attempts to explain similarities and differences among people in the context of humanity as a whole culture learned patterns of thought and behavior acquired by people as members of society Anthropology is holistic and integrative studies all aspects of human existence interested in how interrelated parts of society work together and how they came together Anthropology uses the comparative method interested in culture learned shared symbolic Subfields of Anthropology cultural anthropology linguistic anthropology biological anthropology archaeology Cultural Anthropology studies human behavior and culture with comparative method living people and their cultures ethnography ethnology Linguistic Anthropology studies how language evolved historical relationships between languages internal structure of languages Biological Anthropology uses participant observation gather data by personally questioning people and observing behavior while living in their society study of human biology within the framework of evolution and human culture study of human past through the systematic recovery and analysis of material remains Two broad ways to approach the study of culture Archaeology ideational perspective adaptive perspective Ideational perspective Adaptive perspective culture as ideas shared knowledge sees symbols and meanings as shaping human behavior cid 127 material culture is a reflection of ideas shared cultural meanings and has symbolic content culture as adaptive system result from responses to fulfilling the material parameters of life food reproduction shelter system includes technology economic organizations settlement patterns forms of social grouping and political institutions interactions between human social and cultural factors and ecological settings kwakwaka wakw potlatch doing a great thing example of competitive feasting prepare for years give away wealth and expensive items prepare serve and give away lots of food destroy expensive items food invited headmen are indebted and obliged to hold an even greater feast in future Two Perspectives IDEATIONAL symbolic communicated message of power ability to make things happen get things done cid 127 means to gain and maintain prestige ADAPTIVE allowed for food redistribution give away surplus create indebtedness alliances insure help in times of future shortage forestall violence Theory in Archaeology cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 Three levels of theory in archaeology begin with identifying describing and quantifying material remains from an archaeological site cid 127 move to interpretations of past human behavior ultimately seek to explain patterns of human behavior Low Middle and High level theory Low Level Theory necessary to make observations measurements and primary analysis of artifacts ecofacts features how do we recognize something as a particular type of artifact feature or ecofact how do we select attributes to measure and quantify cid 127 Middle Level Theory seeks to connect material record to past human behavior relies on principle of Uniformitarianism High Level Theory general overarching theory Processual paradigm often uses evolutionary and ecological generalizations seeks to formulate testable hypothesis post processual paradigm culture as an abstract force separate from biological relationships processual plus cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127