Most Read This Week In 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 evolutiona 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

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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

How to Kill a Language: Power, Resistance, and the Race to Save Our Words

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The History of Money: A Story of Humanity

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The Arrogant Ape: The Myth of Human Exceptionalism and Why It Matters

The Lost Tomb: And Other Real-Life Stories of Bones, Burials, and Murder

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Crypt: Life, Death and Disease in the Middle Ages and Beyond

Unstoppable Us, Volume 1: How Humans Took Over the World

We Carry Their Bones: The Search for Justice at the Dozier School for Boys

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The Patriarchs: The Origins of Inequality

Pirate Enlightenment, or the Real Libertalia

The Rise and Reign of the Mammals: A New History, from the Shadow of the Dinosaurs to Us

Ancestors: A History of Britain in Seven Burials

How the World Made the West: A 4,000 Year History

Virtue Hoarders: The Case against the Professional Managerial Class

Survival of the Richest: Escape Fantasies of the Tech Billionaires

Still Life with Bones: Genocide, Forensics, and What Remains

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A (Very) Short History of Life on Earth: 4.6 Billion Years in 12 Pithy Chapters

A Hunter-Gatherer's Guide to the 21st Century: Evolution and the Challenges of Modern Life

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Goliath's Curse: The History and Future of Societal Collapse

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Lost Worlds: How Humans Tried, Failed, Succeeded, and Built Our World

Nightfaring: In Search of the Disappearing Darkness

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The Language Puzzle: Piecing Together the Six-Million-Year Story of How Words Evolved

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The Invention of Good and Evil: A World History of Morality

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With Her Own Hands: Women Weaving Their Stories

Domination: The Fall of the Roman Empire and the Rise of Christianity

A Natural History of Empty Lots: Field Notes from Urban Edgelands, Back Alleys, and Other Wild Places

Playing Possum: How Animals Understand Death

Assyria: The Rise and Fall of the World’s First Empire

The World According to Color: A Cultural History

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Origin: A Genetic History of the Americas

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

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Fear: An Alternative History of the World

The Naked Neanderthal: A New Understanding of the Human Creature

Knowing What We Know: The Transmission of Knowledge: From Ancient Wisdom to Modern Magic

Cheap Land Colorado: Off-Gridders at America's Edge

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Men and Women in the Church: A Short, Biblical, Practical Introduction

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A History of Ghosts, Spirits and the Supernatural (Esoteric Histories)

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The Horse: A Galloping History of Humanity

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Quotes Tagged “Anthropology”

“ Studies [on the origin of fairy-stories] are, however, scientific (at least in intent); they are the pursuit of folklorists or anthropologists: that is of people using the stories not as they were meant to be used, but as a quarry from which to dig evidence, or information, about matters in which they are interested. ...with regard to fairy stories, I feel that it is more interesting, and also in its way more difficult, to consider what they are, what they have become for us, and what values th ...more ”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, Tolkien On Fairy-stories

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“ I wondered why she craved this knowledge and found myself remembering that she was, after all, an anthropologist. ”
― Elizabeth Kostova, The Historian

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