Introduction to Anthropology

Social Sciences

• Deals with human behavior in social and cultural aspects.
• Anthropology: Study of humans and their past/present societies and respective cultures.
• Developed during World War 2.
• Begun with European explorers' observations of native peoples.
• Cultural relativism: Franz Boas' idea of looking at cultures with respect, acknowledging there are no absolute truths.
• Ethnocentrism: Judging other cultures based on one's own.

Anthropology (Continued)

• Anthropology (from Greek): Combining "anthropo" (human) and "logia" (study of).
• Anthropology is the science studying human nature and humanity.
• Branches include cultural anthropology (examining human societies), archeology (studying past human activities from artifacts), physical anthropology (human biology and evolution), and linguistic anthropology (language and culture).

Key Anthropologists

• Ruth Benedict: A folklore specialist and author of "Patterns of Culture".
• Margaret Mead: Pioneered studies on childhood, adolescence, and gender. She used advanced fieldwork methods.
• Bronislaw Malinowski: A 20th-century influential ethnographer. He emphasized participant observation, blending with the people studied.
• Ethnography: Ethnography is an approach to study the culture.

Sociology

• Sociology studies the social structure and development of human societies.
• Scientific study of human interactions, institutions, and the relationships between individuals and society.
• Emerged in 18th-century Europe (Germany, England, and France) during the Industrial Revolution.
• Auguste Comte is considered the founding father of sociology.
• Positivism: Knowledge is derived from empirical observation.
• Society has laws, and societal development has patterns.

Key Sociological Concepts

• Functionalism (Durkheim): Explores societal function and institutions.
• Social order: Religion, gender, social forces, family, individual societies.
• Social institutions play a role in people's lives.

Political Science

• Political science studies politics, power, and government.
• Aristotle proposed that organized societies need systems for orderly behaviors, including collective decision-making
• Methods include the observation of collective decisions in groups, the influence of power, assessing and understanding governance and the role of political figures. The process of making collective decisions in groups is dependent on influential power applications.
• Concepts: Power, order, and justice within societies.

Politics (as a practice)

• The theory, practice, and art of government.
• Includes political institutions, power, and decision-making processes.
• Branches like executive, legislative, and judicial are crucial components.
• Power shifts with decision making. People's need to convince/persuade to influence changes.
• No one is above the law. Accountability and transparency are crucial.