuchaswriting.
•Analogoustogenesthatcarryandtransmitgeneticmaterialsto
offspring,languageshanddownculturaltraitsfromonegenerationto
another.
•Infact,somewouldarguethatlanguageisthemostdistinctive
featureofbeinghuman.Althoughanimalscoulddevelopcertain
behaviorsthroughconditioningthatmimictohumans,theydonot
haveacapacitytopassontheirownoffspring.Thisistheboundary
betweenhumanbeingsandotheranimalsincludinghigherprimates.
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25. ▪Linguistic anthropology, which studies contemporary human languages as well as those of the
past, is divided into fourdistinct branches or areas of research:
✓Structural or Descriptive Linguistics,
✓Historical Linguistics,
✓Ethno-Linguistics, and
✓Socio-linguistics.
A.Structural /DescriptiveLinguistics: -
▪Studies the structure of linguistic patterns.
▪It examines sound systems, grammatical systems, and the meanings attached to words in specific
languages to understand the structure and set of rules of given language.
▪Every culture has a distinctive language with its own logical structure and set of rules for putting
words and sounds together for the purpose of communicating.
▪In its simplest form, the task of the descriptive linguist is to compile dictionaries and grammar
books for previously unwritten languages.
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26. B.Ethno-linguistics(culturallinguistics):-
▪Examinestherelationshipbetweenlanguageandculture.
▪Inanylanguage,certainculturalaspectsthatareemphasized(suchas
typesofsnowamongtheInuit,cowsamongthepastoralMaasai,or
automobilesinU.S.culture)arereflectedinthevocabulary.
▪Moreover,culturallinguistsexplorehowdifferentlinguisticcategories
canaffecthowpeoplecategorizetheirexperiences,howtheythink,
andhowtheyperceivetheworldaroundthem.
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27. C.Historicallinguistics:-
▪Dealswiththeemergenceoflanguageingeneralandhowspecificlanguages
havedivergedovertime.
▪Itfocusesonthecomparisonandclassificationsofdifferentlanguagesto
differentiatethehistoricallinksbetweenthem.
D.Socio-linguistics:-
▪Investigateslinguisticvariationwithinagivenlanguage.
▪Nolanguageisahomogeneoussysteminwhicheveryonespeaksjustlike
everyoneelse.
▪Onereasonforvariationisgeography,asinregionaldialectsandaccents.
▪Linguisticvariationalsoisexpressedinthebilingualismofethnicgroups.
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28. D.Socio-CulturalAnthropology
▪Itisalsooftencalledsocialanthropologyorculturalanthropology.Socio-cultural
anthropologyisthelargestsub-fieldsofanthropology.Itdealswithhuman
societyandculture.
▪Societyisthegroupofpeoplewhohavesimilarwaysoflife,butcultureisaway
oflifeofagroupofpeople.Societyandculturearetwosidesofthesamecoin.
Socio-culturalanthropologydescribes,analyzes,interprets,andexplainssocial,
culturalandmateriallifeofcontemporaryhumansocieties.
▪Itstudiesthesocial(humanrelations),symbolicornonmaterial(religious,
language,andanyothersymbols)andmaterial(allman-madeobjects)livesof
livingpeoples.
•Socio-culturalanthropologistsengageintwoaspectsofstudy:Ethnography
(basedonfieldwork)andEthnology(basedoncross-culturalcomparison).
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29. A.Ethnographyprovidesacomprehensiveaccount/explanation,interpretation/of
aparticularcommunity,society,orculture.
▪Itdescribesthefeaturesofspecificculturesinasmuchdetailaspossible
includinglocalbehavior,beliefs,customs,sociallife,economicactivities,politics,
andreligion.
▪Thesedetaileddescriptions(ethnographies)aretheresultofextensivefield
studies(usuallyayearortwo,induration)inwhichtheanthropologistobserves,
talksto,andliveswiththepeopleheorsheisstudying.
▪Duringethnographicfieldwork,theanthropologist(ethnographer)gathersdata
thatheorsheorganizes,describes,analyzes,andinterpretstobuildandpresent
thataccount,whichmaybeintheformofabook,article,orfilm.
B.Ethnologyisthecomparativestudyofcontemporary/presentday,modernday/
culturesandsocieties,wherevertheymaybefound.
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30. ▪Itexamines,interprets,analyzes,andcomparestheresultsofethnography
thedatagatheredindifferentsocieties.Itusessuchdatatocompareand
contrastandtomakegeneralizationsaboutsocietyandculture.
▪Inotherwords,Ethnologistsseektounderstandbothwhypeopletoday
andintherecentpastdifferintermsofideasandbehaviorpatternsand
whatallculturesintheworldhaveincommonwithoneanother.
▪Lookingbeyondtheparticulartothemoregeneral,ethnologistsattemptto
identifyandexplainculturaldifferencesandsimilarities,totest
hypotheses/ideaortheorythatisnotproven,butthatleadstofurther
studyordiscussion/,andtobuildtheory/anideaorasetofideasthatis
intendedtoexplainfactsorevents/toenhanceourunderstandingofhow
socialandculturalsystemswork.
