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Module 2

Anthropology is the study of humans and human cultures. It emerged from two historical events - the rise of empires and states, and the dawn of colonialism and imperialism. Anthropology has four main fields - biological/physical anthropology, archaeology, linguistic anthropology, and cultural anthropology. Key concepts in anthropology include evolutionism, cultural relativism, ethnocentrism, and culture. Important research methods are ethnography, participant observation, and key informant interviews. Current applications of anthropology include applied, forensic, medical, and public anthropology.

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Rheenzky Acosta Pitogo
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54 views

Module 2

Anthropology is the study of humans and human cultures. It emerged from two historical events - the rise of empires and states, and the dawn of colonialism and imperialism. Anthropology has four main fields - biological/physical anthropology, archaeology, linguistic anthropology, and cultural anthropology. Key concepts in anthropology include evolutionism, cultural relativism, ethnocentrism, and culture. Important research methods are ethnography, participant observation, and key informant interviews. Current applications of anthropology include applied, forensic, medical, and public anthropology.

Uploaded by

Rheenzky Acosta Pitogo
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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The Discipline of

Anthropology
Module II
History of Anthropology
Anthropology comes from the greek words
• Anthropos – human
• Logos – study
Two Historical events
• The Rise of Empires and States
• Dawn of Colonialism and Imperialism
The Rise of Empires and States
Herodotus ( 484-420 BCE)
• Works on the culture of the peoples under the
Persian Empire.
Ibn Khaldun (14th century)
• Muqaddimah
Dawn of Colonialism and
Imperialism
Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778)
• Discourse on Inequality
Cross-cultural research
Socio-economic and political landscapes
Technological Developments
IMPORTANT
PERSONALITIES IN
ANTHROPOLOGY
Edward Burnett Tylor
“states that culture
could be objectively
studied with proper
methodology and
theoretical framework.
Father of cultural
anthropology
“Science of culture”
Work: Primitive culture
• Unilineal cultural
evolution
Lewis Henry Morgan
Lawyer
League of the Ho-de-
no-sau-nee or Iroquois
Three stages of
societal development
• Savage
• Barbaric
• Civilized
Eurocentric
Franz Boas
“argued that culture is
not a by-product of
human group’s
physical
characteristics, but of
social learning affected
by various factors.
Father of American
Anthropology
Armchair anthropology
Cultural relativism
The Fields of Anthropology
Biological/Physical
• Field that is engaged in understanding humans
and their nature as an animal species.
• Primatology
Archaeology
• Branch of anthropology that attempt to
reconstruct the cultures of past civilizations and
human groups.
• Fossils
• Artifacts
The Fields of Anthropology
Linguistic
• Examines the relationship of the language and
culture of a group of people.
• Historical
• Descriptive
• Social
Cultural
• Studies the life ways and traditions of human
groups.
• Ethnography
• Ethnology
Key Concepts in Anthropology
Evolutionism
• Charles Darwin
• Argued that species develop through time due to
responses made toward the changes in their
environment.
• Theory of unilineal evolution
Key Concepts of Anthropology
Cultural Relativism
• Promotes a value-free analysis of other cultures
as the anthropologist understands the culture of
a society based on the local contexts adhered to
by the people
Ethnocentrism
• Relies on anthropologist own background in
understanding the culture of the society.
Key Concepts of Anthropology
Culture
• The totality of the life ways of a group of people
which may include their tradition, beliefs, norms,
and mores that guide the behavior of people
within their society.
Research Method in
Anthropology
Ethnography
• In which anthropologist describes a culture, or
one of its segments, based on interviews, and
through participation and observation of the
locals’ life ways and beliefs.
Key informant interview
• Judgment sampling
Participant observation
Current Application of
Anthropology
Applied anthropology
Forensic
• Concerned with the identification of
unrecognizable remains of humans that may
have been burned, mutilated, or decomposed.
Medical
• Concerned with the process by which culture
influences people’s ways of seeking health care
and well-being.
Current Application of
Anthropology
Public
• It allows the general population to access
anthropological explanations to issues that
pervade in society.

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