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Definition of Anthropology

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Definition of Anthropology
Definition of Anthropology

Etymological definition in Greek: Anthropo = man; human beings; humankind Logia = study of; knowledge

Anthropology is the systematic study of man, human beings or humankind.
*Man is multi-faceted; has many sides.
*Man is a physical and cultural being. That is why
Anthropology is linked to all other sub disciplines and subfields that pertain to the study of man: Sociology, Psychology, Physiology, Literature, Arts and Aesthetics, Political Science, etc.
Let us look at the systematic study of a multi-faceted man à

4 Sub disciplines or Subfields of Anthropology

Open to page 4 (your textbook)
Anthropology has four major sub disciplines or subfields in the scientific (systematic) study of man: - Physical Anthropology- human evolution and human variation - Cultural Anthropology- ways of life of contemporary cultures - Archaeology - reconstruct the past or prehistory of man through artifacts - Linguistic Anthropology-language and culture

Anthropology is SOCIAL SCIENCE

• Anthropology is NOT a romantic life with primitive people in a far-off jungle!
• Anthropology is NOT a trip to some exotic place to dance the hula!
• Anthropology is NOT just a monkey-hugging business!
• Anthropology IS by itself SCIENCE, a SOCIAL SCIENCE because it follows a SCIENTIFIC APPROACH or METHOD.
• What is a scientific method (page 16, yrtxbk).

Scientific Method

• Scientific method – a logical system used to evaluate data derived from systematic observation
• Used by researchers to observe and gather data: - Natural environments (ecology, labs) - Social environments (where people are)

Process of scientific method:

Observationà Explanation of Variables to build General Theoryà Specific Data Gathering à Hypothesis à Testing of Data à Explanation à Conclusion.

Two categories of Scientific Method

• Inductive – scientists first make observations and collect data (variables) to develop general theory and
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