Transcript kottakanth15_ppt_ch01

Anthropology
Appreciating Human Diversity
Fifteenth Edition
Conrad Phillip Kottak
University of Michigan
McGraw-Hill
© 2013 McGraw-Hill Companies. All Rights Reserved.
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WHAT IS
ANTHROPOLOGY?
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WHAT IS ANTHROPOLOGY?
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Human Diversity
General Anthropology
The Subdisciplines of Anthropology
Anthropology and Other Academic Fields
Applied Anthropology
The Scientific Method
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WHAT IS ANTHROPOLOGY?
• What distinguishes anthropology from other
fields that study human beings?
• How do anthropologists study human
diversity in time and space?
• Why is anthropology both scientific and
humanistic?
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HUMAN DIVERSITY
• Anthropology: study of human species and
its immediate ancestors
• Uniquely comparative and holistic: study
of the whole of the human condition—past,
present, and future; biology, society, language,
and culture
• Cultures: traditions and customs, transmitted
through learning, that form and guide the beliefs
and behavior of the people exposed to them
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ADAPTATION,
VARIATION, AND CHANGE
• Adaptation: process
by which organisms
cope with environmental
forces and stresses
• Humans adapt
using biological
and cultural means
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ADAPTATION,
VARIATION, AND CHANGE
• Rate of change accelerated during past
10,000 years
• Foraging was sole basis of human subsistence
for millions of years
• It took only a few thousand years to develop food
production: economy based on plant cultivation
and/or animal domestication
• Spread of industrial production profoundly
affected human life
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RECAP 1.1: Forms of Cultural and
Biological Adaptation (to High Altitude)
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GENERAL ANTHROPOLOGY
• General anthropology: academic discipline
of anthropology, also known as “four-field”
anthropology, includes:
• Sociocultural
(cultural anthropology)
• Archaeological
• Biological
• Linguistic
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GENERAL ANTHROPOLOGY
• Developed as scientific field in U.S.
• Early American anthropologists studying native
peoples of North America combined studies of
customs, social life, language, and physical traits
in the 19th century
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GENERAL ANTHROPOLOGY
• Subdisciplines explore
variations in time and space
• Influence each other
• Sound conclusions about
“human nature” cannot be
derived from studying a
single nation, society,
or cultural tradition
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CULTURAL FORCES
SHAPE HUMAN BIOLOGY
• Biocultural: combining biological and cultural
approaches to a given problem
• Culture is key environmental force determining
how human bodies grow and develop
• Cultural standards of attractiveness and propriety
influence participation and achievement in sports
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THE SUBDISCIPLINES OF
ANTHROPOLOGY
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Cultural anthropology
Archaeological anthropology
Biological, or physical anthropology
Linguistic anthropology
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CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY
• Describes, analyzes, interprets, and explains
social and cultural similarities and differences
• Ethnography: fieldwork in a particular culture;
provides an account of that community, society,
or culture
• Ethnology: comparative, cross-cultural study of
ethnographic data, society, and culture
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RECAP 1.2: Ethnography and Ethnology—
Two Dimensions of Cultural Anthropology
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ARCHAEOLOGICAL
ANTHROPOLOGY
• Study of human behavior and cultural
patterns and processes through culture’s
material remains
• Artifacts (potsherds,
jewelry, tools)
• Garbage
• Burials
• Remains of structures
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ARCHAEOLOGICAL
ANTHROPOLOGY
• Many archaeologists examine ecology:
study of interrelations among living things in
an environment
• Paleoecology looks at
ecosystems of the past
• Possible to infer
cultural transformations
• Reconstruct behavior
patterns and lifestyles
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ARCHAEOLOGICAL
ANTHROPOLOGY
• Archaeologists also study the cultures of
historical and living people
• Historical archaeology combines archaeological
data with textual data to reconstruct historically
known groups
• Rathje’s “garbology” shows that what people
report may contrast with their real behavior
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BIOLOGICAL, OR PHYSICAL,
ANTHROPOLOGY
• The study of human biological variation in
time and space
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BIOLOGICAL, OR PHYSICAL,
ANTHROPOLOGY
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Human evolution (paleoanthropology)
Human genetics
Human growth and development
Human biological plasticity
Biology, evolution, behavior, and social life
of monkeys, apes, and other nonhuman
primates (primatology)
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LINGUISTIC ANTHROPOLOGY
• Study of language in its social and cultural
context across space and time
• Historical linguists reconstruct ancient languages
and study linguistic variation through time
• Sociolinguistics: investigates relationships
between social and linguistic variation
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ANTHROPOLOGY AND
OTHER ACADEMIC FIELDS
• Anthropology is a science: study that seeks
reliable explanations with reference to the
material and physical world
• Unique blend of biological, social, cultural,
linguistic, historical, and contemporary
perspectives
• Also linked to humanities
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CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY
AND SOCIOLOGY
• Cultural anthropology and sociology share an
interest in social relations, organization, and
behavior
• Initially, sociologists focused on industrial West,
anthropologists on nonindustrial societies
• Different methods of data collection and analysis
emerged
• In many areas and on many topics, anthropology
and sociology are converging
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ANTHROPOLOGY AND
PSYCHOLOGY
• Psychological anthropology studies crosscultural variations in psychological traits
• Malinowski’s study of Trobriand Islanders of
the South Pacific suggested modifications in
Freud’s Oedipus complex theory
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Figure 1.1: Location of Trobriand Islands
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APPLIED ANTHROPOLOGY
• Application of anthropological data,
perspectives, theory, and methods to identify,
assess, and solve contemporary social
problems
• Usually called public archaeology
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APPLIED ANTHROPOLOGY
• Includes cultural resource management,
contract archaeology, public educational
programs, and historic preservation
• Cultural resource management (CRM):
decide what needs saving, and preserve
significant information about the past when
sites cannot be saved
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THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD
• Anthropology a humanistic science
• Ethnology a comparative science
• Attempt to identify and explain cultural differences
and similarities
• Compare, contrast, and make generalizations
about societies and cultures
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THEORIES, ASSOCIATIONS,
AND EXPLANATIONS
• Theory: a set of ideas
formulated to explain something
• Association: observed
relationship between two or
more measured variables
• Hypotheses: suggested but
as yet unverified explanations
• In social sciences, associations
usually stated in form of probability
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THEORIES, ASSOCIATIONS,
AND EXPLANATIONS
• Theories suggest patterns, connections, and
relationships that may be confirmed by new
research
• Hypothesis testing should be done using a
sample of cases that have been selected
randomly from some statistical universe
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WHEN MULTIPLE
VARIABLES PREDICT
• How has variable exposure to television
affected Brazilians?
• Current viewing level and length of home TV
exposure
• Strong correlation between liberal social views
and current viewing hours
• Stronger correlation between years of home
viewing by individuals and liberal social views
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RECAP 1.3: Steps in the Scientific Method
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