▪Indeed,theprimaryobjectiveofethnologyistouncovergeneralcultural
principles,the“rules”thatgovernhumanbehavior.
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31. ❑Ethnography:
•Requires field work to collect data
•Often descriptive
•Group/community specific
❑Ethnology:
•Uses data collected by a series of researchers
•Usually synthetic (copied, unreal, made by combining different substances or not
natural)
•Comparative/cross-cultural
❑Socio-culturalanthropologyusesethnographicalandethnologicalapproachesto
answerallsort/kind/ofquestionsrelatedtocultureandhumansocieties.
❑Toproperlyaddressemergingquestionsrelatedtocultureandsocieties,ithas
beensub-dividedintomanyotherspecializedfields.
❑Allofthemareconsideredtobetheappliedareasofanthropology.
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32. Unique (Basic) Features of Anthropology
▪Severaldistinguishingcharacteristicsthatidentifyanthropologyfromother
discipline.Anthropologyisuniqueinitsscope,approach,focusandmethodof
study.
A.Scope:Anthropologyhasabroadscope.
▪Itisinterestedinallhumanbeings,whethercontemporaryorpast,''primitive''or
''civilized''andthattheyareinterestedinmanydifferentaspectsofhumans,
includingtheirphenotypiccharacteristics,familylives,marriages,political
systems,economiclives,technology,belief,healthcaresystems,personality
types,andlanguages.
▪Noplaceortimeistooremotetoescapetheanthropologist'snotice.
▪Nodimensionofhumankind,fromgenestoartstyles,isoutsidethe
anthropologist'sattention.Indeed,Anthropologyisthebroadstudyofhuman
kind,aroundtheworldandthroughouttime.
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33. B.Thesecondimportantfeatureisitsapproach.
▪Initsapproachanthropologyisholistic,relativistic,andfocusedone.
▪Holisticinasensethatitlooksanyphenomenafromdifferentvantagepoints.
▪Accordingly,anthropologyconsidersculture,history,languageandbiology
essentialtoacompleteunderstandingofsociety.
▪Anthropologyseekstounderstandhumanbeingsaswholeorganismswhoadapt
totheirenvironmentsthroughacomplexinteractionofbiologyandculture.
▪Theconceptofrelativityishighlyappreciatedinanthologicalstudies.
Anthropologytriestostudyandexplainacertainbelief,practiceorinstitutionofa
groupofpeopleinitsowncontext.Itdoesnotmakevaluejudgment,i.e.,
declaringthatthisbelieforpracticeis‘good’or‘bad’.
▪Anthropology'scomparativeperspectivehelpstounderstanddifferencesand
similaritiesacrosstimeandplace.Anotherimportantperspectiveisawayof
lookingatpeople'sideas.
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34. C.Focus:Itconsidersinsiders'viewsasaprimaryfocusofanyanthropological
inquiry.
▪Anthropologicalstudiesgiveattentiontohowpeopleperceivethemselvesand
understandtheirworld;howaparticulargroupofpeopleexplainabouttheir
action,orgivemeaningtotheirbehaviororculturalpractices.
▪Thisiswhatanthropologistscallemicperspective.Ithelpstounderstandthe
logicandjustificationbehindgroupbehaviorandculturalpractices.
D.Anotherimportantuniquefeatureisitsresearchapproach.
▪Anthropologyishighlydependentonqualitativeresearchtounderstandthe
meaningbehindanyhumanactivity.
▪Extendedfieldwork,participantobservation,in-depthandkeyinformant
interviewsandfocus-groupdiscussionarequalitativeresearchinstrumentsto
exploreinformationchangeandcontinuitiesinhumansocieties.
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35. Misconceptions about Anthropology
❑Duetolackofappropriateawarenessaboutthenature,scopeandsubjectmatter
ofthediscipline,differentmisconceptionsareheldaboutanthropology:
▪Onemisconceptionaboutanthropologyisrelatedtotheareaofitsstudy.Itissaid
thatanthropologyislimitedtothestudyof"primitive"societies.Indeed,most
oftheworksdonebyanthropologistsduringearlyperiodsfocusedonisolated,so
called"primitive",smallscalesocieties.However,anthropologistsnowadays
studymostadvancedandmostcomplexsocietiesaswell.
▪Anothermisconceptionisthatanthropologistsonlystudytheruralpeopleand
ruralareas.Asamatteroffact,mostofthestudiesconductedduringthe
formativeyears(whenitundergoneaprocessofdevelopmenttobedevelopedas
aseparatefieldsofstudy)ofthedisciplinefocusedonruralareas.Butnow,
anthropologistsarealsointerestedinthestudyofurbanpeopleandurbanareas.
ExampleUrbanAnthropology-whichfocusesonurbanareasandincomplex
cities.
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36. ▪ItisalsowronglymisconceivedthatAnthropologyisthestudy/analysisof
fossilevidencesoftheproto-humanslikethatofLucy/Dinkeneshe.Itis
truethatanthropologyisinterestedinthequestionoftheoriginofmodern
humanbeings.However,thisdoesn’tmeanthatanthropologyisallabout
thestudyofhumanevolution.Itstudiesboththebiologicalandthe
culturalaspectsofhumansandexaminestheexistinghumanphysical
andbiologicalvariationsandculturaldiversity.
