Lesson 1 – Anthropology: Core Review Notes

Overview of Anthropology

• Anthropology = study of humans in all aspects (biological + cultural); from Greek anthropos (human) + logos (study)

• Seeks to trace human origins, diversity through time & space, and variables shaping the human experience

Goals of an Anthropologist

• Explain biological & cultural origins of our species

• Explore human diversity across $time$ & $space$

• Identify core variables of the human experience

Four Fields of Anthropology

• Physical/Biological Anthropology

  • Human evolution, adaptation, genetics

• Archaeology

  • Past cultures via material remains; links artifacts to present/future society

• Anthropological Linguistics

  • Structure, use, acquisition of language; language ↔ culture transmission

• Cultural Anthropology

  • Patterns of belief, practice, behaviour; compares similarities/differences of societies

Fieldwork & Research Approaches

• Fieldwork = primary data collection through participant observation

• Bronislaw Malinowski (pioneered participant observation, $1915$)

• Ethnography

  • Long-term, holistic description of a single culture/community

• Ethnology

  • Comparative study of multiple groups using ethnographic data

• Holism

  • Aim to understand as many cultural aspects & contexts as possible

• Hawthorne Effect

  • Behaviour change when subjects know they are observed

Key Cultural Concepts

• Multiculturalism — coexistence & promotion of multiple cultural traditions within fixed boundaries

• Ethnocentrism — judging another culture by one’s own standards

• Cultural Relativism — all cultures are equally valid; no universal cultural standard

Anthropological Perspectives

• Etic (outsider view)

  • Analytical, comparative; risk of Hawthorne effect

• Emic (insider view)

  • Immersed, participant; captures meaning as understood by members

Anthropology in the Philippines

• Henry Otley Beyer — founded UP Diliman Anthropology (taught $1914$); Wave Migration Theory; Ifugao research

• F. Landa Jocano — documented Hinilawod epic; Philippine folklore studies

• Ponciano Bennagen — co-drafted Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act; co-founded UGAT

Quick Review – Likely Test Points

• Fieldwork = primary method of data gathering

• Anthropology = study of humans $\Rightarrow$ biological & cultural dimensions

• Subfield on humans as biological beings = Physical Anthropology

• Multiculturalism definition (see above)

• Hawthorne Effect = altered behaviour under observation

• Father of American Anthropology = Franz Boas

• Archaeologists connect artifacts to present/future society

• Cultural Anthropology compares cultures worldwide