To understand what anthropologists do and what their contributions are to society it is important to understand what they study and why. Anthropologists study anthropology to understand humans and their history. Anthropology is divided into several forms such as archeology, biological, and linguistic anthropology. Throughout history, humans have evolved into improved circumstances for humanity’s advancement. Anthropologists are responsible for observing humanity’s past and evaluating what separates groups of people from each other. Through their procedures and methods, anthropologists are able to learn from people. In the subject of archaeology, anthropologists discover the hidden past of humanity by finding artifacts and old constructions
Human science extensively covers the regions of present day humans, human biology, nourishment and demography. Learning about biological human studies is such an important topic because it offers a powerful influence for our comprehension of humanity. With a specific end goal to get a handle on how people developed from before living things, we can take a glance at our nearest relatives, the primates. Primates incorporate us (homo sapiens), the gorillas, and the monkeys. We can find out about primate demeanor by watching how they operate in the wild or by examining them in little hostage settlements. These investigations by primatologists are especially imperative now in light of the fact that many primates are imperiled creatures, and our insight into their conduct and condition may help them and us to make due later on. We can utilize the procedures of archaeology exploration to reveal the wasted leftovers of our lineages from the
Archaeology, biological, and linguistic anthropology all demonstrate the importance of anthropologies wide range of fields that dive into understanding the human way of life. Archaeologists seek to find old and hidden materials from the past, biological anthropologists investigate how humans have evolved overtime, and linguistics anthropologists try to understand how language and understanding one another through communication and texts came to be. It is clear that anthropologists contribute a lot to society and their work has allowed people to understand how the past was and how we can continue to
de Waal, F. B. M. (2001) The Tree of Origin: What Primate Behavior can tell us about Human
Anthropology is the study of humans. This area of study is subdivided into three sections; cultural anthropology, archeology, and biological anthropology. Biological anthropologists study the anatomy, and evolution of the human body. Biological anthropologists are the ones who assess skeletal remains and determine where, when, and who, the person was. Human skeletal remains are the main component in Forensic Anthropology. Bones can reveal ancestral lineage, gender, height and age of a person.
Our earliest ancestors are primates. They are our closest relatives which is why we can see our behavior’s and practices in them. If we observe them we can get a better understanding of them and us, human beings. But unfortunately we all don’t get the chance to see a Primate right in our backdoor. So the best thing I could do for my observation was to visit them at the zoo.
Throughout situations and research conducted by not only Robert Sapolsky or Jane Goodman, but from many other credited sources, we can blatantly see the, if not identical, similarities between the two species of humans and baboons. The most apparent likewise characteristics of this can be read and documented in Professor Sapolsky’s book, A Primate’s Memoirs. Sapolsky, who spent hundreds if not thousands, of hours studying these Savanna Baboons, sheds a vast insight into ideas of social dominance, mating strategies, instinctual prowess, community settings, hygiene, and reform of an entire generation; many of which can be unknowingly seen directly in the common occurrence of a humans daily life.
Archaeologists are trying very hard to understand the ethnographers. They do this because they want to understand just what it is that they are digging up, and the best way to find out is to ask the people who use them. Of course they are not perfect, and some archaeologists dig competitively (almost like tomb raiders), but overall, we can learn a lot about ancient people from the work of these two groups of scientists working together with the past and the present.
B.M.de Waal, Tree of Origin: What Primate Behavior Can Tell Us about Human Social Evolution. Havard University Press: Massachusets, 2001.
Anthropological researchers have considerable moral and ethical standards by which their work must be conducted in order to preserve the accuracy and the posterity of the information gathered during the study and also to the persons or cultures of which they study. These two important parts of anthropology – the research and those being researched – can be conflicting. The Code of Ethics of the American Anthropological Association presents itself as a body of guidelines for discussing these ethical and moral conflicts. This allows for researchers in the field of anthropology to have a foundation for understanding what decisions must be made regarding these ethical and moral conflicts and to whom the disclosures of those decisions should be made.
