Transcript Chapter 4, Studying Culture: Approaches And Methods

Chapter 5, The Development of
Anthropological Thought
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Nineteenth Century: Origins
Early Twentieth Century: Development
Mid-Century Evolutionary Approaches
Anthropological Thought Today: Divisions
Nineteenth Century: Origins
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Anthropology became a separate academic
field.
Studied how humans progressed to a
"civilized" cultural existence.
Unilineal Evolution - applied the theory of
evolution to culture.
Unlineal Evolution
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Compile accounts of other cultures written
by observers.
Compare the cultures to determine which
are the simplest and most complex.
Classify the cultures into stages of
development.
Unlineal Evolution
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Label theses stages: Savagery, Barbarism,
Civilization.
Place any new cultures in the classification.
Invent an explanation for why the people in
one stage developed into the next stage.
American Historical Particularism
(ca. 1900-1940)
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Each culture is unique and must be studied on
its own terms.
Each culture changes along its own path,
depending on the influences that affect it.
American Historical Particularism
(ca. 1900-1940)
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Fieldwork is the primary means of acquiring
reliable information.
Cultural differences and biological differences
have little to do with each other.
British Functionalism
(ca.1920-1950)
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The cultural features of a people should be
explained by the functions they perform.
Contributions:
– Importance of fieldwork.
– Relativism and Holistic perspectives.
Mid-Century Evolutionary
Approaches (ca. 1940-1970)
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Return to cultural evolution.
White emphasized importance of technology.
Steward emphasized the adaptation to the
local environment in making cultures the way
they are.
Anthropology Today: Divisions
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Materialism - Cultural differences can be
explained by the way people relate to their
environment.
Idealism - Anthropology is a humanistic field each culture is unique.
Interpretive - All social interaction is symbolic
and meaningful.