The 4 subfields of Anthropology

Cultural Anthropology
September 9th, 2013
The Four Main Subfields of Anthropology Anthropology is the study of humankind. “It first emerged in the nineteenth century, and it consists of four subfields”(Bonvillain 2006:8)

In the United States, anthropology is divided into four main subfields: cultural or social anthropology; linguistic anthropology; archaeology; and physical or biological anthropology. Each of these is divided into several specialized areas of interest. This four field approach concerns all aspects of humanity across space and time. Each of the subdisciplines emphasizes different facets of humanity, but together, the four fields offer a means of explaining variation in human adaptations. In addition, each subfield has practical applications.[Jurmaine 2011:4]

“These four subfields have their own specific methodologies, theories, and focuses. Each subfield has other branches or interest areas as well”(Bonvillain 2006:8). The subfield of biological anthropology, or physical, focuses on the physical development of humans and our primate relatives throughout history. Augustin Fuentes said that anthropology is “the discipline that studies human and nonhuman primates in all their aspects”(Fuentes 2012:15). The nonhuman primates that he was referring to are monkeys, apes, and prosimians. Another subfield of anthropology is cultural anthropology. “Cultural anthropology focuses on the analysis of the traditions and practices of past and present ages”(Harris
2007:2). A more specific interest area of cultural anthropology is ethnography, which is more focused on present day cultures and traditions(Harris 2007:2). Archaeology is a form of anthropology that studies past cultures and societies based on the things that they left behind. It looks into their language, religion,
Goode 2 technology, and moral values. Jonathan Marks talks about the beginnings of archaeology when “whites scientists went out to study the bodies and bones of Native Americans, as well as their ancient art and architecture”(Marks 2011:4) Although the four subfields cover different areas of anthropology, they are meant to work together to create a thorough understanding of cultures past and present. Also these fields have practical uses outside of schools. Using anthropology in this manner is known as applied anthropology and it widely used by scientists researching all around the world(Jurmaine 2011:4).

Works Cited
Bonvillain, Nancy
2006 Cultural Anthropology. Upper Saddle River. Pearson Education

Jurmaine, Robert and Lynn Kilgore, Wenda Trevathan 2011 Essentials of Physical Anthropology. 8th Ed. Belmont:Thomson

Fuentes, Augustin 2012 Bio Anthropology: Concepts & Connections 2nd Ed. Boston: McGraw Hill

Harris, Marvin and Orna Johnson 2007 Cultural Anthropology. 7th Ed. Boston. Pearson Education

Marks, Jonathan 2011 The Alternative Intro to Biological Anthropology New York: Oxford University

Cited: Bonvillain, Nancy 2006 Cultural Anthropology. Upper Saddle River. Pearson Education Jurmaine, Robert and Lynn Kilgore, Wenda Trevathan 2011 Essentials of Physical Anthropology. 8th Ed. Belmont:Thomson Fuentes, Augustin 2012 Bio Anthropology: Concepts & Connections 2nd Ed. Boston: McGraw Hill Harris, Marvin and Orna Johnson 2007 Cultural Anthropology. 7th Ed. Boston. Pearson Education Marks, Jonathan 2011 The Alternative Intro to Biological Anthropology New York: Oxford University