Since the beginning of the human species, humans have possessed an undying curiosity with their entire existence and surroundings. These curious obsessions, including that of their environments and other living organisms, have never been as strong, remarkable and lasting as the curiosity we’ve had about ourselves both collectively and individually. Two anthropologists offer the valid idea that “it is probably fair to say, wherever literate civilizations came into contact with members of different societies, something like ethnographic writing occurred” (McGee, Warms, 2012). It also seems to be plausible, even looking as far back into the human origin and history as Homo neanderthalensis, that the first glimmer of curiosity occur. Of course Homo neanderthalensis would not be writing ethnographies detailing the emic and etic perspectives within and about a culture, but since they are believed to have lived in complex groups and would occasionally pass another group or merge with another group in passing it would seem reasonable to assume that a base curiosity must have been piqued. All ideas, whether valid or not, begin with a thought. The field of anthropology is a rich transformation and amalgamation of ideas, thoughts and theories evolving throughout time. The purpose of this essay is to summarize the development of anthropological theory from the late nineteenth century to the present twenty-first century.
Forensics Anthropology is the study that goes beyond the human skeleton. A forensics anthropologist can find out. How a person lived, the food that person ate, and the overall make-up of a human. The use of forensics has grown in recent years, it is used to solve crimes and locate missing persons. Snow, (1982) Forensics anthropology is not a new science. The first case forensics anthropology was used on was the Jezebel case, dating back to the nineteenth century. This case involved a person, who was thrown from a window. Snow, (1982) The remains found in this case were the skull, feet, and the palm of the victim’s hands.
1) Other then the scientific important of studying hominids history, the most important reason why I believe we should study hominids is because it shows us that we are all the same. Discrimination, racism, and even wars are caused by people labeling themselves into different groups. All the major conflicts that you can think of are originated in the concepts of two different groups. Black vs. whites in America, Israel vs. Palestine, and pretty much all civil wars. Hopefully showing people that we are the same will reduced all major conflicts. We are basically one big family that has its ties back to Africa. Another reason why I believe it's important to study hominids is because it show us that we are no different than the animals on earth.
According to The Society for American Archaeology, the definition of Archaeology is, “to obtain a chronology of the past, a sequence of events and dates that, in a sense, is a backward extension of history.” The study of ancient civilizations and archaeology is rather ambiguous due to the primitive nature of the time period. With little imagery and even less textual evidence, professionals in the field must work diligently when studying their subjects. Naturally, archaeologists cannot see or communicate with those whom they are studying, so they must be extraordinarily meticulous when analyzing past cultures. This relates to all aspects of the ancient world including; foods, raw materials, artifacts, agriculture, art work and pottery. All of these elements can collectively provide new and innovative information to curious archaeologists who may wish to gain a better understanding of those who came before us. This information is equally beneficial for both historians and archaeologists who plan to compare the histories of societies from all around the world. In the world of archaeology, archaeologists strive to better explain human behavior by analyzing our past. Therefore, the study of archaeology is a key element in understanding a time before our own.
What is applied anthropology and how can it be applied to almost every facet of society? The answer is obvious when we look at what the field of anthropology encompasses. Anthropology, as defined by the American Anthropological Association is, “the study of humans, past and present.” In the United States, anthropologists are educated in one of the four areas, sociocultural anthropology, biological/physical anthropology, archaeology, and linguistics. Active within these four subfields is Applied Anthropology, which is the application of the method and theory of an anthropological subfield to the analysis and solution of real world situations and practical problems. Anthropology’s field is the wide is the wide array of human social experience.
Welsch, Robert L, and Kirk M Endicott. “Should Cultural Anthropology Model itself on the Natural Science.” Taking sides clashing views on controversial issues in cultural anthropology. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. Print.
Cultural anthropology examines different cultures and studies them in their native environments by observing or becoming part of each group to understand each culture from within. According to Crapo (2013), “Cultural Anthropology is the study of the similarity and diversity of human ways of life (cultures) and of the regularities in how culture functions” (sec. 1.1). When observing each culture neutrally from the outside in, is called an etic point of view and when experiencing the culture from within is referred to as an emic perspective. Emic narratives can be subjective and are explained by the culture experiencing it. In this paper, I will examine gender and the discrimination of women in my own culture from an outside or etic perspective,
One cannot generalize or predict all human behaviors, thought processes, morals, and customs. Because human nature is dominated by different types of cultures and societies in various parts of the world, this can often lead to misunderstanding which ultimately leads to the illusion of cultural superiority, and in most cases this can lead to genocide - the systematic murder or annihilation of a group of people or culture. Anthropology is the study of humans, our immediate ancestors and their cultural environments this study stems from the science of holism - the study of the human condition. Culture is crucial in determining the state of the human condition, as the cultures are traditions and customs that are learned throughout an individual