▪Itisalsomisconceivedthatthepurposeofanthropologyistostudyin
ordertokeepandpreservecommunitiesfarfromdevelopmentand
obsolete(outdated)culturalpracticesinmuseums.Rather,anthropologists’
dutiesaretosupportthosecommunities'capacitytoempower
themselvesindevelopmentprocesses.Theyassistpeoples'initiatives
insteadofimposedpoliciesandideascomingfromoutsideandplayactive
rolesinbringingaboutpositivechangeanddevelopmentintheirownlives.
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37. The Relationship between Anthropology and Other Disciplines
▪Anthropology is similar with other social sciences such as sociology, psychology,
political sciences, economics, history, etc.
▪Anthropology greatly overlaps with these disciplines that study human society.
▪However, anthropology differs from other social sciences and the humanities by
its broad scope, unique approach, perspective, unit of analysis and methods
used.
▪In its scope, anthropology studies humankind in its entirety.
▪In its approach, anthropology studies and analyzes human ways of life holistically,
comparatively and in a relativistic manner.
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38. ▪Initsperspective,accordingtoRichardWilk,anthropology
approachesandlocatesdimensionsofpeople’sindividualand
communallivedexperiences,theirthoughtsandtheirfeelingsin
termsofhowthesedimensionsareinterconnectedandinterrelated
tooneanother,yetnotnecessarilyconstrainedorveryorderly,whole.
Theperspectiveisalsofundamentallyempirical,naturalisticand
ideographic[particularizing]thannomothetic[universalizing]one.
▪Initsmethodofresearch,itisuniqueinthatitundertakesextended
fieldworkamongthestudiedcommunityanddevelopsintimate
knowledgeofthelifeandsocialworldsofitsstudygroup/society
throughemployingthoseethnographicdatacollectiontechniques
suchasparticipantobservation,Keyinformantinterviewandfocus
groupdiscussions.
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39. The Contributions of anthropology
▪Thephilosophicalunderpinningisthatsincewearehumanbeings,wehaveto
knowourcivilization.Anthropologyhasestablishedforitselfthetaskof
examiningallaspectsofhumanityforallperiodsoftimeandforallpartsofthe
globe.
▪Bystudyinganthropology,wegetthefollowingbenefits,amongothers:
▪First,theanthropologicalperspective,withitsemphasisonthecomparativestudy
ofcultures,shouldleadustotheconclusionthatourcultureisjustonewayof
lifeamongmanyfoundintheworldandthatitrepresentsoneway(among
manypossibleways)toadapttoaparticularsetofenvironmentalconditions.
Throughtheprocessofcontrastingandcomparing,wegainafuller
understandingofotherculturesandourown.
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40. ▪Anthropologyalsohelpsusbetterunderstandourselvesorourownwaysoflife.
Asamirrorofhumanlife,bystudyingothers,wecanbetterunderstand
ourselves.Hence,itgivesopportunitytounderstandandtobecriticalaboutthe
waysoflivesofourowncommunity.
▪Anthropologygivesusaninsightintodifferentwaysandmodesoflifeofhuman
society(socialandculturaldiversity),whichhelpstounderstandthelogicand
justificationbehindgroupbehaviorandculturalpractices.Knowledgeaboutthe
restoftheworldisparticularlyimportanttodaybecausetheworldhasbecome
increasinglyinterconnected.So,todayitisimportantthatwenotonlyknow
somethingaboutotherpeoplesoftheworld,butalsograsphowoureveryday
decisionsareinfluencingtheminamultitudeofwaysandhowothers’decisions
arealsoinfluencingours.
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41. ▪Through its distinctive (distinguishing, individual) methodology of long-term,
intensive, participant-observation research, cultural anthropology offers a unique
perspective on how local cultural groups are engaging with the process of
globalization.
▪Because of its relativistic approach, anthropology helps us to be more sensitive to
and appreciative of cultural diversity and variability.
▪It helps us to avoid some of the misunderstandings that commonly arise when
individuals of different cultural traditions come into contact.
▪Anthropology helps us fight against prejudice (bias) and discriminations. It helps
us fight against ethnocentrism; the belief that one's own culture and one's own
way of life is superior to others cultural, social and material life. This arises from
ignorance about other ethnic groups and their ways of lives.
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42. •Anthropology is also used as a tool for development. Paying attention to local
conditions, is crucial to solve community problems.
•The application of anthropological knowledge and research results have become
important element to ensure people’s rights in development and able to sustain
projects' life.
•Anthropologists are better equipped with the knowledge, skills and methods of
identifying the needs and interests of local people for the betterment and change
of their lived experiences. It recognizes the advantages of consulting local people
to design a culturally appropriate and socially sensitive change, and protect local
people from harmful policies and projects that threaten them.
•In general, anthropology is able to suggest sound solutions to all things human.
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