Cultural Anthropology Topics And Examples
Definition of Cultural Anthropology
Anthropology is a combination anthropos and logy, both words that originated in Greek. Anthropology studies humans. Anthropology was born out of the Age of Exploration. It is the study of people and cultures that has been a part of human history since the beginning.
Anthropology has a wide range of subjects. Anthropologists, who study aspects of human nature, are anthropologists. One anthropologist may focus on the mating practices of a New Guinean tribe while another may study university-level rituals. The key is to study humanity.
A large body of knowledge, which is both broad and deep, makes anthropology a complex field that can be divided into many smaller specializations. There are many ways of explaining the divisions. However, the main ones are physical anthropology as well as cultural anthropology. Both have developed into independent fields.
Anthropology of the body
The study of the natural world and the environment of the human body is known as physical anthropology. It includes paleoanthropology, evolution and primatology and population genetics (what is learned about groups through their genetic codes).
Cultural Anthropology
Cultural anthropology encompasses the collective beliefs, values symbolisms, and activities of members of a specific group. They are then bound together to make it identifiable. Social anthropology is a more common term in Europe, but cultural anthropology can refer to all aspects of human existence. Cultural anthropology encompasses many areas, such as religion, language, learning and housing structures.
Major Subfields of Anthropology
Anthrology, as a field of study, can be further subdivided into ethnology (traditional culture anthropology), Linguistics, Archaeology and Applied Anthropology.
Ethnology is Traditional Cultural Anthropology.
Ethnologists were the first true cultural-anthropologists. Ethnologists were the first true cultural anthropologists to set out to explore the world’s remotest places and learn more about the cultures of the people they studied. They sought out new peoples to study, and they did so without judgment.
Ethnologists explore religion, politics. Medicine, art. Social stratification. Mental health. Ethnologists began their research in cultures other than the one they were originally from. Ethnologists are looking more closely at their own cultures. They explore matters such as cultural impacts, social justice, and subcultures.
The study of language and its role in culture and society
Linguistic Anthropology studies the interplay between language, culture and geography. Linguistic Anthropologists study language use in a society to understand symbolic practices. They analyze the relationship between language and cultures to discover how it was transmitted and shared between cultures.
Four linguists might consider Europe’s languages and look at the word “mother”. There are many ways they can study them. One linguist might map the region and explore how the word moved between languages. One linguist might examine the cultural value of individuals and how they treat people who are “mother.” Another could explore the meaning of “mother” in relation to individuals who have no biological relationship but are able to show respect and kinship. Fourth, we might look at countries where “mother” is not derived from the same language as most European languages. We could then explore these relationships and ask the question, who were the people who came in from other parts of Europe?
The study of past human life and culture through the excavation of sites and analysis of artifacts.
Archaeology is one of the most popular subgroups in anthropology thanks to King Tutankhamun and certain movies. Archaeologists examine the cultural legacy of people. The cultural lives of long-dead people can be revealed through art, architecture and clothing scraps.
Archaeologists are able to study any time or history. When archaeologists study sites like cliff dwellings, they only have the information they need to answer their queries. For historical archaeologists, those who have written records for an area they are studying, can examine the physical evidence of their work and compare it with written accounts.
Applied Anthropology
Applied Anthropology is the youngest subfield within anthropology. It spans all the other subfields, even physical anthropology. Application anthropologists see knowledge as a way to improve their understanding of the world, but not for solving real-world problems. To solve practical problems, applied anthropologists use the same techniques as all subgroups of anthropology.
Medical anthropology, a form of applied ethnology, draws from ideas from all the subgroups to study the relationships between illness, culture, and health. The role of medical anthropologists has been crucial in helping health care agencies understand cultural practices around wellness and health. This allows agencies to offer services that are both culturally sensitive and meet the needs of individuals.
