anthropology

  • Fields of anthropology

    • Primatologist:

      • This is the scientific study of primates, both living and extinct (PHYSICAL ANTHRO)

        • Helps to understand human evolution and human nature through the anatomy and behaviour of similar non-human primates

    • Paleoanthropologist:

      • Studies bone and stone remains of ancient humans (PHYSICAL ANTHRO)

        • Attempts to understand evolution

        • Uses evolution to explain human variation


  • Archaeologist

    • Archaeologists study artifacts, objects made by human beings.  

      • Artifacts include tools, weapons, pottery, clothing and jewelry (CULTURAL ANTHRO)

  • Ethnologist

    • Living in a culture and taking detailed notes. Studies different cultures / societies (CULTURAL ANTHRO). 

  • Forensic Anthropologist

    • Gather and interpret evidence to assist in the identification of human remains. (PHYSICAL ANTHRO)

  • Linguistic Anthropologist

    • Study of the history and structure of language and the ways humans use language. (CULTURAL ANTHRO)


  • Humans & evolution: 

    • bipedalism  

      • To habitually walk on two legs. Humans are the only primate with this adaptation


  • Charles Darwin 

  • Stated his theory that:

  • Species can change overtime

  • Newer species come from species that have already existed

  • All species share a common ancestor

  • Ardi

    • He is the oldest and most complete hominid skeleton discovered

    • Found in Ethiopia

    • 4.4 million years old


  • Race & human variation: From an anthropological perspective, what do we know about “race”? 

    • Race is a social construct that has often been labeled biological

    • The members of the human race is 99% alike

    • Genetically speaking, humans came from Africa

    • The greatest genetic variation in people is found in Africa


  • Primates:

    • Who are our closest living relatives? 

      • Chimpanzees

        • They share 98.5% - 98.7% of their DNA with humans

    • Jane Goodall 

      • Observed primates in the field

      • Studied chimpanzees for 56 years


  • Forensics: what can forensic anthropologists discover from human remains?  

    • Sex (male or female)

    • Age (young or old)

    • Ancestry (European / African / Asian/Native American descent)

    • Height


  • Cultural anthropology:

    • What is culture?

      • The total system of ideas, values, behaviours, and attitudes of a society commonly shared by most members of a society 

      • Four aspects: Values, customs, symbols, language


  • Margaret Mead 

    • Studied the !Kung tribe in Samoa, she found that the communities ignored gender until they reached the age of 15





  • Schools of thought in cultural anthropology

Cultural Relativism 

Everyone sees other cultures through the lens of their own culture. People shouldn’t can’t judge other cultures based on the standards of their own culture. (This promotes respect and understanding of various cultures)

Functional Theory

Functional theory is the idea that every belief, action, or relationships in a culture, functions to meet the needs of individuals. 

  • It’s to study the purposes of certain practices in a culture, and to understand how it contributes to society.

Cultural Materialism 

The theory states that materials or conditions within the environment (for example, climate, food supply, geography) influence how a culture develops, creating the ideas and ideology of a culture.

Feminist Anthropology

Feminist anthropologists were re-examining anthropology to ensure that female voices were heard and included in research.

Postmodernism 

Postmodernism is a theory that influences a number of disciplines, including anthropology. It is the belief that it is impossible to have any "true" knowledge about the world. 


  • Rites of passages: three step process  

Stage 1: Segregation

In the first stage, a person undergoing the rite of passage is separated from the rest of society and from his or her original status

Stage 2: Transition

This can last for a few hours, days, months, or years. In this stage, the person is starting to become his/her new self, and learning the new role

Stage 3: Incorporation & Reintegration

The individual is reintegrated into regular society in his/her new role. Sometimes marked with tattoos, scars, body paint, clothing, etc. 


  • Kinship systems: marriage across different cultures 

    • Kinship refers to the social relationships that define family connections and obligations.

    • Polygamy: A form of marriage that involves multiple partners

    • Monogamy: A relationship or form of marriage were an individual has one partner 

    • Polyandry: Polyandry (one wife, and multiple husbands)

    • Polygyny: Polygyny (one husband, multiple wives)

    • Arranged marriage: Marriages set up by someone other than the people getting married







  • Linguistic anthropology: have a general understanding of three main areas 

    • Historical Linguistics: 

      • Compare similarities and differences of language structures 

      • So they can understand how languages are related and also how people migrated in the past.

    • Structural Linguistics:

      • The study of how sounds are put together to make meaning.

        • Dialects (form of a language which is peculiar to a specific region or social group.)

        • Slang

    • Sociolinguistics:

      • The study of how people use language within their culture to express status and context. 

      • Example: You use a different language talking to me than you would talking to each other.

      • Sociolinguistics also study body language

        • Body language: communicating information and attitudes in a non-verbal manner