Download 1. What is Anthropology

RECALL
ANTHROPOLOGY
Definition:
The scientific study of hominids and human culture over time
Focus on:
On hominids/humans as members of a species or cultural
group
On humankind as a species, throughout time;
On how human culture has shaped the way people live
• Physical Anthropology
- compares ancient human/hominid remains using
archaeology
- compares ancient and modern cultures, looking for
Names:
patterns
Taylor, Boas,
• Cultural Anthropology
Malinowski, Levi- compares shared patterns of learned behaviour in a
Straus, Lorenz, Leaky, particular society with those in another
Goodall, Fosey
Areas of Inquiry:
SUB-FIELDS OF ANTHROPOLOGY
Anthropology
Social or Cultural
Anthropology
Physical Anthropology
Biological
Anthropology
Primatology
Forensic
Anthropology
Archaeology
Linguistic
Anthropology
Ethnology,
Socio-cultural
Anthropology
ANTHROPOLOGY
Primarily concerned with
humans as a biological
species
- Most closely related to
natural sciences
- Major research areas:
Human evolution
Modern human variation
Subfield of Anthropology, Philosophy, and
English
Main research areas:
- How language is used
- Relationship between language and
culture
- How humans acquire language
Sometimes known as Ethnology, Cultural Anthropology examines
contemporary societies and cultures throughout the world.
Participant observation: Ethnography, ethnographic data
SPOTLIGHT ON ANTHROPOLOGY
“Landmark Case Study”
 Pg 26-27 and questions 1-4
Gods Must Be Crazy - Clip
 http://www.crackle.com/c/The_Gods_Must_Be_Crazy + handout
Now that you have read a scholarly article about the San
and watched a satirical clip about them as well,
discuss…
 What is similar between the two?
 What is exaggerated between the two?
 Which source is more credible and why?
 Are there any biases in either media?
WHAT IS ANTHROPOLOGY?
HOLISTIC
To understand what it means to be
human, we need to study the interrelationships among all the parts of
anthropology: culture, biology, prehistoric
past, linguistics, and solving problems!
 E.g. the capacity for learning language is
genetically programmed into our DNA (our
biology); however, our environment determines
which language/s we end up learning (our
culture)
LINGUISTIC ANTHROPOLOGY
Subfield of anthropology, philosophy, and English
 Main research areas:
How language is used
Relationship between language and culture
How humans acquire language
Fields of linguistics:
Structural, historical, sociolinguistics
LINGUISTIC ANTHROPOLOGY
Studies human communication systems
Topics range from language to the dynamics of
human interaction
Closely tied into studies of cognitive psychology and
the origins of language as a uniquely human
adaptation
http://jaymans.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/ameri
canenglishdialects2.png
Google: “North American regional speech patterns”
ARCHAEOLOGY
Focuses on the material record: artifacts, fossils, or
other evidence of human activities
Techniques of excavation & documentation are also
used to recover evidence from a crime scene
Terms “bioarchaeologist” & and “zooarchaeologist”
identify specialists who deal with human or other
animal bones from archaeological site
ARCHAEOLOGY
Archaeologists seek out and examine the
artifacts (material products) of past societies.
Archaeology is NOT treasure-hunting (a la
Indiana Jones).
Subdisciplines of archaeology:
Prehistoric, historic, Classical, Biblical,
underwater
Modern “trash”
THE SUBFIELDS IN MORE DETAIL:
ARCHAEOLOGY
The study of human prehistory and cultural evolution (no
dinosaurs)
• Bioarchaeology = study of ancient human remains
Paleopathology – study of ancient disease through
materials remains
PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY
Primarily concerned with humans as a
biological species
Most closely related to natural sciences
Major research areas:
 Human evolution
 Modern human variation
Sub-disciplines:
 Palaeoanthropology, Primatology, Forensics,
palaeopathology, human osteology, genetics
THE SUBFIELDS IN MORE DETAIL: PHYSICAL
ANTHROPOLOGY
Physical Anthropology (also known as Biological
Anthropology) concerns human biological diversity and
evolution
Includes:
 Medical anthropology
 Paleo-anthropology (including some paleontology)
 Human genetics and evolution
 Primatology
CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY
Sometimes known as Ethnology, Cultural
Anthropology examines contemporary societies
and cultures throughout the world.
