What is Anthropology?Jan 21, 20224 Sub-Fields:● Linguistic○ Considers how speech varies w social factors over time and space○ Ex: How different people speak and communicate (power dynamics, gender, etc)○ 2 Sub-Fields:■ Social linguistics● Communication differences between classes and groups■ Structural linguistics● Grammar and its effects on communication○ Historical linguists: reconstruct ancient languages and study linguistic variationthrough time○ Sociolinguistics: investigates relationships between social and linguistic variation(anthropological linguistics) to discover varied perceptions and patterns ofthought and practice in different cultures● Biological○ Human fossils, genetics, and bodily growth and non-human primates○ Ex: How and why humans began to walk upright○ Special interests:■ Paleoanthropology: human evolution through fossil records■ Human genetics■ Human growth and development■ Human biological plasticity: the body’s ability to change■ Primatology: study of biology, evolution, behavior, and social life ofprimates● Cultural○ Human culture and its impact on the world○ Cultural diversity of the past and present○ Describes, analyzes, interprets, and explains social and cultural similarities anddifferences○ 2 Dimensions:■ Ethnography: fieldwork in a particular culture; provides an account ofthat community, society, or culture● Requires fieldwork to collect data● Often descriptive● Group/community-specific■ Ethnology: cross-cultural comparison; comparative study of ethnographicdata, of society, and of culture - generalizes society and culture● Used to form and test theories about how social and culturalsystems work● Uses data collected by a series of researchers● Usual synthetic● comparative/cross-cultural● Archaeological○ Study of human behavior, cultural patterns, & and processes through materialremains○ Subfields: Nautical (studying things underwater), Egyptian, Slave○ Includes artifacts, garbage, burials, structural remains○ Study the cultures of historical and living people■ Historical archaeology combines archaeological and textual data toreconstruct historically known groups○ Ex: How the stone age people made tools; How past humans cooked food● TAMU includes:○ Cultural○ Nautical○ Archaeological○ Biological● Society: organized life groups○ More abstract● Culture: traditions, customs, and innovations that govern behavior and beliefs○ Distinctly human○ Transmitted through learning○ Culture changes - it is adaptive○ More of a connection between people - harder to change● First civilizations arose btwn 6000 and 5000 BP○ Industrial production greatly affected human life○ Human global economy and communication link all contemporary people inmodern times○ There are few people without history (Eric Wolf)■ Everyone is interconnected (capitalism, transportation services)● Four-Field Approach○ Developed in US○ Early American anthropologists studied native North American people andcombined studies of customs, social life, language, and physical traits○ Timestamps are typically in thousands of years or longer (primate archaeology)○ Science and arts/humanities need to be together - anthropology unites them● 1940s & 1980s: things changed significantlyThe Concept of CultureJan 25, 2022● Culture is always connected to other aspects of humanity’s existence (to study religionyou have to study gender roles, to study gender roles you have to study the economy, etc)● (1873) Edward Tyler: the Father of Anthropology; defined anthro as the study of culture● Holism: any given aspect of human life must be studied in relation to other aspects ofhuman life● Culture is based on symbols - verbal or non-verbal○ Language is most important!● Culture is LEARNED through enculturation● Culture is SHARED - we share the same meanings for symbols to be a part of culture○ Results in regularity and predictability○ BUT culture does NOT determine behavior - we all maintain free will● There is variability in the sharing of culture○ Age variation - generation gaps○ Sex variation - men and women are different● Culture is INTEGRATED - all aspects of culture function as an inter-related whole○ As one part of a culture changes, it affects another part● Marshall Sahlins - we have normalized and utilized the concept of culture● Culture is ADAPTED○ Adaptation - the way living populations relate to their environments so they cansurvive and reproduce○ Some cultures are neutral or maladaptive○ Avenues for adaptation:■ Technological, Organizational, or Ideological● Cultures are DYNAMIC - ever-changing → cultural evolution● Cultural Relativism: any part of a culture must be viewed within its cultural context, notfrom the observer’s POV○ First formulated by Franz Boas○ Ex: Nazi Germany (ethnocentrism); Eskimo☆ Although cultures constantly change, certain foundational beliefs are maintained throughgenerations☆ Culture relies on the human capacity for cultural learning☆ Culture includes rules for internalized behavior of humans which lead them to think and actin specific waysPandian & Ethnographic ExperienceFeb 8, 2022● Symbolic anthropology○ Views culture as a system of symbols that people create, alter, and share○ Focuses on understanding the symbolic words of others○ Clifford Geertz: most notable scholar to push anthropology towards moreideographic and descriptive work● Postmodern anthropological theory○ Theories built on the premise that positivist (objective) views of humanphenomena are inherently limited and biased○ Brings questions of power, history, and the culture concept itself into the centerof anthropological analysis○ Three important strands:■ Cultural marxism -● Draws on Karl Marx’s concepts of power, inequality, and classstruggle to understand cultural change and analyze all forms ofsocial inequality■ Feminism -● Highlights importance of gender as an analytic concept andwomen’s presence in cultural analysis● Feminist as a political stance is different from feminist theory● First theory to emphasize the importance of recognizing powerand privilege between the anthropologist, the subject, and reader■ Perspectivism - (standpoint theory)● Knowledge is generated by a knower who has a certain position,reflecting a limited perspective● objective/unpositioned knowledge is not possible●