Week 1 - What is Anthropology PDF

What is Anthropology? ANTHROPOLOGY 1AA3 WINTER 2024 B E AT R I C E F L E T C H E R A Quick Announcement Re: Textbooks What do anthropologists study? What will we learn today? What are the four main subfields of anthropology? What types of questions do anthropologists ask/answer? What are some unifyi...

What is Anthropology? ANTHROPOLOGY 1AA3 WINTER 2024 B E AT R I C E F L E T C H E R A Quick Announcement Re: Textbooks What do anthropologists study? What will we learn today? What are the four main subfields of anthropology? What types of questions do anthropologists ask/answer? What are some unifying concepts in anthropology? Warning: Challenging Content ∙ ∙ Anthropology deals with human experience, as this is a general, introductory course, I will be discussing many experiences that are not my own. I will try to give warnings if I plan to discuss difficult or potentially personal content, but I may not always be able to predict difficult topics. What is Anthropology? ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ Anthropology is “The study of human nature, human society, human language and the human past” (p.3) Anthropologists may also study close human relatives or extinct hominids to better understand human evolution and behaviour. Anthropologists use a comparative approach to explore similarities and differences in cultures and explore why these similarities/differences might exist. Anthropology is multi-disciplinary, with four main subfields: cultural anthropology, biological anthropology, linguistic anthropology, and archaeology Where do Anthropologists Work? ∙ Universities (Professors/Researchers) ∙ Corporations ∙ Government & NGOs ∙ The Medical System ∙ Contract Archaeology/ Heritage Subfields of Anthropology Lavenda, Schulz, & Zutter (p. 5) Cultural Anthropology ∙ The study of contemporary cultures and societies ∙ Cultural anthropologists work closely with informants/ interlocuters ∙ Methodology: participant observation, interviews, ethnology ∙ Cultural anthropologists often produce an ethnography- a description of an aspect of culture within a society ∙ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhCr uPBvSjQ&ab_channel=mitanthro In Search of Respect: Selling Crack in El Barrio ∙ Ethnography by Philippe Bourgois ∙ Seeks to understand how systemic factors (poverty & racism) impact involvement with the drug trade among Puerto Rican gang members in East Harlem Linguistic Anthropology ∙ The study of language construction and use in past and present human societies. ∙ Language is how we all share and learn culture. ∙ Structural Linguistics: how language works ∙ Sociolinguistics: the relationships between language and social behaviour Christine Schreyer & Conlangs ∙ Canadian Anthropologist at UBC Okanagan ∙ Studies conlangs (elvish, Dothraki, Klingon etc.) ∙ How/why are these languages used by fandoms ∙ https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=8F_NEwLGI10&ab_channel=TEDx Talks Biological Anthropology ∙ The study of human evolution, adaptation, and behaviour via the lens of biology. ∙ Many diverse areas of specialization include: Bioarchaeology Forensic Anthropology aDNA Evolutionary anthropology Primatology ∙ https://youtu.be/5yvwEZ0Ymr8?si=A7rfpfz4Kxh2UaY Sharon DeWitte & Paleoepidemiology ∙ Anthropologist at the University of South Carolina ∙ Studies biological and social factors to reconstruct life during the Black Death in Medieval Europe Archaeology ∙ The study of human material culture. ∙ Material culture includes the physical remains of any human activity (anything physical thing modified or used by humans). ∙ Archaeologists might study buildings, cities, landscapes, artifacts, or trash! ∙ Archaeologists can provide unique insights into past societies where no written or oral records are available. ∙ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFrg_4 wG7rE&ab_channel=ArsTechnica Rudy Reimer/Yumks & Obsidian Trade ∙ Archaeologist at Simon Fraser University ∙ Studies the movement of obsidian and other high-mountain resources A 5th Field? Applied Anthropology ∙ Uses anthropology to address “real world” problems Public health, medicine and welfare Law https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E wjVDE7MAvI&ab_channel=AmericanA nthropologicalAssociation Environmental management Heritage preservation Marketing and business Unifying Concepts in Anthropology ∙ Fieldwork ∙ Culture ∙ Holism ∙ Evolution ∙ Biocultural ∙ Cultural Relativism Fieldwork ∙ ∙ ∙ Anthropologists do fieldwork Fieldwork can look very different depending on your subfield. Anthropologists may visit their study sites, live with interlocuters, or conduct excavations. Anthropologists Study…. Human Culture ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ Anthropologist can study both past and present human cultures. Culture is fundamental to being human. Culture consists of learned and shared behaviours and beliefs that shape our human experience. Examples of culture include: foodways, religion, identities, spirituality, ritual practices, beliefs etc. Culture is… In other words culture is… Social Norms Habits Traditions Values Worldview How do you get culture? ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ Culture is emergent: it develops from the life & history of each group of people. Therefore, culture is specific to each group, place, and time. (Culture isn’t static!) Culture is produced socially requiring communication and social interaction. Culture is reinforced, reproduced, and changed through social relationships. Even behaviours that look similar may be understood very differently by the people who preform them. Holism ∙ Anthropology tries to integrate all that is known about humans and their activities. ∙ We recognize that all aspects of society including culture, environment and biology are interconnected. ∙ A holistic approach is often a collaborative approach. Evolution ∙ Humans adapt biologically and culturally ∙ Biological evolution: changes in characteristics of a species over several generations via the process of natural selection ∙ Cultural evolution: learned adjustments in behaviour Biocultural Approaches ∙ Humans are a species “whose defining features are co-determined by biological and cultural factors” (p.5). ∙ Our biology and culture affects one another- both during our lifetimes and across evolutionary time. Practice Biocultural Approaches Comparison ∙ Anthropologist take a comparative approach. ∙ We look for differences and similarities and seek to explain them. ∙ Patterns in cultural traits over space and time can be explained by any/all of the following: Interactions Convergence Divergence Universality Cultural Relativism ∙ When undertaking comparisons, it is important to strive for cultural relativism. ∙ Cultural Relativism: a research stance that places behaviour, attitudes, and customs in the context of a society’s wider cultural frame. ∙ Each culture must be understood based on its own context and history. Ethnocentrism ∙ Ethnocentrism is the opposite of cultural relativism. ∙ Ethnocentrism is the erroneous idea that one’s own culture and its values are superior to another culture’s. ∙ Anthropologists must overcome culture shock and fight against ethnocentrism. Ethnocentrism in Action Summary ∙ Anthropology is concerned with diversity of human culture ∙ Anthropology is multidisciplinary (4 Subfields of Anthropology)- no one is an expert in all four subfields! ∙ A lot of anthropological work is interdisciplinary and often involves fieldwork. ∙ Anthropologists take on holistic perspectives. ∙ Anthropologists work to overcome ethnocentrism and approach their work from a standpoint of cultural relativism.