1 Anthropology and Culture anthropology the study of human diversity the study of humans as biological organisms primate relations human evolution human physical diversity study of past cultures interpretation of material culture four branches biological or physical anthropology archaeology linguistic anthropology cultural anthropology community characteristics structures of human languages universal features and differences social and cultural uses of language relation between language and worldview who gets to talk power and who gets to talk in what way study of living human cultures primarily qualitative participant observation in fieldwork is interview based culture is not human nature it is learned shared not individual quirks but the history of anthropology is largely the history of europeans trying to make sense of the world theories grouped hugely diverse people into simple races associated biological differences with cultural differences assumed a linear evolutionary tract whereby lower races would biologically culturally evolve into higher ones enthographic fieldwork historical fieldwork armchair anthropology franz boas we are all bound by the shackles of tradition foundational argument that all cultures were equal in value salvage enthnography use of anthropologist s accounts in cultural revivals ongoing controversies about returning cultural artifacts which were collected in this period cultural anthropology in europe focused on social structures rather than meaning identity 21st century anthropology is challenging the colonial roots of the field adding more non white non eurocentric voices
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