INTRODUCTION TO PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY Anthropology: the study of humanity, dead and alive, past and present (not dinosaurs)Physical Anthropology: focuses on the biological aspects of peopleBiocultural Approach: trying to understand what it means to be human (fuses biology and culture)- Interaction between biology and cultureHolistic: drawing from many different aspects of what it means to be human (have to consider human behavior)Comparative: comparing different groups, belief systems, or peoplesEthnocentrism: the belief that your way of life is the best way or the right way Cultural Relativism: viewing each culture within its own context (not passing judgements)- Opposite of ethnocentrismFieldwork: period of data collection; all anthropologists do this In America there are four subfields:1. Linguistic Anthropology: study of language combined with anthropologya. How cultures communicate through body or spoken language b. Social norms for speakingc. Origins of language (fossil evidence)2. Cultural (Sociocultural) Anthropologya. Culture: learned behavior that is distinct among a group of people; passed down through generations; evolutionary (change)i. Ex) Professional Athletes, Indian Americans, not necessarily foreignii. Urban Anthropologists: study city lifeiii. Medical Anthropologists: how different cultures use healthcareiv. Political Anthropologists: study power in culturesv. Economic Anthropologists: study how resources are distributed in a society 3. Archaeology: study of cultures based on their material remainsa. Anything left behind (pottery, weapons, tools, etc)b. Excavation: time consuming, labor intensive, destroying where you uncoverc. Laboratory: document, clean, etc.d. Historic had written records Prehistoric had no written recordse. Classical Archaeologists: Rome, Greece, Egyptf. Contract Archaeologist: cultural resource management; called when construction is interrupted because youfind something buried; work quicklyg. Academic Archaeologist: study and are paid for it by University; get grants; can take your time and work slowly4. Biological/Physical Anthropologya. Osteology: the study of bonesb. Evolutionary Theory: change (either big or small)c. Paleoanthropology: study of human evolution and fossil recordsi. Lucy (3.2 million years old)1. Very well represented as a fossild. Primatology: the study of non-human primatese. Human Variation: biological differences cultural/ethnic differences SCIENTIFIC PERSPECTIVEScience: process of understanding the natural worldScientists use observations, deductive, inductive reasonings.Scientific Method- Problem Identified- Hypotheses Established- Data Collection (Experimentalism)- TheoryBiases: all scientists have bias; we strive to be unbiased, but we are only humanAmerican Physical AnthropologyFranz Boas (1858-1942)- Considered the father of American Anthropology- Responsible for the Four Field Approacho Biologically and behaviorally combined with the scientific method- Professor at Columbia UniversityAles Hrdlicka (1869-1943)- Field work experience- Very interested in skulls and cranial fossils- Compiled the most complete collection of skulls- Started the American Journal of Physical Anthropology (serves as the voice of the field)- One of the founding members of the American Association of Physical Anthropologist- Believed Native Americans originated in Asia and crossed the Bering Strait Charles Darwin- Most influential anthropologist- Believed in o Species Change (evolution)o Adaptive Radiation/Branching Branching: all living things descended from a common ancestor Adaptive Radiation: out of one species comes multiple related specieso When change occurs, it happens graduallyo Natural Selection: mechanisms of change recognizes the influence of the environment in changeHistory of Evolutionary Thought1. Middle Agesa. Order: there is an order to life; hierarchical orderb. Stasis: the belief that things do not change; these two beliefs were heavily influenced by religion 2. Religious Beliefsa. Great Chain of Bering: at the top of the chain is the most spiritual being or God (hierarchical)b. Creation: belief that God created the Worldc. Also believed the Earth was very young (6000 years)3. Natural Worlda. Idea that nature is organizedb. Fixity of Species: idea that life forms and organisms do not change, they are fixed4. Political Systema. Fuedal: you cannot move up in the hierarchical chain; a peasant remains a peasant14th – 18th Centuries- Renaissance and Enlightenment- Technological Advances o Telescope, microscope, printing press o Information about new development in ideas getting out- Exploration – diversityo Discovered the stars change (Copernicus)o Laws of Physics and Motion, Gravityo People were travelling out of Europe and saw different types of plants, animals, and peopleDarwin’s Influences (Naturalists)1. Carolus Linnaeus (1707-1778)- Developed binomial nomenclature (Homo sapiens); basis for modern taxonomy 2. Buffon (1707-1829)- Worked for the French king- Recognized the influence of the environment in the changing of species 3. LaMarck (1744-1829)- French soldier- First to attempt to explain how change happened- Proposed that in response to environmental stress, the organism would respond and change form in order to survive; this would be passed down to future generationso Inheritance of Acquired Characteristics (Lamarckism)- Classic example:o Short necked giraffe needed to be taller to reach the tree leaves, so they morphed to allow the neck to stretcho The giraffe ends up being long-necked and continuing to be so4. Cuvier (1769-1832)- Demonstrated that fossils were bones of extinct animals but had similarities - Well respected anatomist and paleontologist - Catastrophism: in the past, cataclysmic events occurred, and during these events, all organisms would be killed (globally or regionally) and lifeforms nearby organisms would move in and repopulate (accounts for the fossil record)5. Lyell (1797-1875)- Geologist- Uniformitarianismo There are geological processes that effect the earth and are at work today (wind, rain, erosion )o As a result of that, the landscape is always changingo The earth is very old (billions of years old)6. Malthus (1766 – 1834)- Demographer (studied populations)- Wrote Essay on the Principal of Populationo Population size is limited by resource availability, therefore, there will be constant competition among individuals to surviveo Argued for population control 7. Alfred