Bio Anthro 8/26 - What is Biological Anthropology?

Anthropology

The study of humanity as socially embedded, culture-producing, biological beings.

Cultural Anthropology

Study of the learned behavior of groups of people in specific environments – all aspects of human behavior!

Linguistic Anthropology

The study of language, how it is structured, how languages evolve and change, and especially the social and cultural contexts for language

Archaeology

The study of past cultures through their material culture, physical remains, the spaces they inhabited

Biological Anthropology

-The study of the evolution of humans and their living and fossil relatives

-Places human biology and evolution within the context of human culture and behavior

Ethnography

A primary research method in cultural anthropology involving long-term, firsthand fieldwork and immersion in a community to observe, record, and analyze its culture.

Participant observation

A foundational ethnographic method where a researcher takes part in the daily activities, rituals, and routines of a group while observing and recording their social behaviors.

Material culture

The physical objects, artifacts, architecture, and resources created, used, and given meaning to by people within a society.

artifacts

Physical objects made, modified, or used by humans that provide material evidence of past or present cultural activities.

features

Non-portable human-made structures, modifications, or traces at an archaeological site—such as hearths, postholes, or walls—that cannot be removed without altering their original context.

genetics

The study of heredity and how traits are passed through DNA.

primatology

The study of living and fossil primates, including their behavior and biology.

osteology

The study of bones and the human skeletal system.

forensic anthropology

Using skeletal remains to help identify people and investigate deaths.

Human Biology

The study of human biological variation, growth, health, and adaptation.

paleoanthropology

The study of human evolution using fossils and archaeological evidence.

foodways

Cultural practices involving how people obtain, prepare, eat, and share food.

ancient DNA

DNA recovered from ancient human, animal, or plant remains.

Franz Boas

An anthropologist who challenged biological determinism and emphasized culture and variation.

Earnest Hooton

A physical anthropologist known for studying human variation and skeletal biology.

Sherwood Washburn

An anthropologist who helped establish modern evolutionary and behavioral primatology.