Anthropology — Week 1 Notes (Teeth, Ethics, Fieldwork)
Attendance and in-class logistics
Name cards: instructor will provide; students asked to pass papers forward if needed.
Attendance: exit ticket sheets used; too many to count at once, collect at end.
Exit tickets: each sheet asks either a question for class to answer or one thing that went well this week (for seniors who already know everything).
If extra papers are available, pass them forward; keep the papers until the end of class.
Quick reminder: keep your name and date on exit ticket for easy tracking.
Quick recap: What is Anthropology?
Anthropology is the study of human beings.
Four subfields work together in a holistic social science: Biological/Physical, Archaeology, Linguistic, and Cultural Anthropology.
Each subfield covers different aspects of being human and they interact with one another.
The four subfields in depth
Biological (Physical) Anthropology
Study of human biology and physiology.
Focus on what it means to be human physically, human evolution, and adaptation to environmental pressures over time.
Includes study of extinct relatives and modern primates (e.g., chimpanzees) as close relatives.
Down the timeline, we’ll deep dive into comparative anatomy, evolution, and adaptation (to be covered in two weeks).
Archaeology
Study of human material remains (things people left behind, not just bones).
Focus on the prehistoric past where there are no written records.
Investigates buildings, pottery, art, weapons, diet, and the material culture left by past societies.
Also looks at evidence of how people interacted with their bodies and how tools and artifacts reveal cultural practices.
Linguistic Anthropology
Study of human language in use and in social context, not just language structures.
Examines how language changes when people from different languages or dialects meet, and how social factors (e.g., racism, sexism) affect language use.
Cultural Anthropology
Study of human cultures, norms, beliefs, values, and everyday practices.
Focus on shared understandings of the world, signs of significance, social rules, and how people act in their communities.
Teeth as a cross-cutting example of anthropology
Cultural anthropology perspective on teeth
Meaning of showing teeth (smiling) vs. bearing teeth (aggression or threat).
Dental condition (dirty teeth, missing teeth) signals group membership, values, and social meanings.
Braces: visible orthodontics reflect power/wealth and social class; decorating choices (colored bands) show identity and group membership.
Baby teeth as sentimental artifacts; attitudes toward teeth reflect cultural values and age stages.
Biological/physical anthropology perspective on teeth
Teeth shape, wear, pitting, and wear patterns reveal diet and environmental exposures during development.
Analysis can infer childhood water sources, malnutrition, pollutants, and toxin exposure; can indicate geographic origin and growth conditions.
Archaeology perspective on teeth
Teeth in artifacts or wear patterns in graves signal rituals and cultural practices related to teeth.
Dental tools found in digs reveal practices; human teeth marks on other objects (e.g., bones) show consumption patterns.
Linguistic anthropology perspective on teeth
Teeth are central to sound production; how teeth and tongue interact affects language and accents.
Examples: teeth-sucking as a cultural practice in Caribbean black communities; dental fricatives in English (e.g., the sounds in “thinks”) involve the teeth and alveolar ridge.
Movement of tongue and teeth affects phonetics and meaning-building across languages.
Takeaway: a single feature (teeth) can illuminate biological, cultural, linguistic, and archaeological dimensions of being human.
Anthropological ethics: what makes anthropology distinct
Five defining features (high level overview):
Valuing fieldwork: meaningful knowledge comes from talking to or engaging with living humans or their direct proxies (remains, artifacts).
Cross-cultural comparison: ethnology as the practice of comparing cultures to identify universals and differences; ethnography is more locale-specific.
Interdisciplinarity: collaboration with public health, sociology, psychology, history, political science, etc., to enrich understanding.
Applied vs pure research: some findings aim to solve real problems; others aim to advance theoretical understanding.
Shared ethical standards: professional responsibility to protect those studied and handle materials respectfully.
Fieldwork realities vary by subfield
Archaeology fieldwork is physically demanding (outdoors, digging, heat, bugs, teamwork).
Cultural anthropology fieldwork often involves long-term immersion in communities (e.g., Southeast Asia) and participant observation.
Ethnology vs ethnography
Ethnology: cross-cultural comparison to identify universal patterns and differences.
Ethnography: in-depth study of a single culture or community.
Religion and cultural universals
Religion: a cultural universal – belief systems and worldviews across all cultures.
Other universals include systems of marriage and other core social structures to be explored later.
Cross-cultural examples and public health
Western public health campaigns (e.g., safe infant sleep practices to reduce SIDS) can reflect cultural biases.
Anthropology shows science is culturally situated; surface scientific consensus may overlook other cultural practices.
Interdisciplinarity and applied research
Working with public health, sociology, psychology, political science, etc., helps anthropology address real-world problems.
Pure research vs applied research: many anthropological studies aim to inform practice and policy, not just theory.
Do no harm and other ethical principles (AAA)
Core principle: Do no harm. Avoid causing physical, social, emotional, or cultural harm.
