Subfields of Anthropology

Subfields of Anthropology

• Anthropology is divided into four major subfields: Physical/Biological, Archaeological, Linguistic, and Socio-Cultural.
• Each subfield has specialized areas of study.

Archaeological Anthropology

• Studies past peoples' lifestyles through material remains (artifacts, features, eco-facts).
• Artifacts: Objects made and used by past people (tools, ornaments).
• Features: Structures made/modified by past people (houses, buildings).
• Eco-facts: Non-human remains (soil, animal bones) that show past human-environment interactions.
• Subfields: Prehistoric, Historical, and Ethno-archaeology.
  • Prehistoric Archaeology: Studies pre-writing human cultures.
  • Historical Archaeology: Studies cultures with written records.
  • Ethno-archaeology: Studies contemporary societies to understand past cultures.

Linguistic Anthropology

• Studies language's evolution, use within societies, and human language acquisition.
• Examines language variation in structure, units, and grammar.
• Recognizes human languages as cultural resources and aspects of human culture.
• Subfields:
  • Structural/Descriptive Linguistics: Studies language structure and rules, examining sound, grammar, and meaning.
  • Ethno-Linguistics: Explores language-culture connections, how language shapes cognition and experience.
  • Historical Linguistics: Examines language origins and how languages change over time.
  • Socio-linguistics: Studies language's use in different social contexts, including dialects, accents, and social status markers.

Socio-Cultural Anthropology

• Studies contemporary societies and cultures.
• Describes, analyzes, and explains social, cultural, and material lives of people.
• Focuses on social relations, symbolic aspects (language, religion), and material objects.
• Two key methods:
  • Ethnography: Detailed description of a specific culture or community.
  • Ethnology: Comparative study of cultures.
• Diverse subfields: Anthropology of art, medical anthropology, urban anthropology, economic anthropology, political anthropology, development anthropology, anthropology of religion, demographic anthropology, ecological anthropology, psychological anthropology, ethnomusicology.

Physical/Biological Anthropology

• Focuses on human biology.
• Subfields: Forensic anthropology, primatology, paleoanthropology, population genetics, human ecology.
• Studies human evolution and modern human variation.
• Examines how biology, culture, and environment interplay.
• Highlights biological bases of behaviors, society, and culture (marriage, labor division, gender).
• Emphasizes biological variations (morphology, color, size) as reflections of evolution.
• Key sources of biological variation: Natural selection, geographical isolation, and genetic mutations.
• Subfields:
  • Human Evolution: Study of evolutionary processes that have shaped the human species, using fossils as evidence.
    • Paleoanthropology: Analyzes fossil remains to understand human development.
    • Primatology: Studies primates to understand human origins.
  • Human Genetics: Studies how and why physical characteristics vary within human populations.

Evolutionary Perspectives on Human Origins

• Evolution is a process of gradual change in species over time, based on replication, variation, and selection.
• Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection played a critical role in understanding human evolution.
• Evolution views humans as part of the natural world, not a distinct creation.
• Modern anthropology uses genetic and other scientific data to support and refine evolutionary theories.

Anthropological Perspectives on Race and Human Variation

• The concept of race is culturally constructed, not biologically valid.
• Human biological variations are adaptations to different environments, not a categorization into fixed racial types.
• Race is an arbitrary social construct, not a biological reality.
• Genetic ancestry is relevant in some contexts, but "color-coded" racial classifications are socially constructed.