DEFINITION OF ANTHROPOLOGY

 

It is the study of humanity, including our prehistoric origins and contemporary human diversity.

It is the study of humankind in all times and all place.

Anthropology establishes relevant knowledge from the social, physical, and biological sciences, as well as from Humanities.

Anthropologists apply the knowledge they garner about mankind, nature and human genetics, to some extent, to find solutions to the problems that humans face and combat.

 

GOALS OF ANTHROPOLOGY

  • Discover what makes people different from one another in order to understand and preserve diversity

Anthropology attempts to answer questions like, what does it mean to be a Filipino and a citizen of the world? It is not enough that anthropologists find out the characteristics that make Filipinos unique, it is also important to emphasize the Filipino traits that makes them “one” with the rest of the world.

  • Discover what all people have in common by studying commonalities such as folklores, traditions, language, etc. in all humanity so that we could understand more about “human nature"

  • Look at one’s own culture more objectively like an outsider

It aims to make “the strange familiar and the familiar strange.” Also, it challenges individuals to evaluate and criticize their own culture. This is important so that people will be aware of the faults in their own culture and make necessary changes for its betterment.

  • Produce new knowledge and new theories about humankind and human behavior

This new knowledge is then applied in an attempt to alleviate human challenges.

Therefore, anthropology teaches us how to evaluate facts and theories about human nature and human culture by placing them in a total, global perspective.

FOUR MAJOR FIELDS OF GENERAL ANTHROPOLOGY

 

Cultural Anthropology

Refers to the study of living people and their cultures, including variation and change. It deals with the description and analysis of the forms and styles of social life of past and present ages. Cultural anthropologists also study art, religion, migration, marriage, and family

Linguistic Anthropology

         

Refers to the study of communication, mainly (but not exclusively) among humans. It includes the study of communication’s origins, history, and contemporary variation

 

Archaeology

 

         

 

Refers to the study of past human cultures through their material remains. It is the study of past human cultures through the recovery and analysis of artifacts

 

Biological Anthropology

 

 

Also known as physical anthropology, this refers to the study of humans as biological organisms, including their evolution and contemporary variation

It seeks to describe the distribution of hereditary variations among contemporary populations and to sort out and measure the relative contributions made by heredity, environment, and culture to human biology.

 

APPLIED ANTHROPOLOGY

 

  • Refers to anthropology put to use

  • Involves the use or application of anthropological knowledge to help solve social problems or to shape and achieve policy goals

  • Not a separate field of general anthropology. However, it is the term used to describe the applied aspects integrated in the four fields of anthropology. Just like theory, application should be a valued part of every field of anthropology