Week 1 Introduction to Sociocultural Anthropology PDF

INTRODUCTION TO ANTHROPOLOGY Presented by: KEVIN T. LAGAT, MSc Intended Learning Outcomes ILO 2. Discuss the nature, scope and history of Anthropology.  ILO 3. Explain the scope and purpose of the anthropological su...

INTRODUCTION TO ANTHROPOLOGY Presented by: KEVIN T. LAGAT, MSc Intended Learning Outcomes ILO 2. Discuss the nature, scope and history of Anthropology.  ILO 3. Explain the scope and purpose of the anthropological sub fields. Presentation Outline Definition of Anthropology  Brief History of Anthropology Subfields of Anthropology Importance of Anthropology What is Anthropology? Derived from Greek, the word anthropos means “human” and ology refers to the “study of.” Quite literally, anthropology is the study of humanity. Anthropology is the study of everything and anything that makes us human. From cultures to languages to material remains and human evolution, anthropologists examine every dimension of humanity A BRIEF HISTORY OF ANTHROPOLOGICAL THINKING Zhang Qian (164 BC – 113 BC) Spent more than twenty-five years traveling and recording his observations of the peoples and almost the whole of the Islamic world, including parts of cultures of Central Asia (Wood 2004). Europe, sub-Saharan Africa, India, and China and wrote Ibn Battuta (AD 1304-1369)) Al Rihla to be among the first examples of early pre Traveled for a period of nearly thirty years, covering anthropological writing A BRIEF HISTORY OF ANTHROPOLOGICAL THINKING From the 1400s through the1700s, during the so-called “Age of Discovery,” Europeans began to explore the world, and then colonize it. European ethnocentrism was used to justify the subjugation of non-European societies on the alleged basis that these  groups were socially and even biologically inferior. A BRIEF HISTORY OF ANTHROPOLOGICAL THINKING During the Age of the Enlightenment (1685 – 1815). This crucial period of intellectual development planted the seeds for many academic disciplines, including anthropology. People ask questions and use rational thought to discover things about the natural and social world. A BRIEF HISTORY OF ANTHROPOLOGICAL  THINKING Sir Charles Lyell (1797-1875) Observed similarities between fossils and living Observed layers of rock and argued that the earth’s specimens, leading him to argue that all life is descended surface must have changed gradually over long from a common ancestor. periods. Disputed Young Earth theory, Charles Darwin (1809-1882),  A BRIEF HISTORY OF ANTHROPOLOGICAL THINKING  John Locke (1632-1704)p Philosopher and anthropologist, who postulated that Proposed that people historically had lived in relative societies “evolve” to become larger and more isolation until they agreed to form a society in which complex. the government would protect their personal property. Herbert Spencer (1820-1903)  A BRIEF HISTORY OF ANTHROPOLOGICAL THINKING Lewis Henry Morgan (1818-1881) argued that all Bronislaw Malinowski (1884-1942), developed societies “progress” through the same stages of participant-observation fieldwork: the method of development: savagery—barbarism—civilization. immersive, long-term research that cultural anthropologists use today. A BRIEF HISTORY OF ANTHROPOLOGICAL THINKING Franz Boas (1858-1942), widely regarded as the founder of American anthropology, developed cultural relativism, the view that while cultures differ, they are not better or worse than one another. What are the four subfields of Anthropology? Four Sub-fields of Anthropology Sociocultural Anthropology The study of human societies, cultures, and their development. Cultural anthropologists study the similarities and differences among living societies and cultural groups. Cultural anthropologists often study social groups that differ from their own, based on the view that fresh insights are generated by an outsider trying to understand the insider point of view. Biological Anthropology Biological anthropology is the study of human origins, evolution, and variation. Some biological anthropologists focus on our closest living relatives, monkeys and apes. They examine the biological and behavioral similarities and differences between nonhuman primates and human primates (us!).. Archaeology Archaeologists focus on the material past: the tools, food, pottery, art, shelters, seeds, and other objects left behind by people. Prehistoric archaeologists recover and analyze these materials to reconstruct the lifeways of past societies that lacked writing  Linguistic Anthropology Linguistic anthropology studies the nature of human languages in the context of those cultures that developed them. Linguistic anthropologists ask questions like: How did language first emerge? How has it evolved and diversified over time? How has language helped us succeed as a species? How can language convey one’s social identity? How does language  influence our views of the world? Applied Anthropology Applied anthropology involves the application of anthropological theories, methods, and findings to solve practical problems. Applied anthropologists are employed outside of academic settings, in both the public and private sectors. WHY IS ANTHROPOLOGY IMPORTANT? Understanding Human Diversity Understanding ourselves Promoting Cultural Sensitivity and Awareness Addressing Social Issues Informing Public Policy and Development Enhancing Academic and Intellectual Knowledge Preserving Human Heritage THANK YOU FOR LISTENING! Reference Brown, N., Mcllwraith, T., Gonzales, L.T. (2020). Perspectives: An Open Introduction to Cultural Anthropology (2nd ed.). American Anthropological Association.