Anthropology Basics 1 22 14 Anthropology Stereotypes Only study exotic cultures particularly indigenous hunter gatherers Only study stones and bones What is anthropology Anthropology is a science Science a systematic method for exploring describing explaining and predicting some phenomena Scientific research based on empirical observations and can be checked and replicated by others Anthropology is As a simple definition it is the study of humankind Anthropology is not the only subject that studies humans of course Social sciences among other disciplines Anthropology is a holistic discipline The definition we ll use It incorporates elements of all of the other disciplines mentioned o Anthropology the holistic study of human cultural and biological variation across space and time Anthropology and space time Anthropologist consider human biological and cultural patterns across the face of the earth today as well as the origins and changes in biology and culture in the past Anthropology and human variability Anthropologists also focus on human variability or similarities and differences Differences and similarities can be examined from social cultural and physical biological perspectives Anthropological sub disciplines There are four o 1 Physical anthropology o 2 Archaeology o 3 Linguistic anthropology o 4 Sociocultural anthropology Physical anthropology Sometimes referred to a biological anthropology Focuses exclusively on human biodiversity through space and time Examines questions of human physical evolution including biological adaptation and issues of human development Archaeology Examines human culture and cultural evolution from the past to the present through their material remains traces Also looks at cultural adaptation o the ways in which human societies use culture to deal with each other and their environments Linguistic anthropology The study of human language and discourse Examines the ways in which language is used to communicate ideas and affect social and cultural actions Also examines the adaptive significance of the development and use of language Sociocultural anthropology Also studies human culture but its focus is on the present and studies culture actively through observation of living communities Sociocultural has the greatest ability to study a culture holistically i e economics politics religion etc The concept of culture Culture is the central concept in anthropology It is more complex than any single definition can provide for and there are many Definition group of people Culture can be considered simply as the general way of life of a It consists of a set of guidelines for behavior Humans can choose whether or not to follow these guidelines but when they are followed the result is consistent predictable behavior One of the goals of anthropology is to be able to predict behavior A couple of things to note Guidelines re not rules or laws in the sense we are familiar with Nor does consistence behavior imply passive or peaceful behaviors A culture can have guidelines that promote aggressive confrontational behavior as much as one that promotes cooperative and peaceful ones Culture is not a thing It cannot be purchased or owned You are born into it or you achieve membership into it via acceptance of guidelines In fact people generally belong to more than one culture In expanding the definition of culture anthropologists generally Characteristics of culture study 8 o 1 culture is learned Humans are born with the ability to learn culture but it is not innate Neither is culture associated with skin color All cultural behavior is learned but not all learned behavior is necessarily cultural i e cracking your knuckles food avoidance o 2 Culture is shared Cultural knowledge is shared among members of a community or society Sharing culture is never absolute or complete No one person knows everything Culture vs Society Society a community nation or broad grouping of people having common traditions institutions and collective activities and interests A society is not necessarily a culture Pluralistic Society United States A state of society in which members of diverse ethnic racial religious or social groups maintain an autonomous participation in and development of their traditional culture or special interest within the confines of a common civilization At the same time cultural entities There is a lot of sharing between these different A pluralistic society like the U S is one where there is cultural overlap People share knowledge but knowledge can also be withheld and people from these different cultures may choose not to learn what is shared o 3 Culture is diverse Culture must provide for basic needs which include things like biological continuity producing and distributing goods maintain order etc Diversity arises in the number of ways cultures provide for these basic needs Any one issue can have several different solutions o 4 Culture is cumulative Culture involves accumulated knowledge The ways in which a culture transmits this knowledge can have profound effects on its development Knowledge can be controlled and access to it limited and it can be lost o 5 Culture is integrated Culture can be analyzed as a series of components i e you can look at religion political structure economy etc However they are not discrete entities They are parts of an integrated whole As a result when there is a change in one part of culture there are usually effects in all others o 6 Culture is dynamic Culture changes The process is not constant and the various components of a culture can change at different rates While change is a feature of culture there are also forces that resist change and channel it in certain directions we call it the federal government o 7 Culture is symbolic Symbol something verbal or nonverbal that comes to stand for something in a particular language or culture Humans are the only species in the planet that will bestow meaning on objects or actions and then live according to those meanings Language is the most significant set of symbolic meanings in human culture It allows for the other characteristics of culture we have talked about For example color symbolism Many popular festivals have color symbolism What do these mean to you Red green Christmas Orange and black Halloween Red and pink Valentine s day Red white and blue 4th of July Red white and black Ndembu Initiation Ritual o 8 Culture is adaptive Culture change is often directed in response to