Anthropology

Anthropology ( /ænθrɵˈpɒlədʒi/) is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos (ἄνθρωπος), "human being", and -logia (-λογία), "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German philosopher Magnus Hundt.

Anthropology's basic concerns are "What defines Homo sapiens?", "Who are the ancestors of modern Homo sapiens?", "What are humans' physical traits?", "How do humans behave?", "Why are there variations and differences among different groups of humans?", "How has the evolution Anthropology ( /ænθrɵˈpɒlədʒi/) is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos (ἄνθρωπος), "human being", and -logia (-λογία), "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German philosopher Magnus Hundt.

Anthropology's basic concerns are "What defines Homo sapiens?", "Who are the ancestors of modern Homo sapiens?", "What are humans' physical traits?", "How do humans behave?", "Why are there variations and differences among different groups of humans?", "How has the evolutionary past of Homo sapiens influenced its social organization and culture?" and so forth.

In the United States, contemporary anthropology is typically divided into four sub-fields: cultural anthropology also known as social anthropology, archaeology, linguistic anthropology, and physical (or biological) anthropology. The four-field approach to anthropology is reflected in many undergraduate textbooks as well as anthropology programs (e.g. Michigan, Berkeley, Penn). At universities in the United Kingdom, and much of Europe, these "sub-fields" are frequently housed in separate departments and are seen as distinct disciplines.

The social and cultural sub-field has been heavily influenced by structuralist and post-modern theories, as well as a shift toward the analysis of modern societies (an arena more typically in the remit of sociologists). During the 1970s and 1990s there was an epistemological shift away from the positivist traditions that had largely informed the discipline.During this shift, enduring questions about the nature and production of knowledge came to occupy a central place in cultural and social anthropology. In contrast, archaeology, biological anthropology, and linguistic anthropology remained largely positivist. Due to this difference in epistemology, anthropology as a discipline has lacked cohesion over the last several decades. This has even led to departments diverging, for example in the 1998–9 academic year at Stanford University, where the "scientists" and "non-scientists" divided into two departments: anthropological sciences and cultural & social anthropology; these departments later reunified in the 2008–9 academic year. ...more

New Releases Tagged "Anthropology"

The Four Heavens: A New History of the Ancient Maya (Unearthing the Past)

Nightfaring: In Search of the Disappearing Darkness

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Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution

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The History of Money: A Story of Humanity

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Anthropology Books

Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies

Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed

The Gift: The Form and Reason for Exchange in Archaic Societies

The Third Chimpanzee: The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal

1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures

Coming of Age in Samoa: A Psychological Study of Primitive Youth for Western Civilisation

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Lists

Biographies of Indians

109 books — 24 voters

Ley Lines, Ancient Roads, and Nemeta in Fiction

66 books — 10 voters

The Secret Life of Plants by Peter Tompkins

Curious Minds

182 books — 155 voters

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick

Philosophical Science Fiction

465 books — 450 voters

In Search of Respect by Philippe Bourgois

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman

Argonauts of the Western Pacific by Bronisław Malinowski

Good Ethnography

140 books — 101 voters

The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel

The Clan of the Cave Bear & The Valley of Horses by Jean M. Auel

Paleoanthropological Speculative Fiction , or....

85 books — 80 voters

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Quotes Tagged “Anthropology”

“ I chose cultural anthropology, since it offered the greatest opportunity to write high-minded balderdash. ”
― Kurt Vonnegut, Palm Sunday: An Autobiographical Collage

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