Participant observation:
 Ethnography
 Ethnographic data
CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY
The study of human culture = patterns of learned behavior
and thought that are shared and passed down among
members of a society.
•
Culture is not the result of biological inheritance
Culture includes: language, knowledge, beliefs, morals,
laws, customs, kinship systems, values, art, folklore,
food, etc.
THE SUBFIELDS IN MORE DETAIL: CULTURAL
ANTHROPOLOGY
Cultural anthropologists study modern, existing human
cultures
Comparative and holistic
Ethnology is the study of particular cultures
Ethnography is writing about a culture.
Social anthropology (which is part of cultural
anthropology) focuses more on social structure
VENN DIAGRAM
Literature
Arts
Religion
Sociology
Biology
Anthropology
Psychology
Medicine
Genetics
Political Science
PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY
The study of human biology, particularly the origins,
diversity, and adaptations of modern people and our
ancestors
To place humans in a comparative perspective, physical
anthropologists also study the origins and biology of the
non-human Primates, the group of mammals that
includes humans and our closest nonhuman relatives.
COMPARING HUMAN WITH NON-HUMAN PRIMATE
 Humans developed into very sophisticated tool users
 Compare Chimp tool-use behaviours:
 leaf-sponge: This is where an individual will use a leaf mass as a sponge
 dig: This is where an individual uses a spade to dig out a termite nest,
 leaf-mop: This is where an individual will use a leaf to mop up insects for consumption
 leaf-napkin: This is where an individual will use a leaf to clean the body
 nut-hammer, stone hammer on wood anvil: This is where an individual uses a stone
hammer on a wooden anvil to break open a nut
COMPARING HUMAN WITH NON-HUMAN PRIMATE
Humans are highly developed communicators
Chimps, as social animals, communicate also:
 open mouth grin: This is where the mouth is open, the corners of the mouth
are drawn back, and the teeth are showing. This display is shown when an
individual is threatened by a more dominant individual that it fears
 pout face: This is where the eyes are opened and the lips are pushed forward
making an "O" shape This display occur in circumstances of frustration or
anxiety such as after an attack, rejection of grooming, when an infant is lost,
and after detecting a strange object
 bobbing: This is where the individual performs push-ups with the arms bowed.
This is done by adolescent males when a high-ranking male approaches, and
is accompanied by pant-grunts
COMPARING HUMAN WITH NON-HUMAN PRIMATE
Chimps use vocal and tactile communication:
 pant-hoot: a series of loud calls which are rising and falling in pitch and often end in
a scream This call is most often given by males, but females may also give it. It is
given at abundant feeding sites, after smaller groups have been reunited after a few
days, a response to loud calls, and as a response to charging display
 pant-grunt: This consists of a series of soft, low grunts. This is given by subordinate
individuals to dominate ones as a response to dominance displays, such as the
charging display
 wrist-bending: This is where an individual presents the back of the hand to
another's lips. This is done by adults and juveniles to infants, a reassuring gesture
 social grooming: This is where one individual will remove parasites and/or dead
skin from another. This functions in maintaining social bonds and is usually done
between males, usually lower to higher ranking (Estes, 1991). In the common
chimpanzee this also occurs between family members
COMPARING HUMAN WITH NON-HUMAN PRIMATE
Humans are capable of self-recognition
So are the Great Apes
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Chimpanzees
Bonobos
Gorillas
Orangutans
ETHNOCENTRISM AND CULTURAL RELATIVISM
Ethnocentrism is the practice of judging
another society by the values and
standards of one’s own society.
 Nacirema discussion - VIDEO
Cultural relativism is the view that cultural
traditions must be understood within the
context of a particular society’s responses
to problems and opportunities.
CULTURAL RELATIVISM
The values of one culture should not be used as standards
to evaluate the behavior of persons from outside that
culture; a society’s custom and beliefs should by
described objectively.
Modern approach: We should strive for objectivity and not
be too quick to judge; however, there are some moral
absolutes that are removed from culture.
Discussion:s
 Afghani women, refugees
 Medical aid workers
 September 11th