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

Most Read This Week Tagged "Anthropology"

Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI

Sapiens: A Graphic History, Volume 1 - The Birth of Humankind

Hunt, Gather, Parent: What Ancient Cultures Can Teach Us About the Lost Art of Raising Happy, Helpful Little Humans

The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity

Proto: How One Ancient Language Went Global

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

The Bone Hacker (Temperance Brennan, #22)

Dinner with King Tut: How Rogue Archaeologists Are Re-creating the Sights, Sounds, Smells, and Tastes of Lost Civilizations

Estuve aquí y me acordé de nosotros: Una historia sobre turismo, trabajo y clase

Exercised: Why Something We Never Evolved to Do Is Healthy and Rewarding

The History of Money: A Story of Humanity

The Secret Life of Groceries: The Dark Miracle of the American Supermarket

Children of Ash and Elm: A History of the Vikings

La vida contada por un sapiens a un neandertal

More most read this week tagged "anthropology"...

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

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

1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus

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

More anthropology books...

Lists

A Hunter-Gatherer's Guide to the 21st Century by Heather E. Heying

Decoding the Gurus Podcast

80 books — 2 voters

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes by Caitlin Doughty

O Death

260 books — 21 voters

The Hero With a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell

The Man Without Qualities by Robert Musil

How we see the world

269 books — 144 voters

A Primate's Memoir by Robert M. Sapolsky

Best Popular Anthropology Books

359 books — 270 voters

The Sacred and the Profane by Mircea Eliade

The Varieties of Religious Experience by William James

A History of Religious Ideas, Volume 2 by Mircea Eliade

New Age Religion and Western Culture by Wouter J. Hanegraaff

La Biographie Du Prophète Mouhammad, Le Nectar Cacheté by Ar-Rahik

Religious studies

158 books — 39 voters

Ambedkar's Preamble by Aakash Singh Rathore

The Social Context of an Ideology by M S Gore

Ambedkar — Books About Babasaheb

26 books — 3 voters

Related Genres

Nonfiction
Archeology

Featured News & Interviews

Get Ready! Readers' Most Anticipated Books of 2026

Read »

Quotes Tagged “Anthropology”

“ Cultural analysis is intrinsically incomplete. And, worse than that, the more deeply it goes the less complete it is. ”
― Clifford Geertz

37 likes

“ If two people stare at each other for more than a few seconds, it means they are about to either make love or fight. Something similar might be said about human societies. If two nearby societies are in contact for any length of time, they will either trade or fight. The first is non-zero-sum social integration, and the second ultimately brings it. ”
― Robert Wright

62 likes

More quotes...