Context matters: harm looks different across subfields—interacting with people (cultural), studying living communities, or handling human remains.
Potential harms in practice
Disrespecting a culture or triggering conflict by saying the wrong thing or failing to show appropriate courtesy (e.g., gifts to community leaders).
Mishandling human remains or sacred objects; issues of repatriation and rightful ownership.
Disrespectful treatment of records, artifacts, or communities; inaccurate information or misrepresentation.
Informed consent
Participants must understand what they are being studied and have the option to opt out.
Replication and accessibility of data
Preserve and protect records; ensure that results are accessible to scholars studying similar topics.
Respectful, transparent relationships
Anthropologists should be open about research goals, maintain ethical relationships, and engage communities respectfully.
Participant observation ethics
Unlike journalism, anthropologists are not spies; communities should be aware of the research and consent to participation.
Case study framing (quick preview)
AAA provides case studies to illustrate ethical decision-making in fieldwork across the four subfields.
Ethics case studies: practical dilemmas
Method: students work in groups to discuss three ethical scenarios (three scenarios provided by AAA, only some described here).
How discussions are structured:
Read individually for about seven minutes.
Discuss as a group to propose a course of action aligned with AAA principles.
Compare group conclusions with the actual historical decisions described in the scenarios.
Scenario 1: The witness to murder (Mary Thompson, 18 months in Southeast Asia)
Situation: Mary overhears a murder; the police later question villagers; she has a field notebook with details.
Dilemma: Should she tear out or destroy pages from her notebook? Should she tell the police what she saw, or stay silent like others in the village?
Group discussions highlighted tensions between recording the truth, protecting ongoing community relationships, and legal obligations.
Final outcome (as described in the lecture): Thompson chose to hide the notebook but not destroy it; when questioned, she denied knowledge of the event. Police did not search for the notes.
Key ethical takeaway: balancing responsibilities to research records, community trust, and legal accountability; sometimes outcomes depend on local laws and political situations.
Scenario 2: Missing artifact (Marcus Randolph, collecting Pueblo Indian artifacts)
Situation: An important ceremonial item disappears from a community’s collection for about twenty years; the missing item may have been in possession of Randolph.
Dilemma: Should Randolph return the item to the religious leaders, or reveal his possession, or simply note it without disclosure?
Group discussions argued for returning the item if appropriate, or handling disclosure in a way that minimizes harm to community relations.
Final outcome (as described in the lecture): Randolph investigated, learned that the item’s absence across multiple communities was seen as a cultural loss that could not be reclaimed; he chose not to disclose his possession but documented it in his notes and discussed the matter with elders before deciding on how to proceed.
Key ethical takeaway: consider cultural significance, the power of artifacts, and the long-term impact of returning items; decisions must be made in conversation with community leaders and informed by local norms.
Scenario 3
Note: The transcript references three scenarios but only details two; further scenarios would be explored in subsequent sessions.
Practical notes: course logistics and assessments
Course components referenced
Brightspace quizzes: Chapter 1 quiz and syllabus quiz; about 15 questions total.
Quick reminder: Brightspace quizzes open in ten minutes and close at midnight tonight.
Schedule reminders
No class on Monday.
Next Wednesday: read two sections of Chapter 2.
Group work logistics for ethics discussion
Students are assigned to groups of four, forming new partnerships with peers they didn’t work with previously.
Seven-minute individualized reading followed by group discussion, concluding with a group response to the scenarios.
Brief reflections and connections
Interdisciplinary relevance
Anthropology intersects with public health, sociology, psychology, political science, and history to address real-world issues.
Cultural universals (like religion, marriage) reveal shared human needs while allowing for diverse expressions.
Real-world relevance
Ethical guidelines help navigate fieldwork in diverse cultural settings, ensuring research benefits communities and respects their values and sovereignty.
Exam preparation cues
Be comfortable with definitions of the four subfields, the concept of ethnology vs ethnography, and key ethical principles (do no harm, informed consent, repatriation).
Understand how to apply these principles to case scenarios and discuss potential ethical trade-offs in fieldwork.
Key terms and concepts to remember
Anthropology, four subfields: subfields = biological/physical, archaeology, linguistic anthropology, cultural anthropology.
Fieldwork: direct engagement with communities or their material proxies; required for meaningful anthropological knowledge.
Ethnology vs Ethnography: cross-cultural comparison vs in-depth study of a single culture.
Cultural universals: elements shared across all human cultures (e.g., religion, marriage).
Repatriation: returning cultural remains or sacred objects to a descendant community.
Do no harm: core ethical principle guiding fieldwork and interactions with communities.
Informed consent: participants’ understanding and voluntary agreement to be studied.
Interdisciplinarity: collaboration with other fields to enrich understanding.
Participant observation: immersion and participation in community life as a research method (not undercover).